'HISTORIC.' After nearly 2 decades, a bill prohibiting discrimination against members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex community finally reaches the Senate plenary and is now up for debate. File photo by Rappler

MANILA, Philippines – After nearly 2 decades, the bill seeking to protect the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI) community from hate crimes and discrimination has finally reached the Senate plenary. (READ: The long road to an LGBT anti-discrimination law)

Calling it a "historic first," Senator Risa Hontiveros sponsored the committee report containing Senate Bill 1271 or the Anti-Discrimination Bill, on Wednesday, December 14 – the last session day for 2016.

Citing the case of slain Filipina transgender Jennifer Laude, Hontiveros said the Philippines has the highest rate of murders of transgender people in Southeast Asia and the second in the continent. (READ: Killing of Jennifer Laude a 'hate crime' – police report)

Hontiveros said the bill, if passed into law, would ensure that stigma and hate would not hinder LGBTQIs from accessing education, healthcare, employment, and other basic rights.

"Globally, fundamental victories were accomplished in terms of securing LGBT rights and welfare, more notably an adoption or strengthening of their respective anti-discrimination laws," Hontiveros said in her sponsorship speech. "However, the same thing can't be said for the Philippines. For the last 17 years, Congress has failed to pass the anti-discrimination bill. The LGBT community cannot wait any longer."

Twelve senators signed the committee report. Aside from Hontiveros, others who signed it are: Senate President Pro-Tempore Franklin Drilon, Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III, Minority Leader Ralph Recto, Senators Leila de Lima, Loren Legarda, Juan Edgardo Angara, Grace Poe, Nancy Binay, Cynthia Villar, Paolo Benigno Aquino IV, and Antonio Trillanes IV.

In 2017, senators are expected to debate on the measure and introduce their own amendments before the committee approves the new version. It would then be up for approval in the 2nd and in the 3rd and final reading.

Recent Senate records show the bill was first filed in 2000 by the late senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago and by former Akbayan Representative Loretta Rosales. Santiago and former senator Ramon Revilla Jr filed similar measures in 2004 but ended up in limbo. They re-filed them in the 14th congress but the bills only reached the committee level. More senators filed similar measures in the 15th and 16th congresses but to no avail.

Similar measures are now pending in the House of Representatives but are still in the committee level. In the previous 16th Congress, the measure hurdled the House committee on women and gender equality after a series of debates and amendments. It, however, failed to get the votes of the plenary. (READ: Emotional Roman urges Congress to pass anti-discrimination bill)

Prohibited acts, penalties

The measure prohibits the following discriminatory practices against LGBTs:

Promoting and encouraging stigma on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity or expression (SOGIE) in the media, in educational textbooks, and other medium. Inciting violence and sexual abuse against any person or group on the basis of SOGIE is likewise prohibited. Including the disclosure of sexual orientation in the criteria for hiring, promotion, work assignment, giving incentives and priviliges, among others in both the private and public sector, including the military and the police. Refusing admission or expelling a person from any educational or training institution on the basis of SOGIE. Imposing disciplinary sanctions or penalties harsher than customary or similar punishments, requirements, restrictions, or prohibitions that infringe on the rights of students or trainees Refusing or revoking the accreditation, formal recognition, registration or plan to organize of any organization, group, political party, institution or establishment, in educational institutions, workplaces, communities, and other settings, solely on the basis of the SOGIE of their members or of their target constituencies Denying a person access to public or private medical and other health services open to the general public, as well as access to public and private health insurance, including HMOs Denying an application for or revoking any government license, authority, clearance, permit, certification, or other similar documents necessary to exercise a profession or business Denying a person access to or the use of establishments or services, including housing, open to the general public. The act of giving inferior accommodations or services shall be considered a denial of access Subjecting or forcing any person to undertake any medical or psychological examination to determine or alter the person’s sexual orientation and gender without the expressed approval of the person, except in cases of minors Subjecting any person to profiling, detention, or verbal or physical harassment. Profiling, detention, or verbal or physical harassment on the basis of SOGIE by members of law enforcement agencies, including the military, police, immigration, is likewise prohibited. Subjecting a person to any other acts that shall have the effect or purpose of impairing or nullifying the enjoyment, recognition, and exercise of a person’s human rights and fundamental freedoms.

