Philippine Commission on Women

Last updated

Philippine Commission on Women
Komisyon sa Kababaihan ng Pilipinas
Philippine Commission on Women (PCW).svg
0406jfManila Malacanang San Miguel Garden Fences Barangays Laurel Streetfvf 10.jpg
Agency overview
FormedJanuary 7, 1975
Jurisdiction Government of the Philippines
Headquarters1145 J.P. Laurel St., San Miguel, Manila, Philippines
Annual budget₱140.32 million (2023) [1]
Agency executives
  • Atty. Kristine Rosary E. Yuzon-Chaves, Executive Director
Parent agency Department of the Interior and Local Government
Website www.pcw.gov.ph

The Philippine Commission on Women (formerly the National Commission on the Role of the Filipino Women), is a government agency run by the government of the Philippines with the intention of promoting and protecting the rights of the Women in the Philippines. It was established on January 7, 1975, through Presidential Decree No. 633.

Contents

On August 14, 2009, the Magna Carta of Women was signed into law providing better protection for women. According to the United Nations' 2009 Human Development Report, the Philippines is 40th out of 155 nations when the gender-related development index is compared directly to the human development index, While the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Report for 2009 lists the country at a ranking 9 among of about 130 countries. [2]

On July 4, 2016, PCW was among the 12 agencies, formerly from the Office of the President reassigned to the Office of the Cabinet Secretary, based on Executive Order No. 1 issued by President Rodrigo Duterte. [3] On October 31, 2018, through Executive Order No. 67, the commission, along with the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos and the National Youth Commission, was transferred from the Office of the Cabinet Secretary to the Department of the Interior and Local Government.

Organization

Young Filipinas of Marigondon, early 1800s. From Aventures d'un Gentilhomme Breton aux iles Philippines by Paul de la Gironiere (1855). Filipino women often had better rights than their counterparts elsewhere even during colonial times. Young Filipinas of Marigondon, early 1800s.jpg
Young Filipinas of Marigondon, early 1800s. From Aventures d'un Gentilhomme Breton aux iles Philippines by Paul de la Gironière (1855). Filipino women often had better rights than their counterparts elsewhere even during colonial times.

The Commission initially established as an advisory body to the President and the Cabinet on policies and programs for the advancement of women. It is mandated "to review, evaluate, and recommend measures, including priorities to ensure the full integration of women for economic, social and cultural development at national, regional and international levels, and to ensure further equality between women and men. [4]

The aims of the organization included the following:

History

The commission was established by President Ferdinand Marcos on January 7, 1975, with the intention of promoting the rights of women. After the People Power Revolution, which installed Corazon Aquino into power, in 1986, the agency focused on women's concerns on policymaking in the government. This included the integration of the principle of gender equality in the 1987 Philippine Constitution. [4]

During this period Philippine Development Plan for Women (PDPW) (1989–1992) was adopted through Executive Order No. 348. Shortly after, the "Women in Nation-Building Act" (RA 7192) was enacted, which promotes "the integration of women as full and equal partners of men in development and nation-building". A campaign, supported by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), was initiated to help government officials and staff with training in promoting equality under a program called Gender and Development (GAD).[ citation needed ]

The Commission continued to push for stronger policies and programs on gender equality, with projects such as the Philippine Plan for Gender-Responsive Development (PPGD) (from 1995 to 2025), a 30-year perspective plan that outlines the policies that enable women to participate benefit from national development. It was the country's main vehicle for implementing the 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (BPfA) adopted at the 1995 UN Fourth World Conference on Women.[ citation needed ]

Since 1998, the commission's focus has been on poverty alleviation, along with the advancement and protection of women's human rights, promoting women's economic empowerment, and promoting gender-responsive governance.[ citation needed ]

Magna Carta of Women

On August 14, 2009, Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo signed Republic Act 9710, also known as the Magna Carta of Women. Under the law, the "National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women" would be renamed the "Philippine Commission on Women". It will give way to the creation of the Gender Ombudsman under the Commission on Human Rights that will specifically handle women's rights concerns. The law will also provide penalties for the violation of the provisions of the magna carta. [5]

Features of the law include:

The Magna Carta of Women guarantees the rights of women, including farmers and rural workers, informal sector workers and the urban poor, indigenous women, and those with disabilities, as well as older women and girls. These guarantees rights that include those involving food security, affordable and secure housing, employment, the recognition and preservation of cultural identity, and to women's inclusion in discussions pertaining to development and peace issues. [6]

