Event Date: June 15, 2023, at 10:00 am

Assalamualaikum.

[STANDARD GREETINGS AND ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF GUESTS]

Madayaw ug maayong buntag kaninyong tanan. Good morning to everyone.

Today, it is with great pride and excitement that the Office of the Vice President hosts its first LGBTQI+ Pride Month reception.

We are joined here today by LGBTQI+ leaders from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao who are part of LGBT Pilipinas to celebrate the diverse colors of our Rainbow.

We are also joined by some of our partner local government leaders, our staunchest LGBTQI+ rights supporters who have championed equality in their respective localities, and representatives and leaders of government and civil society organizations — unang una na po si Congresswoman Geraldine and Atty. Harry.

We join the global celebration of Pride Month with a sense of optimism and concrete action to truly empower our LGBTQI + sector.

In the Philippines, just like many parts of the world, your sector could be among those with many members who have limited opportunities for livelihood or employment.

Nakakabilib nga lang kayo — kasi masyado kayong maparaan, maabilidad, at responsable.

Mayroon akong isang nanay na nakausap at ang kanyang anak ay isang gay person. Tinanong ko siya, sabi ko, “Ano ang pakiramdam mo as a mother na mayroon kang anak na gay, at alam naman natin na mayroon pa sa ating society ang hindi tanggap ang mga LGBT.” Sabi niya, “Alam mo, hindi ko tinitingnan ang aking mga anak as lalake, babae, bakla, o tomboy — tinitingnan ko ang aking anak sa kanyang puso. Aanhin mo pa ang anak na lalake kung adik naman.”

Hindi ninyo hinahayaan na ang inyong mga pamilya ay magutom, marami sa inyo ay breadwinners — kahit na mahirap ang buhay. Ibang klase kayong mag-sakripisyo. Ibang klase kayong magmahal.

Sa kabilang banda, sa kabila ng mga hamon ng buhay, mayroon kayong kakayahan na mapagaan ito. Sa panahon ng kalungkutan, nagbibigay kayo ng kasiyahan.

Ang sabi nga nila — ang boring siguro ng buhay kung walang LGBT.

But hindi lang tayo sa kasiyahan, we should not forget that more needs to be done to advance LGBTQI+ inclusion and equality in all sectors, including the business sector.

LGBTQI+ people already face enough obstacles on their own, but to sustain their enterprises and expand their businesses, they are far more likely to encounter issues that are specific to underserved and marginalized groups.

Our LGBTQI+ community has been subjected to systemic discrimination. They experience obstacles when attempting to access funds, licenses, produce sales, hire staff, or obtain insurance, in addition to not feeling safe going out or exploring business prospects consistent with their identity.

Ngunit hindi lang ito sa negosyo. Kanina, kwento sa akin ni Cong. Geraldine na humihingi sila ng tulong sa Department of Education dahil may isang learner na hindi pinasali sa graduation dahil babae na siya at nakasuot siya ng pambabae.

Very recently, I attended a graduation ceremony at ako ‘yung Commencement Speaker nila. I see among the graduates that there were outside the closet na members ng LGBTQI+ na graduates. Sa generation kasi natin, we are very resilient. ‘Yung mga kabataan ngayon, medyo hindi pa matibay ‘yung kanilang loob maybe because of the way they were brought up. Sabi ko sa kanila na of course, we all want respect and acceptance. But if you are not accepted, just choose happiness. Don’t think about your gender anymore, piliin mo lang kung saan ka masaya. Nakita ko silang nag smile and I hope na tumatak ‘yung message sa kanila, and I hope they remember it as they go to college, as they experience the challenges in higher education, and of course, beyond their college education.

Together, we join the global commemoration of LGBTQI+ Pride Month with concrete actions to help this marginalized sector through our special project, Mag Negosyo 'Ta Day.

Napakahalaga sa amin na makakampanya sa inyo ng entrepreneurship dahil makakatulong talaga ang mga Micro and Small Medium Enterprises sa dagdag na kita ng mga pamilya.

As you already know, I started this entrepreneurship program when I was still Mayor. Sinimulan namin ito sa aming mga kababaihan dahil nakikita natin na nakauhalian na nasa bahay lang nagbabantay ng bata at natitipid ang kanilang pamilya sa kung anong nabibigay ng kanilang mga asawa. At karamihan pa sa kanila ay mga solo parents din.

