Bukas-Mata’t Bukas-Pusong Pagkakakilanlan (Privilege Speech of Rep. Kaka Bag-ao on World Hijab Day)

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Bago pa man ako naging isang Kongresista noong 2010, ako ay isang alternative lawyer at community organizer—ako po ay isang abugadong nakikisalamuha sa mga batayang sektor upang makita nila na sila ay may kapangyarihang gamitin ang batas upang maipagtanggol ang kanilang karapatan at kapakanan. 

The Dinagat Islands Anti-Discrimination Ordinance

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DOWNLOAD the Dinagat Islands Anti-Discrimination Ordinance:

 http://bit.ly/DinagatIslands_AntiDiscrimination

The Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Dinagat Islands​ has recently approved an ordinance promoting and protecting the rights and dignity of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons and providing for a comprehensive policy against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity and expression (SOGIE) in the province.

Sponsorship Speech for the First Committee Hearing on the Anti-Discrimination Bill

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17 October 2016 - Committee on Women and Gender Equality hearing on House Bill No. 51 (Anti-Discrimination Bill), which was the first measure that Dinagat Islands Rep. Kaka Bag-ao filed in the 17th Congress. 

Good afternoon, Madam Chair, fellow legislators, and guests.

Ako po si Kaka Bag-ao. Sa araw ng pagbubukas ng 15th Congress sa aking unang termino noong 2010, inihain ko ang Anti-Discrimination Bill. Matagal na itong ipinapanukala, noong panahon pa nina Akbayan Representative Etta Rosales, labing-pitong taon na ang nakararaan. Napakatagal na panahon na. Sa pagitan noong panahon na iyon at ngayon, patuloy ang diskriminasyon laban sa mga ating mga kapwa Pilipino at mamamayan, na nagkataon lamang ay iba sa inyo—ang mga Pilipinong lesbian, gay, bisexual, at transgender o LGBT. 

#EqualityChamps convene for the Anti-Discrimination Bill

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Today, legislators of the 17th Congress, dubbed as the #EqualityChamps, met with advocates from various civil society organizations to discuss the renewed campaign for the enactment of the Anti-Discrimination Bill, which seeks to prohibit discrimination against citizens on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

Present were authors and co-authors of the measure—Senator Risa Hontiveros, Dinagat Islands Rep. Kaka Bag-ao, Batanes Rep. Henedina Abad, Bataan Rep. Geraldine Roman, Pangasinan Rep. Toff de Venecia, and An Waray Party-List Rep. Victoria Noel. Joining them were advocacy groups that have assisted legislators in past Congresses in fighting for the bill in committee debates; they include the Lesbian and Gay Legislative Advocacy Network (LAGABLAB), TLF-SHARE, Babaylanes, Inc., UP Babaylan, GALANG, Akbayan LGBT Collective, Dangal Pilipinas, Amnesty International, Assocition of Transgender People in the Philippines (ATP), OutRight Action International, and Rainbow Rights. Commissioner Perci Cendaña of the National Youth Commission (NYC) facilitated the discussion.

Rep. Bag-ao: Passage of Anti-Discrimination Bill is a victory for all citizens

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The House of Representatives Committee on Women and Gender Equality recently approved the proposed Anti-Discrimination Bill, which seeks to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity while providing penalties for such acts.

The bill was first filed by then Akbayan Party-List Representative and now Commission on Human Rights Chairperson Loretta Ann Rosales in the 11th Congress. Since then, it has been refiled and shelved by the Legislature in the midst of the growing clamor for its passage.

Dinagat Islands Rep. Kaka Bag-ao, the principal author of the measure, said that "this is not only a triumph for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community, but for all Filipinos because the Anti-Discrimination Bill will protect the rights of each and every citizen regardless of their sexual orientation and gender identity."