TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session
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SENATE
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y \m\:- olt
25 JUL 14 P3 -45
S.B. No.
RtCEIVEO B’:'___
INTRODUCED BY SENATOR RISA HONTIVEROS
AN ACT
TO ENSURE GENDER-RESPONSIVE AND INCLUSIVE PROTOCOLS AND 
PROGRAMMING TO ADDRESS THE GENDER-DIFFERENTIATED NEEDS OF 
WOMEN DURING EMERGENCIES INCLUDING PUBLIC HEALTH CONCERNS, 
PANDEMICS, AND NATURAL AND MAN-MADE DISASTERS
EXPLANATORY NOTE
In the Philippines, the first COVID-19 case was reported on January 30, 2020. 
Subsequently, on March 7, the first local transmission was confirmed. Four days after, 
the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak as a global pandemic. 
The government responded to the pandemic through the imposition of community 
quarantine mechanisms (i.e. essentially lockdowns) since March, minimal mass testing 
of Persons Under Investigation (PUIs), and contact tracing. Notwithstanding, the 
number of infections in the Philippines had risen to an insurmountable extent with 
about 4, 140, 383 cases as of January 2024.
The imposition of the Community Quarantine protocols dramatically changed 
the social landscape of the country. With these restrictive mechanisms in place, the 
provision of services - both public and private, is hampered. The advent of the new 
normal alters how things are done and provided. This complicates the enforcement of 
laws and policies, especially that the pandemic was unprecedented. The people are 
faced with a new reality that poses new challenges and threats and exacerbates pre­
existing problems and issues.
One of the heavily-affected sectors during this pandemic is the women's sector. 
In the Philippines, a patriarchal society, there are already existing issues pertaining to 
women. These issues are aggravated alongside the changing environment and 
processes. Some of these prominent issues are: decreased economic opportunities, 
gender-based violence, inadequate access to justice and services, increased unpaid 
care work, labor-related issues (both domestic and overseas), and compounded sexual 
and reproductive health risks. The COVID-19 crisis created further risks for inclusion, 
as women in certain populations are more affected than others. They are often 
marginalized and have limited access to social services and opportunities to cope.


Statistics and reports have shown that there was a marked increase in gender- 
based violence (GBV) globally upon the implementation of lockdowns. Women are 
more exposed to increased control and restriction by their abusers and are often left 
without resources since it is more difficult to make private calls to report the abuse. 
Increased stress during catastrophic situations (e.g. natural disasters) may also cause 
increased domestic abuse. The availing of services became more complicated due to 
lack of ECQ guidelines, quarantine measures restricting mobility and transportation, 
and the fear of being infected when they go outside to report. Disruptions in public 
services like justice and social services further hindered reporting of GBV. Due to 
overstretched healthcare structures and local and national government justice 
systems, women were constrained in filing cases and accessing services and facilities 
(like medical treatment, psychosocial support, and domestic violence shelters). 
Women experienced difficulties in getting barangay protection orders (BPO) and 
temporary protection orders (TPO). In the Philippines, the Philippine National Police 
(PNP) recorded 804 cases of gender-based violations from March 15-April 30,2020 
alone. Although there was a decrease in the number of reported abuses, the 
implication could be that women face more constraints in reaching out for help. Aside 
from domestic violence. House Resolution 866 also called for the investigation of 
"state-sponsored" violence and abuse against women, children, and LGBTQI+ 
grounded on various reports on the same being committed by government authorities 
and agents during the stringent implementation of the enhanced community 
quarantine.
The pandemic also disrupted the continuity of care for survivors and their 
access to health services, such as routine health or antenatal visits. The condition Is 
worse for poorer women, those from indigenous groups, and women with disability 
who have less resources to sustain themselves from existing abusive relationships as 
well as insecure environments. GBV exposes women to greater risk of injury, 
transmission of sexually transmitted infections, pregnancy complications, and death.
Sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services for women are also impeded. 
According to the World Economic Forum, countries In the Asia Pacific Including the 
Philippines have reduced access to SRH services. This could lead to a 17% - 43% 
increase in maternal mortality. More than half of family planning services were also 
reduced due to suspension of public transportation, limited clinic staff, and reduced 
clinic hours. The health system is also overwhelmed due to the surge in COVID-19 
cases. This is a vulnerable environment considering that a study by the University of 
the Philippines Population Institute estimated that two million Filipino women between 
15 to 49 years old are expected to get pregnant this year due to the imposed 
lockdowns.
Women frontline workers should also be afforded services due to their more 
disadvantaged position. Generally, they lack access to personal protective equipment. 
They are also at greater risk of weakened immune systems due to the emotional and 
physical toll brought by the burden of their unpaid domestic care work on top of their 
regular work.
Another vulnerable sector whose difficulties have been amplified due to the
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pandemic are the migrants and forcibly displaced populations. Those particularly 
vulnerable are forcibly displaced populations Including refugees, asylum seekers, 
stateless persons, populations at risk of statelessness and internally displaced persons. 
It has been a "force multiplier" in exacerbating existing precarities faced by vulnerable 
and marginalized populations such as refugees, asylum seekers, stateless persons, 
populations at risk of statelessness and internally displaced persons. While no 
socioeconomic impact study has been undertaken, regular monitoring of refugees, 
asylum seekers, stateless persons, and persons at risk of statelessness initially sheds 
light on a myriad of protection issues faced by these populations. These range from 
challenges in accessing education and shelter to widespread loss of income with little 
to no access to social protection systems and livelihood and employment opportunities 
as amelioration programs to ease the impact of the pandemic cater to nationals.
Due to this influx of Filipino migrants striving to look for a better life in other 
countries, the Philippines has come up with several policies and programs which 
ensure that they are given the proper preparation and protection for their departure 
as well as their return.
Migrant workers are inherently disenfranchised by the spread of the coronavirus 
due to the stringent policies being put in place by the different governments to combat 
the disease's transmission. Different aspects of their lives are severely affected by 
these responses. Nations have Implemented lockdowns which have led to many 
migrant workers to return to their home countries while others stay stranded in the 
host countries to continue to earn their livelihood. The disruptions caused by the virus 
are predicted to have profound and long-term effects on migration and migration 
policies. With migrant workers treated as scapegoats for the transmission of the 
disease, xenophobia is rampant. This places them in a situation of uncertainty about 
the help that they can receive, whether for their health or social welfare. Those 
particularly vulnerable are refugees, displaced persons, and asylum seekers.1 Another 
important aspect of migration is returning home. A 'forced' return puts migrant 
workers at great risk because embarking on migration required them to take loans to 
be able to pay for the procedures. Despite working elsewhere for a long period, a 
study has shown that one out of ten OFWs still return home broke. Less than half of 
OFWs save a part of their cast remittances, most only setting aside 25% or less of 
their earnings.2
The ongoing global health challenges, including the waves of COVID-19 and 
other emerging health concerns, continue to complicate the government's ability to 
provide adequate support to vulnerable groups, especially women migrant workers. 
These women workers face a unique set of hardships, with various health risks 
exacerbating existing issues. In the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Advisory in 
April 2020, there were 517 confirmed COVID-19 cases of Filipino migrant women 
workers in over 33 countries/regions, with the highest percentage coming from the 
European region. This reflects an increase of 11% In the number of confirmed COVID-
1 Ahsan UUah, Locked up under lockdown; The COVID-19 pandemic and the migrant population, University of 
Brunei Darusalam, June 30,2020.
2 Kidjie Saguin, Returning broke and broken? Return migration, reintegration and transnational social protection 
in the Philippines, July 7,2020