Safe Spaces Act

Republic Act No. 11313, known as the Safe Spaces Act or the "Bawal Bastos Law", authored by Senator Risa Hontiveros, was signed into law by President Rodrigo Duterte on April 17, 2019. [7] Its implementing rules and regulations was signed by Hontiveros in October that year. The act aims to reform laws and policies surrounding gender-based street and public spaces harassment, both offline and online. [8]

Functions

Facade, gate, 2023 Malacang Palace (San Miguel Manila; 07-05-2023) E911a 39.jpg
Façade, gate, 2023

The functions of the Commission include the institution of gender responsiveness in national development plans, by preparing, assessing, and updating the National Plan for Women and by ensuring its implementation and monitoring its performance among the government agencies it is involved with. It also undertakes the advocacy of promoting economic, social and political empowerment of women by providing technical assistance in the strengthening of mechanisms on gender mainstreaming. Aside from this, the Commission ensures contributions by Filipino women to Philippine culture and traditions be preserved and enhanced in the process of modernization. [4]

The commission also coordinates with the provisions of the NCRFW by preparing plans for the development of the lives women, with continuous monitoring and assessment with the cooperation of relevant agencies. It also provides a database for information relating to women. Other activities include: gender-consciousness awareness programs, policy studies, legislation reviews that integrate women's concerns, technical services that ensure the development of institutional capabilities for gender and development (GAD) mainstreaming in government agencies and selected partners, monitoring and assessment of the implementation of laws and policies on women including the implementation of international conventions such as the Beijing Platform for Action, and the implementation of pilot projects for the delivery of services for women as basis for policy formulation and program recommendations. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philippine Statistics Authority</span> Philippine statistics and census authority

The Philippine Statistics Authority is the central statistical authority of the Philippine government that collects, compiles, analyzes, and publishes statistical information on economic, social, demographic, political affairs, and general affairs of the people of the Philippines, as well as enforcing the civil registration functions in the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Overseas Filipino Worker</span> Ethnic group

Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) is a term often used to refer to Filipino migrant workers, people with Filipino citizenship who reside in another country for a limited period of employment. The number of these workers was roughly 1.77 million between April and September 2020. Of these, female workers comprised a larger portion, making up 59.6 percent, or 1.06 million. However, this number declined to 405.62 thousand between 2019 and 2020.

Human rights in the Philippines are protected by the Constitution of the Philippines, to make sure that people in the Philippines are able to live peacefully and with dignity, safe from the abuse of any individuals or institutions, including the state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Department of Social Welfare and Development</span> Executive department of the Philippine government

The Philippines' Department of Social Welfare and Development is the executive department of the Philippine Government responsible for the protection of the social welfare of rights of Filipinos and to promote the social development.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ministry of Women's Affairs (Afghanistan)</span> Ministry of womens affairs in Afghanistan

Afghan Ministry of Women's Affairs (MOWA) was a ministry in the Afghan government which was established in late 2001 by the Afghan Interim Administration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT rights in the Philippines</span>

The LGBT community in the Republic of the Philippines face numerous challenges and hardships in their native archipelagic homeland. LGBT Filipinos are often viewed and treated usually by their families, relatives, friends, communities and the rest of society with either acceptance or opposition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liza Maza</span>

Liza Maza is a Filipina activist who was the lead convenor of the National Anti-Poverty Commission under the Duterte administration from August 2016 until her resignation in August 2018. She was a member of the Philippine House of Representatives, representing the Gabriela Women's Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Youth Commission (Philippines)</span> Philippine government agency

The National Youth Commission, also known as the NYC, is a government agency in the Philippines that specifically addresses issues surrounding the Filipino youth. It was founded on June 30, 1995, via Republic Act 8044 or the "Youth in Nation-Building Act of 1995".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Council on Disability Affairs (Philippines)</span>

The Philippines' National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA) is the national government agency mandated to formulate policies and coordinate the activities of all agencies, whether public or private, concerning disability issues and concerns. As such, the NCWDP is the lead agency tasked to steer the course of program development for persons with disabilities and the delivery of services to the sector.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Risa Hontiveros</span> Filipino politician

Ana Theresia "Risa" Navarro Hontiveros is a Filipino politician, community leader, and journalist serving as a Senator since 2016. She previously served as a party-list representative for Akbayan from 2004 to 2010.

Violence against women in the Philippines includes different forms of gender-based violence. The term "violence against women" is "the word or concept (that) has been used in a broad, inclusive manner to encompass verbal abuse, intimidation, physical harassment, homicide, sexual assault, and rape." This form of violence is gender-biased. Violence occurs precisely because of their gender, specifically because the victims are women.

