Women Empowerment

“We Make Change

Work for Women”
• ELEMENTS OF THE THEME

• • We stands for Women’ Empowerment – empowering women enables them to confidently and meaningfully engage with
appropriate institutions to ensure that they contribute to and benefit from development and changes. Thus, women’s
empowerment will make the change that we are espousing or any development effort responsive of women’s concerns.

• Make Change Work = MCW = Magna Carta of Women – making change work for women necessitates strengthening the
implementation of the MCW at all levels. It means putting in place functional mechanisms as well as implementing and making known
to citizens, programs and services that address strategic gender needs of women.

• • Change – also means Compassionate and Harmonized Actions and Networks for Gender Equality.

• • We / us or “kami / tayo” in Filipino – who is going to pave the way for an enabling environment for women to be empowered?
Who is going to ensure that the MCW is implemented at all levels? Who is going to make change work for women? It all of us, in
our various capacities whether as government officials and employees, members of the private sector, the academe, non-
government organizations, or as private individuals can be partners for a change that is gender-responsive. It emphasizes our
collective effort, collaboration and participation to ensure that women will not be left behind in the pursuit of change.

• The theme emphasizes that women should be active drivers in bringing about positive changes, and that they should also reap
from fruits of development efforts. This can be made possible by empowering women – enabling them to meaningfully engage
with other development stakeholders, and by fully implementing the MCW.
• Proclamation No. 224 s. 1988 declaring the first week of March each year as Women’s Week and
March 8 as Women’s Rights and International Peace Day;

• • Proclamation No. 227 s. 1988 providing for the observance of the Month of March as Women’s
Role in History Month; and

• Republic Act (RA) 6949 s. 1990 declaring March 8 of every year as National Women’s Day.
 Women's • RA 6725

Rights in
• (April 27, 1989)An Act Strengthening the Prohibition on
Discrimination Against Women with Respect to Terms and
Conditions of Employment, Amending for the Purpose
the Article One Hundred Thirty-Five of the Labor Code, As
Amended
Philippines RA 6972

: A List of • (November 23, 1990)An Act Establishing a Day Care

Center in Every Barangay Instituting Therein a Total

Laws Development and Protection of Children Program,

Appropriating Funds Therefor, and for Other Purposes

Protecting RA 7192

Women
• (December 11, 1991)An Act Promoting the Integration of
Women as Full and Equal Partners of Men in Development
and Nation Building and for Other Purposes
and
Mothers
 What Is EQUALITY
Equality means ensuring all people have equal

values drive opportunities to make the most of their lives and talents,
and that no one has poorer life chances due to their

Internation background or status - the very core of International

Women's Day.

al Women's
Day?
Gender equality refers to women receiving and accessing
the same opportunities and benefits as men.
 Women's
• RA 7322
• (March 30, 1992)An Act Increasing Maternity Benefits in Favor of Women
Workers in the Private Sector, Amending for the Purpose Section 14-A of

Rights in Republic Act No. 1161, as Amended and for Other Purposes

RA 7600

the • Do you know the laws that protect women’s rights in the Philippines? In the
light of Women’s Month this March, we compiled a list of laws (Republic Acts)

Philippines:
that have been signed which protect and support women and mothers in the
Philippines. Read about the newly signed law on breastfeeding in a separate
article.

A List of •
RA 6725
(April 27, 1989)An Act Strengthening the Prohibition on Discrimination Against

Laws
Women with Respect to Terms and Conditions of Employment, Amending for
the Purpose Article One Hundred Thirty-Five of the Labor Code, As Amended

Protecting
RA 6972
• (November 23, 1990)An Act Establishing a Day Care Center in Every Barangay
Instituting Therein a Total Development and Protection of Children Program,

Women and Appropriating Funds Therefor, and for Other Purposes

Micro and Cottage Business Enterprises, and for Other Purposes

Mothers
 • RA 7192

Women's
• (December 11, 1991)An Act Promoting the Integration of
Women as Full and Equal Partners of Men in Development and

Rights in
Nation Building and for Other Purposes

the
RA 7322
• (March 30, 1992)An Act Increasing Maternity Benefits in Favor

Philippines:
of Women Workers in the Private Sector, Amending for the
Purpose Section 14-A of Republic Act No. 1161, as Amended

A List of
and for Other Purposes

Laws
RA 7600
• ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW

Protecting • (June 17, 1992)An Act Requiring All Government and Private
Health Institutions with Obstetrical Services to Adopt
Women and Rooming-in and Breastfeeding Practices and for Other
Purposes

Mothers
 Women's RA 7688
• (March 3, 1994)An Act Giving Representation to
Rights in Women in Social Security Commission Amending for

the
the Purpose Section 3(A) of Republic Act 1161, as
Amended

Philippines: RA 7822

A List of • (February 20, 1995)An Act Providing Assistance to

Laws
Women Engaging in Micro and Cottage Business
Enterprises, and for Other Purposes

