Nasa 15 senador, o maaaring humigit pa, ang tutol umano sa pagpasa ng Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression (SOGIE) Equality bill, ayon kay Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, Lunes.
Sa press conference kasama sina Senator Joel Villanueva, House Deputy Speaker Eddie Villanueva, founder ng Jesus Is Lord Church, at ilang religious group, iginiit ni Sotto na kumpiyansa siyang walang pag-asang makalusot sa Senado ang naturang panukala.
“We can safely say–and we have studied this proposition already–there’s no need for it. It’s a redundancy,” aniya.
“All Filipinos and everyone in the Philippines are equally protected by equal rights and all the rights that are given any individual in the Philippines,” dagdag niya.
Nang tanungin kung siguradong hindi papasa sa Senado ang batas, kumpiyansang “yes, yes na yes” ang tugon ng Senate President.
“A great majority, I would say at least 15,” aniya.
Bagaman tutol sa panukala, iginiit ni Representative Villanueva na wala silang galit sa mga miyembro ng LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer plus) community.
“We actually love them with the compassionate heart of Jesus because we know the Bible, we know the plan of God, and God loves them all,” saad ni Villanueva.
