Highlights of the intervention of Senator Pia S. Cayetano on Senate Bill No. 1410, Declaring the first day of February of every year as National Hijab Day
Thank you, Mr President. With the permission of the gentleman and the sponsor, as agreed in the introduction of the bill as a substitute bill, I’d like to still ask a few questions, which are more of clarifications, and make a few statements, with the permission of the sponsor.
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Mr President, with the permission of the body, I have a very short video. It’s one of my favorite videos, it combines my love for sports, passion for defending women, and fighting against discrimination.
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It’s girls playing football, with one of the players wearing a hijab. And in the course, nagalaw ang hijab niya, which is a concern for her, dahil nga sa kanyang relihiyon, kailangan nga naka-cover ang kanyang ulo. So tinakpan siya ng mga teammates and even the other team. Both teams covered this girl to give her the privacy and the respect that she needs na ma-restore niya ang kasuotan niya nang tama. Yes, lumayo din ang camera to give privacy. I love this. I’ve seen this many times. Hindi ko yan pinapalagpas, pinapanood ko yan ulit. Kasi it is truly an illustration of the respect that women have for each other.
And so this is the same respect that I bring to the floor as we discuss this bill, your honor. May I know from his honor kung napanood niya na ito? [Question directed to the bill’s sponsor, Senator Robinhood Padilla]
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And naaalala nyo ho ba, pinalabas ko na rin ito nung ako’y unang nag-interpellate? Pinalabas ko na din po yan. So alam ho ba ng ating kagalang-galang na sponsor na andyan po ang aking suporta, respeto, at pangakong idi-defend ko po ang ating mga kababayan at kababaihan, whether they are Muslim or not. Alam ho ba ng ating kasamahan yun?
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Eh ba’t nyo ho ako pinadalhan ng reel sa Instagram ni Prince Charles, nung prince pa siya, na nagsasabing dapat itaguyod at proteksyunan ang karapatan ng mga Muslim na kababaihan? Nagulat ho ako na pinadalhan nyo ho ako nun. Kayo ho ba nagpadala nun o staff nyo?
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Pinadalhan nyo ho ba ang mga kasamahan natin o ako lang ang pinadalhan nyo? Si Sen. Bato pinadalhan nyo ho? So nagtataka lang naman ako bakit nyo ako pinadalhan dahil para naman hong hindi ho kayo naniniwala na I support and I will defend to my last breath the right of Muslim women and the right of Filipino women.
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So yun lang naman kasi kaya ko din pinalabas yung video, dahil gusto ko lang naman maliwanag na maliwanag sa lahat ng kababayan natin na si Pia Cayetano, pinagtatanggol niya ang karapatan ng kababaihan, kahit anong relihiyon, kahit anong kulay, kahit matangkad, maliit, mataba, payat. Wala akong pakialam. Pinaglalaban ko ho ang karapatan ng kababaihan.
Let’s go to the measure, your honor. Ako ho’y nagpapasalamat na sa tulong po ng ating Senate President Miguel Zubiri, mayroon ho tayong substitute bill na obviously, katanggap-tanggap sa ating sponsor, dahil siya nga ho ang nagsulong na ito’y maging substitute measure natin.
Ang short title po nito is, “The Act shall be known as the National Day for Awareness on the Hijab and other Traditional Garments and Attire.” Tama ho ba, Mr. sponsor?
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So sang-ayon po kayo dun sa focus ng bill na ito, that it is the National Day for the Awareness on the Hijab and other Traditional Garments? Sa madaling salita, kasama ang ibang kasuotan ng mga katutubo. Payag ho kayo doon?
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Nakakatuwa naman pong pakinggan yan dahil yun naman talaga ang pakay natin sa ating interpellation at ang concern natin mula nung umpisa na maraming uri ng diskriminasyon ang nararanasan ng mga kababaihan, at gusto lang naman ho natin na lahat yun ma-address natin, hindi lang ng isang grupo.
So I will read, your honors, first the Constitutional provision… the explanation of the Constitutional provision and the Supreme Court decision that supports this Constitutional provision on Equal Protection of the Law.
Section 1, Paragraph 1 of the Constitution states, “No person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law, nor shall any person be denied the equal protection of the laws.”
So dun ho ako magfo-focus dun sa “no person shall be denied the equal protections of the law.” Ano ho ba ang ibig sabihin nun? Ito ho ang ibig sabihin nun: “The equal protection of the law clause is against undue favor in individual or class privilege, as well as hostile discrimination or the oppression of inequality. It is not intended to prohibit legislation, which is limited either in the object to which it is directed, or by territory within which it is to operate. It does not demand absolute equality among residents. It merely requires that all persons shall be treated alike, under like circumstances and conditions, both as to privilege conferred and liabilities enforced.”
Doon ho ako magfo-focus, ang ibig sabihin ng equal protection clause, kailangan lahat ng tao ay pantay ang pagturing sa kanila, ang treatment na ibibigay sa kanila, kung similar ang kanilang kondisyon sa buhay, pagdating sa pribilehiyo, at pagdating sa pahirap na kanilang nararanasan.
