Buhay Party-list Representative Jose “Lito” Atienza (Facebook)
At the hearing of the House Committee on Human Rights on the proposed “Comprehensive Anti-Discrimination Bill”, Atienza inquired if the bill would “surreptitiously” allow same-sex marriage in the Philippines.
The panel was then discussing the denial of rights to employment as an act of discrimination to be prohibited and penalized if the bill is passed signed into law.
Under this provision, it shall be prohibited to “deny an application for or revoke a professional license issued by the government” on the basis of the protected attributes enumerated in the bill, which includes sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression.