The House of Representatives Committee on Women and Gender Equality is considering stricter penalties for public officials who engage in misogynistic or homophobic behavior through amendments in the Safe Spaces Act, the panel chairperson said on Tuesday.

Committee chair, Bataan Rep. Geraldine Roman, said the proposed changes aim to hold public officials accountable for discriminatory remarks or behavior.

Roman said public officials should lead by example in promoting equality and respect.

“We thought that ‘yung pambabastos ng kababaihan, ‘yung members ng LGBTQ community, ‘yung pag-promote ng misogyny, homophobia, ng transphobia na pene-penalize under the Safe Spaces Act ang dapat unang gumagalang sa batas na ‘yan ay kaming mga halal ng bayan, because kami dapat ang nagbibigay ng mabuting ehemplo (We thought that since the Safe Spaces Act penalizes disrespect toward women and the LGBTQ community, as well as the promotion of misogyny, homophobia, we elected officials should be the first to uphold the legislation because we should lead by example),” she said in a press conference.

Republic Act 11313 or the Safe Spaces Act, enacted in 2019, penalizes gender-based harassment in streets, workplaces, schools, and online platforms.

It defines prohibited acts such as catcalling, lewd remarks, stalking, and persistent unwanted advances, with penalties ranging from PHP1,000 to PHP500,000 and imprisonment of up to six months.

Roman emphasized that the law should apply more stringently to public officials.

“Kung meron kang isang lider na minamaliit ang isang kababaihan, kinukutya ang kababaihan; kung meron kang lider na parang galit sa members of the LGBT community na medyo bastos, parang hindi katanggap-tanggap ‘yon. In fact, hindi talaga katanggap-tanggap (If you have a leader who belittles or mocks women; if you have a leader who seems to harbor anger toward members of the LGBT community and acts rudely, that seems unacceptable. In fact, it is completely unacceptable),” she said.

Roman said the proposed amendments would penalize public officials who engage in misogynistic or homophobic acts with fines ranging from PHP100,000 to PHP500,000, suspension for six months to a year, and even disqualification from holding public office for repeat offenders.

She said the stricter penalties are designed to hold leaders accountable.

“If we expect the ordinary citizenry to behave in a certain manner, to fight against misogyny and homophobia, we should also expect this from our elected officials,” she said.

Roman earlier called out Vice President Sara Duterte’s “wag kayong bakla” (don’t be gay) remark while addressing police personnel during the transfer of her chief of staff to a hospital.

“We should not equate being gay or being trans or being lesbian with being weak,” she said. (PNA)