Protecting
Women and
Mothers
 Women's • RA 8353
• (September 30, 1997) – this includes marital rapeAn Act
Rights in Expanding the Definition of the Crime of Rape,
Reclassifying the Same as a Crime Against Persons,
the Amending for the Purpose Act No. 3815, as Amended,
Otherwise Known as the Revised Penal Code, and for
Philippines: Other Purposes

A List of RA 8369

Laws
• (October 28, 1997)An Act Establishing Family Courts,
granting Them Exclusive Original Jurisdiction Over

Protecting
Child and Family Cases, Amending Batas Pambansa
No. 192, as Amended, Otherwise Known as the

Women and
Judiciary Reorganization Act of 1980, Appropriating
Funds Therefor and for Other Purposes

Mothers
 Women's • RA 9262
• (March 8, 2004) An Act Defining Violence Against
Rights in Women and Their Children, Providing Protective

the
Measures for Victims, Prescribing Penalties Therefor
and for Other Purposes

Philippines:
A List of
Laws
Protecting
Women and
Mothers
• The Magna Carta of Women (Republic Act No. 9710).
• The Magna Carta of Women clearly declares that the
State, the private sector, the society in general and all
individuals shall contribute to the recognition, the
respect and the promotion of the rights of women,
although the primary duty-bearer shall be the State. In
addition to the human rights granted to Filipinos in
general under the Philippine Constitution, women are
entitled to enjoy, without discrimination:
• 1. Protection from violence;
• 2. Protection and security in times of disasters,
calamities and other crisis situations;
• 3. Participation and equitable representation in all
spheres of society;
• 4. Equal treatment before the law;
• 5. Equal access and elimination of discrimination in
education, scholarships and training, including
freedom from gender stereotypes and images in
educational materials;
• 6. Participation in sports;
• 7. Participation in the military;
• 8. Non-discriminatory and non-derogatory portrayal in
media and films;
• 9. Right to comprehensive health services and
comprehensive health information and education,
including the promotion of breastfeeding, maternal
care, and care of elderly women beyond child-bearing
years;
• 10. Right to special leave benefits in case of surgery
caused by gynecological disorders; and
• 11. Equal rights in all matters relating to marriage and
family relations, including choice of spouse and
number and spacing of children.
• Women in marginalized sectors have also received special recognition in the Magna
Carta of Women, ensuring that they enjoy
(a) the right to food,
(b) the right to resources for food production,
(c) the right to housing,
(d) the right to decent work,
(e) the right to livelihood, credit, capital and technology,
(f) the right to education and training,
(g) the right to representation and participation, including participation of grassroots
women leaders in decision and policy-making bodies in such leaders’ respective sectors;
(h) the right to information,
(i) the right to social protection,
(j) the right to recognition and preservation of cultural identity and integrity, and
(k) the right to peace and development. For women who are victims and survivors of
sexual and physical abuse, illegal recruitment, prostitution, trafficking, armed conflict,
detention, rape, incest and other related circumstances, which have functionally
incapacitated them, local government units are mandated to deliver to such women the
necessary services and interventions to accord such women the requisite social
protection and economic and psychological support. Girl-children and women senior
citizens are also given due recognition.
Particularly notable in the Magna Carta of Women is the
administrative sanction imposed, through the
Commission of Human Rights, against entities and/or
individuals found to have discriminated against women,
without prejudice to further liability under laws protecting
women, such as :
the Women in Development and Nation Building Act
(Republic Act No. 7192),
the Anti-Sexual Harassment Act of 1995 (Republic Act No.
7877),
the Anti-Rape Law of 1997 (Republic Act No. 8353),
the Rape Victim Assistance and Protection Act of 1998
(Republic Act No. 9208) and
the Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act
of 2004 (Republic Act No. 9262).
To aid in the implementation of the Magna Carta of
Women, all barangays are mandated
to establish a Violence Against Women Desk,
tasked to handle gender-based violence cases in the
barangay,
to develop the barangay’s gender-responsive plan in
addressing gender-based violence,
to coordinate with other government agencies and non-
government organizations, among others. As regards
other rights guaranteed under the Magna Carta of
Women, the Philippine Commission on Women (formerly,
the National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women)
is the lead policy-making and coordinating body on
women and gender quality concerns.
Other celebrated laws that protect the rights of women
and address their unique circumstances are

the Solo Parents’ Welfare Act of 2000 (Republic Act No.

8972) and the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003
(Republic Act No. 9208).

Expanded Maternity Leave (Republic Act 11210 )

Under the measure, all working mothers in the
government and private sector are guaranteed with 105
days of paid maternity leave credits, with 7 days
transferable to fathers. An additional 15 days of paid leave
will be granted to single mothers.
Babae ka !

hindi
babae lang.