So kapag pinag-uusapan natin ang kababaihan, alam natin that certain kinds of women dahil siguro sa kultura nila, sa relihiyon, sa paniniwala, nagkakaroon ng discrimination. So kaya nga ho tayo natutuwa ngayon sa bill na ito dahil naa-acknowledge ngayon ang iba’t ibang klase ng kababaihan na posibleng ma-discriminate dahil sa kasuotan nila.
So hindi lang ho kababaihang Muslim ang may kasuotan na kakaiba. To give an example, dear colleagues, merong mga indigenous people na ang kasuotan ng kababaihan, medyo kaunti lang ang nakatakip sa kanilang dibdib. Meron ho akong example na naranasan many years ago, I am pretty sure maaalala ito ni Deputy Minority Floor Leader Risa Hontiveros. Naaalala mo, Sen. Risa Hontiveros, nagkaroon ng sitwasyon many years ago, na sa isang mall, pinagbawal na magpasuso ang isang nanay? In fact, there were a number of cases. Pinagbawal dahil daw indecent exposure. But this woman is doing the most natural thing. Alam ko supportive po kayo sa breastfeeding ng asawa niyo, also Sen. Angara, Sen. Joel, Sen. Villar, Sen. Koko, itong bestfriend ko sa likod, Sen. Bato…
So yung point ko is ngayon, na may mga legislators tayo na naiintindihan ang karapatan ng isang bata na sumuso sa nanay at ang nanay na karapatan niyang magpasuso sa anak nya, hindi kailangan ipilit yan, pumasok ka sa restroom, magtago ka. Karapatan yun.
Hindi naman sa pang-araw-araw na nakaka-meet tayo ng nga katutubo. Dahil tayo po ay nakatira sa metropolis, sa Metro Manila. But I am using that as an example for everybody to understand that kailangan tanggapin natin kung ano yung customs nila at bigyan ng respeto ang bawat isa.
On that note, idadagdag ko na lang ang Supreme Court case na nagbibigay ng suporta dito sa Constitutional provision na ito… Yung binasa ko pala is galing sa Constitutional limitations na madalas ay nasa-cite sa mga kaso natin. And it’s the case of Ichong versus Hernandez G.R. No. L-7995, May 31, 1957. One of the original cases yan pero inuulit-ulit ho yan. Hindi ko na babasahin kasi yun din naman ang mensahe niya na hindi pwedeng iba ang treatment kung similar naman ang sitwasyon ng mga taong nasa kalagayan na yun.
So Mr. President, I will continue. I give my support for this measure. Ang final question ko na lang. Sorry before I go to my final question, I will just read the declaration of policy. “The voluntary exercise of religious profession and worship free from coercion or discrimination shall be respected.” Yun naman ho ang alam kong hangarin ng ating sponsor and yun din ang hangad natin. “Everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. This right shall include freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice and freedom, either individually or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in worship, observance, practice, and teaching.”
So yun ang pinoproteksyunan natin, ang karapatan nilang i-manifest yun. Ipakita yun, ipagyabang yun, to bring pride to what they believe in through what they are wearing. And on the contrary, ang gusto ko lang din naman malaman na ang hindi naman ganun ang paniniwala, syempre pwede rin naman silang magsuot ng sariling gusto nila, basta nagbibigay lang ng respeto dun sa may gustong magsuot ng ganun.
And Section 3 then goes on to say that to promote diversity, awareness, and tolerance of religious and cultural beliefs, expressed through the wearing of indigenous clothing, head garments, and coverings such as, but not limited to, hijab, sinulog, and tapis. So yun na-capture na natin ang iba’t ibang manifestation of one’s religious beliefs, cultural beliefs, through the way that they dress and clothe themselves.
So my final comment, your honors, is that parang napansin ko ho na baka error lang po ito, kasi kung napansin niyo ang binasa ko is the short title. Hindi po siya aligned dun sa actual na title ng ating batas. Kasi ang ating title hindi ho nasama ang tungkol sa other traditional garments and attire. So may I know from his honor if in the period of amendments, well we are in the period of amendment na pala, if babaguhin natin ito. Klaro naman po yun?
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Thank you, Mr President. So following the discussion, our objective being very clear, to cover the rights of anyone to be free from coercion or discrimination and to wear the attire of their choosing to reflect their beliefs and religion, may I move that the title read as follows: “An Act Declaring the 1st Day of February of Every Year as National Day for Awareness on the Hijab and Other Traditional Garments and Attire.” I submit, your honor.
[The sponsor, Senator Robinhood Padilla, accepts the amendment]
On that note, there is no other. I would like to again express my thanks to the Senate President who used his experience and wisdom in the crafting of the substitute bill because of his own experiences with the katutubo in his district, and the Sponsor for working with all of us to come up with a measure to capture the sentiments of the Senate that all women, regardless of their beliefs, regardless of their religion, would be protected against discrimination in the choice of their clothing and expression of their beliefs. I thank the gentlemen from the bottom of my heart. Thank you. #
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