19 cases reported from around the world.
8.5 million women migrant domestic workers on insecure contracts are facing 
income loss and much greater risks of abuse and exploitation.3 740 million women 
worldwide working in the informal sector are also at threat due to the existing 
lockdowns and curfews and their lack of accessibility to social protection provisions.4 
The Philippines alone houses 6.6 million women in the informal economy who are not 
exempted from such a dilemma.5
It is estimated that about 25 million jobs will be lost globally, putting migrant 
workers as heavily vulnerable.6 According to the survey on overseas Filipino (April to 
September 2019), there are an estimated 2.2 million workers overseas. Filipina 
migrant workers comprise 56% of this number.7 These women migrant workers are 
exposed to a myriad of risks such as loss of livelihood since there is limited coverage 
by labor laws and the shutdown of migrant support services in the host country. 
Women are also more prone to abuse and sexual harassment since they cannot leave 
their employers due to travel restrictions. They also lack access to social protection, 
healthcare, and maternity protection. For example, the women who do domestic work 
in Singapore in homes consist of those from countries like the Philippines, Indonesia, 
Myanmar, or Sri Lanka. The State prescribes that they live with employers, often under 
their surveillance and control. Stringent labor and immigration policies which could 
affect job security further hinder overseas Filipina workers from registering the births 
of their children which could lead to increased risk of statelessness and hinder them 
from accessing programs and services.89 This is particularly the case in the Middle East 
where a significant portion of OFWs, particularly female domestic workers, are 
deployed.
The lockdown measures imposed by the country have emphasized their 
vulnerability to exploitation due to the lack of mobility and limited access to the outside 
world. Although their employers could be sanctioned for abuse, the fact that there is 
no legal protection for domestic workers under labor laws heightens their situation.
Aside from above, there are several other gender-differentiated needs of 
women especially from marginalized sectors, which must be inquired into and 
addressed. These multifaceted issues continue to persist as the community quarantine 
protocols are still in place. The COVID-19 crisis Is far from over. Thus, it is imperative 
that policies are tailored to fit the specific needs of women. This crisis which 
exacerbated the violence against women is an opportunity to strengthen the current
3 Id.
4 Id.
5 Gender Snapshot: COVID-19 in the Philippines, UN Women (April 2020).
6 Id.
7 Philippine Statistics Authority, Total Number of OFWs Estimated at 2.2 Million, June 4, 2020, 
https://psa.gov.ph/statistics/survey/labor-and-employmenVsurvey-overseas-filipmos.
8 UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Desk Review Report on Populations at Risk of Statelessness, n.d.
9 House of Representatives’ Committee on Overseas Workers Affairs, The Condition of Overseas Filipino 
Workers in Saudi Arabia, 9 February 2011,
https://centerformigrantadvocacy.files.wordpress.eom/2012/06/report-of- congress-mission-to saudi-arabia-on- 
the-ofw-condition.pdf


domestic violence and sexual abuse laws such as the Magna Carta of Women (R.A, 
9710), Anti-Violence Against Women and their Children Act (R.A. 9262), Anti-Rape 
Law (R,A. 8353), Acts of Lasciviousness under Art. 336 of the Revised Penal Code, 
and Safe Spaces Act (R.A. 11313) because their weaknesses are exposed in light of 
the more complex social realities. Nonetheless, the essential duty to protect women 
from all forms of violence mandated in these enumerated laws shall persistently be 
maintained and enforced during the pandemic.
Most importantly, the issues on women should not be taken as independent 
and exclusive of each other. Simply put, some women are more vulnerable than others. 
Using a gender lens without taking into account other structural factors (e.g. socio­
economic status, age, ableness, migrant status, access to resources, membership in 
indigenous populations) would not sufficiently expose other forms of oppression which 
deepen women's disadvantage in different areas of life. Using an intersectional lens, 
it could be seen that there are various overlapping vulnerabilities and conditions that 
exacerbate the experience of women during the pandemic. They are at a greater risk 
of experiencing the long-term consequences of COVID-19 brought by constrained 
health systems, lack of access to resources, and social and economic impacts. By not 
adopting an intersectional gender analysis, policies fall short of providing a gender- 
informed and comprehensive approach to the COVID-19 crisis.
In view of the forgoing, the passage of this bill is earnestly sought.
RISA HONTIVEROS 
Senator


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TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session
'(©ffiri' o( t :i
25 JUL 14 P3 :45
SENATE
S.B. No.
RECEIVED 5V
INTRODUCED BY SENATOR RISA HONTIVEROS
AN ACT
TO ENSURE GENDER-RESPONSIVE AND INCLUSIVE PROTOCOLS AND 
PROGRAMMING TO ADDRESS THE GENDER-DIFFERENTIATED NEEDS OF 
WOMEN DURING EMERGENCIES INCLUDING PUBLIC HEALTH CONCERNS, 
PANDEMICS, AND NATURAL AND MAN-MADE DISASTERS
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Phiiippines in 
Congress assembied:
ARTICLE I
GENERAL PROVISIONS
SECTION 1. Short Tide. -This Act shall be known as the "Gender Responsive 
and Inclusive Emergency Management Act of 2025."
Sec. 2. Deciaration ofPoiicy. - The State hereby affirms its role as the primary 
duty-bearer in ensuring the enjoyment and fulfillment of all human rights during 
natural and other disasters and emergencies, including a pandemic, especially the 
right to life, which permits no derogation even during emergencies, and the right to 
health, so that every individual shall enjoy the highest attainable level of health. It 
affirms its Constitutional duties to guarantee the equality of men and women to the 
enjoyment of their human rights, with focus on the differentiated needs of, and impact 
of emergencies on, women, prohibit discrimination, and create an enabling 
environment under the "new normal" that guarantees the human rights of women. It 
acknowledges its corresponding duties relating to women's rights to participation and 
representation, protection from gender-based violence during emergency situations, 
sexual, reproductive, and mental health, and economic empowerment of women. It 
adopts a zero-tolerance policy towards gender-based violence, abuse, and
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exploitation, which is rooted in gender inequality and discrimination. The
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implementation of approaches and strategies relevant to disaster risk reduction,
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emergency management must integrate human rights and gendered lenses. It is
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fundamental that policies, plans, programs, actions, conduct, and results are non-
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discriminatory and that no one is left behind. Towards ensuring gender equality, the
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State shail be guided by existing frameworks on gender-responsive planning and
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programming during emergencies and shall likewise establish mechanisms and
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processes to ensure the adoption, reprogramming and/or continuity of programs that
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serve and address the gender differentiated needs of women during an emergency
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situation.
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Accordingly, the State shall:
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(a) Be the primary duty bearer to enforce the protection of human rights and
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guarantee the agency, participation, and leadership of women during
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emergencies from the point of prevention until recovery and while adapting to
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the new normal in society;
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(b) Establish policies and programs to prevent the spread of a "notifiable
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disease", to prepare prior to its actual impact, and to deliver treatment, care,
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support, and other essential sen/ices to individuals affected in accordance with
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evidence-based strategies and approaches that uphold the principles of human
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rights, integrating gender analysis, and taking into account the intersectional
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considerations that differentiate impact on different groups, identities and
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sectors;
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(c) Institutionalize real, actual, and meaningful participation of women, at-risk
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individuals and communities affected by an emergency, and those who are
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most vulnerable to violations of human rights during such situations in poiicy
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and decision-making and at every stage of the emergency management,
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especially in the formulation of general guidelines and resolutions governing
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the national management of an emergency as well as in its implementation;
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(d) Empower and collaborate with women and institutionalize their role to
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publicly lead, decide, and promote gender responsive, equitable and universally
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accessible response, recovery, rehabilitation, and reconstruction approaches in
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all areas of concerns, including pubiic health, during an emergency;


