MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles, Manila Bureau) – “Without facts, you can’t have truth!” With this template statement, Rappler CEO and Nobel Laureate Maria Ressa today proposed a mandatory registration of all members of the Filipino LGBT community.

Ressa, a self-acknowledged LGBT community member, sent a letter to members of the House of Representatives, saying that it is about time we knew exactly how many gay men, lesbians, bisexuals, transgender men and women, queer and questioning Filipinos there are in the country.

“ By implementing this mandatory registration, we can finally fight for civil rights for our community, “Ressa said, “because there is clout and strength in numbers.”

Ressa also suggested the creating of a new government agency to oversee the implementation and programs for the LGBT community. She wants to call this new agency the Department of Gender Bender.