The Armed Forces of the Philippines said it does not support the proposed Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Expression (SOGIE) bill, explaining such measures would compromise the rights of the majority.
The AFP on its position paper submitted to the House Committee on Women and Gender Equality said provisions of SOGIE bill was already covered in Philippine Constitution and other existing legislation such as the Labor Code, Civil Code, Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials, Revised Penal Code and Anti-Sexual Harassment Act of 1995.
The bill aims to penalize discrimination committed against the members of Lesbians, Gays, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual (LGBTQIA).
“The Armed Forces does not subscribe to the passage of the SOGIE bill. The AFP does not discriminate anybody based on sex and gender,” the AFP said.
“As a government institution, the military has existing polices and standard operating procedures protecting personnel from discrimination and harassment. It would be unjust to grant special privilege to some persons at the expense of the basic rights of others,” it added.
AFP opposes SOGIE bill
Under the 15 proposed anti-discrimination bills, “discriminatory practices” include:
- denying access to public services, including military service, to any person based on sexual orientation or gender identity or expression
- denying a person access to public or private medical services open to the general public based on sexual orientation or gender identity or expression, among others.
- imposing disciplinary sanctions or penalties harsher than customary based on sexual orientation or gender identity or expression
- refusing admission or expelling a person from any educational institution based on sexual orientation or gender identity or expression
The AFP, however, insisted the LGBTQIA community could be respected and given compassion “without sacrificing the rights of the majority.”
“Our national and local laws, and AFP’s internal policies, provide for equality. These will be violated if the SOGIE bill will be pursued,” the AFP added.
Meanwhile, one of the authors of the SOGIE bill –Representatives Geraldine Roman of Bataan, a transgender woman said, “The Constitution cannot promulgate itself. It is not a cure-all document. It needs an enabling law to address the specific problems of specific groups. That is why we have laws protecting women, senior citizens, cancer patients, and yet we do not have a law against discrimination against LGBTQIA.”