CHR launches probe on operation vs LGBTQ in Maguindanao del Sur

CAGAYAN DE ORO — The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) has launched an investigation into the so-called “Operation Supak” implemented in Barangay Layog, Pagalungan, Maguindanao del Sur, where LGBTQ couples who were living under the same roof were allegedly forcibly taken from their residences and brought to the barangay hall.

CHR in the SOCCSKSARGEN region will lead the probe in close coordination with the Bangsamoro Human Rights Commission (BHRC).

In a statement, the Commission said the operation possibly breaches international human rights standards, citing Article 12 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and Article 17 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which both state, “No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with [his/her] privacy, family, home, or correspondence, nor to attacks upon [his/her] honor and reputation.”

The CHR also pointed out that there is no Philippine law that penalizes same-sex couples living together, emphasizing that gender-based harassment, including homophobic and transphobic behavior, is punishable under the Safe Spaces Act.

LGBTQ organizations earlier asserted that there is no Philippine law as well that criminalizes same-sex relationships, and the operation carried out by the barangay personnel clearly violates the dignity and rights of the members of their community.

Read: Groups decry operation vs LGBTQ couples in Maguindanao del Sur village

Datu Faisal Mamasabulod Alhaj, chairman of Barangay Layog, earlier said in an interview with Brigada News Cotabato that a same-sex couple living together is prohibited in the Islam religion. 

Based on the interview, a total of seven LGBTQ couples were subject to a “settlement,” which Alhaj did not explain.

The CHR acknowledged that the freedom of religion is paramount. However, it said that this cannot justify actions of government officials to target individuals because of their sexual orientation. “Public officials are governed by the rule of law and are expected to uphold constitutional and international human rights obligations in all circumstances,” it added.

The Commission called on the Special Committee on LGBTQIA+ Affairs, led by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), to continue its response to the incidents to prevent further violations across the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

It also urged BHRC and the BARMM’s Ministry of the Interior and Local Government to ensure, if warranted, administrative or criminal accountability against government officials concerned.

“Acts that target individuals for who they are or whom they love have no place in a society that upholds human rights,” the CHR said. (RVO)

The post CHR launches probe on operation vs LGBTQ in Maguindanao del Sur appeared first on Bulatlat.