House passes bill vs discrimination based on race, ethnicity, religion

MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives on Tuesday approved on final reading a bill that would prohibit discrimination based on race, ethnicity, and religion.

With 208 affirmative votes, no negative, and no abstention, the lower chamber approved House Bill No. 8243 or the “Equality and Non-Discrimination on Race, Ethnicity, and Religion Act,” which outlaws various acts of discrimination in various areas such as political participation and employment, among others.

The proposed law defines discrimination as “any distinction, exclusion, restriction or preference made on the basis of race color, descent, national or ethnic origin, religion, or religious affiliation or beliefs which has the effect or purpose of impairing or nullifying the recognition, enjoyment or exercise on an equal footing, of the human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural, civil, or any other field of [the] public life of a person.”

Specifically, the bill prohibits the following acts of discrimination:

Discrimination in political participation
Discrimination in employment
Discrimination in education and training
Discrimination in the delivery of goods and services
Discrimination in the acquisition, possession, utilization, lease or disposal of lands, including housing and other accommodations
Discrimination in access to public places, facilities, and public meetings
Discrimination in advertisements/mass media
Discrimination by the wrongful portrayal
Discrimination through speech, utterances, acts of hatred, and similar acts
Discrimination through analogous acts that result in impairment of the enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms
Discrimination by engaging in profiling
Discrimination through abuses of state and non-state actors

Any person who violates any of the prohibited acts will be penalized with imprisonment for a period of not less than 30 days or not more than six months and/or a fine of not less than P10,000 but not more than P100,000, depending on the gravity of the offense committed.

The bill likewise provides for reparation for victims which may include restitution, compensation, and rehabilitation, as determined by the courts, administrative agency, or quasi-judicial body.

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