National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women
Encyclopedia
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.
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.
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.
The aims of the organization included the following:
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.
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).
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 1995–2025), 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 (PFA) adopted at the 1995 UN 4th World Conference on Women
.
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.
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.
Features of the law include:
The Magna Carta of Women guarantees the rights of women, including farmer
s and rural worker
s, 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.
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.
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.
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
with the intention of promoting and protecting the rights of the Women in the Philippines
Women in the Philippines
The role of women in the Philippines is explained based on the context of Filipino culture, standards, and mindsets. The Philippines is described to be a nation of strong women, who directly and indirectly run the family unit, businesses, government agencies and haciendas.Although they generally...
. It was established on January 7, 1975 through Presidential Decree No. 633.
On August 14, 2009, the Magna Carta of Women was signed into law providing better protection for women. According to the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
' 2009 Human Development Report, the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
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
World Economic Forum
The World Economic Forum is a Swiss non-profit foundation, based in Cologny, Geneva, best known for its annual meeting in Davos, a mountain resort in Graubünden, in the eastern Alps region of Switzerland....
's Global Gender Gap Report
Global Gender Gap Report
The Global Gender Gap Report was first published in 2006 by the World Economic Forum. The 2010 report covers 134 major and emerging economies....
for 2009 lists the country at a ranking 9 among of about 130 countries.
Organization
President of the Philippines
The President of the Philippines is the head of state and head of government of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of the Philippine government and is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines...
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.
The aims of the organization included the following:
- Organizing women into a nationwide movement called "Balikatan sa Kaunlaran" (now registered as an independent women's organizationFeminismFeminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Its concepts overlap with those of women's rights...
). - Conducting policy studies and lobbying for the issuance of executive and legislative measures concerning women.
- Establishing a clearinghouse and information center on women
- Monitoring the implementation of the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against WomenConvention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against WomenThe Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women is an international convention adopted in 1979 by the United Nations General Assembly....
(CEDAW)
History
The Commission was established by President Ferdinand MarcosFerdinand Marcos
Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos, Sr. was a Filipino leader and an authoritarian President of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He was a lawyer, member of the Philippine House of Representatives and a member of the Philippine Senate...
on January 7, 1975, with the intention of promoting the rights of women. After the People Power Revolution, which installed Corazon Aquino
Corazon Aquino
Maria Corazon Sumulong Cojuangco-Aquino was the 11th President of the Philippines and the first woman to hold that office in Philippine history. She is best remembered for leading the 1986 People Power Revolution, which toppled Ferdinand Marcos and restored democracy in the Philippines...
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
Gender equality
Gender equality is the goal of the equality of the genders, stemming from a belief in the injustice of myriad forms of gender inequality.- Concept :...
in the 1987 Philippine Constitution.
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
Gender and Development
The Gender and Development approach is a way of determining how best to structure development projects and programs based on analysis of gender relationships...
(GAD).
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 1995–2025), 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 (PFA) adopted at the 1995 UN 4th World Conference on Women
World Conference on Women
The World Conference on Women was established in 1975 during the International Women's Year.The most recent conference was the Fourth World Conference on Women....
.
Since 1998, the commission's focus has been on poverty alleviation, along with the advancement and protection of women's human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
, promoting women's economic empowerment, and promoting gender-responsive governance.
Magna Carta of Women
On August 14, 2009, Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-ArroyoGloria Macapagal-Arroyo
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is a Filipino politician who served as the 14th President of the Philippines from 2001 to 2010, as the 12th Vice President of the Philippines from 1998 to 2001, and is currently a member of the House of Representatives representing the 2nd District of Pampanga...
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
Commission on Human Rights (Philippines)
The Commission on Human Rights is an independent office created by the Constitution of the Philippines, with the primary function of investigating all forms of human rights violations involving civil and political rights in the Philippines....
that will specifically handle women’s rights concerns. The law will also provide penalties for the violation of the provisions of the magna carta.
Features of the law include:
- Review amendment or repeal of laws that are discriminatory to women.
- Ensure women’s equitable participation and representation in government, political parties, international bodies, civil service, and the private sector.
- Afford equal opportunities to women in relation to education, employment, livelihood, social protection, and others, and including women in the military.
- Mandate access to information and services pertaining to women’s health.
The Magna Carta of Women guarantees the rights of women, including farmer
Farmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, who raises living organisms for food or raw materials, generally including livestock husbandry and growing crops, such as produce and grain...
s and rural worker
Provinces of the Philippines
The Provinces of the Philippines are the primary political and administrative divisions of the Philippines. There are 80 provinces at present, further subdivided into component cities and municipalities. The National Capital Region, as well as independent cities, are autonomous from any provincial...
s, informal sector
Underground economy
A black market or underground economy is a market in goods or services which operates outside the formal one supported by established state power. Typically the totality of such activity is referred to with the definite article as a complement to the official economies, by market for such goods and...
workers and the urban poor, indigenous women
Indigenous peoples of the Philippines
The indigenous peoples of the Philippines consist of a large number of indigenous ethnic groups living in the country. They are the descendants of the original inhabitants of the Philippines who have managed to resist centuries of Spanish and United States colonization and in the process have...
, 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.
Functions
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 womenFeminism
Feminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Its concepts overlap with those of women's rights...
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
Culture of the Philippines
Philippine culture is related to Micronesian, Bornean, Mexican and Spanish cultures. The people today are mostly of Malayo-Polynesian origin, although there are people with Spanish, Mexican, Austro-Melanesian and Chinese blood. Geographically, the Philippines is considered part of Southeast Asia...
be preserved and enhanced in the process of modernization.
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.