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(e) Adopt a multi-sectoral and inter-disciplinary approach in the preparation, 
response, and recovery stages of the emergency response management by 
ensuring an all-of-society engagement and partnership involving the whole 
government, public heaith practitioners, technical experts, local communities, 
civil society organizations (CSOs), academe, private sector, youth councils, 
persons most vulnerable to the emergency situation and other reievant actors 
or stakeholders, with the State as the primary duty- bearer;
(f) Guarantee access of everyone to emergency-related and essential services, 
as weil as sustained access to liveiihood and other productive opportunities, 
with special focus on at-risk individuals and groups;
(g) Undertake appropriate actions to ensure the continuous and effective 
functioning of and access to concerned institutions, communication systems, 
referral systems, protection mechanisms, and other appropriate measures to 
address gender-based violence and give priority to access effective remedies, 
including reprogramming of deiivery of services and capacitating service 
providers to deiiver pertinent essentiai services;
(h) Ensure that the differentiated needs, muitiple burdens, and gender-based 
violence faced by women during the emergency situation are addressed and 
integrated in measures, actions, and conduct relating to the management of 
the emergency response by integrating intersectional analysis in the 
formulation of poiicies, pians, and programs, particularly in the area of security 
and law enforcement at all levels of government and particularly at the 
barangay level;
(i) Ensure access to prompt and substantive social protection and safety nets, 
taking into account the heightened insecurity and burden on the part of women 
and at-risk individuals, communities, and groups that might be hindered from 
access;
(j) Positively act, address, and seek to eradicate and prohibit stigma, 
discrimination and other conditions that result in gender-based violence and 
aggravate the situations of women;
(k) Craft and design effective gender-sensitive communication and information 
piatforms and systems that ensure broad, accurate and prompt dissemination.


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and effective understanding by all, particularly in relation to monitoring
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incidence of gender-based violence both in private and public spaces and access
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to protection mechanisms and effective remedies;
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(I) Utilize a multisectoral/interdisciplinary, all-of-government, and all-of-society
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approach wherein the State collaborates with non-state actors to achieve
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maximum efficiency and effectiveness; and
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(m) Utilize existing modern information, communication, research and
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technological capacities and techniques in crafting the policies and protocols
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with due regard to human rights and gender-fair language.
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Sec. 3. Purpose. - The principal purpose of this Act is to ensure that there is
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adequate statutory power for government agencies to act and provide gender
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responsive and inclusive emergency protocols and programming, pursuant to their
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respective mandates in the event of an emergency as defined in Sec. 4.
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Sec. 4. Definition of Terms. -
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(a) "Access to Justice" means the sufficient access to essential services for
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victim survivors of gender-based violence, and all women and girls in conflict
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with the law such as the unimpeded availability of legal assistance, case
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management services, health services, medico-legal services, counselling,
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protection, operational shelters, and support with an accountability mechanism
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in place.
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(b) "At-risk individuals and groups" include the following vulnerable and
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marginalized persons, sectors and/or groups:
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1) Women with Disabilities
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2) Girl children
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3) Elderly women
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4) Women deprived of liberty especially those who are pregnant, about
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to give birth, or has just given birth
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5) Pregnant, Lactating, and Post-partum mothers
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6) Members of the LBTQI-i- community
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7) Urban Poor Women
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8) Women in the informal and formal economy


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9) Women who are or have been positive for the disease, including those 
under investigation or monitoring
10) Moro and Muslim women
11) Rural and indigenous women
12) Internally displaced women
13) Women migrants and their families
14) Persons living with HIV
15) Women frontline workers (as defined under the Inter-Agency Task 
Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (lATF) 
Guidelines)
16) Women human rights defenders
17) Single mothers
18) Teenage mothers
19) Women who are refugees, asylum seekers, stateless persons, or at 
risk of statelessness
20) Female sex workers/trafficked women
21) Women experiencing sexual or domestic violence
22) Women and girls who are homeless or street dwellers
23) Women with intersectional identities, as defined in Sec. 4(j).
(c) "Early Recovery" means a multidimensional process of recovery that begins 
in a humanitarian setting. It is guided by development principles that seek to 
build on humanitarian programmes and catalyze sustainable development 
opportunities. It aims to generate self-sustaining, nationally- owned, resilient 
processes for post-crisis recovery. It encompasses the restoration of basic 
services, livelihoods, shelter, governance, security and rule of law, 
environment, and social dimensions, including reintegration of displaced 
population. Essential services to address gender-differentiated needs shall be 
made available during this period.
(d) An "emergency" is an event or series of events that represents a critical 
threat, unless immediate and appropriate action is taken, to the health, safety, 
security, or wellbeing of a community or other large group of people, such as


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a pandemic, natural or man-made disasters, humanitarian conflict or a public 
health threat.
(e) "Essential services" covers health and social services, whether provided by 
a public or private undertaking, to ensure the security, safety and well-being of 
persons, including but not limited to food, water, medicine, medical devices, 
public utilities, energy, access to justice, police, health and protection services, 
and social protection addressing the needs of women during emergency 
situations, as may be determined by the lATF or other relevant lead 
government agency or body under the law.
(f) "Frontline Workers" are those employees within essential industries who 
must physically show up to their jobs. It includes public and private health 
workers, such as but not limited to medical professionals, hospital and health 
facility administrative and maintenance staff, and aides from private health 
facilities, as well as their service providers, health workers and volunteers of 
the Philippine Red Cross and the World Health Organization, and employees of 
Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs), the Philippine Health Insurance 
Corporation (PHIC), health insurance providers, disaster risk reduction 
management officers, public safety officers, volunteers, and other workers in 
other high priority sectors; Provided, that the lATF shall determine the sectors 
by which its workers can be classified as frontline workers.
(g) "Gender-responsive" is the consistent and systematic attention given to the 
gendered differences among individuals in society with a view to addressing 
status quo and structural constraints to gender equality; this includes creating 
and sustaining an environment through site selection, staff selection, program 
development, content, processes, and materials that reflects an understanding 
of the realities of women's lives and addresses their needs and issues.
(h) "Gender-sensitive" generally refers to the use of language in a gender equal 
manner, this includes non-usage of language that overtly and/or intentionally 
discriminates and stereotypes that demeans a group based on gender.
(i) "Health event of public health concern" refers to either a public health 
emergency or a public health threat due to biological, chemical, radio- nuclear 
and environmental agents as defined under RA 11332.


