FOURTEENTH CONGRESS of the 
) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILLPPINES 
First Regular Session 
) 
SENATE 
erv ..A,_ 
S.B. No. 1959 
1 
Introduced by HON. RAMON BONG REVILLA, JR. 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
In Philippine history, even as early as the 19th century, Filipino women have been praised 
for their dedication, perseverance and passion to improve their lives and conditions. The quest 
for equal status and right to suffrage, led to the emergence of the women's movement. 
The fight for gender equality spans centuries and territories. Gender equality is a common 
vision that runs through women's individual struggles, whether it is a struggle to transform 
oppressive relationships with men or to secure for themselves a better place in society. It has 
become the foundation and the driving force of a global women's movement that is able to unite 
women despite the rich diversities of their lives, their experiences, and their struggles. By 
coming together, they are able to make their fight for gender equality into a worthy cause, at the 
same time challengin 
encouraging, and advocating the international community to take their 
cause and support it. ( Shaping the Women's Global Agenda, page 103) 
F
'
 
Although the promotion of women's rights and equality reaches global attention, women 
are still victims of all forms of discrimination. As such in 1979, the Convention on the 
Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) which is considered as 
the international bill of rights for women, was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly. 
However, despite the fact that this has been in force for twenty six (26) years since the Philippine 
Senate ratified it on Gugust 5, 1981, there are still many reported cases of discrimination and 
unequal treatment between women and men in the political, social, economic, cultural, civil or 
any other field. 
The Philippine Commission on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, 
during its 361h session held on August 7-25, 2006, recommended the passage of a Magna Carta 
Bill of Women, which will strengthen the promotion of gender equality in the country. 
This proposed measure will accord to women the rights, protection, and opportunities 
available to every member of society. This is to guarantee their economic, social and cultural 
well-being without distinction or discrimination on account of class, age, sex, gender, language, 
ethnicity, religion, ideology, disability, education and status. 
I therefore appeal for the immediate enactment of this measure. 


., ',.c 
FOURTEENTH CONGRESS of the 
) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
) 
: .i 
I
.
 
.' 
1.":. 
i _ '  
, 
i i 
First Regular Session 
) 
SENATE 
Introduced by HON. RAMON BONG REVILLA, JR. 
AN ACT 
PROVIDING FOR THE MAGNA CARTA OF WOMEN. 
Be it enacted by the Senate und House of 
Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
ussem bled 
SECTION 1. Short TitZe. - This Act shall be known as ''ZkeMugnu Cartu of Women" 
SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. - The State recognizes the role of women in nation 
building and shall ensure the substantive equality of women and men. It shall promote the 
empowerment of women and pursue equal opportunities for men and women as well as ensure 
their equal access to resources and to development results and outcome. 
It condemns discrimination against women in all its forms and pursues by all appropriate 
means and without delay the policy of eliminating discrimination against women in keeping with 
the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) 
and other international instruments. The State shall accord to women the rights, protection, and 
opportunities available to every member of society. 
The State affirms women's rights as human rights and shall intensify its efforts to 
recognize, respect, protect, fulfill and promote all human rights and hndamental freedoms of 
women especially in the marginalized sectors of society to guarantee their economic, social and 
cultural well-being without distinction or discrimination on account of class, age, sex, gender, 
language, ethnicity, religion, ideology, disability, education and status. 
The State shall provide the necessary mechanisms to enforce and guarantee the 
realization of women's rights as well as adopt and undertake steps to include temporary special 
measures which encompass a wide variety of legislative, executive, administrative and other 
regulatory instruments, policies and practices aimed at accelerating the equal participation of 
women in the political, economic, social, cultural, civil or any other field. Temporary special 
measures must be discontinued when their desired results have been achieved and sustained for a 
period of time. 
The State, in ensuring the full integration of women's concerns in the mainstream of 
development, shall provide ample opportunities to enhance and develop their skills, acquire 
productive employment and contribute to their communities to the fullest of their capabilities. 
In pursuance of this policy, the State recognizes the right of women in all sectors to 
participate in policy formulation, planning, organization, implementation, management 
monitoring, and evaluation of all programs and projects. It shall support policies, researches, 
technology and training programs and other support services such as financing, production and 
marketing to encourage active participation of women in national development. 


