MANILA, Philippines — The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) has put up gender-neutral toilets in some of the airports it operates around the country.
CAAP Spokesperson Eric Apolonio on Wednesday said that out of its 42 commercial airports, 15 of its airports already have gender-neutral toilets.
“Marami ho kasi kaming mga nare-receive din na complaints tungkol doon sa mga kababayan natin na naaalangan silang pumasok doon sa mga toilet. Kaya ang nangyari, nag allocate ng pondo ang CAAP,” Apolonio said in an interview with Radyo Inquirer 990 AM.
“Under the law naman po mayroon kaming 5 percent na pwedeng iallocate for improvement ng facilities like breastfeeding, diaper changing, pati ang LGBT toilets.”
In total, the CAAP has allocated P400 million for its Gender Awareness Development projects which include those stated by Apolonio.
The gender-neutral toilets are located in the airports of Iloilo, Bacolod, Roxas, Laoag, Legazpi, Naga, Virac, Busuanga, Laguindingan, Dipolog, Butuan, San Jose, Basco, Marinduque, and Tandag.
A similar toilet was also built at the CAAP central office in Pasay City.
Apolonio added that the agency also targeting to build a more gender-inclusive environment in all of its commercial airports soon.
In a separate statement, CAAP said safety inside airport toilets is a “pivotal concern” of everyone.
“Safety in bathrooms is a pivotal concern for non-binary people today; and through the construction of these gender-neutral restrooms in CAAP-operated airports, the agency can proactively promote gender sensitivity at various points of its policies, programs, and activities,” CAAP said.
“In order to eradicate and minimize all forms of discrimination in all its areas and airports, the Authority will continue to set its standards to accommodate the LGBTQ+ community within and outside the agency,” it added. /muf