A restroom was opened for LGBTQIA students of an Ifugao high school, reported an official of the Department of Education (DepEd), who added that this is part of a “gender-friendly” innovation being developed for Cordillera schools.
Clearance for the development of this toilet was received in January 2022.
The effort done by the Ubao National High School in Aguinaldo town will likely be followed by others, With the schools divisions supervising Ifugao, Mountain Province, and Benguet signifying their intention to build more comfort rooms for the LGBTQIA community, said Sasha Joseph Daganos, a transgender woman who heads the DepEd Cordillera human resources division.
The Ubao pilot restroom has cubicles that could accommodate both gay boys and lesbians “to separate them from other teens who may intimidate them if they share conventional restrooms.”
DepEd issued DepEd Order No. 40, or DepEd Child Protection Policy, in 2012 to protect children from violence, abuse, and exploitation regardless of their sexual orientation and gender identity.