SECTION 3. Definitions. - For purposes of this Act, the following terns shall mean: 
(A) Discrimination against Women. - refers to any gender-based distinction, exclusion 
or restriction which has the effect or purpose of impairing or nullifying the recognition, 
enjoyment or exercise by women, irrespective of their marital status, on a basis of equality of 
men and women, of human rights and hndamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, 
cultural, civil or any other field. 
(B) Gender. - refers to the socially differentiated roles, characteristics and expectations 
attributed by culture to women and men. It is created, produced, reproduced and maintained by 
social institutions. 
(C) Gender Equality. - indicates that men and women enjoy the same status, have equal 
conditions for realizing their full human potentials to contribute to and benefit from the results of 
development. 
(D) Gender and Development (GAD). - refers to the development perspective and 
process that are participatory and empowering, equitable, sustainable, free from violence, respect 
of human rights, supportive of self-determination and actualization of human potentials. It seeks 
to achieve gender equality as a hndamental value that should be reflected in development 
choices; seeks to transform society’s social, economic and political structures and questions the 
validity of the gender roles they ascribed to women and men; contends that women are active 
agents of development and not just passive recipients of development assistance, and stresses the 
need of women to organize themselves and participate in political processes to strengthen their 
legal rights. 
(E) Gender Mainstreaming. - is the strategy for making women’s as well as men’s 
concerns and experiences an integral dimension of the design, implementation, monitoring and 
evaluation of policies and programs in all political, economic and societal spheres so that women 
and men benefit equally and inequality is not perpetuated. It is the process of assessing the 
implications for women and men of any planned action, including legislation, policies or 
programs, in all areas and at all levels. 
(F) Marginalization. - is a condition where a whole category of people is excluded from 
usefbl participation in political, economic, social and cultural life. 
(G) Marginalized. - refers to the basic, disadvantaged, or vulnerable persons or groups 
who are mostly living in povetty and have little or no access to land and resources, basic social 
and economic services such as health care, education, water and sanitation, employment and 
livelihood opportunities, housing, social security, physical infrastructure and justice system. 
These include women in the following: 
1. Children. - shall refer to children below eighteen (18) years of age or those 18 
and over but are unable to fi~lly take care of themselves or protect themselves from abuse, 
neglect, cruelty, exploitation or discrimination because of a physical or mental disability 
or condition. 
2. Fishers. - shall refer to those directly or indirectly engaged in taking, culturing 
or processing fishery or aquatic resources. These include, but are not he limited to, 
women engaged in fishing in municipal waters and coastal areas, women workers in 
commercial fishing and aquaculture, vendors and processors of fish and coastal products, 
and subsistence producers such as shell-gatherers, managers and producers of mangrove 
resources and other related producers. 
3. Indigenous Peoples. - shall refer to those who are members of any indigenous 
peoples/indigenous cultural communities of the Philippines as defined under Section 
3(h), Chapter 11 of the Republic Act No. 8371, otherwise known as ”The Indigenous 
People’s Rights Act of 1997” (ERA of 1997) 


