Asian Journal of Law and Governance

e-ISSN: 2710-5849 | Vol. 3, No. 2, 14-20, 2021

http://myjms.mohe.gov.my/index.php/ajlg

Probing House Bill No. 4982 (SOGIE-Sexual Orientation, Gender

Identity and Expression Bill): An Exploratory Study
Erwin O. Estrella1*
1
Pangasinan State University, San Vicente, Urdaneta City, Pangasinan

*Corresponding Author: Erwinest_09@yahoo.com

Accepted: 15 May 2021 | Published: 1 June 2021

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Abstract: Parity prevails when one and single living entity is in equal footing with others.
Prejudice and partiality move if stratification is recognized in the community. The Lesbian,
Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT+) community is of no exception that demands for
equality responding to their needs through the establishment of the SOGIE Bill. Hence, this
study determined the acceptability level of mothers on the provisions of the House Bill 4982 or
the LGBT Equality Bill along education, health, employment, family affairs, religion,
community and media. It identified the demographics of the mothers in terms of their age,
income, educational attainment, religion, family type and number of children. It further delved
on the significant relationship between their extent of acceptability across profile variables.
The study employed the descriptive-exploratory design of study and a total of two-hundred
fifteen (215) mothers were considered as the respondents of the study. A questionnaire was
used along with the interview guide to gather the needed data and the gathered results were
processed through the utilization of the SPSS. Mothers of San Blas, Villasis, Pangasinan are
35-49 years of age, professionals, Roman Catholic believers, having 2-4 children with low
income but not poor. Mothers really favor the provisions of the House Bill 4982 or the SOGIE
Equality Bill. Profile variables of mothers are strongly related to their level of acceptability of
the House Bill 4982. The study strongly recommended that the mothers should be determined
more of their desire to increase their income. Since most of them are professionals, Aside From
their salary from the companies they are working with, they should venture in other investments
like online jobs, online tutorials and other net-related works. Though mothers have high level
of acceptability of the Bill, they should still be meticulous of the impact of the Bill and ponder
why this has not been approved and pushed through. However, mothers should still be vigilant
of the legalities as well as, of course, the benefits that this Bill to the LGBT community to
maintain balance. The lawmakers should also see about these responses of the mothers as
regards LGBT Bill. As well, the Municipal officials and the council of the Barangay should
take note of the welfare of the LGBT community though this Bill has not yet put into law.
Gender-based advocates as well as the LGBY community must also extend their tolerance and
not to create violence in the community but instead employ understanding and patience.
Likewise, the community people must observe respect and concern to them and always.

Keywords: HB 4982, SOGIE Bill, LGBT and Acceptability Level

___________________________________________________________________________

1. Introduction

This exploratory study focuses on the House Bill No. 4982 (SOGIE-Sexual Orientation,
Gender Identity and Expression Bill) of Mothers of San Blas, Villasis, Pangasinan, Philippines.
This study determined the acceptability level of mothers on the provisions of the House Bill

14
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 Asian Journal of Law and Governance
e-ISSN: 2710-5849 | Vol. 3, No. 2, 14-20, 2021
http://myjms.mohe.gov.my/index.php/ajlg

4982 or the LGBT Equality Bill along education, health, employment, family affairs, religion,
community and media. It identified the demographics of the mothers in terms of their age,
income, educational attainment, religion, family type and number of children. It further delved
on the significant relationship between their extent of acceptability across profile variables.
This study employed the descriptive-exploratory design of study and a total of two-hundred
fifteen (215) mothers were considered as the respondents of the study. A questionnaire was
used along with the interview guide to gather the needed data and the gathered results were
processed through the utilization of the SPSS.

2. Literature Review

Goal 5 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) focuses on gender equality that has the
primordial objective of ending all discrimination against women, LGBT+, basic human right
for sustainable future. It is proven that empowerment helps economic growth and development.
Likewise, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) [2] has made gender equality
central to its work and has remarkable progress focusing on protection. This can also be
associated to the protection of human rights as what the Preamble of the 1987 Philippine
Constitution that reveals:

“…to build a just and humane society, and

establish a Government that shall embody our
ideals and aspirations, promote the common
good, conserve and develop our patrimony,
and secure to ourselves and our posterity, the
blessings of independence and democracy
under the rule of law and a regime of truth,
justice, freedom, love, equality, and peace, do
ordain and promulgate this Constitution.”