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(j) "Intersectionality" is a framework for understanding that people experience 
overlapping (i.e., intersecting) forms of oppression, discrimination and 
marginalization based on their co-existing identities (e.g., inequality based on 
both gender and ethnicity).
(k) "Locally Stranded Individual" refers to foreign nationals or Filipino citizens 
in a specific locality within the Philippines who have expressed intention to 
return to their place of residence or home origin.
(l) "Marginalization" refers to a condition where a whole category of people is 
excluded from useful and meaningful participation in political, economic, social, 
and cultural life.
(m) "Mental Health Condition" - refers to a neurologic or psychiatric condition 
characterized by the existence of a recognizable, clinically-significant 
disturbance in an individual's cognition, emotional regulation, or behavioral that 
reflects a genetic or acquired dysfunction in the neurological, psychosocial, or 
developmental process underlying mental functioning. The determination of 
neurologic and psychiatric conditions shall be based on scientifically-accepted 
medical nomenclature and best available scientific and medical evidence;
(n) "Migrant Workers" refers to Filipinos who are to be engaged, are engaged, 
or have been engaged in a remunerated activity in a State of which they are 
not legal residents, whether documented or undocumented.
(o) "Mitigation" refers to reducing the risk of exposure to GBV (e.g., ensuring 
that reports of "hot spots" are immediately addressed through risk-reduction 
strategies).
(p) "Nondiscrimination" refers to the guarantee wherein human rights are 
exercised without discrimination of any kind based on race, color, sex, 
language, religion, poiitical or other opinion, national or social origin, property, 
birth or other status such as disabiiity, age, maritai and family status, sexual 
orientation and gender identity, health status, place of residence, economic and 
social situation.
(q) "Pandemic" is defined under this Act as an epidemic occurring worldwide, 
or over a very wide area, crossing international boundaries, and usually 
affecting a large number of people as declared by the World Health


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Organization. The term also contemplates other public health emergencies as 
defined under RA No. 11332 and as declared by the Department of Health.
(r) "Preparedness" refers to efforts that focus on ensuring adequate capacity 
and knowledge, while reinforcing the ability to anticipate, respond and recover 
from the impact of emergency situations. Essential services to address gender- 
differentiated needs shall be included in these efforts.
(s) "Prevention" generally refers to taking action to stop gender-based violence 
(GBV) from first occurring (e.g., scaling up activities that promote gender 
equality or working with communities to address practices that contribute to 
GBV).
(t) "Recovery" is the process following relief and supports the transition into 
long- term reconstruction and development. Recovery actions are most 
effective if anticipated and facilitated from the very outset of a humanitarian 
response. It involves the restoration and improvement of facilities, livelihoods 
and living conditions of crisis-affected communities, including efforts to reduce 
risks brought on by the crisis. Essential services to address gender- 
differentiated needs shall be made available during this period.
(u) "Response" refers to an emergency response involves the provision of 
emergency services and public assistance during or immediately after a 
humanitarian crisis to save lives, reduce health impacts, ensure public safety 
and protection, and meet the basic needs of women, girls, boys and men in the 
affected population. This stage can range from a few days or weeks to many 
months and even years, particularly in protracted insecurity and displacement 
contexts. For the purposes of this Act, response shall be undertaken upon the 
declaration of the Department of Health of a public health emergency. Essential 
services to address gender-differentiated needs shall be made available during 
this period.
(v) "Social Protection Floors" refers to nationally defined sets of basic social 
security guarantees that should ensure, as a minimum that, over the life cycle, 
all in need have access to essential health care and to basic income security 
which together secure effective access to goods and services defined as 
necessary at the national level; which include among others: access to essential
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health care, including maternity care; basic income security for children,
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providing access to nutrition, education, care and any other necessary goods
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and services; basic income security for persons in active age who are unable to
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earn sufficient income, in particular in cases of sickness, unemployment,
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maternity and disability; basic income security for older persons.
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(w) "Social Safety Nets" refer to noncontributory interventions designed to help
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individuals and households cope with chronic poverty, destitution, and
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vulnerability, such as unconditional and conditional cash transfers,
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noncontributory social pensions, food and in-kind transfers, school feeding
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programs, public works, and fee waivers. These programs target the poor and
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vulnerable.
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(x) "Stigma" refers to a set of negative and often unfair beliefs that a society
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or group of people have about something such as in the context of women.
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(y) "Violence Against Women" refers to any act of gender-based violence that
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results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual, or psychological harm or
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suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion, or arbitrary
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deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life.
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Sec. 5. Humanitarian Principies Guiding Emergency Programming and
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Management to Address Gender-Differentiated Needs of Women Inciuding At-risk
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Individuais and Groups During Emergencies. - The following principles shall ground,
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inform, and guide the formulation and implementation of policies, plans, programs
22 
and other appropriate measures, including affirmative actions, in managing
23 
emergencies:
24 
(a) A survivor-centered approach which creates a supportive environment in
25 
which survivors' rights and wishes are respected, their safety is ensured, and
26 
they are treated with dignity and respect.
27 
(b) A human rights-based approach that seeks to analyze and address the root
28 
causes of discrimination and inequality to ensure that everyone has the right to
29 
live with freedom and dignity, safe from violence, exploitation and abuse, in
30 
accordance with principles of human rights law.
31 
(c) A community-based approach that ensures that affected populations are
32 
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and the provision of humanitarian assistance. This approach involves direct 
involvement of women, girls, and other at-risk groups at all stages in the 
humanitarian response, to identify protection risks and solutions, and build on 
existing community-based protection mechanisms.
(d) The humanitarian principles of humanity, impartiality, independence and 
neutrality which should underpin the implementation of the Minimum Standards 
and are essential to maintaining access to affected populations and ensuring 
an effective humanitarian response.
(e) An equity approach that prioritizes the allocation of interventions and 
support that considers the intersectionality of women's circumstances that are 
affected disproportionately because of the multiple disadvantaged identities 
they possess (e.g. indigenous and poor woman).
(f) The "do no harm" approach which takes into account all measures necessary 
to avoid exposing people to further harm as a result of the actions of 
humanitarian actors.
(g) The Principles of Partnership which comprise a framework for all actors in 
the humanitarian space to follow principles of equality, transparency, a results- 
oriented approach, responsibility, and complementarity.
(h) Taking into account the best interests of the child wherein child and 
adolescent girl survivors of sexual abuse have the right to have their best 
interests assessed and determined and taken as a primary consideration in all 
decisions that affect them.
(i) Rights-based policing wherein human rights principles and practices are 
taught and applied at all levels, in policy, doctrinal, operational and 
administrative functions of the police organization.
Sec. 6. Interpretation of this Act. - Unless otherwise provided, nothing in this 
Act shall be construed as precluding provisions in existing Philippine laws, international 
human rights laws and related instruments, and international humanitarian laws that 
are more promotive of human rights and the preservation and protection of the right 
to life.
10


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ARTICLE II
2 
CREATION OF NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE PLAN TO
3 
ADDRESS THE GENDER-DIFFERENTIATED NEEDS OF WOMEN DURING AN
4 
EMERGENCY
5 
Sec. 7. National Preparedness and Response Plan to Address the Gender
6 
differentiated Needs of Women during an Emergency- - A coherent, appropriate,
7 
efficient, developmental, evidence-based, and survivor-centered national program
8 
against GBV and addressing gender-differentiated needs of women especially from
9 
marginalized sectors shall be developed to inform, direct, and coordinate its
10 
implementation at all levels and to ensure accessibility, availability, and quality of
11 
services at the community level.
12 
For this purpose, a Task Force, to be co-headed by the National Disaster Risk
13 
Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), the Philippine Commission on Women
14 
(PCW), in coordination with the lATF, Climate Change Commission, and Department
15 
of the Interior and Local Government, Department of Health, Department of Social
16 
Welfare and Development, and Department of Education, shall come up with said
17 
National Plan within six (6) months from passage of this Act, to be cascaded to the
18 
local government units where local counterparts may be established, and must be
19 
automatically integrated into the national strategy to manage the emergency. This
20 
plan shall be subjected to review and improvement every two (2) years. It shall
21 
address GBV and gender-differentiated needs at all stages of emergency
22 
management, and anticipating emergency-related events and factors that might
23 
impede the functioning of legal, medical, social, remedial, and other protection
24 
measures and mechanisms, to include, but not limited to:
25 
(a) Reviewing lessons based on the responsiveness, preparedness, and impact
26 
of previous interventions from the COVID-19 pandemic to address the specific
27 
barriers and institutional obstacles faced by women including at-risk individuais
28 
and groups during emergencies that result in GBV, lack of access to sexual,
29 
reproductive, and mentai health services, and discontinued education, taking
30 
into account intersecting vulnerabilities and the multiple burdens they
31 
experience, and addressing stigma and discriminatory practices, attitudes, and
32 
behaviors resulting in GBV;
11


