1. Universal declaration of Human Rights which states that “all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights 2. Article II, of the 1987 Philippine Constitution states that, “the State values the dignity of every human person and guarantees full respect for human rights” 3. The Yogyakarta Principle also states that, “human beings of all sexual orientations and gender identities are entitled to the full enjoyment of all human rights” She then continues on the role of CHR as Gender Ombud primarily on the advocacy for the promotion and protection of women’s human rights and strengthen human rights education. They also conduct investigations on violations including those committed by private institutions with the provisions of the Magna Carta of Women and recommend appropriate measures for its effective implementation. The CHR Gender Ombud Guidelines was adopted on April 21, 2015 which operationalized the role of CHR as Gender Ombud as follows: 1. Conduct investigation of individual complaints and institutional violations of the provisions of MCW 2. Provide legal and other support services 3. Monitor the implementation of Magna Carta of Women 4. Issue Gender Ombud advisories and others 5. Promote human rights and advocacy The said guidelines includes the following protocols: Protocol 1 – Handling of women’s cases Protocol 2 – Handling cases of girl children Protocol 3 – Handling cases involving persons with diverse Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and Expression (SOGIE) Atty. Romero emphasized on SOGIE. She said that Pangasinan is active on SOGIE, however there is no SOGIE bill yet but there are Local Ordinances. She mentioned an athlete as an example of an intersex; on Gender Identity, she differentiated transgender, transwoman and transman. She then further discussed the idea behind SOGIE thru the Genderbread person as shown from the power point presentation which is illustrated as follows: Sex – one can be male, female, or intersex or based on the biological attributes at birth Gender identity – pointed in the head where one person identifies oneself as male, female or transgender which does not necessarily correspond to one’s sex at birth Gender expression – pointed in the hand which shows how one person expresses oneself as feminine or masculine Sexual orientation – pointed in the heart which shows to whom one person is romantically, physically, and sexually attracted with and that one may be heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual or asexual. She added that everyone has a SOGIE, it just differ from one another. She also informed the participants that any person who has been a victim of violence and discrimination may seek the assistance of the commission. They could report their 3 | Page