Marikina mayor signs anti-discrimination ordinance

Members of the LGBT community gather for the 2018 Pride March in a show of solidarity at Marikina City Sports Complex. (File photo by RICHARD A. REYES / Philippine Daily Inquirer)

MANILA, Philippines — A new ordinance in Marikina now ensures equal opportunities for members of the lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgenders, queers, and other sectors (LGBTQ+).

Marikina Mayor Marcelino Teodoro announced the enactment of the Anti-Discrimination Ordinance — or City Ordinance No. 065 — on Saturday during the 2019 Metro Manila Pride March and Festival held at the Marikina Sports Complex.

“Bilang pagpapakita ng aming suporta, sa araw na ito ay aking pipirmahan at ipapatupad ang Anti-Discrimination Ordinance na nagbibigay sa lahat ng pantay at parehong karapatan sa trabaho, edukasyon, tirahan, at mga serbisyo ng pamahalaan,” he told audience members present at the parade.

[To show support (for the LGBTQ+ community), I’m signing and enforcing today the Anti-Discrimination Ordinance which will give everyone equal rights to work, education, place of residence, and government services.]

Section 6 of the ordinance mandates the creation of an Anti-Discrimination Council. It will be composed of the mayor and other eight key city officials, three of which are representatives of the LGBTQ+.

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Any person who would violate the ordinance would be penalized with not less than 60 days but not more than one year of imprisonment and/or a fine not less than P1, 000, but not to exceed P5, 000, or both atthe discretion of the court.

The move criminalizes the act of discrimination in the city, the mayor said.

“Walang sinuman sa basehan ng kasarian, pinanggalingan, or pananampalataya ang tatanggihan o hindi tatanggapin,” Teodoro added.

[Nobody should be denied (rights) based on gender, place of origin, or faith.]

The ordinance, Teodoro noted, thus institutionalizes in his city what is proposed in the the Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Expression (SOGIE) Equality Bill pending in Congress.

(Editor: Alexander T. Magno)