Republic of the Philippines 
House of Representatives 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
House Bill No. _______ 
INTRODUCED BY REP. PM VARGAS 
AN ACT 
TO ENSURE GENDER-RESPONSIVE AND INCLUSIVE PROTOCOLS AND 
PROGRAMMING TO ADDRESS THE GENDER-DIFFERENTIATED NEEDS 
OF WOMEN DURING PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCIES, PUBLIC HEALTH 
THREATS, DISASTERS, AND OTHER HEALTH EVENTS 
OF PUBLIC CONCERN  
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
As the State provides that it shall protect and promote the right to 
health of all Filipinos and ensure a people-oriented approach in the health 
care delivery system, several legislations have been passed to this intent, 
including Republic Act 1223 or the Universal Health Care Act and the National 
Health Insurance Act also known as RA 7875. 
With the effect however of the pandemic and the health crisis that came 
with it, these health legislations, were put to test, revealing that more should 
be done to guarantee that health care is universal across all cultures, socio-
economic statuses, ages and more importantly gender. 
The recent response to the COVID-19 pandemic exposed the inequality 
in the healthcare system especially in catering to the needs of women who are 
at greater risk of infection as they comprise 70% of the healthcare workforce.1 
With the lockdowns and prolonged time staying at home, more women also 
experienced gender-based violence as well as disruption of access and 
utilization to reproductive health services.2  
1 OECD Policy Report. April 1, 2020 “ Women at Core of the fight against COVID-19 
Pandemic” https://www.oecd.org/coronavirus/policy-responses/women-at-the-core-of-the-
fight-against-covid-19-crisis-553a8269/ Accessed  on October 27, 2022 
2 https://www.cgdev.org/publication/covid-19-and-women-and-girls-health-low-and-
middle-income-countries-updated-review Accessed on Novermber 7, 2022 
November 9, 2022
2:52 pm
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With the distinct needs of women in health and in their roles as most 
primary caregivers in the family who are at the same time expected to be 
productive at work, policy responses and programming must embed gender 
lens and account for women’s unique needs, responsibilities, and 
perspectives.  
 
 
 
Only by making policies and programs gender-responsive and 
transformative, can the State advance the overall status of women’s health 
and their general well-being.  
 
In view of the foregoing, the immediate passage of this bill is earnestly 
sought.  
 
 
 
 
REP. PM VARGAS   
Fifth District, Quezon City 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Republic of the Philippines 
House of Representatives 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
House Bill No. _______ 
INTRODUCED BY REP. PM VARGAS 
AN ACT 
TO ENSURE GENDER-RESPONSIVE AND INCLUSIVE PROTOCOLS AND 
PROGRAMMING TO ADDRESS THE GENDER-DIFFERENTIATED NEEDS 
OF WOMEN DURING PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCIES, PUBLIC HEALTH 
THREATS, DISASTERS, AND OTHER HEALTH EVENTS 
OF PUBLIC CONCERN  
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
CHAPTER I 
GENERAL PROVISIONS 
SECTION 1. Short Title. – This Act shall be known as the “Gender Responsive 
and Inclusive Public Health Concern and Disaster Management Act.” 
SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. – 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 and reproductive health rights (SRHR), 
and economic empowerment of women. It adopts a zero-tolerance policy 
towards gender-based violence, abuse and exploitation, which is rooted in 
gender inequality and discrimination. The implementation of approaches and 
strategies relevant to disaster risk reduction, emergency and pandemic 
6001