Violators may be fined at least P100,000 to P500,000, depending on the act committed. They may also face imprisonment for at least 1 year to 12 years, depending on the court’s decision.

Government officials who would refuse to investigate, prosecute, or act on any complaint shall face administrative sanctions. – Rappler.com </s> ISLAMABAD: Pakistan passed long-awaited legislation Thursday closing a loophole that allowed people who killed for “honour” to walk free, three months after the murder of a social media star by her brother sparked international revulsion.

The legislation, passed unanimously by the National Assembly, mandates life imprisonment even if the victim’s relatives forgive the murderer.

The assembly also passed a bill increasing the punishments for some rape offences, mandating DNA testing and making the rape of a minor or the disabled punishable by life imprisonment or death.

Women have long fought for their rights in Pakistan, and so-called “honour” killings claim the lives of hundreds each year.

Rape conviction rates are close to zero percent, largely due to the law’s reliance on circumstantial evidence and a lack of forensic testing.

Rights groups and politicians have for years called for tougher laws to tackle perpetrators of violence against women in the country.

The gruesome murder of Facebook star Qandeel Baloch in July catapulted the issue into the international spotlight.

“This is a step in the right direction,” women’s activist and columnist Aisha Sarwari told AFP.

“We should take our little wins where we get them and proceed forward and not retreat.”

But rights activist Farzana Bari was more cautious, saying the bill still allowed a judge to decide whether a murder qualified as an “honour killing” or not.

Marvi Sirmed, feminist and rights activist, called the bill “very good news”, but echoed Bari’s concern, saying: “The challenge now is, how the honour crimes be defined.”

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif later issued a statement hailing the passage of the bill and vowed police and courts would implement it.

“We will make… sure to fully enforce this legislation across the country,” a statement issued by his office said.

“Women are the most essential part of our society and I believe in their empowerment, protection and emancipation.”

The perpetrators of honour killings — in which the victim, normally a woman, is killed by a relative on the pretext of defending family “honour” — often walk free because they can seek forgiveness for the crime from another family member.

A 2005 amendment to the law pertaining to honour killings prevented men who kill female relatives pardoning themselves as an “heir” of the victim.

But punishment was left to a judge’s discretion when other relatives of the victim forgive the killer — a loophole which critics say had been exploited.

The amendments passed Thursday and published on the National Assembly website mandate judges to sentence someone who kills in the name of “honour” to life imprisonment, even if they have been forgiven and thereby avoid the death penalty, said senior opposition lawmaker Farhatullah Babar.

“Even if the close family members pardon the murderer, the court is bound to send him to jail for 25 years,” Babar told AFP.

The amendments regarding rape, in addition to calling for DNA tests and toughening the punishment in some cases, also protect a victim’s identity and mandate that cases be brought to court within three months.

Filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy won an Oscar earlier this year for a documentary on honour killings that was hailed by Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who promised to push through the legislation in February.

But no action was taken, despite a slew of further high-profile killings.

The death of social media star Baloch, judged by many in the country as infamous for selfies and videos that by Western standards would appear tame, reignited polarising calls for action after her brother admitted killing her.

“I am not embarrassed at all over what I did,” he told media at a defiant press conference in July.

“Whatever was the case, it (his sister’s behaviour) was completely intolerable.”

Obaid-Chinoy slammed Baloch’s murder as symptomatic of an “epidemic” of violence against women in Pakistan. AFP </s> Following through with the plans announced back in early July, president of Chile Michelle Bachelet has brought forward bill that will give same-sex couples the right to marry and adopt.

The news was announced at an event at the presidential palace in Santiago. In attendance was the president of the Movement for Homosexual Integration and Liberation (MOVILH) Ronaldo Jiménez. Tweeting about the announcement, Jiménez announced that “The president begins the act of signing a marriage equality bill, that’s how we like Chile”.

The country’s LGBT+ policies were last thrust into the spotlight in 2012, when the MOVILH filed a lawsuit demanding same-sex couples be given the right to marriage. The MOVILH lawsuit led to a settlement in which Bachelet’s government promised to introduce a same-sex marriage and adoption bill, following the country’s recognition of civil unions back in 2015.

During the same year of Daniel Zamudio’s horrific murder. The 24-year-old gay man was beaten, killed and had swastikas carved into his body.

Zamudio’s murder sparked national outrage and brought together the LGBT+ communities of Chile, leading to the government introducing hate crime laws that included sexual orientation and gender identity. His death also led to a call for the safety of LGBT+ individuals globally, with the now galvanised Chilean LGBT+ community backing the creation of a UN expert on sexual orientation and gender identity, despite a number of countries attempting to block it.

If the bill passes Chile will join 21 countries and territories that have passed marriage equality bills, making it the sixth country in South America to legalise equal marriage.

More stories:

 Tires slashed outside performance of gay play in suspected hate crime

 Kathy Griffin and Anderson Cooper aren’t friends anymore after Trump photo scandal </s> Parliamentarians voted 66-1 in favor of a marriage equality bill, marking a major step for LGBTI rights in the predominantly Catholic country.

Nationalist party MP Edwin Vassallo was the only lawmaker to oppose the vote, citing his Christian faith. The marriage equality measure had been expected to pass after MPs voted in its favor last week

On Wednesday night, a government-sponsored celebration was organized with Malta's LGBTIQ Consultative Council -- a government body representing the country's lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and questioning organisations -- in front of the capital's historic Auberge de Castille.

There, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, a vocal proponent of marriage equality, celebrated the results, posting a photo from Valletta's Pjazza Kastilja, which was lit up in the colors of the rainbow flag and the phrase "We Made History."

Malta's Government wrote on Twitter, "#MarriageEquality is now reality in #Malta. Pledge fulfilled, future sealed."

The 43-year-old Prime Minister had promised to make the marriage equality bill one his priorities after winning a snap election in June.

Speaking to reporters, Muscat said the historic vote "shows that our democracy, our society ... has reached an unprecedented level of maturity and a society where we can all say we are equal."

As part of the approved measure, the language used in Malta's civil ceremonies is expected to become gender neutral, dropping the language "husband and wife."

The tiny island nation has been riding a wave of social reforms since a 2011 referendum to legalize divorce. Since then, the country has introduced civil unions and last year became the first European state to ban "gay cure" therapy.

Evelyne Paradis, executive director of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association for Europe applauded the vote, calling it "the icing on the cake of the tremendous work by the Maltese LGBTI movement," in a statement on Wednesday.

Paradis also referenced Malta's historic conservatism, and encouraged the government to continue to push further social reforms.

"Now the government must tackle a new project -- ensuring full social acceptance. We know that there are some parts of society who opposed this bill, who had doubts. It is up to the government to continue to show leadership, together with the LGBTI movement, and really embed this legal change in society. The talking is finished inside parliament, but the work must continue outside its doors," Paradis said.

Malta joins at least 14 other European nations that have legalized same-sex marriage.

The Netherlands was the first country to legalize same-sex marriage in 2001. Since, more than 20 other nations have followed suit, including Spain, Canada, Argentina, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Ireland and the United States. </s> MANILA, Philippines – How much are human rights worth?

On Tuesday, September 12, netizens slammed the House of Representatives for voting to allocate only P1,000 to the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) for 2018.

Acting on a motion by SAGIP Representative Rodante Marcoleta, 119 voted in favor of giving the Constitutional body a measly P1,000 for the coming year while 32 legislators voted against it.

