EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES First Regular Session ) ) ) SENATE r S. No. _ u l U ■'vOiliic ol : . i ' *19 JU LIO A 9 - 4 2 RLCi ‘ .-i- Introduced by Senator Grace Poe AN ACT PROHIBITING DISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF ETHNICITY, RACE, RELIGION OR BELIEF, SEX OR GENDER OR SEXUAL ORIENTATION, LANGUAGE, DISABILITY, EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT, AND OTHER FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION, PROVIDING PENALTIES THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES Explanatory Note The 1987 Philippine Constitution guarantees equal protection for everyone. Article 2, Section 10 declares the policy o f the State to "promote social justice in all phases of national development." Section 11 provides that the State "values the dignity of every human person and guarantees full respect for human rights," while Section 14 imposes on the State the duty to value the "role of women in nation­ building, and shall ensure the fundamental equality before the law of women and men." Article 3, Section 1 of the fundamental law states that, "[n ]o person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law, nor shall any person be denied the equal protection of the laws." The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), which the Philippines is a signatory, provides that the "recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the w orld." The UDHR also provides that everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms without distinction of any kind such as race, color, sex or gender or sexual orientation language, religion political or other opinion, educational attainment, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. This proposal seeks to enhance the basic rights enshrined in the Constitution and several international declarations, prevent and criminalize various forms of discrimination and penalize such. Any form of discrimination may be categorized as a crime against humanity and human dignity in that several international declarations

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