MANILA — An official of the Land Transportation Office (LTO) has apologized after a photo of "LGBTQ" being listed under the priority lane of a transaction window made the rounds on social media last week.

The queer rights group Bahaghari, in a statement on Saturday, called out the agency over the image, which was posted to Reddit before circulating on other platforms.

The photo shows a transaction window of an LTO office with the priority lane signage, where "LGBTQ" is listed alongside senior citizens, pregnant women, and persons with disability.

LTO, in a statement to ABS-CBN News over the weekend, explained that the inclusion of the LGBT community in the priority lane was part of a "gender and development" (GAD) initiative. A regional official nonetheless said that the signage would be removed.

“Part [ito] ng gender and development project namin," Manuel Baricaua, OIC-ARD of LTO Region 2, said. "Just to make sense and elevate the confidence of that sector which has been until now discriminated and ostracized, thus we are fostering the understanding and acceptance of the members of the LGBTQ as equal."

"Aalisin na rin po ito dahil according to LTO Region 2, March GAD project lang po ito," he added.

The LTO official also extended his apology to concerned communities.

"Paki-extend na lang po ang apologies ko as OIC-ARD sa nasaktan na mga grupo sa GAD project namin. Please, no malice but only good intentions. On behalf of LTO (Region 2), my sincerest apologies," he said in a text message to ABS-CBN News.

Bahaghari chairperson Reyna Valmores, meanwhile, explained how the inclusion of the LGBT community in the priority lane may be detrimental to its interests.

“While at first glance providing a priority lane for the LGBTQ+ community appears convenient for us, it is worth noting that priority lanes exist to help people with physical and, or mental difficulties in processing transactions. We want to make it clear: being LGBTQ+ in no way impairs or affects a person’s physical capacity to take part in social and governmental functions. Hindi po sakit o kapansanan ang pagiging LGBTQ+,” Valmores said.

“We of course recognize that this may be well-meaning. However, this does not erase the fact that the implication of LTO’s LGBTQ+ priority lane is dangerous. To this day, many people including lawmakers cling to the erroneous notion that being LGBTQ+ is a disorder,” she added.

Valmores suggested conducting gender sensitivity training and engaging in discussion on how to craft anti-discrimination policies within the agency.

“If the LTO so wishes, we are very much open and willing to hold gender sensitivity training and discussions on crafting anti-discrimination policies within the LTO so that we can combat discrimination against both LTO’s workers as well as ordinary Filipinos seeking to have their licenses processed in the office,” she said.

“Beyond the LTO, we wish to highlight that it would be more productive for government to create policies that address the actual issues raised by the LGBTQ+ community, such as passing the SOGIE Equality Bill to combat discrimination, instituting marriage equality, and in a time of economic crisis like this, raising wages towards a family living wage which could be enjoyed by all Filipinos regardless of gender.”

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