The House of Representatives votes to give the Commission on Human Rights only P1,000 for 2018. What are your thoughts on this? pic.twitter.com/x3kS7WKTUw — Rappler (@rapplerdotcom) September 12, 2017

Shit muntik ko na matapakan human rights natin. pic.twitter.com/RPwMU8NrUh — Rein Bugnot (@reinneverstops) September 12, 2017

1000 pesos for 103,300,000 Filipinos



Let us never forget that for this government, our human rights are only worth Php 0.000009 apiece #CHR — Angelo Silva (@juangelosilva) September 12, 2017

If this isn't a rubber stamp Congress, I don't know what is — Moses Albiento (@mosesalbiento) September 12, 2017

Reducing the CHR's budget is reducing the budget of the poor, the marginalized, the powerless, the oppressed. — Harold Malig Goméz (@roldiegomez) September 12, 2017

How will CHR maximize a 1000-peso budget to protect the Filipino people from numerous HRVs done by the gov't? Shame. — Melissa (@care_balleras) September 12, 2017

The CHR was formed exactly as a response to the abuses of martial law & dictatorship. Defunding it would mean we are going back to that era. — LEI, REANGLED. (@legallytanned) September 12, 2017

'Yung mas mataas pa 'yung sweldo ni Mocha Uson kaysa sa budget ng CHR for next year. Ang hirap mong mahalin, Pilipinas. — Ariesa Domingo (@beeyotchWP) September 12, 2017

Related keywords like "Human Rights", "House", and "Congress" were quick to land on Twitter trending topics in the Philippines.

Screenshot from Twitter

Netizens started comparing the P1,000 budget to several items using #CHRBudgetCheaper, in an attempt to show the absurdity of the decision.

On Monday, September 11, the Senate's finance committee approved the proposed budget of the CHR for fiscal year 2018 amounting to P678 million. (READ: Senate committee okays CHR budget for 2018)

What does this House decision mean for the CHR? Here are tweets explaining what will happen next:

What do you think about House's decision during the budget debates? Let us know in the comments section below. – Rappler.com </s> Human rights groups call on the government to 'act with urgency' in addressing the rising violence against human rights defenders

MANILA, Philippines – Groups on Wednesday, November 7, condemned the murder of lawyer Benjamin Ramos, which comes amid continuous violence against human rights defenders in the Philippines.

The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) expressed concern that Ramos' death is the latest in the "growing incidents of injustices reported."



"We call on the government to act with urgency in pinning down the perpetrators of this violence and proceed with active measures that would protect the safety of human rights defenders who continue to serve this country's most vulnerable and marginalized," CHR spokesperson Jacqueline de Guia said.

Ramos, the secretary-general of the Negros Occidental arm of the National Union of Peoples' Lawyers (NUPL), was shot dead by riding-in-tandem assailants on Tuesday night, November 6, in Kabankalan City.

A known human rights defender, Ramos represented political prisoners, farmers, and other members of marginalized sectors in his career as a pro-bono lawyer.

Among those he worked with were the Mabinay 6, including youth leader and University of the Philippines Cebu alumna Myles Albasin. They were arrested in March 2017 in Mabinay, Negros Oriental, following an alleged clash with government troops.

NUPL, in a statement, said "beastly attacks by treacherous cowards cannot go on."

"Not a few of our members have been attacked and killed before while literally practicing their profession and advocacies in the courts, in rallies, in picket lines, in urban poor communities, and in fact-finding missions," NUPL said.

Human Rights Watch (HRW), meanwhile, tagged the incident as "a blow to the human rights movement in the country" which has suffered from threats, including from President Rodrigo Duterte himself.

"We demand an impartial investigation into Ramos' murder and the many other attacks against lawyers in the Philippines and that the authorities bring the perpetrators to justice," said Carlos Conde of HRW Asia Division.

