Chiz: Sorsogon to build ‘home for homeless gays’

Press Release
February 18, 2022

SORSOGON CITY – Homeless and abandoned members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community will soon have a place to stay in Sorsogon.

Sorsogon Gov. Chiz Escudero announced on Thursday that his dream project for the abandoned as well as elderly members of the LGBT community will soon materialize as the provincial government has already secured the land where the gays’ sanctuary will be built.

“We shall soon establish and construct a ‘Home for Homeless Gays’ in Sorsogon,” the veteran legislator posted on his Twitter account.

Zaldy Jebulan, a good Samaritan residing in Sorsogon City, has donated 1,500 square meters of land located at Barangay Roro to the provincial government in support of Escudero’s project for the gay community as part of his “Diversity and Inclusion” advocacy.

The veteran legislator expressed gratitude to Jebulan for his generosity and for supporting the provincial government’s desire in “promoting the welfare and well-rounded development of the people of Sorsogon.”

Jebulan agreed to give away his land as stipulated in the Deed of Donation so that the Sorsogon provincial government can proceed with the construction of the shelter with access road for homeless gays.

“Thank you, Mr. Zaldy Jebulan, for donating the land where our vision/plan can finally be realized,” the governor wrote on Twitter as he shared the photos of the signed Deed of Donation.

According to the Sorsogon Public Information Office (SPIO), the governor also envisions the shelter to have a livelihood training center for all LGBT members in the province.

Escudero, who is running for senator in the May elections, has been a longtime supporter of the LGBT community, pushing for equal opportunities for all regardless of sexual orientation, religious beliefs or political affiliation.

During his stint as senator in the 17th Congress (2016-2019), Escudero backed the passage of the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Expression (SOGIE) Equality Bill, also known as the Anti-Discrimination Bill.

In the 16th Congress (2013-2016), Escudero co-authored Senate Bill 2358, an older version of the Anti-Discrimination bill, along with Sen. Grace Poe, which makes any form of discrimination a “crime against humanity and human dignity.”

The bill prohibits discrimination on the basis of ethnicity, race, religion or belief, sex or gender or sexual orientation, language, disability, educational attainment and other forms of discrimination.

He also participated in the “I dare to care about equality” campaign spearheaded by the Bahaghari Center for SOGIE Research, Education and Advocacy, Inc. (Bahaghari Center) as one of its champions in fighting discrimination.