4. Migrant workers. - shall refer 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. 
5. Moro. - shall refer to indigenous peoples that historically inhabited Mindanao, 
Palawan and Sulu, and who are of the Islamic faith. 
6. Persons with Disabilities. - shall refer to those who are suffering from 
restriction or different abilities, as a result of a mental, physical or sensory impairment to 
perform an activity in the manner or within the range considered normal for a human 
being. 
7. Senior Citizens. - shall refer to those sixty (60) years of age and above. 
8. Small Farmers and Rural Workers, - shall refer to those who are engaged 
directly or indirectly in small farms and forest areas, workers in commercial farms and 
plantations, whether paid or unpaid, regular or season-bound. These shall include but not 
limited to (a) small farmers who own or are still amortizing for lands that is not more 
than three (3) hectares, tenants, leaseholders, and stewards; and (b) rural workers who are 
either wage earners, self-employed, unpaid family workers directly and personally 
engaged in agriculture, small scale mining handicrafts and other related onfarm/off-farm 
activities 
9. Solo Parents. - shall refer to those who fall under the category of a solo parent 
defined under Republic Act No. 8972, otherwise known as the “Solo Parents Welfare Act 
of 2000”. 
10. Urban Poor. - shall refer to those residing in urban slum or blighted areas, 
with or without the benefit of security of tenure, where the income of the head of the 
family cannot afford in a sustained manner to provide for the family the minimum basic 
needs of food, health, education, housing and other essential amenities in life. 
11. Workers in the Formal Economy. - shall refer to those who are employed 
by any person acting directly or indirectly in the interest of an employer in relation to an 
employee and shall include the Government and all its branches, subdivision and 
instrumentalities, all government-owned or controlled corporations and institutions, or as 
well as non-profit private institutions, or organizations. 
12. Workers in the Informal Economy. - shall refer to self-employed, 
occasionally or personally hired, subcontracted and unpaid family workers in household 
unincorporated enterprises, including homeworkers, micro-entrepreneurs and producers, 
and operators of sari-sari stores and all other categories who suffer from violation of 
workers’ rights. 
(HJ Women’s empowerment. - refer to the provision, availability and accessibility of 
opportunities which enable women to actively participate and contribute to the 
political, 
economic, social, and cultural development of the nation as well as those which shall provide 
them equal access to ownership, management and control of production, and of material and 
informational resources and benefits in the family, community and society; 
(I) Violence against Women. - refer to any act of gender-based violence that results in, 
or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including 
threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in 
private life. It shall be understood to encompass, but not be limited to, the following: 
1. physical, sexual, psychological and economic violence occurring in the family, 
including ‘battering, sexual abuse of female children in the household, dowry-related 


violence, marital rape, and other traditional practices harmful to women, non-spousal 
violence and violence related to exploitation; 
2. physical, sexual and psychological violence occurring within the general community, 
including rape, sexual abuse, sexual harassment and intimidation at work, in educational 
institutions and elsewhere, trafficking in women and prostitution; 
3. physical, sexual and psychological violence perpetrated or condoned by the state, 
wherever it occurs. 
It also includes all forms of violence as defined and enumerated under Section 3 of Republic Act 
9262. 
SECTION 4. Hunzan Rights of Women, - All rights recognized under international 
instruments duly signed and ratified by the Philippines, including rights under the Constitution 
and other existing laws shall be rights of women under this Act to be enjoyed without 
discrimination. 
SECTION 5 .  Protection from Violence. - The State shall ensure that all women shall 
be protected from all forms of violence as provided for in existing laws. Agencies of government 
shall give priority to the defense and protection to women against gender-based offenses and 
help women attain justice and healing. Towards this end, the following measures to prosecute 
and reform offenders shall likewise be pursued: 
(A) Within the next five years, there shall be an incremental increase in the recruitment 
and training of women in the police force, forensics and medico-legal, and legal services and 
such other services availed by women who are victims of gender -related offenses until 50% of 
personnel shall be women. 
(B) Women shall have the right to protection and security in situations of armed conflict 
and militarization. The State shall observe international standards, particularly International 
Humanitarian Laws, for the protection of civilian population in circumstances of emergency and 
armed conflict. It shall not force women, especially indigenous peoples, to abandon their lands, 
temtories and means of subsistence, or relocate them in special centers for military purposes 
under any discriminatory condition. 
(C) All government personnel involved in the protection and defense of women against 
gender-based violence shall undergo a mandatory training on human rights and 
gender sensitivity pursuant to this Act. 
SECTION 6. Participation and Representation. The State shall undertake temporary 
special measures to accelerate the participation and representation of women in all spheres of 
society particularly in the decision-making and policy-making processes in government and 
private entities to fully realize their role as agents and beneficiaries of development, 
The State shall institute affirmative the following action mechanisms so that women can 
participate meaningfully in the formulation, implementation and evaluation of policies, plans and 
programs for national, regional and local development: 
(A) Empowerment in Civil Service. - Within the next five (5) years, the number of 
women in third level positions in government shall be increased to achieve a fifty-fifty gender 
balance. 
(B) Development Councils and Planning Bodies. - To ensure the participation of 
women in all levels of development planning and program implementation, at least 33% of 
membership of all development councils from the regional, provincial, city, municipal and 
harangay levels shall be composed ofwomen. 