The Philippine Government is committed to the challenge of attaining the SDGs to

promote gender equality. As reported by the Senate of the Philippines on Crime Statistics
(2013), having a safe and secure community is vital. As a response to promote the SDG on
gender equality, issued a policy statement informing all government agencies to conduct data
monitoring on the performance of the country with respect to the SDGs and responsibilities of
statistics agencies on reported cases of violence against women in the Philippines (Philippine
Statistics Authority, 2020)

In 2013 survey entitled “The Global Divide on Homosexuality by Pew Research Center”, the
Philippines has a high public acceptance of homosexuals as supported by 73% of adult
Filipinos agreed that homosexuality must be acknowledged by society. However, many people
especially LGBTQ+ community proved that the Philippines is more tolerant than
acknowledging. In fact, the country ranked 95th in the Spartacus Gay Travel Index 2019, which
means “to inform travelers about the situation of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender
(LGBT) people in 197 countries and regions.” This also scored each country based on measures
like transgender rights, the existence of anti-gay laws, and same-sex marriage (Arias, 2019). In
other counties, Hatchel, et.al (2018) examined the associations among sexual harassment
victimization, school belonging and depressive symptoms among LGBTQ high school
students. Perceptions of school contexts may even be mechanisms that define how
victimization relates to poor outcomes. Peer victimization and the associated poor outcomes
among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) youth have been the focus of countless

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 Asian Journal of Law and Governance
e-ISSN: 2710-5849 | Vol. 3, No. 2, 14-20, 2021
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studies. School climate is a factor that has garnered significant attention. However, there is a
lack of rigorous scholarship that could demonstrate directionality and therefore further augment
our understanding of these relations.

On the same wavelength, Romanelli, et al (2017) had an interview-based study with a sample
of 40 self-identified LGBT adults living in New York City. Access to effective services is
imperative to address the many health and mental health disparities that lesbian, gay, bisexual,
and transgender (LGBT) people face. This population, however, remains underserved and often
ill-served in health care environments. Furthermore, interactions between system- and
individual-level dimensions of access create barriers to service engagement. Within much of
the extant literature surrounding health care barriers among LGBT people, the rich narratives
and varied experiences of LGBT community members from diverse backgrounds have often
been excluded. Tanis, et.al, (2016) [7] did an article that explored some of the key takeaways
from the survey and the ways in which the 41% statistic has affected conversations about the
injustices transgender people face and the importance of family and societal acceptance.
Further, two-thirds of developing countries have achieved gender parity in primary education.
In the Philippines, school administrators as well as lawmakers strongly recognized bullying of
LGBT youth as a serious problem and have constructed interventions to address it. In the year
2012, the Department of Education (DepEd) established Child Protection Policy (CPP) to
address the problems on bullying and school-based discrimination including gender identity
and sexual orientation. A year after, the Congress passed the Anti-Bullying Law of 2013,
putting into place sexual orientation and gender identity as prohibited grounds for bullying and
harassment. Bullying and discrimination are addressed and not to be tolerated in educational
institutions as the very core of the adoption of these policies. Despite of these government
initiatives, the LGBT community still claims for a clearer policy that really protects their right
and situation which takes into place the creation of the House Bill No. 4982, otherwise known
as the SOGIE Equality Bill. (Marquez, 2015). This Bill has been generated and deeply
discussed in the House of Representatives. However, this one favoring the rights of the LGBT
which prohibits and penalizes discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender
identity and expression (SOGIE) has not yet been declared as a law.

Tables and Figures

Demographic Profile of the Respondents

Table 1: Profile of Mothers of San Blas Villasis, Pangasinan (n=215)

Demographics Frequency Percentage
50 and above 25 11.63
35-49 112 52.09
18-34 66 30.70
Age 17 and below 12 5.58
Upper Income but not Rich 1 0.47
Upper Middle Class 9 4.19
Income Mid-Middle Class 12 5.58
Lower Middle Class 71 33.02
Low Income but not Poor 94 43.72
Poor 28 13.02
Elementary Graduate 14 6.51
Highest
High School Graduate 45 20.93
Educational
Vocational 4 1.86
Attainment
Bachelor’s Degree 152 70.70
Religion Roman Catholic 176 81.86

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INC 6 2.79
Protestant 33 15.35
Nuclear 143 66.51
Family Type
Extended 72 33.49
5 or above 55 25.58
No. of
2 to 4 123 57.21
Children
1 only 37 17.21