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(b) Gathering, managing, and utilizing data concerning the risks and incidence 
of online and offline GBV, limited access to sexual, reproductive, and mental 
health services, and discontinued education to inform policies and programs to 
achieve gender inclusive responses and address gaps and lapses;
(c) Providing prompt, accurate, disaggregated data by age, gender, ethnicity, 
and special needs, accessible, up-to-date, comprehensible, science-based, and 
transparent data on women during emergencies;
(d) Developing protocols and guidelines of conduct relating to the delivery of 
service to women in the context of emergencies, providing access to essential 
services and government social protection and safety nets, including water, 
hygiene, and sanitation (WASH), food and nutrition security;
(e) Providing capacity-building for service providers, such as but not limited to 
frontline workers, volunteers, and governmental workers, on early identification 
and mitigation by building on their gendered analyses skills, strengthening 
nationwide helplines, and community-level referral mechanisms to ensure they 
are functional to prevent and respond to cases including chain management 
and service provision plans for these services to stay open during the outbreak;
(f) Providing a clear channel of communication with GBV service providers and 
actors as well as women's organizations, GBV and Sexual and Reproductive 
Health watch groups, and local GBV service providers and survivor-centered 
referral systems through the utilization of technology;
(g) Assisting in the planning of national, local and community units by 
developing, identifying, and sharing best practices;
(h) Providing technical assistance, training, and consultation to improve 
preparedness and response capabilities, with focus on the needs of women and 
at-risk individuals and groups, including to support the achievement of 
evidence-based benchmarks and objective standards to monitor, assess and 
measure levels of preparedness, response and recovery;
(i) Improving systems of public, private, and civil society collaboration and 
partnership to formulate, and address gaps and inefficiencies in the policies, 
plans, and programs to address GBV during emergencies, including systems of 
globai cooperation; and
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1 
(j) Carrying out other duties related to preparedness, response, and recovery
2 
activities for women, as the Task Force may deem appropriate.
3
4 
ARTICLE III
5 
GENERAL DUTIES OF NATIONAL GOVERNMENT AGENCIES AND
6 
LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS
7 
Sec. 8. Duties of National Government Agencies and Local Government Units.
8 
- Every department, agency and local government unit must come up with a gender
9 
responsive emergency preparedness plan, manual or protocol for women in
10 
emergencies within sixty (60) days from receipt of the national plan and appoint one
11 
focal person to supervise and oversee the implementation of said plan, manual or
12 
protocol. The preparedness plan should outline the entity's plans to, where relevant:
13 
1) Monitor and gather data through the meaningful participation of women,
14 
including at-risk individuals and groups, regarding the realities of women
15 
relating to gender-based violence and access to education and mental, sexual,
16 
and reproductive health services in the context of an emergency that would
17 
inform, craft and direct policies to be implemented by the agency in ail the
18 
stages of emergency management;
19 
2) Effectively prevent GBV by, but not limited to providing information about
20 
gender-based violence and ensuring access to safe and accessible reporting
21 
mechanisms notwithstanding curfews and quarantine restrictions, respond by,
22 
but not limited to ensuring grievance and justice mechanisms for victims, and
23 
eliminate the incidence of gender-based violence;
24 
3) Consistent with the National Plan, develop and craft guidelines and instructions
25 
on practices, protocols, systems of coordination and networking, information
26 
and education of first responders, especially during the response and early
27 
recovery stage, safety and personal protection of workers, and needs of
28 
women, girls and at-risk individuals, groups and communities, and ensure its
29 
timeliness, responsiveness, gender-sensitivity, availability, and accessibility;
30 
4) Develop and craft guidelines and protocols for alternative work arrangements
31 
that take into account the gender-differentiated needs of female employees of
32 
the agency;
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1 
5) Ensure that communications systems, referral systems, protection mechanisms,
2 
and other measures on access to justice and effective remedies by women
3 
subject to gender-based violence are in place and have a contingency plan in
4 
case of barriers caused by an emergency to ensure operation during the period;
5 
6) Where applicable, provide immediate haven, shelter and security, resources,
6 
and support to women, especially to those from the at-risk individuals and
7 
groups category, subject to violence;
8 
7) Enable sufficient and effective regulatory authority to respond and to prevent
9 
the incidence of gender-based violence during an emergency, including but not
10 
limited to the relaxation of regulatory requirements that impede the delivery of
11 
services or its compliance during an emergency, emergency procurement and
12 
provision of emergency funds for these purposes.
13 
Concerned agencies may also be mandated to update such plans, manuals, or
14 
protocols within a given timeframe after the issuance of the National Plan.
15 
Sec. 9. General duties of local government units. - In addition to the duties
16 
under the preceding Section, local government units shall develop their emergency
17 
preparedness protocols through a gender-differentiated localized response, taking into
18 
account the local contexts, cultural and religious norms of the local populace, and
19 
concerns of the different women sectors in their area. This includes protocols and
20 
systems for assistance to gender-based violence, provisions for access to sexual and
21 
reproductive health needs, and ensuring availability of basic services for women
22 
through all phases of the national response regarding the public health emergency.
23 
The Local Government Units shall ensure that they have capable and trained
24 
personnel to provide the essential services package for women and are oriented about
25 
the policies, principles and procedure regarding gender equality, prohibition against
26 
gender-based violence, and gender sensitivity as well as those governing the
27 
management of an emergency. They are also mandated to use data-gathering, risk
28 
assessment analyses, and data-analytics to further improve and strengthen their
29 
services. They shall also develop a review mechanism by ensuring accessible feedback
30 
structures to further guide all phases of their emergency interventions.
31 
Subject to health protocols, the Local Government Units, in coordination with
32 
civil society organizations, non-government organizations, youth councils, private
14