(C) Other policy and decision-making bodies. - Women’s groups shall also be 
represented in all internationa1;national and local special and decision-making bodies. 
@) International bodies. - The State shall take all appropriate measures to ensure that 
women, on equal terms with men and without any discrimination, the opportunity to represent 
their Governments at the international level and to participate in the work of international 
organizations. 
(E) Integration of Women in Political Parties. - The State shall provide incentives to 
political parties with women’s agenda and with women comprising at least 33% of their 
leadership and membership. It shall likewise encourage the integration of women in their internal 
policy-making structures, appointive and electoral nominating processes. 
(F) Private sector. - The State shall take measures to encourage women leadership in 
the private sector in the form of incentives. 
SECTION 7. Equal Treatment before the Law. - The State shall take steps to review 
and when necessary, amend and/or repeal existing laws that are discriminatory to women, within 
three years from effectivity of this Act. 
SECTION 8. Equal Access and Elimination of Discrimination in Education, 
Scholarships and Training. 
(A) The State shall remove gender stereotypes and images in educational materials and 
curricula. Gender-sensitive language shall be used at all times. Capacity-building on gender and 
development (GAD), peace and human rights, education for teachers and all those involved in 
the education sector shall be pursued toward this end. Partnerships between and among players 
of the education sector, including the private sector and churchedfaith groups shall be 
encouraged. 
(E%) Enrollment of women and men in non-traditional skills training in vocational and 
tertiary levels shall be encouraged. 
(C) Expulsion, non-readmission, prohibiting the enrollment and other related 
discrimination of women students due to pregnancy out of marriage, shall be outlawed. 
SECTION 9. Non-discriminntoy Porlrqal of Women in Media and Film - The State 
shall formulate policies and programs for the advancement of women in collaboration with 
media-related organizations from the private sector. It shall likewise endeavor to raise the 
consciousness of the general public in recognizing the dignity of a woman, and the role and 
contribution of women in the family, community and the society through the strategic use of the 
mass media. 
For this purpose, the State shall provide incentives to encourage programming that 
appropriately present women’s needs, issues and concerns in movies, television shows, 
advertisements and print media, and support media watch groups, media professional 
associations and women’s organizations. Similarly, gender-sensitivity training (GST) programs 
for all media practitioners including producers, directors, managers, journalists, news editors, 
news reporters, publishers as,well as those in the movie and advertising industries shall be 
organized by their respective organizations and publishers to encourage the creation and use of 
non-stereotyped, balanced, diverse and positive images of women in media. The use of gender- 
fair language shall also be encouraged specifically in the practice of their profession. 
The Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) shall revise its 
rules and regulations to discourage unfair or derogatory portrayal of women in both media and 
film. 
SECTION 10. Access to Information audSenjices relating to Women’s Health. - 


(A) Comprehensive Health Services. - The State shall at all times provide for comprehensive 
gender responsive health services and programs covering all stages of a woman’s life cycle and 
ensure access to the following: 
1. Maternal care services; 
2. Nutrition services; 
3. Reproductive health services excluding abortion; 
4. Adolescent and youth health services; 
5. Women and children protection services; 
6. Screening and appropriate management of reproductive tract infections (RTIS) 
including sexually transmitted infections (STIS), human immunodeficiency virus 
(HIV) and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), breast and reproductive 
tract cancers, and other gynecological conditions; 
7. Healthy lifestyle activities; 
8. Care of the elderly; 
9. Post-menopausal services; anti 
10. Prevention and management of abortion and its complications; Health services for 
women with disabilities; Psychosocial, therapeutic, medical and legal services and 
assistance to women victims of violence 
(B) Comprehensive Health Information and Education. - The State shall provide women in 
all sectors with timely, complete and accurate information and education on all the above-stated 
aspects of women’s health, in government education and training programs. 
Further, education programs on reproductive health shall always include the following: 
1. The important role of parents in the total formation of their children; 
2. The formation of a per son’s sexuality that affirms human dignity; and 
3. Modern, safe and effective family planning methods including fertility awareness 
SECTION 1 1, Equal rights in all matters relating to mm*age and f i i &  relations. - 
The State shall take all appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination against women in all 
matters relating to marriage and family relations and shall ensure: 
(1) The right to enter into and leave partnerships or relationships other than those 
referred to in the Family Code; 
(2) The right to choose freely a spouse and to enter into marriage only with their free 
and full consent and the betrothal and the marriage of a child shall have no legal 
effect; 
(3) The joint decision on the number and spacing of their children and to have access 
to the information, education and means to enable them to exercise these rights; 
(4) The equal personal rights as husband and wife, including the right to choose freely 
a profession and an occupation; 
(5) The equal rights of the spouses in respect of the ownership, acquisition, 
management, administration, enjoyment, and disposition of property; 
(6) Customary laws shall be respected provided, however, that they do not contradict 
the above-enumerated rights; 
(7) Women are guaranteed all civil, political, social and economic rights recognized, 
promoted and protected under existing laws, including but not limited to the 
Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act, Urban Development and Housing Act, 
Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law, Fisheries Code, Labor Code, Migrant 
Workers Act, Solo Parents Welfare Act and Social Reform and Poverty 
Alleviation Act. 


