Lesson 17: Discrimination and SOGIE

• Understand the issues on human rights violations and discrimination on the basis of
SOGIE

• Understand the impact of human rights violations and discrimination to the Filipino
society

• Formulate activities and programs to address these human rights violations and
discrimination on the basis of SOGIE.

Start here ---

In May 2019, the SOGIE Equality Bill officially became the longest-running bill under the Senate
interpellation period in Philippine history. Supporters of the bill have remarked that the prolonged
interpellation was intended by the dissenters to block the passage of the historic anti-discrimination bill.
The bill's principal author and sponsor in the Senate, Senator Risa Hontiveros, called on her Senate
colleagues to formally close the question period so that the bill can be open for amendments and voting.
Human rights issues included unlawful or arbitrary killings by security forces, vigilantes, and others
allegedly connected to the government, and by insurgents; forced disappearance; torture; arbitrary
detention; harsh and life-threatening prison conditions; political prisoners; arbitrary or unlawful
interference.

The concept may be problematic in the Philippines but human rights are a vital component of
most modern democracies. Human rights allow a person to live with dignity and in peace, away from the
abuses that can be inflicted by abusive institutions or individuals. But the fact remains that there are
rampant human rights violations around the world.

Human rights, according to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, refers to norms that aim to
protect people from political, legal, and social abuses. The United Nations (UN) defines human rights as
universal and inalienable, interdependent and indivisible, and equal and non-discriminatory. Human
rights belong to all and cannot be taken away unless specific situations call for it. However, the
deprivation of a person's right is subject to due process.

Human rights protect all people regardless of race, nationality, gender, religion, and political
leaning, among others. They should be respected without prejudice. Human rights can also be classified
under individual, collective, civil, political, economic and social, and cultural. The rights of Filipinos can
be found in Article III of the 1987 Philippine Constitution. Also called the Bill of Rights, it includes 22
sections which declare a Filipino citizen’s rights and privileges that the Constitution has to protect, no
matter what. Aside from various local laws, human rights in the Philippines are also guided by the UN's
International Bill of Human Rights – a consolidation of 3 legal documents including the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR),
and the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (ICESCR).

As one of the signatories of these legal documents, the Philippines is obliged to recognize and
apply appropriate laws to ensure each right’s fulfillment. This is not always the case, however, as the
Philippine Constitution lacks explicit laws to further cement specific human rights in the local context.
Human rights are both rights and obligations, according to the UN. The state – or the government – is
obliged to “respect, protect, and fulfill” these rights. Respect begets commitment from state that no law
should be made to interfere or curtail the fulfillment of the stated human rights. Protecting means that
human rights violations should be prevented and if they exist, immediate action should be made.

According to the CHR, summary or extra-judicial executions of criminals or suspects are

The 1987 Philippine Constitution, Section 19 of the Bill of Rights clearly states that any
punishment against a prisoner or detainee shall be dealt with by law and through due process. It also
says that no “cruel, degrading or inhuman punishment” may be inflicted – even death. Human rights
violations – extrajudicial killings, torture, enforced disappearances, and human trafficking, among others
– may have decreased in the past years but cases still exist and remain unsolved, according to Human
Rights Watch.

Local and international human rights organizations launched campaigns on the extra-judicial
killings issue, demanding accountability for those involved in the killings. Media organizations in the
Philippines and their international counterparts also campaigned to stop the killing of members of the
media. The Philippine human rights situation is not however limited to the issue of extrajudicial killings
and disappearances. The country faces problems related to its political, economic, social and cultural
conditions that breed many more human rights problems.

The Philippine human rights situation still requires a careful monitoring regarding the resolution
of specific human rights cases within available limited resources as well as the holistic/comprehensive
approach in addressing many other human rights violations. No country has the capacity to stop all
human rights violations but there is justified expectation that any government has enough resources to
do substantial measures to address the situation as long as it has the political will to do so.

ASSESSMENT ACTIVITY 17

LESSON 17

DISCRIMINATION AND SOGIE

Name : ___________________________ Day: _________ Time: _______ Date : ____________

Course : ____________ Year: ______________ Professor : _____________________________

Guide questions:

1. Discuss the issues on human rights violations and discrimination on the basis of SOGIE.

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2. Explain the impact of human rights violations and discrimination to the Filipino society.

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3. Present activities and programs to address these human rights violations and discrimination in
relation to SOGIE.

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