Department of Education

Tarlac National High School

Tarlac City

WHAT ARE WE TRULY FIGHTING?

Submitted by: Submitted to:

Alodia Iyanla E. Viray Mrs. Mylene C. Narra

11 - Temperance Teacher
 SOGIE is the abbreviated form of sexual orientation, gender identity and

expression. Sexual orientation refers to a person’s emotional, romantic, and sexual

attraction towards another person. Gender identity is an individual’s understanding

and identification of themselves on the basis of gender. Gender expression refers to a

person’s way of embodying their role in the society. Even though this topic is mostly

associated with the members of the LGBTQ+ community, SOGIE is an attribute that

is common among all humans, because everyone has sexual orientation, gender

identity and the ability to express themselves through their gender (Arias, 2019).

In relation to this topic, the Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and

Expression Equality Bill was first filed by the late senator Miriam Defensor Santiago

and former Akbayan representative Loretta Rosales in the year 2000 under the 11th

Congress (Rosero, 2019). Unfortunately, after being refiled in the 14th congress, the

bill only reached the committee level. Similar bills we’re filed during the 15th and 16th

congress but it was still unsuccessful (Abad, 2019)

On the 13th of August 2019, trans woman Gretchen Diez upon entering the

woman’s restroom was blocked by a janitress. Since then, Diez vowed to continue

fighting for the rights of her fellow LGBTQ+ members. The day after that, senator

Hontiveros delivers a speech expressing her call for the congress to approve the

SOGIE bill (Abad, 2019). Fortunately, on November 27, 2020 the bill passed the

senate committee approval as a step before being implemented into a law (Manipon,

2020). These events sparked a debate on whether or not the SOGIE bill is an effective

weapon in fighting discrimination and inequality in the Philippines. However, given a

variety of reasons, it’s important to understand that the SOGIE Equality bill is

necessary and beneficial not only for the LGBTQ+ members, but for the entirety of

the Philippine population.

an obstetrician and gynecologist which is also a member of the LGBTQ+ community,

stated in a facebook post that “The Philippines is a ‘gay-friendly’ country.” He gave

some proofs such as, the election of Geraldine Roman as the first transgender

lawmaker in the country and he also mentioned that he himself did not experience

discrimination growing up.

If that were the case, then all companies would have had policies about anti -

discrimination and equal employment opportunities. The Philippine LGBT Chamber

of Commerce and research firm Cogencia conducted a study named the Philippine

Corporate SOGIE Diversity and Inclusiveness (CSDI) Index which showed that none

out of one hundred companies they surveyed implement policies that protect their

employees from SOGIE based discrimination and these companies don’t have any

intentions on even making one. The study also showed that 25% of the workers were

harassed by their employers and superior officers, 33% experienced harassment from

co-workers and 60% of the employees became a laughing stock inside the workplace

(Casal, 2018).

If the Philippines is really accepting of the LGBTQ+ members, they wouldn’t

ever have to suffer from discrimination, being victims of abuse and being the outcasts

of the society. Closeted youth wouldn’t be pressured about coming out and telling the

truth to their families. They wouldn’t plead for their rights if they we’re truly given

the right to live. They wouldn’t ask for people to treat them as humans if they we’re

really treated that way in the first place, and if their sexuality wasn’t viewed as

something that is ought to be cured. The SOGIE Equality bill should be implemented

as a law to prevent discrimination in the workplace and avoid the wasted potential of

the valuable LGBTQ+ members.

government of Quezon City in the year 2003, this ordinance influenced other cities in

creating their own to protect their citizens from discrimination as well. These

ordinances provide the ways on how to identify discriminatory acts and penalize them.

Now, a total of 18 cities enforce these anti-discrimination ordinances which protect

almost 20 million of the Filipinos (Bilon & De Leon, 2018).

Although it is true that City Ordinances for protecting people from gender

based discrimination exist, they do not ensure the safety of all against discrimination

and violence. These ordinances are limited only for the people within the locality that

enacted them. Leaving other people vulnerable from the discriminatory acts of society.

There is a possibility that all of the other cities left without an ordinance against

discrimination can provide and make one for their locality, but it is still not enough

and it still cannot protect the entire population of the Philippines.

