The House of Representatives will add to its roll of members the first transgender person to win a national elective post in the Philippines.
Geraldine Roman, daughter of the late Rep. Antonino Roman and outgoing Rep. Herminia Roman, was expected to be proclaimed winner in the congressional race in the First District of Bataan.
Incumbent congressmen welcomed the news, saying that Roman’s victory will help ensure support for measures that will benefit the LGBT community.
Liberal Party Reps. Winston Castelo (Quezon City); Alfred Vargas (Quezon City) and Miro Quimbo (Marikina City) issued statements welcoming Roman to the chamber.
“This is a big step to the acceptance of the LGBT to the mainstream of society. We will welcome her in Congress and hopefully we can approve now a bill that would prohibit discrimination of LGBT in schools and workplaces,” said Castelo.
For his part, Vargas and Quimbo said they would welcome Roman with open arms, adding that they are good friends with her mother.
She garnered a total 104,603 votes as of 3 pm yesterday, with less than ten percent of the votes still not canvassed.
A Liberal Party bet, Roman maintains a 40,000 margin over closest rival, Danny Malana of Aksyon Demokratiko.
The Commission on Elections has reportedly accepted Roman as a “she”, thus, she will retain such gender status when she is sworn in as member of the 17th Congress next month. (Ben R. Rosario)