1 
sector, and other stakeholders, shall conduct regular dialogues and information drives
2 
with the community to educate them on gender issues as a preventive measure to
3 
prevent gender-based violence and address gender-differentiated needs. Through this
4 
multi-sectoral mechanism, women can participate and put forth their specific needs
5 
for integration in the local government emergency programming and management.
6
7 
ARTICLE IV
8 
PROGRAMMING AND MANAGEMENT TO ADDRESS GENDER-
9 
DIFFERENTIATED NEEDS OF WOMEN DURING A PANDEMIC
10 
Sec. 10. Leadership, Participation and Empowerment of Women. - Response
11 
and recovery systems must ensure that women are placed strategically and participate
12 
meaningfully in leadership, decision-making, and policy-making positions at all levels.
13 
In accordance with this, the lATF shall have the Philippine Commission on Women
14 
(PCW) as permanent member. Forty percent (40%) of membership of all development
15 
or counterpart response council or bodies from the regional, provincial, city, municipal
16 
and barangay levels shall be composed of women.
17 
In the formulation, planning, programming and implementation of prompt,
18 
effective and survivor-centered measures, the most senior leadership position shall be
19 
held by a woman to address issues affecting women and at-risk individuals and
20 
groups.
21 
Sec. 11. Guarantee of non-discrimination. - This Act shall prohibit
22 
discrimination in all forms committed against women as provided under the Magna
23 
Carta of Women during the occurrence of an emergency.
24 
Sec. 12. Strengthening GBV Preparedness and Response Systems. - GBV
25 
preparedness and response systems during an emergency shall be considered
26 
essential services and appropriate budgetary allotment from the emergency funding
27 
shall be ensured towards the formulation, reprogramming or continuity of said
28 
systems. Services to respond to GBV shall remain uninterrupted and functional, even
29 
during quarantines and lockdowns. In particular:
30 
a) GBV services, especially temporary shelters that must be safe and secure,
31 
psychosocial services, and legal aid, shall remain functional, accessible, and
32 
compliant with public health protocols notwithstanding the occurrence of a
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public health emergency. All government units, desks and offices involved in 
the GBV referral pathways, including hotlines, social protection, and community 
care services, must also be fully operational to enable timely reporting and 
response to GBV;
b) Mechanisms under Republic Act No. 9262 for the processing and issuance of 
Barangay Protection Orders (BPO), Temporary Protection Orders (TPO) and 
Permanent Protection Orders (PPO) shall remain operative and the 
reglementary periods under the law shall be maintained;
c) GBV services, which must include but is not limited to a help desk, are to be 
made available to women and girls staying in any detention, quarantine, 
evacuation, or isolation facilities where a prolonged stay is required or 
necessary; Provided that) all personnel and decision-makers involved in camp 
coordination and camp management, such as in evacuation sites, transitory 
shelters and community-based/ home-based arrangements shall be capacitated 
to receive GBV-related complaints and provide GBV-related services;
d) All duty-bearers required under Republic Act No. 11313 to establish 
mechanisms to receive and investigate complaints for violations of the Act must 
ensure that such mechanisms are functional and effective;
e) Communication systems, with emphasis on localized communication down 
to the level of barangays, must be established in coordination with the 
Department of Information and Communications Technology and National 
Telecommunications Commission, for education and information dissemination 
on GBV, promotion of gender equality at home and outside, emergency risks, 
access to social protection, psychosocial services, safety nets, referral systems, 
protection measures and other appropriate measures in cases of GBV, which 
shall be disseminated through online means and traditional modes of 
communication to reach women living in remote areas or areas with limited 
access such as newspaper, pamphlets, and radio. Provided, that, relevant and 
gender-fair language, format, and relevant channels that are culturally- and 
age-appropriate shall be taken into consideration to ensure effective 
communication with individuals and communities.
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1 
f) Review systems must be emplaced or strengthened, if they aiready exist, to
2 
monitor the effectiveness of GBV-related initiatives in events of public heaith
3 
concerns, emergencies, and disasters.
4 
Sec. 13. Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) Rights and Essential Services
5 
Package. - It shail be the duty of the nationai and iocai authorities to prioritize specific
6 
health needs of all women, including at-risk individuals and groups, at the community
7 
levei, including in countries of destination for women migrants, particulariy access to
8 
sexuai and reproductive health services, inciuding pre- and post-natai healthcare,
9 
access to essential services as defined above and physicai rehabiiitation during an
10 
emergency. The preparedness and response systems must include, but not limited to:
11 
a) Avaiiable staff, funds and other resources;
12 
b) Unhampered mobility and avaiiable public and safe transportation;
13 
c) Availability and continuity of sexual and reproductive health commodities,
14 
goods, and essentiai services or reiief packages and hygiene kits that must
15 
include emergency contraception and sanitary pads for women and girls of
16 
all ages;
17 
d) Communication systems utiiized to disseminate gender-sensitive
18 
information about SRH to enabie women, youth, and communities to
19 
become aware of these available services and goods to reduce unsafe and
20 
unhealthy sexual practices;
21 
e) Gender-sensitive support to frontiine health workers on both facility and
22 
community levei;
23 
f) Additional financial, human, or logistical support to female health workers
24 
to offset the additional burden of household management; and
25 
g) Systematic coordination and pianning of addressing the gaps in accessing
26 
SRH services based on data gathered with the invoivement of women,
27 
including at-risk individuals and groups;
28 
h) Adoption of a strategy to ensure continuity and availabiiity of ante and post-
29 
natal care and services during iockdowns as weli as prompt access of
30 
pregnant women to the same, with corresponding precautions 
to protect
31 
them from risks of exposure such as, but not iimited 
to, provision 
of
17


1 
maternal health information, provision of online check-ups, and updated
2 
referral hospitals and lying-in clinics during the lockdowns;
3 
i) Provision of SRH services to WDL and GCICL of sufficient and regular access
4 
to SRH information, services, and products inside the detention and
5 
correctional facilities; Provided that, pregnant WDLs or those who have just
6 
given birth shall be allowed benefits including, but not limited to, house
7 
arrests, furloughs to attend to physical/medical checkups, release on
8 
recognizance, among others;
9 
j) Provision of a reasonable accommodation to women with disabilities,
10 
including but not limited to access to sign language interpreters and large
11 
printouts;
12 
k) Provision of SRH services to internally displaced women and girls in home-
13 
based arrangements or in evacuation sites/transitory shelters; and
14 
I) Provision of SRH services to indigenous and religious groups to consider
15 
cultural and religious sensitivities, which can include having a female and/or
16 
indigenous person to provide SRH services, if practically possible.
17 
The Department of Health and each Barangay Health Emergency Response
18 
Team are mandated to ensure that the specific health needs, especially sexual health
19 
and reproductive needs, women and girls are included in the implemented essential
20 
health packages, systems, and protocols in their constituency, including universal
21 
health coverage, during emergencies, subject to other existing laws.
22 
Sec. 14. Ensuring Mental Health and Psycho-social support (MHPSS). - It shall
23 
be the duty of the national and local authorities to prioritize the allocation of MHPSS
24 
to emergency victims most at-risk (e.g. women in the at-risk individuals and groups
25 
classification). The MHPSS systems shall include, but not be limited to:
26 
(a) Available staff, funds, and other resources;
27 
(b) Creation of a strategy that establishes a structure for emergency-sensitive
28 
individual and community programs and/or sessions to improve the mental
29 
and psychosocial well-being of individuals; this strategy must consider the
30 
potential obstacles in supplying MHPSS in times of emergency to ensure that
31 
at least women at-risk have sufficient access to its services;
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1 
(c) Availability and continuity of mental health services, which can include but
2 
are not limited to: clinical services and individual and/or community wellness
3 
and MHPSS programs;
4 
(d) Communication systems must inform individuals of the available MHPSS to
5 
guarantee the awareness of how citizens can avail of these services;
6 
(e) Provision of MHPSS services to WDL and GCICL of access to mental health
7 
information, services, and products 
inside the detention and correctional
8 
facilities;
9 
(f) Provision of reasonable and accessible accommodation to women with
10 
disabilities,
11 
(g) Provision of MHPSS services to internally displaced women and girls in
12 
home-based arrangements or in evacuation sites/transitory shelters; and
13 
(h) Provision of MHPSS services to indigenous and religious groups that consider
14 
cuiturai and reiigious sensitivities, which can include using cuituraily and
15 
religiously-sensitive language, and having a female and/or 
indigenous
16 
person to provide mental health services, if practically possible.
17 
The Department of Health and each Barangay Health Emergency Response
18 
Team are mandated to ensure that the mental and psychosocial health needs of
19 
emergency victims, especiaily women at-risk, are included in their strategy and
20 
impiementation of MHPSS services during emergencies.
21 
Sec. 15. Strengthening education systems' responsiveness. - Education
22 
systems' adaptability in the event of a public health emergency or disaster must be
23 
accounted for to ensure the continuation of education for all learners, bearing in mind
24 
the vulnerabilities of girl learners. It shall be the duty of national and local authorities
25 
to identify the barriers to education of women and girls including those at-risk, at the
26 
community level and provide interventions, during emergencies. The preparedness
27 
and response systems must include, but not limited to:
28 
(a) Available staff, funds and other resources;
29 
(b) Adoption of a strategy, which considers the possible obstacles and issues
30 
caused by the public health emergency or disaster, that ensures the continuity
31 
and accessibility of education for women, prioritizing those from the at-risk
19


