President Marcos has established a dedicated group to focus on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual (LGBTQIA) community matters, seeking to bolster the nation’s commitment to inclusiveness and diversity.
On December 22, Lucas Bersamin, as Executive Secretary, authorized the five-page EO No. 51.
In his executive order, Marcos highlighted the importance of strengthening the Diversity and Inclusion Program and restructuring its InterAgency Committee to maintain the nation’s adherence to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
The President announced that the new LGBTQIA Special Committee is designed to bolster current systems that combat persistent prejudice faced by the community members and to offer them a path to engage in creating government policies.
The Executive Order reforms the InterAgency Committee on Diversity and Inclusion, now called the Diversity and Inclusion Committee, with the DSWD Secretary in charge.
The heads of the DMW and DOLE will jointly lead the Committee, while the leader of the DILG acts as the Deputy Chair.
The appointed individuals on the Committee include the following members.
- Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary
- Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary
- Department of Health (DOH) Secretary
- Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Chairperson
- Special Committee on LGBTQIA+ Affairs Chairperson
Special committee for LGBTQIA+ affairs created
The Committee is authorized to form, assemble, and modify subgroups and teams to support its duties.
On the flip side, the InterAgency Committee establishes the Dedicated Committee for LGBTQIA Affairs, which will be supervised by a chief of undersecretary standing and three deputies at the assistant secretary level, all appointed by the President.
It works to integrate policies and plans that support the LGBTQIA Community’s health into the DIP.
It will also work with relevant government bodies to make sure that there is enough dependable information on the community’s current situation, difficulties, and prospects.
In a nationwide poll of 1200 Filipino adults, 79% believe that gays and lesbians are equally reliable as any other Filipino. Similarly, 73% feel that they have significantly aided in our society’s advancement.
The results indicate a significant rise in favorable views of gays and lesbians over time. Back in 2013, when asked about reliability, 67% concurred, shared Rappler.com. Then, just 54% of adults in the Philippines believed that gays and lesbians were beneficial to society.
Visit our Facebook page for more news updates.