management must integrate human rights and gender lenses. It is 
fundamental that policies, plans, programs, actions, conduct and results are 
non-discriminatory and that no one is left behind. 
Towards ensuring gender equality, the State shall be guided by existing 
frameworks on gender-responsive programming during the COVID-19 
pandemic and shall likewise establish mechanisms and processes to ensure 
the adoption, reprogramming and/or continuity of programs that serve and 
address the gender-differentiated needs of women during a pandemic.  
Accordingly, the State shall: 
(a) Be the primary duty bearer to enforce the protection of human rights
of women during pandemics and other public health emergencies
from the point of prevention until recovery and while adapting to the
new normal in society;
(b) Establish policies and programs to prevent the spread of a “notifiable
disease”, to prepare prior to its actual impact, and to deliver
treatment, care, support and other essential services to individuals
affected 
in 
accordance 
with 
evidence-based 
strategies 
and
approaches that uphold the principles of human rights and gender-
responsiveness, and taking into account the intersectional
considerations that differentiate impact on different groups,
identities and sectors;
(c) Institutionalize real, actual and meaningful participation of women,
at-risk individuals and communities affected by the pandemic and
other public health emergencies, and those who are most vulnerable
to violations of human rights during such situations in policy and
decision making and at every stage of the pandemic or emergency
management, especially in the formulation of general guidelines and
resolutions governing the national management of the pandemic as
well as in its implementation;
(d) Empower and collaborate with women and institutionalize their role
to publicly lead, decide and promote gender responsive, equitable
and universally accessible response, recovery, rehabilitation and
reconstruction approaches in all areas of concerns, including public
health, during a pandemic;
(e) Adopt a multi-sectoral and inter-disciplinary approach in the
preparation, response and recovery stages of the pandemic response
management by ensuring an all-of-society engagement and
partnership involving the whole government, public health
practitioners, technical experts, local communities, civil society
organizations, academe, private sector, persons most vulnerable to
the pandemic and other relevant actors or stakeholders, with the
State as the primary duty-bearer;
(f) Enable indiscriminate access of everyone to pandemic-related and
essential services, as well as sustained access to livelihood and other
productive opportunities;
(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 delivery of services and capacitating service 
providers to deliver pertinent essential services; 
(h) Ensure that the differentiated needs, multiple burdens and gender-
based violence faced by women during the pandemic or emergency 
situation are addressed and integrated in measures, actions and 
conduct relating to the management of the pandemic response by 
integrating intersectional analysis in the formulation of policies, 
plans and programs relating to pandemic management, 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 hinder 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 communication and information platforms 
and systems that ensure broad, accurate and prompt dissemination, 
and effective understanding by all, particularly in relation to 
monitoring incidence of gender-based violence both in private and 
public spaces and access to protection mechanisms and effective 
remedies; and 
(l) Utilize existing modern information, communication, research and 
technological capacities and techniques in crafting the policies and 
protocols with due regard to human rights.   
 
SECTION 3. Purpose. – The principal purpose of this Act is to ensure that 
there is adequate statutory power for government agencies to act, pursuant 
to their respective mandates, upon a declaration of an emergency by the 
President by reason of a pandemic and guided by the policies issued by the 
Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) and 
principles enunciated herein: 
 
(a) To monitor and gather data regarding the realities of women relating 
to gender-based violence and enjoyment of their human rights in 
the context of a pandemic that would inform, craft and direct 
policies to be implemented in all the stages of pandemic 
management.  
(b) To effectively prevent, respond and eliminate the incidence of 
gender-based violence against women and girls through the 
integration of gender and intersectional analysis in pandemic policy 
and decision making, planning and programming in all the stages 
of pandemic management;  
(c) To develop and craft guidelines and instructions on practices, 


protocols, systems of coordination and networking, information and 
education of first responders, especially during the response and 
early recovery stage, safety and personal protection of workers, and 
needs of women, girls and at-risk individuals, groups and 
communities, and ensure its timeliness, responsiveness, availability 
and accessibility; 
(d) To ensure that communications systems, referral systems, 
protection mechanisms and other measures on access to justice and 
effective remedies by women subject to gender-based violence are in 
place and continue to operate during the period of a pandemic;  
(e) To provide immediate haven, shelter and security, resources and 
support to women and girls subject to violence; 
(f) To enable sufficient and effective regulatory authority to respond 
and to prevent the incidence of gender-based violence during a 
pandemic, including but not limited to the relaxation of regulatory 
requirements that impede the delivery of services or its compliance 
during a pandemic, emergency procurement and provision of 
emergency funds for these purposes. 
 
For this purpose, every department or agency must come up with a gender-
responsive pandemic preparedness plan, manual or protocol for women 
during pandemics within sixty (60) days from the implementation of this Act 
and ensure the designation of focal persons to supervise and oversee the 
implementation of said plan, manual or protocol. 
 
SECTION 4. 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. 
 
