Council rushes anti-discrimination law

THE Davao City Council is now working on the proposed Anti-Discrimination Ordinance of Davao City.

This after Davao City Mayor Sara Z. Duterte-Carpio urged the City Council to hasten the passage of the proposed Anti-Discrimination Ordinance that would address some of the city's problem with unfair treatment toward certain sector of social classes.

Davao City Councilor Melchor Quitain, vice chair of the committee on rules, privileges, and ordinances, told reporters in a recent press briefing at the city hall that all things are going smoothly in the proposed ordinance.

Councilor Tomas Monteverde, earlier told Sun.Star Davao that the anti-discrimination ordinance is among the priority legislations of the council for this year.

The mayor, in an interview, said the city badly needs the ordinance in order to avoid instances where certain members of a native tribe in Davao City has been refused to purchase a real estate property allegedly because of their tribe.

The mayor was referring to the case of a Kalagan couple, who tried to buy a multi-million property from a mid-class real estate developer but after they paid the agreed down payment, the money was returned to them and they claimed that the staff of the real estate developer said they cannot continue with their contract.

The complaint is pending before the City Council.

"I do not think religion should be a basis before someone can purchase a property," the mayor lamented.