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SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
Second Regular Session
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SENATE
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Senate Bill No.
INTRODUCED BY SENATOR JOSEPH VICTOR G. EJERCIT
AN ACT
PROHIBITING DISCRIM INATION ON THE BASIS OF ETHNICITY,
RACE, RELIGION OR BELIEF, SEX, GENDER, SEXUAL ORIENTATION,
GENDER IDENTITY, GENDER EXPRESSION, CIVIL STATUS AND HIV
STATUS, AND PROVIDING PENALTIES THEREFOR
EXPLANATORY NOTE
The 1987 Philippine Constitution under Article 111, Section 1, 2, 4, 8, 12
states that every person has the right to life, security of person and privacy,
right to be free from torture, arbitrary arrest and detention, the right to be free
from discrimination and the right to freedom of expression, and tlie right to
organize associations. Furthermore, under Section 11, the State values the
dignity of every person and guarantees full respect for hum an rights.
Likewise, the Philippines is a signatory to numerous international
agreements that protects the same rights. As provided in Articles 3 and 5 of
the Universal Declaration of H um an Rights, everyone has the right to life,
security of person and privacy, the right to be free from torture, arbitrary
arrest and detentitui, the right to be free from discrimination and the right to
freedom of expression, and association. Similarly, the International
Convention on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) in Article 6 affirms that the
inherent right to life of eveiy person shall be protected by law and that no
person should be arbitrarily deprived of life.
To borrow the words of Nelson Mandela that to deny people their
hum an rights is to challenge their very humanity. Truly, no one should suffer
discrimination on the basis of ethnicity, gender, sex, age, sexual orientation,
gender identity, gender expression, civil status and HIV status or other status
as established by hum an rights standards.
This bill addresses the long standing problem of the lack of definition
and penalty for unjustly discrimination on the basis of ethnicity, race, religion