Philippines: CHR vows to promote gay, lesbian rights

The chief of the Commission on Human Rights has vowed to promote the rights and welfare of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and the transgendered (LGBTs) as she lamented the non-passage of a gender equality bill in Congress.

In a statement, CHR Chair Leila de Lima said that Filipino LGBTs remain “one of the sectors most vulnerable to human rights abuses, such as discrimination in the workplace and even harassment in educational institutions.”

De Lima said that the Anti-Discrimination Bill of 2000, which seeks to prohibit discrimination in the private and public sector on the basis of sexual orientation, has been gathering dust in Congress.

Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago filed the bill in the Senate while former Akbayan representative Etta Rosales authored a counterpart legislation in the House of Representatives.

But De Lima noted that “close to a decade ago” the proposed measure “is still pending in Congress.”

“Instead, as of 2006, three anti-same sex marriage bills have been introduced in both houses of Congress," she said.

De Lima encouraged "those who have been unfortunate enough to suffer discrimination or other human rights abuses to report these incidents to the Commission for investigation and other appropriate action."

In a meeting with LGBT advocates, De Lima said her office would release an urgent advisory to government agencies to respect and promote LGBT rights.

Project Equality, a newly launched network of groups and individuals pushing for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights, welcomed De Lima’s statement.

"This sends a strong message to the public and the government that stigma and discrimination should be addressed with urgency," Project Equality spokesperson Jonas Bagas said.

“We have been waiting for too long for Congress to act on the Anti-Discrimination Bill. With the support of the Commission, we will scale up efforts to push for our equal rights," Bagas said in a statement.

The group also said it is “considering bringing before the Supreme Court landmark LGBT cases to get legal remedy to specific issues and to compel the government to recognize LGBT rights despite the absence of an enabling law."

"We will also go local. We have seen in the last four years the openness of local governments to legislate LGBT rights at the local level," it said, citing the case of Quezon City, which passed an ordinance prohibiting the discrimination of homosexuals in employment.

"A broader ordinance is being tackled in Albay and Manila City, and we hope to initiate similar efforts in Bulacan, Marikina, Malabon, Cebu and Davao," the group added.

Project Equality will also push for benefits for same-sex partners, in particular the granting of next-of-kin status for same-sex couples.

Date: 6 December 2008

Source: INQUIRER.net