SECTION 12. Right to Housing. - The State shall develop housing programs for women 
that are localized, simple, accessible and secure with viable employment opportunities and 
affordable amortization. In this regard, the State shall consult women and involve them in 
community planning and development especially in matters pertaining to land use, zoning and 
relocation. 
SECTION 13. Right to Enzploynrent, Livelihoo4 Credit, Capital and Technology. -The 
State shall ensure that women shall be provided with the following: 
(A) Equal access to formal sources of credit and capital at concessional rates; 
(B) Equal share to the produce of the farms and aquatic resources; 
(C) Support services and gears to protect them from occupational and health hazards; 
@) Support services that will enable women to balance family obligations and work 
responsibilities; 
(E) Membership in labor organizations regardless of status of employment and place of 
employment without prejudice to the existing provisions of the Labor Code; 
(F) In recognition of the temporary nature of overseas work, the State shall exert all 
efforts to address the causes of migration by developing local employment and other 
economic opportunities for women and by introducing measures to curb violence and 
forced and involuntary displacement of local women. The State shall ensure the 
protection and promotion of the rights and welfare of migrant women regardless of their 
work status; 
(G) Protection against discrimination in wages, conditions of work and employment 
opportunities in host countries; and 
(H) Employment opportunities for returning women migrant workers taking into account 
their skills and qualifications. Corollarily, the State shall also promote skills and 
entrepreneurship development of returning women migrant workers. 
SECTION 14. Right to Education and Training. - The State shall ensure the 
following: 
(A) Participation in trainings and extension services related to rights enumerated in 
Sections 6 and 8 of this Act; 
(B) Gender-sensitive trainings and seminars; 
(C) Equal opportunities in scholarship, especially to those interested in research and 
development aimed towards women-friendly farm technology. 
SECTION. 15. Right to Representation and Partkipfition - The State shall ensure 
women’s participation in policy-making or decision-making bodies in the regional, national and 
international levels. It shall also ensure the participation of at least thirty three percent (33%) 
grassroots women leaders in decision and policy making bodies in their respective sectors, 
including but not limited to, Presidential Agrarian Reform Council (PARC) and local 
counterparts; community-based resource management bodies or mechanisms on forest 
management and stewardship; National Fisheries add Aquatic Resources Management Council 
(NFARMC) and local counterparts; National Commission on Indigenous Peoples, Presidential 
Commission for the Urban Poor and where applicable, local housing boards; and National Anti- 
Poverty Commission. 