Apart from our agenda for inclusivity and equality, we also pushed for the LGBTQI+ community’s important role in advancing the growth of our local commerce by providing them with platforms that will enable them to showcase their creativity and resourcefulness.

Sana naman sa susunod na mga taon, mayroon na tayong exhibit ng iba’t ibang mga naging negosyo natin.

It is crucial that we steadfastly advocate for their further empowerment and collaboration among the business community so they can better keep up with growth opportunities within the private sector.

As socio-economic disparities across genders continue to rise, we believe in the importance of expanding the capacities of the sector, thereby instituting programs that will not only narrow the economic gaps among genders but will also help them contribute to the overall growth of their respective industries.

Hence, the Mag Negosyo Ta ‘Day aims to address the needs of diverse groups and sectors that are most victimized by poverty, injustice, and calamities by integrating them into the mainstream economy, so they become self-reliant, and empowered citizens of the country thereby, we become a strong nation.

But we do not want it tulad ng nagbibigay ng entrepreneurial assistance tapos hindi marunong gumamit o hindi marunong mag negosyo ang recipients. Ang nangyayari, nahuhulog lang na binabayad ang pera sa mga utang nila, or nauubos lang din dahil hindi sila marunong mag manage ng pera.

We have partnered with the Department of Trade and Industry and the Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation to give recipients of the Mag-Negosyo Ta ‘Day funds the technical and financial literacy and training needed for their projects to become sustainable.

For a time now, the buzzword we often hear around us is “sustainability.”

In Tagalog — tatagal o mananatili sa mahabang panahon. In the Visayan language — molahutay o modugay.

‘Yan ang gusto nating mangyari sa inyong mga proyekto. Nakikita natin na after six years, lumaki ang ang inyong mga negosyo. We want you — I want you to succeed and to grow. Dahil ang tagumpay ng inyong negosyo ay magiging tagumpay ng pamilya at magiging tagumpay ng inyong komunidad.

We want to see your sector become government partners in responding to many interrelated social needs and issues in the community.

Issues such as poverty, the proliferation of illegal drugs in our communities, or the dangers brought about by insurgency and terror groups like the New People’s Army to our children.

Nakikiusap ako sa inyo na paniguraduhin natin na ang ating mga anak, ating mga kapatid, mga pamangkin, at mga kabataan sa ating komunidad na pumapasok sa mga paaralan na ipaintindi natin sa kanila na edukasyon ang magpapabago sa kanilang buhay. When we say education, hindi lang college degree. Mayroon rin pong technical skills dahil marami ring trabaho ang hindi na kailangan ng diploma.

The Marcos administration is counting on your contribution to the growth of our nation.

At this point, allow me to acknowledge the presence of leaders and members of our Mag Negosyo 'Ta Day LGBTQI+ beneficiaries. These are the following:

Alima LGBT Federation from Pagadian City, Zamboanga del Sur Palauig LGBT Federation from Palauig, Zambales Maris ti Ayat LGBT Federation from Vigan City, Ilocos Sur
Philippine Federation of Local Councils of Women (PFLCW)

Each of the first three organizations will receive a grant of 150 thousand pesos, while the PFLCW will receive 300 thousand pesos.

We are optimistic that through proper and more empowered representation, access to capital for MSME entrepreneurs from the LGBTQI+ community will be expanded and innovatively developed.

Along with this, I hope that more groups will support through skills training, mentoring programs, and regular workshops and immersions.

Sana ‘yung mga successful members natin ay tutulungan ang mga start-ups na gustong magkanegosyo.

While we wait patiently for the passage of the SOGIE Bill, ang sasabihin ko nalang ay good things take time. But we have advocates in the government kasama na ako na sumusuporta sa batas ng proteksyon.

Let us continue to press on in our shared cause for gender equality and social empowerment through avenues that will promote entrepreneurial collaboration and advancement across diverse socio-economic industries.

May our civil society partners, such as LGBT Pilipinas, work hand in hand with the government in translating socio-civic causes into concrete reforms that will usher in thousands of LGBTQI+ group members toward viable entrepreneurial opportunities for growth.

As we sail the unchartered rainbows of inclusivity, let us remind ourselves that the youth are looking at us. Together, let us push for the LGBTQI+ community’s wider participation in our collective nation-building efforts.

Tayo po ay magiging MATATAG. Tungo sa isang Bansang Makabata at Batang Makabansa.

Lahat - para sa Diyos, sa bayan, at sa bawat pamilyang Pilipino.

Shukran.