 
SECTION 5. Definition of Terms. – As used in this Act: 
 
(a) Access to justice refers to the sufficient access to essential services 
for victim survivors of gender-based violence, and all women and 
girls in conflict with the law such as the unimpeded availability of 
legal assistance, case management services, health services, 
medico-legal services, counselling, protection, operational shelters, 
and support; with an accountability mechanism in place; 
(b) At-risk individuals and groups refer to the following vulnerable and 
marginalized persons, sectors and/or groups:  
1) Women and Girls with Disabilities; 
2) Girl children; 
3) Elderly women; 
4) Women deprived of liberty especially those who are pregnant, 
about to give birth, or have just given birth; 
5) Pregnant, Lactating, and Post-partum mothers; 
6) Members of the LGBTQI+ community; 
7) Urban and Rural Poor Women; 


8) Women in the informal and formal economy; 
9) Women who are COVID-19 positive including those under 
investigation and monitoring; 
10)  Moro and Muslim women;  
11)  Rural and indigenous women; 
12)  Internally displaced women; 
13)  Migrant women and their families; 
14)  Persons living with HIV; 
15)  Women 
frontline 
workers 
(as 
defined 
under 
IATF-EID 
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)  Women in prostitution/ victim-survivors of illegal recruitment, 
and trafficking;  
21)  Women experiencing sexual or domestic violence and online 
gender-based harassment; 
22)  Minors and adolescents (population below 19 years of age); and 
23) Women and girls who are homeless and street dwellers; 
(c) Early recovery refers to a multidimensional process of recovery that 
begins in a humanitarian setting. It is guided by development 
principles that seek to build on humanitarian programs 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 refers to any situation in which the life or well-being 
of civilians affected by natural disaster, conflict or a public health 
threat has been or will be at risk unless immediate and appropriate 
action is taken, and that demands an extraordinary response and 
exceptional measures; 
(e) Essential services refers to all 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 situations of pandemic, 
emergency or disaster as may be determined by the IATF-EID or 
other relevant lead government agency or body under the law. 
Essential services cover health, police and justice, and social 
services sectors as defined by the Essentials for Quality 
Multisectoral Service Provision to Women Migrant Workers Subject 
to Violence, Brief: COVID-19 and essential services provision for 
survivors of violence against women and girls; and Essential Services 


Package for Women and Girls Subject to Violence. Such services will 
remain available throughout the preparation period, any possible 
imposed government lockdown, and during the recovery period; 
(f) Frontline Workers refer to 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, and other workers in other high priority sectors: Provided,
That the IATF-EID shall determine the sectors by which its workers
can be classified as frontline workers;
(g) Gender Responsive refers to 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) Health Event of Public 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 Republic
Act No. 11332 or the "Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases
and Health Events of Public Health Concern Act;"
(i) Intersectionality refers to 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 gender, age, disability and/or
ethnicity);
(j) 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;
(k) 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;
(l) 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;
(m)
Non-discrimination refers to the guarantee wherein human rights
are exercised without discrimination of any kind based on race,
color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or
social origin, property, birth or other status such as disability, age,
marital and family status, sexual orientation and gender identity,


health status, place of residence, economic and social situation; 
(n) Pandemic refers to the worldwide spread, or over a very wide area, 
crossing international boundaries and usually affecting a large 
number of people as declared by the World Health Organization. The 
term also contemplates other public health emergencies as defined 
under Republic Act No. 11332 and as declared by the Department 
of Health (DOH); 
(o) 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 fully address gender-differentiated needs 
especially of women and girls shall be included in these efforts; 
(p) Prevention 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). 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); 
(q) 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 fully available during this period; 
(r) Response refers to an emergency response that 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 DOH of a public health emergency. 
Essential services to address gender-differentiated needs shall be 
made available during this period; 
(s) 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 health care, including 
maternity care; basic income security for children, providing access 
to nutrition, education, care and any other necessary goods and 
services; basic income security for persons in active age who are 
unable to earn sufficient income, in particular in cases of sickness, 
unemployment, maternity and disability; basic income security for 
older persons;  


(t) Social Safety Nets refer to non-contributory interventions designed 
to help individuals and households cope with chronic poverty, 
destitution, 
and 
vulnerability, 
such 
as 
unconditional 
and 
conditional cash transfers, non-contributory social pensions, food 
and in-kind transfers, school feeding programs, public works, and 
fee waivers. These programs target the poor and vulnerable; 
(u) Stigma refers to a set of negative and often unfair beliefs that a 
society or group of people have about something such as in the 
context of women; and 
(v) Violence Against Women (VAW) refers 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. 
 