o Age. It could be gleaned on the table that most of the mothers are 35-49 years of age as
indicated by the frequency of 112 or 52.09 percent. Sixty-six (66) or 30.70 percent of
them are 18-34 years old while there are twelve or 5.58% are seventeen years and below.
o Monthly Family Income. The table shows that most of the household mothers have the
monthly income of 11,690.00-23,381.00 which falls under low income but not poor as
supported by the frequency of 94 or 43.72%. Seventy-one (71) or 33.02% belong to the
lower middle class which have an income ranging from 23,381.00-46,761.00. Twelve
(12) or 4.19 percent and 9 or 4.19% have an income of 46,761.00-81,832.00 and
81,832.00-140, 284.00. It is so interesting to note that in Barangay San Blas, there is one
or 0.47 percent among the mothers who have a monthly income of 233,807.00 and above
while 28 or 13.02% are poor as regards their economic status 11,690.00 and below
monthly.
o Highest Educational Attainment. The mothers of Barangay San Blas are mostly
professionals as indicated by the frequency of 152 or 70.70 percent. Forty-five (45) or
20.93% are high school completers while there are fourteen of them or 6.51% are
elementary graduates. Meanwhile, four (4) or 1.86% of the mothers are vocational/
TESDA course graduates.
o Religion. The table shows that majority of the mothers of San Blas, Villasis, Pangasinan
are followers or believers of Roman Catholic as evidenced by the frequency of 176 or
81.86%. Six of them or 2.79 are Iglesias Ni Cristo (INC) followers while thirty-three
(33) or 15.35% of them are protestants.
o Family Type. It could be gleaned on the table that majority of the mothers are having a
nuclear type of a family as supported by the frequency of 143 or 66.51% while only
seventy-two (72) or 33.49% do have extended family type.
o No. of Children. It is shown on the table that majority of the mothers have 2 to 4 children
as indicated by the frequency of 123 or 57.231 %. This is followed by 5 children above
as supported by the frequency of 55 or 25.58%. However, only thirty-seven (37) or
17.21% do have one child.

Table 2: Summary on the Level of Acceptability of the House Bill 4982 Among Mothers of San Blas,
Villasis, Pangasinan
Aspect Average Weighted Mean Descriptive Interpretation
Education 3.53 High
Health 3.63 High
Employment 4.07 High
Family Affairs 4.31 High
Religion 4.07 High
Community 4.12 High
Media 3.89 High
Over-all Average Weighted Mean 3.95 HIGH

It could be gleaned on the table that the mothers have high level of acceptability of the HB
4982 as evidenced by the over-all weighted mean of 3.95. Further, they have high level of

17
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 Asian Journal of Law and Governance
e-ISSN: 2710-5849 | Vol. 3, No. 2, 14-20, 2021
http://myjms.mohe.gov.my/index.php/ajlg

acceptability on Education, (3.53); Health, (3.63); Employment, (4.07); Family Affairs, (4.31);
Religion, (4.07); Community, (4.12) and Media, (3.89).

This means that mothers of the Barangay favor the provisions of the House Bill pertaining to
the rights and privileges of the SOGIE Equality Bill.
Table 3: Correlation Between the Profile and the Level of Acceptability of the HB 4982 among Mothers of
San Blas, Villasis, Pangasinan
Highest
Indicators Monthly Family Educational Religious Family
Age Income Attainment Affiliation Type No. of Children
Cor Sig Cor Sig Cor Sig Cor Sig Cor Sig Cor Sig
Education -0.082 0.231 0.351 0.000 0.024 0.726 0.169 0.726 -0.208 0.002 -0.009 0.899

Health -0.228 0.001 0.264 0.000 0.064 0.353 0.249 0.144 -0.292 0.000 -0.097 0.155

Employment -0.175 0.010 0.288 0.000 -0.147 0.031 0.395 0.000 -0.093 0.173 -0.163 0.017

Family Affairs -0.129 0.059 0.205 0.003 -0.466 0.000 0.523 0.000 -0.070 0.308 -0.165 0.016

Religion -0.012 0.861 0.071 0.299 0.352 0.000 0.077 0.632 -0.012 0.856 0.065 0.343

Community -0.155 0.023 0.191 0.005 -0.470 0.000 0.538 0.000 0.020 0.775 -0.271 0.000
Involvement
Media -0.186 0.006 0.241 0.000 -0.413 0.000 0.592 0.000 0.039 0.571 -0.205 0.003

3. Discussion/Conclusion

The study concluded that most of the mothers of San Blas, Villasis, Pangasinan are 35-49 years of age,
professionals, Roman Catholic believers, having 2-4 children with low income but not poor. Mothers
really favor the provisions of the House Bill 4982 or the SOGIE Equality Bill. Profile variables of
mothers are strongly related to their level of acceptability of the House Bill 4982.

Based on the foregoing conclusions, the researcher strongly recommended that mothers should be
determined more of their desire to increase their income. Since most of them are professionals, Aside
From their salary from the companies they are working with, they should venture in other investments
like online jobs, online tutorials and other net-related works. Though mothers have high level of
acceptability of the Bill, they should still be meticulous of the impact of the Bill and ponder why this
has not been approved and pushed through. However, mothers should still be vigilant of the legalities
as well as, of course, the benefits that this Bill to the LGBT community to maintain balance. The
lawmakers should also see about these responses of the mothers as regards LGBT Bill. As well, the
Municipal officials and the council of the Barangay should take note of the welfare of the LGBT
community though this Bill has not yet put into law. Lastly, gender-based advocates as well as the
LGBY community must also extend their tolerance and not to create violence in the community but
instead employ understanding and patience. Likewise, the community people must observe respect and
concern to them and always take into consideration that rejection and discrimination have no room in
the community.

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e-ISSN: 2710-5849 | Vol. 3, No. 2, 14-20, 2021
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