FASHION icon Heart Evangelista has a new role to play: being the new president of the Senate Spouses Foundation Inc. (SSFI).
The wife of Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero took her oath at the Senate building on Wednesday, June 5, replacing Audrey Tan-Zubiri, the wife of Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri who resigned as Senate President last month.
In an Instagram post, Evangelista said that she is “ready” to work with other Senate spouses to “find ways to uplift our people and our communities” and vowed to continue the legacy of the SSFI. The SSFI is a “non-stock-non-profit organization” created by the spouses of senators in 1987, said the Kapuso actress.
In a media interview after her oath-taking, Evangelista said that her husband has supported her and given her “leeway” on the things she wants to do.
Despite being “nervous” about her new role, she said that she wants to use her position to “do something and continuously make a change” in the country.
Support for SOGIE bill, divorce bill
On social media, several netizens urged Evangelista to encourage her husband to pass into law the proposed Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity or Expression, or Sex Characteristics (SOGIESC) bill and the divorce bill.
Evangelista is a known ally of the LGBTQIA+ community and has shown support for the passage of the SOGIE bill, which aims to protect the rights of queer people. In 2018, she was hailed as an Equality Champion for her advocacy of raising awareness for the rights of the LGBTQIA+ community.
Another social media user said they hoped that Evangelista would “make a change” during her term as the SSFI president.
One online user also said, “Mes Heart in any way in all forms I hope maka influence na mapasa ang SOGIE bill at Divorce Bill.”
Meanwile, gender equality activist Queenmelo Esguerra showed support for Evangelista through her Instagram post and said that she’s looking forward to the latter’s initiatives as an Equality Champion.
Evangelista replied to her and said, “I love you darling.”
It has been more than 20 years since the first version of the SOGIE bill was filed in the Philippine Congress. In 2022, the proposed measure made progress when it was passed by the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality, with 19 senators signing the committee report.
The bill, however, remains pending on second reading at the Senate.
Escudero previously said that there were proposed amendments to the measure before it passed into law. But he mentioned that the anti-discrimination bill had a higher chance of getting the Senate’s nod than the SOGIE bill unless the amendments were approved.
This Pride Month, Senator Risa Hontiveros appealed to the new senate leadership to act on the SOGIE bill.
Meanwhile, House Bill No. 9349, or the Absolute Divorce Act, was given the green light by the House of Representatives on May 22, with 126 lawmakers approving the measure. The Senate President aired his stance on the controversial bill, saying that he would prefer the existing measure on annulment of marriage to be “affordable” and “accessible” to Filipinos.
SSFI officers
Aside from Evangelista, the following officers of the SSFI also assumed their posts on Wednesday:
- Kathryna Yu-Pimentel – Vice President and Chairperson of the Committee on Social Events
- Maricel Tulfo – Secretary and Chairperson of the Committee on Public Assistance
- Teodoro Misael Llamanzares – Assistant Secretary and Chairperson of the Committee on Finance and Logistics
- Cavite Rep. Lani Mercado-Revilla – Treasurer
- Marielle Padilla – Public Relations Officer
- Nancy Dela Rosa – Public Relations Office
- Usec. Emmeline Villar – Legal Counsel and Chairperson of the Committee on Environment
- Taguig City Mayor Lani Cayetano – Chairperson of the Committee on Arts and Culture
- Issa Baraquel – Chairperson of the Committee on Youth and Women
- Mark Lapid – Chairperson of the Committee on Ways and Means