 
CHAPTER II 
PROGRAMMING AND MANAGEMENT TO ADDRESS GENDER-
DIFFERENTIATED NEEDS OF WOMEN DURING PANDEMIC, 
DISASTERS, HEALTH EMERGENCIES, AND OTHER 
HEALTH EVENTS OF PUBLIC CONCERN 
 
SECTION 6. Leadership, Participation and Empowerment of Women. – 
During a public health emergency, women shall be empowered to be included 
in the national and local government’s response systems to address the 
gender-differentiated needs of the different groups of women especially the 
marginalized. It is thus mandated that response and recovery systems must 
ensure that women are placed strategically and participate meaningfully in 
leadership, decision-making, and policy-making positions at all levels. In 
accordance with this, the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) shall be 
made a permanent member in the IATF-EID or similar bodies that will be 
created in response to a pandemic or disaster to help facilitate the continuous 
integration of a gender-responsive plan to be developed therein in national 
governance response systems. Further, forty percent (40%) of membership of 
all development councils from the regional, provincial, city, municipal and 
barangay levels shall be composed of women.   
 
 
SECTION 7. Humanitarian Principles Guiding Pandemic Programming 
and Management to Address Gender-Differentiated Needs of Women 
During the Pandemic. – Following the Inter-Agency Standing Committee 
(IASC) Guidelines for Integrating Gender-Based Violence Interventions in 
Humanitarian Action, and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) 
Minimum Standards for Prevention and Response to Gender-based Violence 
in Emergencies, the following principles shall ground, inform and guide the 
formulation and implementation of policies, plans, programs, and other 
appropriate measures, including affirmative actions, in managing the COVID-
19 pandemic: 
 
(a) A 
survivor-centered 
approach 
which 
creates 
a 
supportive 


environment in which survivors’ rights and wishes are respected, 
their safety is ensured, and they are treated with dignity and respect;  
(b) A human rights-based approach that seeks to analyze and address 
the root causes of discrimination and inequality to ensure that 
everyone has the right to live with freedom and dignity, safe from 
violence, exploitation and abuse, in accordance with principles of 
human rights law;  
(c) A community-based approach that ensures that affected populations 
are engaged actively as partners in developing strategies related to 
their protection 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) 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;  
(f) 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;  
(g) Taking into account the best interests of the child wherein child and 
adolescent girl and boy 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;  
(h) Focus should be given to the intersectionality of the circumstances 
of women, taking into account the specific needs and concerns of 
marginalized and vulnerable women groups including women and 
girls deprived of liberty, women working in the informal sector, 
women migrant workers, and other similarly situated at-risk 
individuals and groups; and 
(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. 
  
 
 
SECTION 8. Guarantee of non-discrimination. – This Act shall prohibit 
discrimination in all forms committed against women as provided under 
Republic Act No. 9710 or the “Magna Carta of Women” even, and especially, 
during the occurrence of a pandemic or any public health emergency. Those 
found guilty under this provision shall be meted out a penalty one degree 
higher than those penalties provided for discrimination under Republic Act 
No. 9710. The Revised Penal Code shall have suppletory application in setting 
the penalties.  


 
SECTION 9. Strengthening Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Preparedness 
and Response Systems. – GBV preparedness and response systems in the 
context of the COVID-19 pandemic and future pandemics shall be considered 
essential services and appropriate budgetary allotment from the emergency 
funding shall be ensured towards the formulation, reprogramming or 
continuity of said systems. Strict adherence to the following must be 
undertaken: 
 
(a) Women and the most vulnerable among them must be placed at the 
front and center of leadership and policy and decision-making 
positions 
in 
key 
processes 
in 
the 
formulation, 
planning, 
programming and implementation of prompt, effective and survivor-
centered measures to address issues of violence against women and 
girl-children during COVID-19; 
(b) GBV services, especially temporary shelters, psychosocial services, 
and 
legal 
aid, 
shall 
remain 
functional 
and 
accessible 
notwithstanding the occurrence of a public health emergency. Local 
Inter-agency Task Forces against COVID-19 shall ensure that GBV 
services are available to women staying in any detention, quarantine 
or isolation facilities where prolonged stay is required or necessary; 
(c) This process must be based on data and evidence and must integrate 
first responder systems to properly respond in the time of COVID-
19;  
(d) The State shall utilize a multisectoral/interdisciplinary, all-of-
government, and all-of-society approach wherein the State 
collaborates with non-state actors to achieve maximum efficiency 
and effectiveness; 
(e) The national government, through the Department of the Interior 
and Local Government (DILG), shall assume the key leadership role 
but shall also empower local authorities and local communities to 
address the pandemic, including provision of resources, support and 
incentives, 
and 
enabling 
decision-making 
authorities 
and 
responsibilities; 
(f) 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 
(DICT) 
and 
National 
Telecommunications 
Commission 
(NTC), 
for 
education 
and 
information dissemination on pandemic and emergency risks and 
access to social protection, safety nets, referral systems, protection 
measures and other appropriate measures in cases of GBV, which 
shall include 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 language, 
format, and relevant channels that are culturally appropriate shall 
be taken into consideration to ensure effective communication with 
individuals and communities; 