1 
category, and ensures that staff have sufficient resources and knowledge to
2 
execute the strategy;
3 
(c) Awareness of parents, women, and children of the alternative mode of
4 
education through information sent online and offline such 
as newspapers,
5 
pamphlets, radio, and in-person announcements, if health or disaster protocols
6 
permit;
7 
(d) Promotion of gender equality at home through using communication
8 
systems that include both offline and online means, which can include but is
9 
not limited to encouraging co-sharing of the household's task, to ensure women
10 
and girls have more resources to continue their education;
11 
(e) Provision of reasonable accommodation to ensure women and girls with
12 
disabilities receive an accessible form of education.
13 
The Department of Education, Technical Education and Skills Development
14 
Authority, Commission on Higher Education, and Local Government Units, in
15 
coordination with the Department of Information and Communications Technology,
16 
are mandated to address the specific needs of women and girls, as practically feasible,
17 
in the implemented alternative mode of education strategy.
18 
Sec. 16. Gendered Approach to Vaccination. - The procurement, allocation,
19 
distribution, delivery, facilitation, and administration of vaccines must be transparent
20 
and must take into account gender-based differences in immunological responses,
21 
care burden or work of women both paid and unpaid, security of women against
22 
gender-based violence and other forms of attacks and other factors that increase
23 
women's vulnerability. Safe, efficacious and free vaccines or medications, including
24 
newly-approved ones for the current pandemic or health emergency, must be available
25 
and accessible to women, taking into account intersectional considerations that may
26 
impede such access and vulnerabilities of women that affect their right to life, health
27 
and security; provided that such access shall be in accordance with the priority and
28 
health protocols of the Philippines or relevant COD, and is rights-based, non-
29 
discriminatory, voluntary and based on informed consent. Information on vaccination
30 
and the scientific evidence behind it must be clear and effectively communicated. This
31 
gendered approach must be integrated in legal, policy and program implementation
20


1 
of vaccinations to address COVID 19 and other public health concerns, emergencies
2 
and disasters.
3 
Sec 17. Social Protection and Livelihood. - It shall be the duty of national and
4 
local authorities such as the Department of Social Welfare and Development,
5 
Department of Labor and Employment, Department of the Interior and Local
6 
Government, the Civil Service Commission, in coordination with the various Local
7 
Government units, including the Public Employment Systems Offices, to address the
8 
difficulties of the most vulnerable and economically marginalized sectors of women
9 
and ensure their services are agile and beneficial to them, with emphasis on victims
10 
of gender-based violence. The measures shall provide long-term social protection
11 
which include, but not limited to:
12 
(a) Empowering women through their access to sustainable livelihood and/or
13 
employment as may be practicable, such as through the capacity-building and
14 
other services rendered by local Public Employment System Offices, work-from-
15 
home programming, collaborations with the private sector, providing economic
16 
empowerment programs to help women gain the skills needed for the job
17 
market in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture, Department of
18 
Tourism, Department of Trade and Industry, and Technical Education and Skills
19 
Development Authority and other relevant agencies, and access to flexible
20 
financing and loans,
21 
(b) Ensuring the unimpeded provision of safety nets and cash-based
22 
interventions to vulnerable and poor women, and solo parents;
23 
(c) Prioritizing gender alongside disability, age, and other overlapping
24 
vulnerabilities in the assessments of needs and decisions on targeting and
25 
delivery of programs;
26 
(d) Ensuring that women victims have adequate access to psychosocial services
27 
and shelters that have adequate resources for the needs of women, particularly
28 
health and social workforce; solo, young and 4Ps mothers;
29 
(e) Ensuring that work environments, including work-from-home
30 
arrangements, are VAW-free through continuous monitoring of the situations
31 
of vulnerable women and their protection, guaranteeing accountability of the
21


1 
perpetrators and holding of regular seminars to educate on VAW issues and
2 
standards especially during an emergency, among others;
3 
(f) Providing flexible work arrangements during a public health emergency. The
4 
Department of Labor and Employment and the Civil Service Commission are
5 
mandated to ensure this and provide rules and regulations for this purpose,
6 
taking into account the specific needs and concerns faced by women under
7 
such circumstances.
8 
(g) Providing work-from-home setup for women subjected to violence in their
9 
workplaces until the perpetrator has been held accountable;
10 
(h) Ensuring effective and inclusive grievance redressal mechanisms embedded
11 
in social protection programming which are designed to be accessible and
12 
inclusive of girls, women, persons with disabilities, children, older people, and
13 
other at-risk individuals and groups;
14 
(i) Enforcing other laws and issuances which may be enacted by virtue of the
15 
existence of such public health emergency or disaster, which contain services
16 
and protection afforded to women, particularly on social protection.
17 
Sec. 18. Protection for Locally Stranded Individuals. - The Department of the
18 
Interior and Local Government, in coordination with Local Government Units and the
19 
respective designated barangays, shall ensure the safety and security of all displaced
20 
women migrants or at-risk individuals and groups due to the emergency. This shall
21 
include an efficient mechanism for immediate delivery of food (in full respect for the
22 
individual's dietary restrictions by reason of health or religion), access to necessary
23 
drugs and medical care for persons living with HIV/AIDS, shelter and medical supplies
24 
for women and children, including assisting mothers with breastfeeding, feed and care
25 
for their babies, protection against GBV, and other support.
26 
Sec. 19. Protection of Rural Women and Indigenous Women. -The concerned
27 
local government unit shall ensure that women in rural and indigenous communities
28 
belonging to their jurisdiction have adequate and unimpeded access to health, legal,
29 
and socio-economic services. This guarantee for indigenous women must be
30 
undertaken with due respect to their indigenous health systems, practices, and beliefs.
31 
They shall be furnished with the same, if not more, opportunities and facilities as those
22


1 
of their urban counterparts such as mobile clinics and service providers, as far as may
2 
be practicable.
3 
Sec. 20. Utilization of Information and Communications Technology (ICT). -
4 
This Act mandates the emphasis on the enhancement of the capacity of ICT systems
5 
to facilitate and aid the implementation of provisions under this Act. The Department
6 
of Information and Communications Technology and the National Telecommunications
7 
Commission, in coordination with public utilities and telecommunication providers,
8 
shall develop efficient and effective management information systems on GBV and
9 
other sexual exploitations, and other gender and inclusion issues, provide assistance
10 
to relevant agencies and civil society organizations, provide assistance to ensure the
11 
accessibility of the services provided through the use of ICT system including, but not
12 
limited to, immediate assistance from the Philippine National Police, information
13 
dissemination through short message service, and other services. ICT assistance shall
14 
include improving access and strengthening ICT literacy of women especially in poor
15 
communities and remote areas, reasonable accommodation for persons with
16 
disabilities, such as provision of Filipino Sign Language, among others.
17 
Sec. 21. Protection for Women Migrant Workers and their Children -
18 
Interagency bodies such as the lATF, Inter-Agency Council on Violence Against
19 
Women and Their Children (lACVAWC), Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking
20 
(lACAT) and the Sub-Committee on International Migration and Development
21 
(SCIMD), as well as government agencies including the Department of Migrant
22 
Workers and those part of the OCTA (one-country team approach in countries of
23 
destination) such as the Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Labor and
24 
Employment, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, and Department of Social
25 
Welfare and Development are mandated to ensure that migrant workers are given
26 
adequate resources and access to legal, medical, and social services in the receiving
27 
State, during transit and upon return, especially during repatriation. Relevant
28 
embassies and foreign affairs personnel must ensure the protection of women migrant
29 
workers and their children during an emergency. Coordination among these bodies is
30 
imperative, considering but not limited to the following:
31 
a) Responsibility to prevent and reduce GBV in women migrants and their
32 
children, including through international, regional, cooperation; and bilateral
23


