ROXAS City – The city council on May 31 approved an ordinance against gender discrimination.
Authored by Councilor Cesar Yap, chairman of the Committee on Health, its full title is the “Anti-Discrimination Ordinance (ADO) on the Basis of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and Expression (SOGIE) for the Protection and Promotion of the Rights and Welfare of Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, Transgenders, Queers, Intersex, Asexuals, and Pansexuals Partner Communities (LGBTQIAP+)”,
Under this ordinance, any deed of discrimination based on sex and gender identity is punishable.
In passing the ordinance, the council cited that in June 2011, the Human Rights Council adopted a resolution expressing grave concern at violence and discrimination on individuals on the basis of sexual orientation and identity
The ordinance emphasized that upholding the rights of all Filipinos, especially those discriminated against based on their SOGIE, is the commitment of the city government of Roxas in keeping with its platform on “inclusive ordinance”.
Pursuant of the Gender and Development (GAD) programs and initiatives of the city, the ordinance also stressed the need to mainstream all people on both ends of the gender spectrum in all development agenda
“It is the policy of the Roxas City Government to afford equal protection to LGBTQAIP+ people as guaranteed by our Constitution and to craft local legislative measures in support of this aim,” the ordinance further read.
Ordinance violators may face imprisonment of not less than two months to one year and a fine of P1,000 to P5,000./PN
