I was privileged recently when I made part of a Standing Committee meeting of the City Council talking about a proposed policy. It was on Oct. 1st when I attended a consultation meeting to discuss the proposed SOGIE ordinance at the Dumaguete City Council, principally authored by Councilor Rosel Margarette Quiambao Erames; co-authored by Councilors Karissa Maxino, Bernice Anne Elmaco, Edgar Lentorio Jr., Dione Amores, and Manuel Patrimonio.
My attendance in the meeting was requested by Bishop Julito Cortes of the Diocese of Dumaguete who was invited as resource person by Councilor Elmaco, chairperson of the Committee on Women, Children, Family Life, & Special Needs. Bishop Cortes asked me to represent the Diocesan lay organizations — Diocesan Commission on the Laity, and the Diocesan Organization of Renewal Movements & Communities – where I serve as president.
Members of the DCL consists of 42 Parish Pastoral Councils from the different parishes of the Diocese of Dumaguete covering the provinces of Negros Oriental and Siquijor, with the exception of the municipalities of La Libertad and Vallehermoso, and the cities of Guihulngan and Canlaon.
The DORMC is composed of 14 organizations – Couples for Christ Global Mission Foundation, Bukas Loob sa Dios, Brotherhood of Christian Businessmen & Professionals-North, BCBP South, CFC-Foundation for Family and Life, Worldwide Marriage Encounter, El Shaddai, Elim Communities, Neo Catechumenate, Focolare, Seed of Love, Oasis of Love, Parish Renewal Experience, and Ang Lingkod ng Panginoon.
Bishop Cortes also sent as his representatives Msgr. Gamaliel Tulabing, Judicial Vicar and Cannon lawyer of the Diocese of Dumaguete, together with the team of priests serving at the newly formed Diocesan Commission for the Protection of Minors, and the Diocesan Commission on Women headed by Atty. Florence Tangente.
We were invited to serve as resource persons on the proposed City Ordinance titled An Ordinance providing for a comprehensive anti-discrimination policy on the basis of Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity & Expression (SOGIE).
We believe in the movement for anti-discrimination because the Church believes in the need for equality. Equality, however, is for everyone and not for the LGBT community alone.
Monsignor Tulabing suggested that the title of the proposed ordinance be An Ordinance Providing for a Comprehensive Anti-Discrimination Policy, period.
On my part, I feel there is no more need to enact such ordinance because there are currently existing laws that already address the concerns of all sectors, including that of the LGBT:
Section 11, Article II of the 1987 Philippine Constitution provides that the State value the dignity of every human person and guarantee full respect for human rights.
Section 1, Article III of the Constitution guarantees that no person shall be deprived of life, liberty, and property without due process of law, nor shall any person be denied the equal protection of the law.
Section 2 of Ordinance No. 77, series of 2016, states that the City of Dumaguete shall uphold the rights of the LGBT, recognize their fundamental equality before the law, and implement programs and services for the enhancement of their well-being.
Ordinance No. 45, series of 2014, titled An Ordinance prohibiting discrimination in the City of Dumaguete on the basis of disability, age, civil status, health status, sexual oriental, and gender identity, ethnicity, and religion, providing penalties for violations thereof.
My other suggestion is to amend Ordinance No. 45, keeping in mind: options for sex in the Birth Certificate should only be male or female; issuance of marriage licenses should not be for same-sex unions; school policies should be respected (for instance, Catholic schools should not be penalized if they don’t allow boys to wear girls’ uniforms in school); the church should be allowed to continue its teaching that gender and sexuality are God’s gifts, that only God can assign the gender of a person, and that whoever goes against God can never be right.
Those are my suggestions. We always respect whatever decisions the City Council may come up. After-all, legislative powers are vested in them. We only help them form a decision for the people who elected them.
Just like the issue on the Reproductive Health bill. For years since it was proposed in 1998, we had lobbied hard against the bill as the proposed legislation promoted the use of abortifacient contraception which is contrary to Catholic beliefs about life. In contrast, RH advocates argued that the bill critically addresses many problems associated with poverty and overpopulation. Thus, the bill represented an ideological clash that involved religious doctrine and secular beliefs.
Political interests came into play unexpectedly. In his State of the Nation Address in July 2012, President Benigno Aquino III, who was favored by many Church leaders, suddenly pushed for the passage of the bill. During his presidential campaign, Aquino had promised support for the bill on reproductive rights. RH advocates, therefore, pressured Aquino to act on this promise. After his SONA, the President certified the bill as urgent in Congress. After much discord, the bill was eventually passed into law in late December 2012. A case was later filed at the Supreme Court questioning the constitutionality of the law. The Supreme Court ruled on the constitutionality of the RH law. And in all humility, we respected the decision.
We thank City Councilor Elmaco for organizing the meeting, and for allowing the church to participate in policy formulation process.
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Author’s email: [email protected]
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