1 
b) Development of consistent, gendered, and coherent frameworks and
2 
protocols between the host country and country of origin for the expedited
3 
process of seeking redress by women subjected to violence;
4 
c) Global partnership and international cooperation such as through drafting
5 
agreements on the extension of stay permits of migrant workers and their
6 
children between the host country and the country of origin and through
7 
the relaxation of migrant workers' requirements to access social services;
8 
d) Migrants and marginalized and other at-risk individuals or groups should be
9 
included in the public health strategies with due consultation with them;
10 
e) Grant of bilateral incentives between countries to encourage employers to
11 
renew contracts for existing workers in the host country;
12 
f) Implement measures to increase migrant women's awareness on how to
13 
access and utilize services provided by gender focal point officers;
14 
g) Labor, economic livelihood, and social protections for migrant;
15 
h) Freedom of movement;
16 
i) Non-discrimination;
17 
j) Access to Health, especially sexual and reproductive health rights services;
18 
k) Access to Justice; and
19 
I) Access to Social Protection and Social Services.
20 
Sec. 22. Specific protective measures for Women Migrant Workers and their
21 
Children, including victims of Anti Trafficking in Persons. - In relation to the preceding
22 
section, the following measures shall be undertaken, among other appropriate
23 
measures:
24 
a) During crisis preparation:
25 
1. Track information on conflicts and natural and climate-induced
26 
disasters and potential impact on migrants and their children;
27 
2. Orient and sensitize male responders and decision-makers on gender-
28 
responsive emergency management policies;
29 
3. Collect and share information on women migrant workers and their
30 
children, subject to privacy, confidentiality, security, and safety of
31 
migrants;
24


1 
4. Incorporate women migrant workers and their children in 
the
2 
prevention, preparedness, and emergency response systems 
and
3 
contingency planning;
4 
5. Communicate effectively with migrants;
5 
6. Establish coordination agreements beforehand; and
6 
7. Build capacity and learn lessons from emergency response and post
7 
crisis action.
8 
b) During emergency response:
9 
1. Communicate widely with women migrant workers and their children
10 
on evolving crises and how to access help;
11 
2. Facilitate migrants' ability to move safely;
12 
3. Provide humanitarian assistance without discrimination;
13 
4. Establish clear referral procedures and systems;
14 
5. Relocate women migrant workers and their children, when needed;
15 
6. Uphold the principles of non-refoulement and refugee and stateless
16 
protection.
17 
c) After the crisis:
18 
1. Address migrants' and their children's immediate needs and support
19 
them to rebuild their lives;
20 
2. Ensure rehabilitation, integration, and other interventions;
21 
3. Support migrant women's and their children's host communities.
22 
Victims of Anti-Trafficking in Persons shall be given support and
23 
assistance for their immediate rescue, repatriation, and reintegration.
24
25 
CHAPTER IV
26 
FINAL PROVISIONS
27 
Sec. 23. Appropriations. - The funds appropriated from the Calamity Fund for
28 
disaster risk reduction management and calamities amounting to 100 million, as well
29 
as from portions of the Gender and Development (GAD) budget or special health funds
30 
of agencies or local government units, may be used for the purposes above including
31 
for the implementation of the National Preparedness and Response Plan. Should the
25


1 
amount be insufficient to cover the necessary expenses, further financial support will
2 
come from the national government, subject to the guidelines of the Department of
3 
Finance in coordination with the Department of the Interior and Local Government.
4 
Sec. 24, Penalties. - The following penalties and sanctions are hereby
5 
established:
6 
a. Any person or entity found to have committed any act of discrimination
7 
against women and girls during an emergency situation shall be penalized
8 
with a fine of not less than Twenty Thousand Pesos (PhP20,000.00) but not
9 
more than Fifty Thousand Pesos (PhP50,000.00), or imprisonment of not
10 
less than one month but not more than six months, or both such fine or
11 
punishment, at the discretion of the proper Court: Provided, that if he or
12 
she is a government employee, he or she shall also be held administratively
13 
liable, without prejudice to criminal liability under this Act;
14 
b. Any public officer mandated to implement this Act, who shall fail to perform
15 
in accordance with the mandates, duties, tasks and other acts imposed by
16 
this law shall be administratively liable for neglect in the performance of
17 
duty: Provided, that should damage or injury be inflicted on any person by
18 
reason of such neglect, the aggrieved party can have recourse against the
19 
erring public officer, employee or private individual for appropriate civil and
20 
criminal remedies;
21 
c. Any person found to have committed violations of Republic Act No. 7877,
22 
Republic Act No. 9208 as amended. Republic Act No. 9262, Republic Act
23 
9775, Republic Act No. 9995, Republic Act No. 11313, as well as the crimes
24 
of rape, acts of lasciviousness, online sexual abuse and exploitation of
25 
children, as well as analogous crimes involving gender-based violence, shall
26 
be meted the penalties in the aforementioned laws in its maximum period
27 
when the crime is committed in quarantine facilities, or against persons
28 
designated as at-risk individuals and/or members of at-risk groups, or during
29 
an emergency when the said emergency provided enabling or facilitating
30 
conditions for the commission of the crime.
31 
Sec. 25. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - The PCW, as the lead agency,
32 
shall, in coordination with the Commission on Human Rights (CHR), Inter-Agency Task
26


1 
Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases, Department of the Interior and Local
2 
Government, Department of Health, Commission on Population and Development,
3 
Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Social Welfare and
4 
Development, Department of Foreign Affairs, National Development Authority,
5 
Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Information and Communications
6 
Technoiogy, Department of Justice Phiiippine National Police and all concerned
7 
government departments and agencies, with the participation of civil society
8 
organizations, academe, private sector, public health practitioners and other key
9 
actors and stakeholders, formulate the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of
10 
this Act within thirty (30) days after its effectivity.
11 
Sec. 26. Congressional Oversight - Both Houses of Congress, particularly the
12 
Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality of the Senate
13 
and Committee on Women and Gender Equality of the House of Representatives shall
14 
oversee the implementation of this Act. The CHR, as Gender Ombud, shall likewise
15 
review the implementation after one (1) year, and subsequently, every year, in
16 
accordance with the recovery and rehabilitation plans of the government.
17 
Sec. 27. Suppietory Applications. - The applicable provisions of the Revised
18 
Penal Code shall have suppietory application insofar as they are consistent with the
19 
provisions of this Act.
20 
Sec. 28. Separability Clause. - If any part or provision of this Act is declared
21 
invalid or unconstitutional, the other parts hereof not affected thereby shall remain
22 
valid.
23 
Sec. 29. Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees, executive orders, rules and
24 
regulations or parts thereof inconsistent with any of the provisions of this Act, or is
25 
shown to facilitate or enable the commission of gender-based violence are hereby
26 
repealed, amended, or modified accordingly.
27 
Sec. 30. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
28 
publication in the Official Gazette or in at least two (2) national newspapers of general
29 
circulation.
30 
Approved,
27