(g) The State must give premium to the aspect of preparedness and 
early information and communication campaigns about the 
pandemic or emergency towards and informed public to affect 
attitudes and behaviors and shall encourage private investments on 
these areas, more than on post-disaster response and recovery; 
(h) Effective and meaningful global partnership must be fostered and 
existing international cooperation strengthened. 
 
 
The DILG, in coordination with the local government units (LGUs), is 
mandated to ensure that the rights of women and services accorded them are 
to remain available and accessible in all stages of the emergency responses to 
a public health crisis.  
 
SECTION 10. Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) and 
Essential Services Package. – It shall be the duty of national and local 
authorities to prioritize specific health needs of all women and girls at the 
community level, including in countries of destination for women migrants, 
particularly access to sexual and reproductive health services including pre- 
and post-natal healthcare and post-partum psychiatric care, access to 
essential services as defined above and physical rehabilitation during 
pandemics and other public health concerns, emergencies and disasters. The 
preparedness and response systems must include, but not limited to: 
 
(a) Available staff, funds and other resources; 
(b) Unhampered mobility and available public and safe transportation; 
(c) Availability and continuity of reproductive health services and 
essential services packages for women and girls of all ages; 
(d) Knowledge and awareness of women of these available services; 
(e) Gender-sensitive support to frontline health workers on both facility 
and community level; 
(f) Additional financial, human, or logistical support to female health 
workers to offset the additional burden of household management; 
and 
(g) Systematic coordination and planning of addressing the gaps in 
accessing SRH services;  
(h) Adoption of a strategy to ensure access of pregnant women to ante 
and post-natal care including post-partum psychiatric care during 
lockdowns with corresponding precautions to protect them from 
risks of exposure such as, but not limited to, provision of maternal 
health information, provision of online check-ups, and updated 
referral hospitals and lying-in clinics during the lockdowns; 
(i) Provision to women deprived of liberty of sufficient and regular 
access to sexual and reproductive health information, services, and 
products inside the detention and correctional facilities; 
(j) Measures to protect pregnant women deprived of liberty and their 
unborn child as well as women who have just given birth and their 
newborn infant, such as but not limited to, house arrests, furloughs 
to attend to physical/medical checkups, release on recognizance, 
among others; and 


(k) Provision of reasonable accommodation to ensure women with 
disabilities’ access to SRHR services.  
 
The Department of Health and each Barangay Health Emergency Response 
Team are mandated to ensure that the specific health needs, especially sexual 
health and reproductive needs of women and girls are included in the 
implemented essential health packages, systems and protocols in their 
constituency, including universal health coverage, during pandemics, subject 
to other existing laws.  
 
 
SECTION 11. Gendered Approach to Vaccination. – The procurement, 
allocation, distribution, delivery, facilitation and administration of vaccines 
must be transparent and must take into account gender-based differences in 
immunological responses, care burden or work of women both paid and 
unpaid, security of women against gender-based violence and other forms of 
attacks and other factors that increase women’s vulnerability. Safe, 
efficacious and free vaccines or medications, including newly-approved ones 
for the current pandemic or health emergency, must be available and 
accessible to women, taking into account intersectional considerations that 
may impede such access and vulnerabilities of women that affect their right 
to life, health and security; Provided, That such access shall be in accordance 
with the priority and health protocols of the Philippines or relevant code of 
practice, and is rights-based, non-discriminatory, voluntary and based on 
informed consent. Information on vaccination and the scientific evidence 
behind it must be clear and effectively communicated. These gendered 
approaches must be integrated in legal, policy, and program implementation 
of vaccinations to address COVID-19 and other public health concerns, 
emergencies and disasters. 
 
In policy and decision-making affecting vaccine availability, quality and 
access, including prioritization and development of criteria, representation 
and participation of women must be guaranteed.  
 