In 2017 alone, Ireland-based Front Line Defenders recorded 60 deaths in the Philippines. Since 2001, there have been at least 613 documented killings.

Facing death threats, human rights groups have repeatedly called on the government to recognize their role in society by passing the human rights defenders' protection bill. – Rappler.com

Read Rappler's in-depth series on human rights defenders in the Philippines

PART 1: Powering through a crisis: Defending human rights under Duterte

PART 2: Culture of impunity: Protecting human rights defenders vs threats </s> The vote came almost two years after the island's Constitutional Court ruled that the existing law -- which said marriage was between a man and a woman -- was unconstitutional. The panel of judges gave the island's parliament two years to amend or enact new laws.

On Friday -- only a week off the two-year deadline -- lawmakers in Taiwan's Legislative Yuan passed a bill making same-sex marriage a reality. It will go into effect on May 24.

Tens of thousands of people braved pouring rain Friday to demonstrate in favor of same-sex marriage outside the parliament, where lawmakers were voting on three draft bills, one tabled by the country's Cabinet -- which would ultimately prove successful -- and two watered-down rival bills tabled by conservative groups.

The successful Cabinet bill was backed by LGBTQ groups, despite the fact it creates a law different to straight marriage. For instance, under Cabinet's bill, a Taiwanese person could not marry foreigners from countries where same-sex marriage is not legal. </s> Perpetrators of so-called "honor killings" can no longer walk free if pardoned by the victim's family, after a new law was passed n Pakistan.

The bill, which failed to gain traction when it was first introduced in March, passed unanimously in both houses of parliament on Thursday.

"A vicious circle has now come to an end," Senator Farhatullah Babar told CNN. Now, a killer will face a minimum sentence of 25 years in jail. "No murderer will be able to walk away free even if his parents or family members forgive him for killing his sister, wife or mother in the name of 'honor.'"

This milestone comes three months after a social media star and " modern day feminist " was killed by her brother for "dishonoring" the family.

In July, Waseem Baloch strangled his sister , Qandeel Baloch, at their home because he believed "girls are born to stay at home and follow traditions." He confessed the murder on video and expressed no remorse, saying, "I am proud of what I did. I drugged her first, then I killed her."

According to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, as many as 212 women were victims of such killings in the first half of 2016. In a 2015 report by the World Economic Forum, Pakistan ranked 144 out of 145 countries on gender disparity </s> Pakistan on Thursday passed anti-honor killing and anti-rape bills, months after the ‘honor’ killing of social media celebrity Qandeel Baloch.

The bills moved by PPP Senator Farhatullah Babar were approved unanimously by a joint session of Parliament, Dawn.com reported.

The legislation on honor killings will introduce strict punishment for the convicts, making it tougher than the ordinary murder cases.

Under the new law, relatives of the victim would only be able to pardon the killer if he is sentenced to capital punishment. However, the culprit would still face a mandatory life sentence of twelve-and-a-half years.

Before moving the Anti-Rape Bill, Babar informed the joint session: “The bill will prove to be effective in curbing rape cases across the country.”

Debating during the session, Law Minister Zaid Hamid revealed that the perpetrator of the crime will also be medically examined after this bill is turned into a law.

“The verdicts in the rape cases will have to be given within three months, with the right to appeal in six months,” he added.

“The police station will be obliged to inform the victims of their legal rights,” Dawn.com quoted Hamid as saying, adding, “We have made it mandatory that the culprit must be imprisoned for 25 years.”

He said that rape of minors, as well as the mentally and physically ill, has also become punishable.

In July, days after the ‘honour’ killing of social media celebrity Baloch, a committee comprising lawmakers from both the lower and upper houses of parliament unanimously approved two bills aimed at tackling ‘honour’ killings and boosting rape convictions.
A bill protecting the rights of LGBT in the Philippines is finally up for debate 17 years after being first introduced in the upper legislature with the 2014 killing of a transwoman as the reason for its urgency.