A House leader expressed concern over the slow progress of the sexual orientation, gender identity and expression (SOGIE) bill, whose main purpose is to protect every person, regardless of their gender identity, from any form of discrimination.

Bataan Representative Geraldine Roman, chairman of the House Committee on Women and Gender Equality, said it seems the the SOGIE bill is not a priority in the Senate following the approval of the second and third reading of more than 17 bills in the last week of session before the break for Holy Week.

“It is sad that there is still no certainty as to when the Senate version of the SOGIE bill will be passed,” Roman said.

More than two decades ago, former Akbayan Party-list Representative Etta Rosales and the late Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago pushed for the first version of the SOGIE bill.

The bill was revived in the 17th Congress, where it was approved by the House of Representatives and reached the Senate through Roman’s strong advocacy for its passage.

However, it was not passed in the Senate.

Currently, the Senate Committee on Rules holds the SOGIE bill, where Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva is the committee chairman who first issued a statement in November 17, 2016 supporting the Anti-Discrimination bill to push for the rights of the LGBTQ sector.

The SOGIE Equality bill has been pending since it was filed in the Senate in December 2022, but it is already being processed by the technical working group of the House committee.

According to Roman, “there are indications that Sen. Villanueva and his father, CIBAC Party-list Rep. Eddie Villanueva, will work together to delay the passage of the proposed legislation.”

It can be recalled that the elder Villanueva walked out of a hearing in the House regarding the proposal, while the senator said that many leaders of the sector still want to express their opinions in the Senate’s discussion of the proposal.

Roman clarified that the SOGIE Equality bill does not push for same-sex marriage and stressed that there is nothing in the proposed legislation on that issue.

Some of the latest proposals that have been approved by the Senate on the second and third reading include the strengthening and protection of the country’s cultural heritage, the one town, one product bill, and the no permit, no exam prohibition bill.

However, in previous statement, Roman remains confident that Congress will pass the SOGIE bill.

“I believe malaki ang puso ng aking mga kasamahan sa Kongreso. Kaya natin ipasa ito,” she added.