Chiz: SOGIE bill faces rough sailing in Senate

MANILA, Philippines — The anti-discrimination bill has a better chance of Senate approval than the sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression (SOGIE) bill, Senate President Francis Escudero said yesterday.

“Unless the proponents of the SOGIE bill accede to some amendments, it will continue to face rough sailing in the Senate. The anti-discrimination bill, I believe, has a better chance of passing this year,” he said.

Escudero said the SOGIE and the anti-discrimination bills are different from each other but did not elaborate.

To date, five SOGIE and anti-discrimination bills have been pending at the Senate.

Senate Bill 1600 or the SOGIESC Equality bill is authored by Senators Risa Hontiveros, Loren Legarda and Mark Villar.

Hontiveros said 19 of 24 senators have signed the committee report.

“That should speak to its acceptability across the aisle. I have asked the majority leader to look into the committee report, which has remained pending in the Committee on Rules, and he has promised to do so,” she said.

“I hope the new leadership of the Senate will stand up for our LGBTQIA+ community this Pride Month and also in their daily lives as people,” she added.

Escudero recalled there are proposed amendments to the bill.

“It was related to the interference of other people’s opinion that is contrary to the opinion of others that should also be respected,” he said.

“As far as I know, some of our colleagues had objections about (the SOGIE bill) before. It will continue to be difficult to get through the Senate,” he added.

The UN Population Fund recently urged the Congress to pass the SOGIE bill, which they said is a crucial step toward a “more inclusive and just Philippines.”

During the previous Senate leadership, former majority leader Joel Villanueva reverted the SOGIE bill to the committee level, causing the measure’s sponsorship for plenary debate to be delayed.