Urgent passage of SOGIE bill at Senate pressed

Senator Loren Legarda. FILE PHOTO

Senator Loren Legarda on Friday called for the immediate passage of the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and Expression (SOGIE) Equality bill.

“The State should protect the rights of all its citizens, which include members of the LGBTQIA community,” Legarda, who co-sponsored the bill with Senator Risa Hontiveros, said in a statement.

“No person should be discriminated on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity or expression,” she added.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III earlier said there is still hope for the bill to be passed in the Senate — only if its “controversial provisions” are resolved.

READ: Sotto: Senate may pass antigender discrimination bill, if …

But Legarda stressed there have been “exhaustive” discussions on the bill for the past two years and it is “about time” to pass the proposed measure.

“I hope we do not further delay the approval of this measure that seeks inclusion and equality,” she pointed out.

Aside from Legarda, Senators Juan Miguel Zubiri, Senate President Pro-Tempore Ralph Recto and Senate Minority Floor Leader Franklin Drilon also vowed support for the bill during Wednesday’s session.

“For the record, I also associate myself with the statements made by Senator Legarda,” Recto said.

“I commit to the good sponsors […] that we’ll place this on the calendar, the agenda, every day, so that we can tackle this anytime within the next few weeks,” Zubiri said.

The House of Representatives voted 197-0 to pass its own version of the bill in September 2017. /kga