LTO NAG-SORRY SA LGBTQ PRIORITY LANE

NAG-SORRY ang isang opisyal ng Land Transportation Office (LTO) matapos mag-viral ang isang larawan kung saan makikita na isinama sa listahan ang LGBTQ sa priority lane ng transaction window.

Ipinaliwanag ng LTO, sa isang pahayag na ang pagsasama ng LGBT community sa priority lane ay bahagi ng “gender and development” (GAD) initiative. Gayunpaman, sinabi ng isang opisyal ng rehiyon na aalisin ang signage.

“Part [ito] ng gender and development project namin,” ayon kay Manuel Baricaua, OIC-ARD of LTO Region 2.”Just to make sense and elevate the confidence of that sector which has been until now discriminated and ostracized, thus we are fostering the understanding and acceptance of the members of the LGBTQ as equal.

“Aalisin na rin po ito dahil according to LTO Region 2, March GAD project lang po ito,” dagdag pa nito.

Humingi rin ng paumanhin ang LTO sa mga nasakatan ng komunidad.

“Paki-extend na lang po ang apologies ko as OIC-ARD sa nasaktan na mga grupo sa GAD project namin. Please, no malice but only good intentions. On behalf of LTO (Region 2), my sincerest apologies,”

Samantala, ipinaliwanag naman ni Bahaghari chairperson Reyna Valmores kung paano maaaring makasama sa interes nito ang pagsasama ng LGBT community sa priority lane.

While at first glance providing a priority lane for the LGBTQ+ community appears convenient for us, it is worth noting that priority lanes exist to help people with physical and, or mental difficulties in processing transactions. We want to make it clear: being LGBTQ+ in no way impairs or affects a person’s physical capacity to take part in social and governmental functions. Hindi po sakit o kapansanan ang pagiging LGBTQ+,” ayon kay Valmores.

“We of course recognize that this may be well-meaning. However, this does not erase the fact that the implication of LTO’s LGBTQ+ priority lane is dangerous. To this day, many people including lawmakers cling to the erroneous notion that being LGBTQ+ is a disorder,” dagdag pa niya.

Iminungkahi naman ni Valmores na magsagawa ng pagsasanay sa pagiging sensitibo sa kasarian at makisali sa talakayan kung paano gumawa ng mga patakaran laban sa diskriminasyon sa loob ng ahensya.

“If the LTO so wishes, we are very much open and willing to hold gender sensitivity training and discussions on crafting anti-discrimination policies within the LTO so that we can combat discrimination against both LTO’s workers as well as ordinary Filipinos seeking to have their licenses processed in the office,”  saad niya.

“Beyond the LTO, we wish to highlight that it would be more productive for government to create policies that address the actual issues raised by the LGBTQ+ community, such as passing the SOGIE Equality Bill to combat discrimination, instituting marriage equality, and in a time of economic crisis like this, raising wages towards a family living wage which could be enjoyed by all Filipinos regardless of gender.”