A Study on the Philippine Government's Attitude Towards The
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A Study on the Philippine Government’s Attitude towards the LGBT Community In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Political Science Submitted by Rienjel Mae T. Tolentino IV - BA Political Science 2015-11203 Submitted to Professor Doroteo C. Abaya, Jr. Thesis Adviser May 2019 According to the Philippine Psychological Association (2013), Filipino LGBT people continue to experience stigma, prejudice, and discrimination in the Philippine society. This stigma is manifested in actions: such as bullying, teasing, and harassment of LGBT children, and adolescents in families, schools and communities. In addition, LGBT people are more likely to experience intolerance, discrimination, harassment and the threat of violence due to their sexual orientation. Although LGBT people are socially celebrated, they are not politically recognized. Rocero, 2013 University of the Philippines Manila College of Arts and Sciences Department of Social Sciences APPROVAL SHEET This thesis entitled “A Study on the Philippine Government’s Attitude towards the LGBT Community” presented by Ms. Rienjel Mae T. Tolentino in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Political Science under the Department of Social Sciences in University of the Philippines Manila is hereby presented for approval. Prof. Doroteo C. Abaya, Jr. Prof. Jerome A. Ong Adviser Department Chair Political Science 198 Department of Social Sciences ABSTRACT This study is conducted to state the current situation of the LGBT community in the Philippines, focusing more on the Philippine government’s attitude. The government actors’ reception and the process of legislation towards the LGBT related issues are studied by interviewing executives and members of LGBT organizations in the Philippines. It is established that the government is not that fond of the nature of the LGBT given that the Philippines is a dominantly Christian archipelago and its stand on morality and homosexuality. The negative impact of the government’s attitudes serves as a drive for the purpose and goals of the LGBT organizations in fighting for the LGBT rights. Additionally, the paper explores alternative actions and solutions to the problems that the LGBT in the Philippines are facing right now. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I would like to express my gratitude to my adviser, Professor Doroteo C. Abaya, Jr, as well as my Political Science 199.1 adviser, Professor Josefina Tayag. Secondly, I would like to mention Ms. Melaida Kate Sonday, a friend from University of the Philippines Baguio, who helped me in gathering part of my data in a very crucial time. Thirdly, I would like to thank my parents for always replying, and comforting me that I can survive my last year in the university. Fourthly, I would like to mention my group of friends, #JUNKSAIS; Alia Lasquete, Bianca Adriano, Brie Allabo, Christopher Miranda, Micah de Guzman, and Myna Rafanan. Thank you for hyping me up whenever I needed it. Fifthly, I want to mention the person who I bumped into at the alley that connects second floor RH and SC last semester. You gave me the starting idea for my thesis. TABLE OF CONTENTS Title Page Approval Sheet i Abstract ii Acknowledgement iii CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION A. Research Question 4 B. Tentative Answer 4 C. Objectives 5 D. Significance of the Study 6 CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE A. Christianity and Homosexuality: A Brief History 7 B. The LGBT Community of the Philippines 9 C. The Philippine Government’s Performance 12 CHAPTER III: ANALYTICAL FRAMEWORK A. Theoretical Framework 16 B. Conceptual Framework 18 CHAPTER IV: METHODOLOGY A. Research Design 19 B. Locale of Study 20 C. Unit of Study 20 D. Sampling Design 20 E. Data Collection Procedures 21 F. Ethical Aspects 21 G. Tools of Analysis 24 H. Limitations of the Study 26 CHAPTER V: FINDINGS A. The Situation and Activities of the LGBT Community in the Philippines 27 B. The Philippine Government’s Attitude Towards the LGBT Community 28 C. The Needs of the LGBT Community 29 CHAPTER VI: ANALYSIS 30 CHAPTER VII: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION 33 BIBLIOGRAPHY 36 APPENDIX 38 ANNEX 121 CHAPTER I BRIEF INTRODUCTION The topic of homosexuality is always sensitive in the Philippines; highlighting that the country is mainly a religious one (Catholicism covering around 70% of the present religions). The country boasts on its feature as the only Catholic country in the entirety of Asia. With aforementioned, conflicts of interest in policy making are sometimes observed in the legislators who are devoted Christians, and some others who are plainly homophobic. As the Christian morality often is in opposition of the idea of homosexuality, partiality towards policies geared for the interests of the LGBT community is manifested repeatedly in the legislative branch of the government in many cases. Over time, LGBT organizations have surfaced, fighting for the rights of the LGBT in the country. It is without doubt, however, that these organizations face difficulties in advancing their interests in the policy-making process. This study will focus on the government’s attitude towards the LGBT community, and homosexuality in general, and how this affects the LGBT organizations in the Philippines. While doing so, the study will also provide a written analysis of the situation of the LGBT community in the country. The study aims to provide an explorative-descriptive approach on the situation of the LGBT community in the Philippines. The intriguing case of the SOGIE Equality Bill will also be explored. Consequently, listing the activities that these organizations hold to !1 protect and advance their rights, and how the current situation of the LGBT community affects these activities. Short Background Discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity is still present in the Philippines. This sometimes results to losses of job opportunities, and proliferation of abuse, and violence. Severe cases of prejudice are observed when law enforcers, and service providers encounter issues that concern people who are members of the LGBT community. In a particular case in the Philippines where a transwoman was gang raped, the police told the victim that she should be thankful that those people showed interest on her, when men should not even be paying attention to people like her (Philippine Commission on Women, n.d.). Recently, in 2017, the Philippine House of Representatives (17th Congress) had passed on its third, and final reading the bill prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity or expression (SOGIE Equality Bill). The anti- discrimination bill was first filed on the 11th Congress, summing a total of almost 20 years in the Philippine House of Representatives (CNN, 2017). Currently, the bill is up for debate in the Philippines Senate. During the 2016 elections, Representative Geraldine Roman of the 1st District of Bataan was elected—a milestone for the LGBT community since she is the first ever transgender woman to hold an office in the Philippine House of Representatives. She, along with other lawmakers, pushed for the passing of the SOGIE Equality Bill stated on !2 the previous paragraph. Her speech in the House of Representatives, which gathered international attention and support, helped in the unanimous 198-0-0 vote for the bill on its third and final reading. The researcher pushes to complete a study on this topic since there is an evident lack of materials that are published to talk about the situations of the LGBTs in the Philippines. !3 Research Problem General Question: What is the Philippine Government’s attitude towards homosexuality? Specific Questions: 1. What is the situation of the LGBT in the Philippines? 2. How do Filipino legislators act for or view the LGBT community? 3. How does the actions of the government as a whole, and its legislators affect the frequency of activities of the LGBT organizations? 4. What seems to be the major problem of the LGBT organizations, and what do they need the most in fighting for their causes? Tentative Answer The Philippine government has a negative perception, and reception of the LGBT community. This can be seen frequently on the attitudes of its political leaders, and the path of legislation that concerns LGBT rights. Instead of demoralizing and decreasing the morale of the LGBT activists, it would rather increase the LGBT organizations’ levels of political participation. !4 Objectives of the Study General Objective: The researcher aims to asses how the government acts towards the LGBT community . Specific Objectives: 1. To properly establish the government’s reception of the LGBT community. 2. To discern the current situation of the LGBT community and their needs. 3. To investigate if the LGBT organization/s decide to be apolitical due to the actions of the government or not. !5 Significance of the Study The fight for the LGBT rights has been hard in the Philippines due to its religious nature. It is a fact that it is hard to separate the church and the state in the country since the morals that the legislators of the Philippines are shaped by the Catholic way of life. Knowing the gravity of the government’s attitude towards the LGBT community might help in bringing awareness and highlight the need for actions in support of the LGBT community. Specifically, in which points will the LGBT organizations can focus their political participation in order to maximize the effects that they can cause in the policy decision making. !6 CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE The Birth of Christianity in the Philippines, and its Take on Homosexuality The Philippines has the world’s third largest Catholic population, and this all roots from the Spanish arrival in the archipelago in the year 1521. When the Spaniards arrived in the archipelago, there was no single bureaucracy that governed the islands, yet an evident connection via trade routes and slave-raiding was operating.