Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 20) — Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III questioned education officials on Tuesday on the purpose of celebrating “pride month” for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer community in schools.

“I am just concerned that this might cause confusion in young minds…As far as I know pride is still one of the seven deadly sins,” he said during the Senate hearing on the Department of Education’s budget.

Sotto cited the agency’s Regional Memorandum no. 82 in Central Luzon which included the implementation of LGBTQ+ pride month every June in school celebrations, along with “Women’s Month,” “Children’s Month” and “Breastfeeding Month” among others.

“These are all very good undertakings, but mayroong sumingit na ganoong ‘pride month’,” Sotto raised.

[Translation: These are all very good undertakings but they inserted this ‘pride month.]

Education Secretary Leonor Briones, who attended the hearing, assured that the memorandum does not require schools to celebrate the occasion nor does it punish teachers or students who refused to participate.

“They are not supposed to require. They can participate. There is that freedom to do so but they cannot require,” said Senate Committee on Education Arts and Culture Chair Pia Cayetano, who spoke for Briones in the Senate.

She added that the memorandum is no longer in effect.

Sotto has repeatedly earned the ire of the LGBTQ+ community due to his staunch opposition to the proposed bill that would ban discrimination on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression or SOGIE.

The House of Representatives approved on final reading a landmark SOGIE bill in 2017, but Sotto has maintained that a similar measure will not pass the Senate.

Pride month is celebrated every June around the world. The celebration originated in New York City in the late 1960s after members of the queer community held riots to protest anti-homosexual laws.