State feminism is feminism created or approved by the government of a state or nation. It usually specifies a particular program. The term was coined by Helga Hernes with particular reference to the situation in Norway, which had a tradition of government-supported liberal feminism dating back to the 1880s, and is often used when discussing the government-supported gender equality policies of the Nordic countries, that are linked to the Nordic model. The term has also been used in the context of developing countries where the government may prescribe its form of feminism and at the same time prohibit non-governmental organizations from advocating for any other feminist program. In this sense it is possible to distinguish between a liberal state feminism found in Western democracies such as the Nordic countries, and a somewhat more authoritarian state feminism that is often also linked to secularism, found e.g. in certain Middle Eastern countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philippine Overseas Employment Administration</span> Former Philippine government agency

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration was an agency of the government of the Philippines responsible for opening the benefits of the overseas employment program of the Philippines. It is the main government agency assigned to monitor and supervise overseas recruitment and manning agencies in the Philippines. The POEA's office is located at EDSA corner Ortigas Avenue, Mandaluyong, Philippines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Anti-Poverty Commission (Philippines)</span>

The National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) is a government agency of the Republic of the Philippines. It coordinates poverty reduction programs by national and local governments and ensures that marginalized sectors participate in government decision-making processes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magna Carta for Philippine Internet Freedom</span>

The Magna Carta for Philippine Internet Freedom is an internet law bill filed in the Congress of the Philippines. The bill contains provisions promoting civil and political rights and Constitutional guarantees for Philippine internet users, such as freedom of expression, as well as provisions on information and communications technology (ICT) policy, ICT4D, internet governance, e-governance, cybersecurity, cyberwarfare, cyberterrorism, and cybercrime.

Gender budgeting means preparing budgets or analyzing them from a gender perspective. Also referred to as gender-sensitive budgeting, this practice does not entail dividing budgets for women. It aims at dealing with budgetary gender inequality issues, including gender hierarchies and the discrepancies between women's and men's salaries. At its core, gender budgeting is a feminist policy with a primary goal of re-orienting the allocation of public resources, advocating for an advanced decision-making role for women in important issues, and securing equity in the distribution of resources between men and women. Gender budgeting allows governments to promote equality through fiscal policies by taking analyses of a budget's differing impacts on the sexes as well as setting goals or targets for equality and allocating funds to support those goals. This practice does not always target intentional discrimination but rather forces an awareness of the effects of financial schemes on all genders.

The position of the Philippines on women's rights is relatively developed compared to many other nations. Over the past century, noticeable developments have been made which have led to greater endorsement and protection of these rights. The progression towards gender equality came about through women's movements, increased numbers of women political representatives, increased numbers of educated women, greater specificity on women's issues instituted under legislation, and the focused application of those laws. In recent years, the Filipino government has addressed the rights of women under a multitude of legislative schemes including workplace discrimination, domestic violence, sexual harassment and human trafficking.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Proclamation No. 216</span> 2017 Philippine proclamation of martial law on Mindanao (ended 2019)

Proclamation No. 216 was the 2017 proclamation of martial law and suspension of the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus in the whole of Mindanao amid clashes between government forces and Maute group terrorists in Marawi, issued by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on May 23, 2017. The state of martial law was extended thrice by Congress at the request of Duterte, citing necessity to quell hostile activities perpetrated by terrorist groups, and ended with the third extension lapsing on December 31, 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disability in the Philippines</span>

In the Philippines, disability is one of the social issues affecting a portion of the Philippines' population. To ensure the equality and rights of disabled persons, there are Philippine laws and policies that were passed regarding persons with disabilities (PWDs). There are also numerous non-government associations that seeks to encourage and help improve the wellbeing of people with disabilities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Commission on Population and Development (Philippines)</span> Philippine government agency leading population management

The Commission on Population and Development, or CPD, is a Philippine government agency and the lead policy-making and coordinating organization of the country's population management programs.

References

  1. New Appropriations, by Programs/Projects Official Gazette
  2. Gender Gap Index 2009. October 27, 2009. World Economic Forum. Retrieved on January 7, 2010.
  3. Ranada, Pia (July 4, 2016). "Duterte's 1st EO: Simpler, faster anti-poverty services". Rappler . Retrieved July 4, 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 About Us. National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women. Retrieved on January 7, 2010.
  5. "Indigenous Portal". Archived from the original on September 19, 2009.
  6. "Inter Press Service". Archived from the original on November 7, 2009. Retrieved January 6, 2010.
  7. Corrales, Nestor (July 15, 2019). "No more catcalling: Duterte signs 'Bawal Bastos' law". Philippine Daily Inquirer . Archived from the original on July 17, 2019.
  8. Luna, Franco (October 28, 2019). "Implementing rules for 'Bawal Bastos' Law signed". The Philippine Star . Retrieved June 23, 2024.
  9. "Framework Plan for Women" (PDF).