SECTION 16. Right to Znfolination. - Access to information regarding policies on 
women, including programs, projects and budget shall be ensured. 
SECTION 17. Social Protection. - 
(A) The Social Security System (SSS) and the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation 
(Philhealth) shall support indigenous and community-based social protection 
schemes; 
(B)The State shall endeavor to reduce and eventually eliminate transfer costs of 
remittances from abroad through negotiations. It shall likewise provide access to 
investment opportunities for remittances in line with national development efforts; 
(C) The State shall establish alternative social security system and health insurance 
program for senior citizens. 
SECTION 18. Recognition and Preservation of Cultural Zdenti@/Zntegri@. - The State 
recognizes and respects the rights of Mor0 and indigenous women to practice, promote, protect 
and preserve their own culture, traditions and institutions and to consider these rights in the 
formulation and implementation of national policies and programs. To this end, the State shall 
adopt measures in consultation with the sectors concerned to protect their rights to their 
indigenous knowledge systems and practices, traditional livelihood and other manifestations of 
their cultures and ways of life provided that these cultural systems and practices are not 
discriminatory to women as defined in this Act. 
SECTION. 19. Peace and Development - Peace process shall he pursued with the 
following considerations: 
(A) Increase the number of women participating in decision making in the peace process, 
including membership in peace panels; 
(B) Ensure the development and inclusion of the women’s peace agenda in the over-all 
peace strategy and women’s participation in the planning, implementation, 
monitoring and evaluation of rehabilitation and rebuilding of conflict-affected areas; 
(C) Include peace perspective in education curriculum and other educational undertaken; 
and 
(D)Recognize and support women’s role in conflict-prevention and peacemaking and in 
indigenous systems of conflict resolution. 
SECTION 20. Protection of Girl-children. - 
(A) The State shall pursue measures to eliminate all forms of discrimination against girl- 
children in education, health and nutrition and skills development; 
(B) Girl-children shall he protected from all forms of ahuse and exploitation caused by 
negative cultural attitudes and practices as well as in the economic exploitation of 
child labor; 
(C) Equal access of Mor0 and indigenous girl children in the Madaris, schools of living 
culture and traditions and the regular schools, shall be ensured; 
@) Gender-sensitive curriculum, including legal literacy, books and curriculum in the 
Madaris and school of living culture and tradition, shall be developed; 


(E) Sensitivity of regular schools to particular Mor0 and indigenous practices, such as 
fasting in the month of Ramadan, choice of clothing (including the wearing of hijab), 
halal food shall be ensured. 
SECTION 21. Protection of Senior Citizens. - The State shall protect women senior 
citizen from neglect, abandonment, domestic violence, abuse, exploitation and discrimination. 
Towards this end, the State shall ensure special protective mechanisms and support services 
against violence, sexual abuse, exploitation and discrimination of older women. 
SECTION 22. Gender Mainstreaming ILF a strategy for implementing the Magna Carta 
of Wornen. - All departments, including their attached agencies, offices, bureaus, state 
universities and colleges, government-owned and controlled corporations, local government 
units and other government instrumentalities, shall adopt gender mainstreaming as a strategy to 
promote women’s human rights and eliminate gender discrimination in their systems, structures, 
policies, programs, processes and procedures which shall include but not be limited to the 
following: 
(A) Planning and Budgeting for Gender and Development (GAD) - GAD programs 
designed to address gender issues and concerns shall be designed and implemented based on the 
mandate of government agencies and local government units, Republic Act 7192, gender 
equality agenda of the government and other GAD related legislation and policies. The 
development of the GAD programs shall proceed from the conduct of a gender audit of the 
agencyLGU and a gender analysis of its policies, programs, services, and the situation of its 
clientele; the generation and review of sex-disaggregated data; and consultation with gender 
/women’s rights advocates and agency/ women clientele. The cost of implementing the GAD 
program shall be the agency’s/ LGU’s GAD budget which shall be at least five percent (5%) of 
the agency’s/ LGUs total budget appropriations. LGUs are also encouraged to develop and pass 
a GAD Code based on the gender issues and concerns in their respective localities and the 
women’s empowerment gender equality agenda of the government. The GAD Code shall also 
serve as basis for identifying programs, activities and projects on GAD. Where needed, 
temporary gender equity measures shall be provided for in the plans of all departments, including 
their attached agencies, offices, bureaus, state universities ,and colleges, government-owned and 
controlled corporations, local government units and other government instrumentalities. 
To move towards a more sustainable, gender-responsive and performance-based planning 
and budgeting, gender issues and concerns shall be integrated in the following plans, among 
others: 
1. macro socio-economic plans such as the Medium-Term Philippine Development Plan 
and Medium-Term Philippine Investment Plan; 
2. annual plans of all departments, including their attached agencies, offices, bureaus, 
state universities and colleges, government-owned and controlled corporations; 
3. local plandagenda such as executive-legislative agenda, comprehensive development 
plan (CDP), comprehensive land use plan (CLUF’), provincial development and 
physical framework plan (PDPFP), annual investment plan. 
(B) Creation and/or strengthening of the GAD Focal Point System. - All 
departments, including their attached agencies, offices, bureaus, state universities and colleges, 
government-owned and controlled corporations, local government units and other government 
instrumentalities shall establish or strengthen their GAD Focal Point System or similar GAD 
mechanism to catalyze and accelerate gender mainstreaming within the agencyLGU. 
The GAD Focal Point System shall be composed of the agency head/ local chief 
executive, an Executive Committee with an Undersecretary (or its equivalent) I LGU official/ 
officer in a strategic decision-making position as Chair; and a Technical Working Group or 


