By Liezelle Soriano
MANILA — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has issued Executive Order No. 1, mandating the creation of the Special Committee on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual (LGBTQIA+) Affairs.
In the executive order, signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, Marcos recognized the imperative to reinforce the Department of Interiors and Publics (DIP) and reconstitute its Inter-Agency Committee to ensure the country’s ongoing compliance with its obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
The President emphasized that establishing this committee is crucial for strengthening existing mechanisms aimed at addressing persistent discrimination against the LGBTQIA+ community.
The Committee will be co-chaired by the Secretaries of the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), with the Secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) serving as Vice Chair.
The Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary will also be a member, alongside the Secretaries of the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of Health (DOH), as well as the chairpersons of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the Special Committee on LGBTQIA+ Affairs.
(IAmigo/MNM)
