Republic of the Philippines
House of Representatives
Quezon City

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
Second Regular Session

House Bill No. 232

Introduced by REPRESENTATIVE ERIC L. OLIVAREZ

EXPLANATORY NOTE

The media is arguably the greatest purveyor of ideology. It plays a very significant
and influential role in shaping the collective belief, behavior, and culture of the population
that consumes the information and stories it provides. It is therefore important to ensure
that the media knows how to relay appropriate and non-discriminatory messages, story
morale, and core values in every program they create which will eventually be heard,
seen, and followed the public.

For instance, the way the media depicts the role of men and women in our society
can have a significant impact on the real lives of the members of an ordinary Filipino
household. Put up a program that knowingly or unknowingly justifies or normalizes rape
culture and victim blaming, domestic abuse, and toxic masculinity, among other
discriminatory practices, and the undiscerning public, especially the children, will think
that it is the right way of life when, in fact, men and women are supposed to be treated
as equals albeit with differentiated needs in every aspect of life.

The same goes for radio and television programs that endlessly make fun of or
degrade persons with disabilities. Particularly, we have witnessed people with mental
disabilities as subject of ridicule and comedic relief over and over again in various Filipino
movies or television series. By doing this, the media sways the public to think and believe
that it is okay to laugh at persons with disabilities, instead of imparting to them the
precious lesson that persons with disabilities deserve the same degree of respect and
dignity as any other people without any impairment.


Laying this as the foundation it is important for members of the media, particularly
of radio and television, to be gender and disability sensitive. From the birth of a concept
for a possible script up to the airing of the program they have had in mind, it is important
that the people working behind the content of the said program are equipped with the
proper knowledge and advocacy regarding gender equality and respect for persons with
disabilities. Thus, this bill seeks to mandate all broadcasting companies operating in the
Philippines to provide or conduct gender sensitivity and disability awareness and
sensitivity trainings for all its employees regardless of their employment status, whether
regular, project-based, or contractor, who are involved in the content creation of its regular
programs including, but not limited to research, script or narrative writing, proof-reading,
reporting, story covering, direction, acting, hosting, performing, and other roles that
require appearance or being on-air on regular television and radio programs, respectively.

To be sure, the conduct of these trainings will not in any way limit the creative
freedom or license of the people that constitute the media. After all, this Bill does not seek
to police scripts or stop television and radio personalities from expressing themselves.
This Bill hopes, however, that the gender and disability sensitivity trainings will help raise
awareness and will substantially educate the persons working in radio and television on
the issues and concerns of the marginalized sectors with much faith that whatever lesson
they will imbibe from such trainings will change mindsets, open up discussions, improve
research and script writing, and teach or influence hosts, anchors, reporters, and actors
on how to properly deliver their messages and creative outputs without being
discriminatory against any member of the vulnerable and marginalized sectors.

In view of the foregoing, the passage of this Bill is earnestly sought.

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Republic of the Philippines
House of Representatives
Quezon City

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
Second Regular Session
8932
House Bill No.

Introduced by REPRESENTATIVE ERIC L. OLIVAREZ

“AN ACT MANDATING ALL BROADCASTING COMPANIES, INCLUDING
CABLE TELEVISION SYSTEMS, TO CONDUCT GENDER- AND
DISABILITY- AWARENESS AND SENSITIVITY TRAININGS AND
SEMINARS FOR ALL ITS EMPLOYEES INVOLVED
IN CONTENT CREATION

Be it enacted in the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Republic of the
Philippines in Congress assembled:

Section 1. Statement of Policy - |t is hereby declared as policy of the State to
promote, protect, and uphold the rights of the marginalized sectors such as women and
children, members of the LGBT, and persons with disabilities, among other vulnerable
groups.

Section 2 Definition of Terms. For purposes of this Act, the following terms shall
be defined as follows:

Gender and Development (GAD) - the development perspective and process that
is participatory and empowering, equitable, sustainable, free from violence, respectful of
human rights, supportive of self-determination and actualization of human potentials. It
seeks to achieve gender equality as a fundamental value that should be reflected in


development choices and contends that women are active agents of development not just
passive recipients of development.

