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HOUSE BILL NO. 2784
INTRODUCED BY HONEORABLE LORETTA ANN ROSALES
AN ACT PROHIBITING DISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF SEXUAL ORIENTATION
AND GENDER IDENTITY AND PROBIDING PENALITIES THEREFOR
Be it enacted by the
Senate and House of Representatives of the Congress assembled:
SECTION 1.Title.
- This Act shall be known and cited as the "Anti-Discrimination Act."
SECTION 2.Declaration
of Policy - It is the policy of the state to work actively for the
discrimination of all forms of discrimination that offends the equal
protection clause of the Bill of Rights and the State obligations under human
rights instruments acceded to by the Republic of the Philippines, particularly
those discriminatory practices based on sex or sexual orientation.
Towards this end, discriminatory practices as defined herein shall be proscribed
and penalized.
SECTION 3.Definition of Terms.
For Purposes of this Act, the following terms shall be defined as follows:
| a) |
Sexual Orientation refers to the direction of emotional sexual attraction or
conduct. This can be towards people of the same sex (homosexual orientation) or towards
people of both sexes (bisexual orientation) or towards people of the opposite sex
(heterosexual orientation)
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| b) |
Gender Identity refers to the PERSONAL sense of identity as characterized,
among others, by manners of clothing, inclinations, and behavior in relation to
masculine or feminine conventions. A person may have a male or female identity
with the physiological characteristics of the opposite sex.
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| c) |
Discrimination shall be understood to imply any distinction, exclusion,
restriction, or preference which is based on any ground such as sex, sexual
orientation, gender identity, whether actual or perceived, and which has the
purpose or effect of nullifying or impairing the recognition, enjoyment, or
exercise by all persons of an equal footing of all rights and freedoms.
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SECTION 4.Discriminatory Practices.
It shall be unlawful for any person, natural or juridical, to:
| a) |
Deny access to
public service, including military service, to any person on the basis of
sexual orientation and/or gender identity; |
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| b) |
Include sexual
orientation and gender identity, as well as the disclosure of sexual orientation,
in the criteria for hiring, promotion and dismissal of workers, and in the
determination of employee compensation, training, incentives, privileges,
benefits or allowances, and other terms and conditions of employment;
This prohibition on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity
shall also include the contracting and engaging of services of juridical persons.
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| c) |
Refuse admission or
expel a person from educational institutions on the basis of sexual orientation
and gender identity, without prejudice to the right of educational institutions
to determine the academic qualifications of their students;
This prohibition shall include the imposition of (i) disciplinary sanctions
solely on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity; (ii) penalties
harsher than customary primarily due to sexual orientation and gender identity;
or (iii) similar punishments and prohibitions.
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| d) |
Refuse or revoke the
accreditation, formal recognition, and / or registration of any organization,
group, institution or establishment, in educational institutions, workplaces,
communities, and similar settings, solely on the basis of the sexual orientation
or gender identity of their members or of their target constituencies;
This prohibition shall also include the prevention of and prohibitions on attempts to organize;
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| e) |
Deny a person access
to medical and other health services open to the general public on the basis
of such person's sexual orientation or gender identity;
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| f) |
Deny an application
for or revoke a professional license issued by the government due to the
applicant's sexual orientation or gender identity; |
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| g) |
Deny a person access
to or the use of establishments, facilities, utilities or services, including
housing, open to the general public on the basis of sexual orientation or gender
identity; There is a denial when a person is given inferior accommodations or
services;
This prohibition includes the discrimination of juridical persons solely on
the basis of the sexual orientation or gender identity of their members or of
their target constituencies;
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| h) |
Deny an application
for a license, clearance, certification or any other document issued by
governmental authorities or other entities on the basis of the applicant's
sexual orientation or gender identity, as provided by existing laws; |
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| i) |
Subject or force any
person to any medical or psychological examination to determine and / or alter
the person's sexual orientation or gender identity without the expressed approval
of the person involved, EXCEPT IN CASES WHERE THE PERSON INVOLVED IS A MINOR
UNDER THE AGE OF DISCERNMENT IN WHICH CASE PRIOR APPROVAL OF THE APPROPRIATE
FAMILY COURT SHALL BE REQUIRED. IN THE LATTER CASE, THE CHILD SHALL BE
REPRESENTED IN THE PROCEEDING BY THE SOLICITOR GENERAL OR THE LATTER'S
AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE; |
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| j) |
HARASSMENT BY MEMBERS
OF INSTITUTIONS INVOLVED IN THE ENFORCEMENT OF LAW AND THE PROTECTION OF RIGHTS,
SUCH AS THE PHILIPPINE NATIONAL POLICE AND THE ARMED FORCES OF THE PHILIPPINES,
OF ANY PERSON ON THE BASIS OF HIS OR HER SEXUAL ORIENTATION OR GENDER IDENTITY.
AMONG OTHER CASES, HARASSMENT OCCURS WHEN A PERSON IS ARRESTED OR OTHERWISE
PLACED IN CUSTODY AND EXTORTION, PHYSICAL OR VERBAL ABUSE TAKES PLACE, REGARDLESS
OF WHETHER SUCH ARREST HAS LEGAL OR FACTUAL BASIS. HARASSMENT OF JURIDICAL
PERSONS ON THE BASIS OF THE SEXUAL ORIENTATION OR GENDER IDENTITY OF THEIR
MEMBERS, STOCKHOLDERS, BENEFACTORS, CLIENTS, OR PATRONS IS LIKEWISE COVERED
BY THIS PROVISION. |
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| k) |
Other analogous circumstances. |
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SECTION 5.Administrative Sanctions.
- Refusal of a government official whose duty is to investigate,
prosecute or otherwise act on a complaint for a violation of this Act to
perform such a duty without a valid ground shall constitute gross negligence
on the part of such official who shall suffer the appropriate penalty under
civil service laws, rules, and regulations.
SECTION 6.Penalties.
| a) |
Persons found guilty of any of the discriminatory practices enumerated in the
preceding Section shall be penalized with a fine of not less than One Hundred
Thousand Pesos (P100,000) but not to exceed Five Hundred Thousand Pesos (P500,000)
or imprisonment of not less than one (1) year but not more than one (6) years,
or both at the discretion of the court. In addition, community service in terms
of human rights education to the perpetrator and exposure to the plight of the
victims can be imposed at the discretion of the court.
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| b) |
The officials directly involved shall be liable for violations committed by
corporations, organizations, or similar entities.
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SECTION 7.Separability Clause.
- If any provision of this Act is declared unconstitutional or otherwise invalid,
the validity of the other provisions shall not be affected thereby.
SECTION 8.Repealing Clause.
- All laws, decrees, orders, rules and regulations or parts thereof inconsistent
with this Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.
SECTION 9.Effectivity
- This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in the Official
Gazette or in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation.
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