Davao City dads pass ordinance vs discrimination

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – The Davao City council approved on third and final reading an anti-discrimination ordinance promoting equal opportunities for all during its session last Wednesday.  

Vice Mayor Rodrigo Duterte personally called for the session to pass the ordinance aimed at giving city residents equal treatment regardless of their gender, identity, sexual orientation, race, color, descent, nationality or ethnic origin and religious affiliation. 

The ordinance points out that discrimination is committed when a person withholds from, excludes, restricts, curtails, demeans human dignity or impairs its recognition. 

The ordinance also identifies discrimination as preventing people of different sexes, gender, religious affiliations, ethnicity or nationality or appearance from availing themselves of services or products supposedly applied to all. 

The approval of the ordinance makes Davao City the first-ever metropolis in the country to have such a policy. 

Duterte himself pushed the ordinance which was passed on second reading last Monday and on final and third reading on Wednesday.

“The city is a melting pot of various people, discrimination would do no one good as it is divisive and a barrier to social integration. To those who feel having been discriminated against, if you abhor the abuses you perceive are upon you, then do not be abusive yourself,” Duterte said. 

The ordinance was authored by councilor Melchor Quitain.