Ladlad asks Congress to Certify Urgent LGBT Hate Crime Investigation

Ang Ladlad Press Release:

THE partylist for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Filipinos is calling the Philippine House of Representatives to certify urgent the resolution to investigate the increasing number of hate crimes being committed against LGBTs in the country.

“The rapid rise of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) Filipinos being killed is very disturbing and this is a clear indication that hate crimes are in reality happening in the country,” said Ms. Bemz Benedito, chairwoman of Ladlad Partylist. “We are calling the attention of our good congressmen to investigate and dig deeper into these hate crimes against LGBTs,” she added.

According to the study conducted by the Philippine Hate Crime Watch (PHCW), a coalition formed solely to focus hate crimes among LGBTs in the Philippines; there are now 160 deaths on their list since 1996 up to the present and 30 of which are committed in 2011.

Ladlad said the brutal killings of LGBT Filipinos are indication that they were victims of hate crime. The chairwoman of Ladlad is also dismayed by the fact that these incidents are categorically labeled as merely robbery by the Philippine National Police (PNP). But she further pointed out that these cases can’t be merely robbery because of the gruesome proportions inflicted like multiple stab wounds up to 72 times.

Last June 13, 2011, actor-director Ricky Rivero was stabbed 17 times after he was robbed by a man he just met through a networking site, Facebook. On the other hand, last week, another member of Ladlad fromQuezon Citywas also found dead at Edsa – Kamuning MRT station with 2 stabbed wounds on his chest.

“This is the reason why we are persistent in calling Congress to start the investigation of hate crimes the soonest possible time,” said Benedito. “Congress should draft a policy and file a bill that would protect the LGBT sector to put an end to these grisly murders,” Benedito stressed.