Gender-neutral restrooms now at 15 domestic airports

MANILA, Philippines — Amid the controversy generated by an incident involving a transgender woman being barred from using a woman’s restroom inside a mall, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (Caap) on Tuesday said it has completed the construction of restrooms designed for all genders at 15 local airports throughout the country.

Caap spokesperson Eric Apolonio said the installation of communal toilets in the Caap-run airports is part of the agency’s gender awareness development (GAD) program aimed at protecting the rights of the LGBTQ+ community.

The all-gender restrooms recently constructed can now be used at the airports in Basco in Batanes, Marinduque, Virac in Catanduanes, Bacolod, Roxas and Butuan.

Earlier constructed similar restrooms can be found at the airports in Iloilo, Laoag, Legazpi, Naga, Busuanga in Palawan, Laguindingan in Cagayan de Oro, Dipolog in Zamboanga del Sur, San Jose in Occidental Mindoro and Tandag in Surigao del Sur.

There is also one at the Caap central office in Pasay City.

Apolonio said the renovated restrooms are partitioned into four units, with those for males and females on either side, and the middle restroom meant for persons with disabilities and transgenders.

They have had no complaints so far, the Caap official said. “If you don’t want to use the exclusive comfort rooms, you can just use the common one,” he added.

Apolonio said the Caap has appropriated 5 percent of its budget or P400 million for its GAD projects as authorized by Republic Act No. 9710, or the Magna Carta of Women, and Executive Order No. 273, also known as the 1995-2025 Philippine Plan for Gender-Responsive Development.