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SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
First Regular Session
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SENATE
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S.B. No.
948
Introduced by Senator SONNY ANGARA
AN ACT
PROHIBITING DISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF AGE, RACIAL OR ETHNIC ORIGIN,
RELIGIOUS BELIEF OR ACTIVITY, POLITICAL INCLINATION OR CONVICTION, SOCIAL
CLASS, SEX, GENDER, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, GENDER IDENTITY AND EXPRESSIONS,
MARITAL OR RELATIONSHIP STATUS, DISABILITY, HIV STATUS, HEALTH STATUS OR
MEDICAL HISTORY, LANGUAGE, PHYSICAL FEATURES, AND OTHER STATUS, AND
PROVIDING PENALTIES THEREFOR
EXPLANATORY NOTE
The Global Risks Report 2016 of the World Economic Forum (WEF) lists “profound
social instability” as one of the Top 5 Global Risks of Highest Concern for the next 10 years. It is
rated as highly impactful or likely and one of the most highly interconnected risks, and is gaining
in prominence in perceptions of likelihood and impact. The economic risks of unemployment
and underemployment have also increased in both likelihood and impact over the past two
years.
Any form of discrimination threatens social stability and economic progress in the
Philippines, making it imperative that discrimination — or any act that establishes, promotes and
perpetuates standing inequalities and disregards the right to “equality of treatment” afforded by
the 1987 Constitution — be reduced.
Moreover, the Philippines is a signatory to the International Covenant on Economic,
Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
(ICCPR) of the United Nations that guarantee broad respect for the human rights of every
individual, without discrimination based on race, skin color and outward appearance, sex and
gender identification, language, religion and opinion, national or social origin, property, and birth
or other status.
We sought to follow through on these imperatives and international commitments since
the 14th Congress by filing various versions of an Anti-Discrimination Bill.
To some extent, based on selected global studies, the Philippines is a relatively open
and equitable society. For instance, the country scores high on global gender equality indices
and ranks 7th overall in WEF’s Global Gender Gap Report 2015. However, many forms of
discrimination persist.
Women
The International Labour Organization (ILO) study Philippine Employment Trends 2015
reveals that the labor force is dominated by men who account for three for every five
economically active workers. Despite faster growth since 2008 of women (13.6 percent)
compared to that of men (10.1 percent) in the labor force, there is still a substantial gender gap.