‘Not an urgent measure’: Villanueva says of SOGIE Equality bill

 
Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva on Tuesday, June 6 said he sees no urgency in passing the proposed Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression and Sex Characteristics (SOGIESC) bill.
 
The controversial SOGIESC bill, Villanueva said, is not part of the list of measures certified as urgent by Malacañang.
 
“I don’t know who is following it up or saying it is a priority measure because it is not,” Villanueva told reporters in a press briefing when asked about the status of the bill.
 
“There are members of the committee on rules who have given us letters and reservations. So it’s still there as well as some other measures,” said Villanueva.
 
Sen. Risa Hontiveros, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality, had attempted to push for the sponsorship of the committee report on Senate Bill No. 1600.
 
Various religious groups and sectors, however, have signified their opposition to the measure particularly the hefty penalties that would be imposed to any potential violators of the proposed law.
 
The panel has recommended a penalty of less than P100,000 but not more than P250,000 or imprisonment against individuals who would commit discriminatory practices.
 
Because of this, the Senate remanded the panel’s Committee Report No. 15 to the Committee on Rules, which Villanueva chairs.
 
According to the lawmaker, seven senators argued that the Upper Chamber needs to pass an anti-discrimination bill that covers all sectors and not just one group.
 
“When you talk about anti-discrimination, it shouldn’t be about just one sector only. Because the others are also being discriminated,” the senator said citing the position of the other concerned lawmakers.
 
The SOGIESC bill primarily seeks to prohibit discriminatory practices on the basis of SOGIESC, such as refusing admission to or expelling a person from any educational or training institution; imposing disciplinary sanctions harsher than customary that infringe on the rights of students; and refusing or revoking accreditation of organizations, groups, political parties, or institutions.