Gender Sensitivity Training — A learning activity usually done through lectures and
interactive participation that aims to show how gender shapes the roles of women and
men in society including their role in development and how it affects relations between
them. It is given to trainees to heighten their awareness of gender issues and concerns
and be willing and able to respond to them with the ultimate aim of making them
appreciate the principles of Gender and Development and eventually become its
advocate. The training shall also describe basic gender-related concepts and identify
how social institutions contribute to the perpetuation of gender issues and/or biases. The
session also aims to differentiate sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender
expressions, and appreciate the importance of SOGIESC (Sexual Orientation, Gender
Identity and Expression, and Sex Characteristics) in the GAD work and advocacy. GAD
trainings and seminars must always include lectures on existing, as well as recently
enacted, laws, issuances, and international commitments regarding women and children.

Disability Awareness and Sensitivity Training — A learning activity usually done
through lectures and interactive participation that aims to promote awareness, sensitivity,
and advocacy to protect and uphold the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities.
Disability awareness training aims to challenge attitudes and pre-conceived notions
towards persons with disabilities among both those with and without a disability, and to
increase understanding of disability issues, These trainings and seminars must always
include lectures on existing as well as recently enacted laws, issuances, and international
commitments regarding persons with disabilities.

Content Employees — For purposes of this Act, the term employees shall include
all persons working for the media company such as, but not limited to, its regular
employees, project-based workers, and contractors that contribute or take a role in the
creation of content for regular programs that will be aired or televised for the consumption
of the public. This shall include all persons that contribute in the research, script or
narrative writing, proof-reading, reporting, story covering, direction, acting, hosting,
performing, and other roles that require appearance or being on-air on regular television
and radio programs, respectively.

Section 3. Coverage. This law shall apply to all broadcasting companies operating
in the Philippines by virtue of a franchise granted by the Congress of the Philippines.

Section 4. Conduct of Gender- and Disability- Sensitivity Trainings and
Seminars. All broadcasting companies operating in the Philippines shall provide or
conduct gender sensitivity and disability awareness and sensitivity trainings for all its
employees regardless of their employment status, whether regular, project-based, or
contractor, who are involved whether in a major or minor role in the content-creation of
its regular programs including, but not limited to, research, script or narrative writing,
proof-reading, reporting, story covering, direction, acting, hosting, performing, and other


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roles that require appearance or being on-air on regular television and radio programs,
respectively. It shall be the duty of the broadcast company to ensure that all persons
involved in the abovementioned tasks shall undergo the abovementioned training before
the commencement of a particular regular program under such broadcast company.

Section 6. Method of Training or Seminar. The methods and techniques chosen
must create an environment that facilitates learning and fosters openness and trust,
especially in sessions where there is sharing of personal experiences and dialogue.
These must also empower the participants to develop gender sensitivity and disability
awareness in their thinking, behavior, and action and effectively apply and integrate the
same in the performance of their roles in the creation of content for a particular program
in radio or television.

Training techniques can be through (1) open techniques which primarily stimulate
creativity or (2) closed techniques which is used to update knowledge and transfer new
skills, consisting mainly of lectures, summary and synthesis, and demonstration.

Section 7. Failure to Conduct Training as Ground for Revocation of Permits and
Licenses, and Franchise. Failure to conduct gender and disability sensitivity trainings and
seminars as mandated by this Act shall be a ground for the suspension of the permit and
licenses issued by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) as well as a
ground for the revocation or non-renewal of the broadcasting company’s franchise by the
Congress.

Section 8. Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR). The National
Telecommunications Commission, as the body that primarily exercises jurisdiction over
the supervision, adjudication, and control over all broadcasting companies in coordination
and consultation with the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) as the authority on
women's concems, expert on Gender and Development (GAD) and lead advocate of
women's empowerment, gender equity, and gender equality; and the National Council on
Disability Affairs (NCDA) as the authority and expert on issues relating to persons with
disabilities and the lead agency tasked to steer the course of program development for
persons with disabilities, shall, within ninety (90) days, from the effectivity of this Act,
promulgate the rules and regulations for the effective implementation of this Act.

Section 9. Separability Clause. In the event that any provision of this Act shall be
declared invalid or unconstitutional, other provisions unaffected thereby shall remain valid
and subsisting.


Section 10. Repealing Clause. All laws, decrees, executive orders, proclamations,
rules and regulations, and other issuances, or parts thereof, which are inconsistent with
this Act are hereby repealed, amended, or modified accordingly.

Section. 11. Effectivity Clause. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
complete publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.

APPROVED.