BASILAN Representative Mujiv Hataman has refiled a measure that, if enacted into law, seeks to penalize acts of discrimination based on race, ethnicity, or religion and imposes a jail term of up to six months and a fine of up to P100,000 against those found violating provisions of the law.

Hataman on Friday filed House Bill (HB) No. 3526, or the “Equality and Non-Discrimination on Race, Ethnicity and Religion Act”, which has reached as far as approval on 3rd and Final Reading at the House of Representatives during the 18th Congress but failed to hurdle Senate approval.

“Sayang at hindi natin ito naipasa noong nakaraang Kongreso, pero may pagkakataon tayong muli na maisabatas ito. Dahil hangga’t hindi natin ito nagagawa, patuloy na dadami ang biktima ng diskriminasyon sa ating mga kababayan, lalo na sa hanay ng mga kapatid nating Moro at IPs,” Hataman, former governor of the now-defunct ARMM (Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao), said.

“Ang bersyon na ito ay masusing binalangkas at pinagtibay na sa committee level at sa plenaryo noong 18th Congress. I call on the leadership of the House and the rest of my colleagues to consider this measure urgent and pass it into law this time around,” he added.

HB 3526 penalizes discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, and religion in these areas:

In Political Participation, such as preventing or impeding the exercise of political rights of another, including the right to vote, among others;

In Employment, such as refusal to employ a qualified applicant;

In Education and Training, such as refusing or failing to accept an applicant for admission as a student or expelling a student from an educational institution;

In the Delivery of Goods and Services, such as refusal or failure on demand to supply those goods or services to a person;

In Land, Business and other Accommodation, such as refusing or failing to accept or process the application for any interest in land, or residential or business accommodation;

In Access to Public Places, Facilities and Public Meetings, such as refusing to allow another person access to or use of any place, vehicle or facilities when the general public is allowed to;

In Advertisements/Mass Media, such as the portrayal of certain persons in movies, films, and advertisements on television and other audio-visual forms and other publicly accessible documents as stupid, barbaric, savages, dirty, wild, ignorant, stupid, and similar degrading portrayals;

By Wrongful Portrayal, such as portraying, imitating, depicting or describing in learning institutions, instructional materials, teaching devices, books and reference materials, especially in Civics and History, certain individuals and/or group/s as inferior religiously, racially or ethnically;

Through Speech, Utterances, Acts of Hatred and Similar Acts;

Through Analogous Acts that Result in Impairment of the Enjoyment of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms;

Through Engaging In Profiling; and

Through Abuses of State and Non-State Actors.

“Discrimination takes many forms. At ang nakakalungkot, napakarami pa ring kababayan natin ang nabibiktima nito. Maraming inosenteng Moro ang naaaresto sa krimen dahil lamang sila ay ‘Moro’, maraming IPs ang naaagawan ng lupain, maraming tao ang hindi natatanggap sa trabaho dahil lamang naka-hijab, at napakarami pang iba,” Hataman explained.

“Yung simpleng hindi ka isasakay sa taxi dahil naka-hijab ka or iba lang ang suot mo ay diskriminasyon na. And this list goes on and on. Kaya importante na maipasa natin itong panukala para bigyan ng proteksyon ang ating mga kababayan laban sa diskriminasyon,” the Basilan legislator added.

Hataman is also urging House Speaker Martin Romualdez to include the measure in the priority legislative agenda of the Lower House and be subject to a faster process since it was already approved on the 3rd and Final Reading during the 18th Congress.

According to Section 48, the Rules of the House of Representatives in the 18th Congress, now adopted as interim rules:

“… In case of bills or resolutions that are identified as priority measures of the House, which were previously filed in the immediately preceding Congress and have been approved on 3rd reading, the same may be disposed of as matters already reported upon the approval of majority of the Members of the committee present, there being a quorum…”

“But I will defer to the wisdom of the House leadership. Whatever course this measure will take, the most important thing is that we pass it for the benefit of the people,” Hataman expressed.