Council recognizes LGBTIQ+ sector

CEBU, Philippines — The Cebu City Council has approved an ordinance recognizing LGBTIQ+ sector and creating the city’s SOGIESC Pride Empowerment Program, Constituting the SOGIESC Pride Empowerment Council (SPEC).

SOGIESC is the acronym to connote sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, and sex characteristics.

Authored by Councilor Jessica Resch, the measure grants LGBTIQ+ individuals the relief from the daily constraints, discrimination, and violence they have been experiencing.

“This measure seeks to recognize the vibrant and visible LGBTIQ+ sector of the city and to eliminate barriers on their full development as individuals due to marginalization because of their sex characteristics, gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation,” read the ordinance.

Section 3 provides that all human beings are free and equal in dignity and rights. Human rights are characterized by universality, inalienability, indivisibility and interdependence.

No one, therefore, should suffer discrimination on the basis of specifically on a person's sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, sex characteristics intersecting among others traits such as ethnicity, age, language, race, color, religion, political, or other opinion, national, social, or geographical origin, disability, property, birth, or other status.

Among the considered SOGIESC-based violations against dignity are maliciously humiliating in public an individual and maliciously inflicting physical harm on the individual due to the person's sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics and/or civil status whether said, done or written in a comical or serious manner.

Meanwhile, the SOGIESC-based discrimination as provided in the ordinance are invasion of personal autonomy and self-development; constraints in the access to government services and resources; constraints to economic opportunities; and constraints to the access to health, care and wellness, to name a few.

Section 12 states the city, through the SPEC shall sponsor trainings, seminars, advocacy events and other projects in areas of but not limited to SOGIESC's active participation, sustainable sectoral development and empowerment, equitable access to quality education, competiveness in economic opportunities, support for environmental protection, climate change adaptation, disaster risk reduction and resiliency, among others,  that builds capacities of SOGIESC Communities to further individual and sectoral development that can contribute the promotion of SOGIESC equality and sensitization.

The SPEC shall serve as the core advocacy on SOGIESC Empowerment and development; finalize three-year Strategic Plan anchored in the city's Gender and Development (GAD) plan; monitor and evaluate the implementation of the Strategic Plan; draft and recommend policies and perform such other functions as may be prescribed by law and in furtherance of the ordinance.

Barangays under the jurisdiction of the city shall create, determine the composition and

convene their respective Barangay's SPEC six months after the approval of the ordinance.

The amount of P3 million at the minimum shall be sourced from the GAD budget fund annually for the implementation of the measure.

The City Legal Office with the designated City SPEC Executive Director shall promulgate the rules and regulations pursuant to the ordinance within 60 days its passage.  – LPM (FREEMAN)