CHIZ: ANTI-DISCRIMINATION BILL TO SAFEGUARD RIGHTS OF LGBT

Sen. Francis "Chiz" Escudero is urging the government to take proactive steps in safeguarding the rights and welfare of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community by passing the anti-discrimination bill.

"I ultimately believe that each and every Filipino should have equal rights, access to basic social services, and should be protected from all kinds of discrimination," said Escudero, the frontrunner in all pre-election surveys for vice president.

In 2014, Escudero co-authored Senate Bill 2358, also known as the Anti-Discrimination bill, along with his presidential running mate Sen. Grace Poe, which makes any form of discrimination a "crime against humanity and human dignity."

The bill prohibits 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.

"Naniniwala ako na sino ka man, saan ka man nanggaling, dapat pantay ang pagtingin sa'yo ng estado at pantay ang mga karapatang tinatamasa mo bilang isang mamamayan," said Escudero.

Citing a basic principle in social justice that those who have less in life should have more in law, the veteran legislator said the LGBT community, a sector of society that is often neglected, is also repeatedly stigmatized by different discriminatory remarks.

"Sabi nga ng UN Declaration of Human Rights, na kung saan signatory ang Pilipinas, ang pagkilala sa pantay-pantay ng karapatan ng lahat sa lipunan ang magsisilbing matibay na pundasyon ng kalayaan, hustisya at kapayapaan sa buong mundo," he said.