The Department of Transportation (DOTr) on Tuesday said it does not tolerate “any form of inequality.”
DOTr issued the statement after a video showing a transgender woman being barred from entering a coach reserved for female passengers of the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) circulated online.
“DOTr respects and promotes gender equality. We will not tolerate any form of inequality when it comes to gender or service,” the DOTr said in a statement.
“We will seek an audience with our GAD (Gender and Development) committee to address this issue, and come up with guidelines if necessary,” it added.
DOTr Communication’s Director Goddess Libiran, meanwhile, said she saw nothing wrong with a transgender using the coach reserved for female passengers of the MRT.
“I don’t see anything wrong if they are allowed to be there. Siguro it’s a matter of further educating our staff and employees, even security guards to be more sensitive on these kinds of things,” Libiran told reporters.
In a video posted last September 6 on Facebook by Mikki Galang, she claimed that two security guards approached her in the platform of MRT-3 Ayala Station and questioned her gender preference.
“In this video (taken) by @martinjohnandrade was the first part when 2 security guards approached me and said ‘Bawal Po Lalaki Dito’. I said ‘Sir, Babae Po Ako’. He said: ‘Paano?!?’,” she said in her post.
According to Galang, she shared her experience inside the MRT-3 to raise awareness about the struggles of transgender people in the country.
“I’m sharing this not for pity but so you know how we struggle with this on an everyday basis, na actually I’ve learned na palampasin nalang kasi wala naming #SOGIE Equality bill to protect us. Na minsan matatahimik nalang talaga tayo. Na minsan it’s OK FOR ME JUST TO SAY I’M A WOMAN,” she said. /kga