A presidential commissioner will continue to lobby the anti-discrimination bill for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community amidst having a slim chance of being passed before the 16th Congress ends on June 2019.
Norman Baloro of the Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor (PCUP) said that he will continue to lobby for the passage of the SOGIE (Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and Expression) Equality Bill in the Senate.
“We already know that that the push for the SOGIE Equality Bill to be a national legislation is already dead,” Baloro said.
Senate president Vicente “Tito” Sotto III expressed his opposition to the bill.
He said that he need to take advantage his position as commissioner for the urban poor because he believed that no sector, including the LGBT, should be left behind.
“We believe in our 2040 ambition that every Filipino should have a stable and livable life. This is part of social inclusion, a comfortable life for all,” Baloro said.
He said that he is going to coordinate with the different LGBT group in the country, to discuss for the proposal of creating a Philippine Commission on LGBT.
“What I’m trying to do is going to the LGBT groups in the National Capital Region, Visayas and Mindanao, in the grassroots community, in order to establish a national inclusion and diversity program,” Baloro said.
He also believe that forming an LGBT-led government agency would end the longtime discrimination that the group continues to experience.
“If the sector is recognized by the government, the LGBT would feel their worth in the society,” Baloro said.
He said that the proposal was already given to President Rodrigo Duterte, also a known LGBT advocate.
Baloro also said that the LGBT Davao City Coalition is pushing to form a barangay and community based organization for the LGBT.
He said that Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio is open to the suggestion.
Although Baloro said that there will be some barangay captains and other leaders who would hesitate to the proposal.
But he said that having a community based organization in the barangay would be a stepping stone towards their advocacy for social equality.