Secretariat which is composed of representatives from various divisions/ offices within the 
agency or LGU. 
The tasks and hnctions of the members of the GFP shall form part of their regular key 
result areas and shall be given due consideration in their performance evaluation. 
(C) Generation and Maintenance of GAD Database. - All departments, including their 
attached agencies, offices, bureaus, state universities and colleges, government-owned and 
controlled corporations, local government units and other government instrumentalities shall 
develop and maintain a GAD database containing gender statistics and sex-disaggregated data 
that have been systematically gathered, regularly updated and subjected to gender analysis for 
planning, programming and policy formulation. 
SECTION 23. Gender Focal Point Officer in Philippine Embassies and Consulates. - 
An officer duly trained on gender and development shall be designated as the gender focal point 
officer in the consular section of Philippine embassies or consulates. Said officer shall be 
primarily responsible in handling gender concerns of women migrant workers. Attached agencies 
shall cooperate in strengthening the Philippine foreign posts' program for the delivery of services 
to women migrant workers. 
SECTION 24. The Philippine Commission on Women. - The National Commission on 
the Role of Filipino Women (NCRFW) shall be renamed as Philippine Commission on Women 
(PCW) and strengthened to he the primary coordinating agency and policy advisory on women 
and gender concerns to the Office of the President and the Cabinet. It shall also be the overall 
monitoring body to ensure the implementation of this Act. In doing so, the PCW shall direct all 
agencies to report on the implementation of the Act and for them to immediately respond to the 
problems brought to their attention in relation to this Act. The PCW shall also lead in ensuring 
that government agencies are capacitated on effective ' implementation of this Law. The 
Chairperson shall likewise report to the President in Cabinet meetings on the implementation of 
this Act. 
To the extent possible, the PCW shall influence the systems, processes and procedures of the 
legislative and judicial branches of government vis-a-vis GAD to ensure the implementation of 
this Act. 
SECTION 25. The Gender and Development (GAD) Ombudsman. - A gender and 
development Ombudsman shall be established in the Commission on Human Rights. The GAD 
Ombudsman shall: 
(1) monitor and oversee the strict implementation of this Act, in coordination with 
NCRFW; 
(2) on its own or on report or complaint, have the power to require information, 
investigate or hear administrative complaint involving the possible violations of this 
Act; 
(3) use every and all reasonable means to ascertain the facts in the report or complaint, in 
all instances observing due process; 
(4) recommend to the President or the Civil Service Commission any possible 
administrative action based on non-compliance or failure to implement the provisions 
of this Act; 
(5) direct agencies to immediately respond to the problems brought to their attention in 
relation to the implementation of this Act and report to the Council on action taken; 
and 
(6) assist in filing of cases against individuals, agencies, institutions or establishment that 
violate the provision ofthis Act. 


SECTION 26. Incentives and awards. - There shall be established an incentives and 
awards system which shall he administered by a board under such rules and regulations as may 
be promulgated by the PCW to deserving entities, government agencies and local government 
units for their outstanding performance in upholding the rights of women and effective 
implementation of gender-responsive programs. 
SECTION 21. Zmplementing Rules and Regulations. - As the lead agency, the PCW 
shall, in coordination with the Commission on Human Rights and all departments and agencies, 
formulate the Implementing Rules and Regulations (LRR) of this Act within ninety (90) days 
after its effectivity. 
SECTION 28. Separabiliiy Clause. - If any provision or part hereof is held invalid or 
unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provision not otherwise affected shall remain 
valid and subsisting. 
SECTION. 29. Repealing Clause. - Any law, presidential decree or issuance, executive 
order, letter of instruction, administrative order, ruIe or regulation contrary to, or inconsistent 
with the provisions of this Act is hereby repealed, modified or amended accordingly. 
SECTION. 30. Effectiviw Clause. - This Act shall take effect fiAeen (15) days after its 
publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
Approved,