The country’s lack of a national law against discrimination and the way others

oppose to the SOGIE Equality bill says a lot about how differently citizens treat and

view the LGBTQ+ community. People can’t say that equality is present when they

exclude an entire community and deprive them of their rights as citizens. The SOGIE

Equality bill is not only meant to protect the LGBTQ+ community but it’s for

everyone. All of the citizens experience discrimination based on their SOGIE and the

bill is intended to be their instrument for safety against that. Human beings value

acceptance and affection towards their fellow, and yet some stay silent because they

are not being affected by oppression. They say it’s already enough that the country is

supportive of the LGBTQ+ community but what they don’t realize is that only few

are accepted by the society. They handpick those who they choose to accept, and

those who aren’t supported because of their sexuality continue to live in darkness.
 According to Vince Olaer (n. d.) in one article, he wrote that SOGIE is against

Filipino values and beliefs. He also mentioned that homosexuality is not part of the

country’s culture. However, it has been established that during ancient times when

foreign invaders influenced patriarchal leadership into the country, the existence of

“Asogs” or male babaylans were widely known. These male babaylans were men who

can’t portray their role in the society properly, most of them were impotent, feminine,

and consider themselves more like women because of how they live. Since they are

incapable of partaking their purpose in the society, becoming asogs with supernatural

capabilities and diverse knowledge about the mortal and spiritual lore was another

way on how they can claim the respect of the citizens (De Guzman, 2016)

The SOGIE Equality bill does not force people to believe in LGBTQ+ beliefs

but it is meant to enlighten them that respect towards the community is what is needed.

The bill does not aim to only protect the LGBTQ+ community but it is to protect

everyone from discrimination and exclusion from the society. All human beings

experience being bullied and it’s sometimes caused by how they don’t act the way

society wants them to act based on their gender. LGBTQ+ people aren’t the only ones

who have SOGIE, all of the people have this characteristic and everyone can be a

subject to discrimination based on SOGIE.

The bill does not in any way favor the LGBTQ+ community, but it is to give

the deprived a chance to bring their troubles into the light and live their lives having

the freedom to exercise their basic rights. It is not against the Philippine culture,

family values and morality, because Filipinos cherish each member of the family, and

morality is based on character and not sexuality. Fighting for equality means fighting

for the equal rights of all citizens despite the differences in beliefs, and respecting

their values as a person.

obstructing the country’s path towards progress. It can be an instrument for the youth

to not be afraid and embrace who they are. People won’t have to hide in the shadows

and fear unfair treatment in the workplace. A stepping stone towards a country where

citizens feel safe, protected and brave to face society. Through this, people will treat

others as human beings without fixating on their gender or sexuality. The fight to

implement the SOGIE bill is included in the battle of the Filipinos to eradicate

inequality and discrimination.

References:

Arias, J. (2019). Understanding What SOGIE Means and Why it Matters.

Retrieved from: https://preen.ph/99945/understanding-what-sogie-means-and-

why-it-matters

Rosero, R. (2019). What You Should Know About The SOGIE Equality Bill.

Retrieved from: https://www.cosmo.ph/lifestyle/sogie-bill-philippines-a613-

20190919-lfrm

Abad, M. (2019). TIMELINE: SOGIE equality in the Philippines. Retrieved from:

https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/explainers/timeline-sogie-equality-

philippines

Manipon, R. (2020). SOGIE Equality Bill: wins Senate committee approval.

Retrieved from: https://tribune.net.ph/index.php/2020/12/14/sogie-equality-

bill-wins-senate-committee-approval/
Malasig, J. (2019). Why an LGBTQ member strongly opposes the SOGIE bill.

Retrieved from: https://interaksyon.philstar.com/politics-

issues/2019/08/29/154073/sogie-bill-opposition-arguments/

Casal, C. (2018). Survey finds that Filipino companies are not accepting of LGBTQ+.

Retrieved from: https://cnnphilippines.com/life/culture/2018/11/14/Filipino-

companies-not-accepting-LGBTQ.html

Bilon, X. & De Leon, C. (2018). With no national law, can we rely on local

ordinances to protect LGBTQs against discrimination?. Retrieved from:

https://cnnphilippines.com/life/culture/2018/06/25/antidiscrimination-bill-

lgbtq.html

Olaer, V. (n. d.). Why Say “NO” to SOGIE Bill. Retrieved from:

https://thedisciplers.com/why-say-no-to-sogie-bill/

De Guzman, D. (2016). ASOG: Emergence Of The Male Babaylan. Retrieved from:

https://www.aswangproject.com/asog-male-babaylan/