Members of of the Lesbian, Gay, Transgender, Intersex, Queer and Asexual (LGTBTQIA) neighborhood have agreed to not less than a dozen amendments to the proposed SOGIE invoice to boost its possibilities of turning into a legislation, Senate Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros mentioned Monday.
SOGIE invoice, which stands for Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, Gender Expression (SOGIE) Equality invoice seeks safety for people and communities at a larger danger of experiencing human rights violations.
“The community has made so much effort. They made adjustments, and I mentioned it to my fellow senators that they have amendments, that they are ready to agree with. I think it was around 11 or 12 amendments,” Hontiveros mentioned through the Kapihan sa Senado.
“That is why I am calling for the return of the bill to the Committee on Women, Family Relations and Gender Equality so we can conduct another public hearing, and we can write a new committee report. We can report it out of the committee, subject it to period of interpellation so we can refine it,” she added.
Among the amendments contain educational freedom, parental authority and a provision categorically stating that the invoice doesn’t present for identical intercourse marriage.
“As far as the community is concerned, as long as the heart and soul of the bill is there, they are open to consider amendments. Imagine, given their long struggle for this for over two decades, they are already offering a dozen amendments,” she mentioned.
The SOGIE invoice was permitted on the committee stage through the First Regular Session of nineteenth Congress, however the measure was stalled on the Senate Committee on Rules headed by Senate Majority Leader Villanueva.
Villanueva mentioned that the measure was permitted on the committee stage with sufficient consultations, together with amongst spiritual organizations.
“The SOGIE bill has become a sleeping beauty, but we will not stop working, campaigning, including here in the Senate to get support for a bill that provides for equality. We will look for ways to convince the Senate Committee on Rules to return the bill to our committee,” Hontiveros mentioned.
“What the plenary asked is for us to conduct another hearing. Our committee committed to do that. For us to do our jobs, we call on the Senate to give the bill back to us and not stall it,” Hontiveros added.
The senator mentioned legislators ought to enable the invoice to take its pure course.
“We should follow the legislative process, regardless of what bill it is. Let the advocates, let we the authors prove its merit,” she mentioned.—LDF, GMA Integrated News
Source: www.gmanetwork.com