SECTION 12. Social Protection. – It shall be the duty of national and local 
authorities such as the Department of Social Welfare and Development 
(DSWD), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), DILG and Civil 
Service Commission (CSC), in coordination with the various Local 
Government units, to target the most vulnerable and economically 
marginalized sectors of women, taking into account their various 
intersectionality, and ensure that social protection and safety nets are 
afforded to them, with emphasis on victims of gender-based violence. The 
measures shall include, but not limited to: 
 
(a) Empowering women through their access to   sustainable livelihood 
and/or employment as may be practicable, such as through the 
capacity-building and other services rendered by local Public 
Employment System Offices and work-from-home programming, 
and access to flexible financing and loans;  


(b) Ensuring the unimpeded provision of safety nets and cash-based 
interventions to poor elderly women, teenage mothers and other 
vulnerable and poor women;  
(c) Prioritizing 
gender, 
disability, 
age 
and 
other 
overlapping 
vulnerabilities in the assessments of needs and decisions on 
targeting; 
(d) Ensuring that women victims have adequate access to counseling 
and shelters that have access to adequate resources for the needs of 
women;  
(e) Providing women access to opportunities such as trainings and 
seminars pertinent to their capacity to sustain themselves; 
(f) Ensuring that work environments, including work-from-home 
arrangements, are VAW-free through continuous monitoring of the 
situations of vulnerable women and their protection, guaranteeing 
accountability of the perpetrators and holding of regular seminars to 
educate on VAW issues and standards especially during a pandemic, 
among others; 
(g) Ensuring effective and inclusive grievance and redress mechanisms 
embedded in social protection programming which are designed to 
be accessible and inclusive of girls, women, women and girls with 
disabilities, children, older people, and other at-risk individuals and 
groups; 
(h) Providing work-from-home setup for women subjected to violence in 
their workplaces until the perpetrator has been held accountable; 
and 
(i) Enforcing other laws and issuances which may be enacted by virtue 
of the existence of such public health emergency, which contain 
services and protection afforded to women, particularly on social 
protection.   
 
 
SECTION 13. Protection for Locally Stranded Individuals. – The DILG, in 
coordination with the LGUs and the respective designated barangays, shall 
ensure the safety and security of all displaced migrants or individuals and at-
risk individuals and groups due to the pandemic. This shall include an 
efficient mechanism for immediate delivery of food (in full respect for the 
individual’s dietary restrictions by reason of health or religion), shelter and 
medical supplies for women and children, including assisting mothers with 
breastfeeding, feed and care for their babies and other support. 
 
 
SECTION 14. Economic Empowerment. – The DOLE shall, in coordination 
with the local government units and offices, including the CSC and Public 
Employment Service Office (PESO), enact mechanisms and procedures to 
address the difficulties faced by women in the employment sector during the 
pandemic such as job loss, business closure and debt incurred by repatriated 
migrants. All measures shall tend to the continuous employment of women. 
These should include considerations regarding the workplace arrangements, 
marketplace and community supply chain, and the women working in the 
informal economy. For this purpose, said units and offices must be well-
equipped and capacitated to perform all measures necessary to address the 


livelihood and employment concerns of their constituents, with special 
attention to vulnerable women and the protection afforded to them under 
other laws. 
 
 
The DOLE is mandated to ensure that women are afforded flexible work 
arrangements during a public health emergency. They shall provide for rules 
and regulations for this purpose, taking into account the specific needs and 
concerns faced by women under such circumstances.  
 
The Department of Agriculture, Department of Tourism, Department of Trade 
and Industry (DTI), and Technical Education and Skills Development 
Authority and other relevant agencies shall also bolster entrepreneurship and 
provide adequate livelihood opportunities and skills development to women.  
 
 
SECTION 15. Protection of Rural Women and Indigenous Women. – The 
concerned local government unit shall ensure that women in rural and 
indigenous communities belonging to their jurisdiction have adequate and 
unimpeded access to health, legal, and socio-economic services. This 
guarantee for indigenous women must be undertaken with due respect to 
their indigenous health systems, practices and beliefs. They shall be 
furnished with the same, if not more, opportunities and facilities as those of 
their urban counterparts, as far as may be practicable.  
 
 
SECTION 16.  Utilization of Information and Communications 
Technology (ICT). –  This Act mandates the emphasis on the enhancement of 
the capacity of ICT systems to facilitate and aid the implementation of 
provisions under this Act. The DICT and NTC, in coordination with public 
utilities and telecommunication providers, shall provide assistance to ensure 
the accessibility of the services provided through the use of ICT system 
including, but not limited to, immediate assistance from the Philippine 
National Police (PNP), information dissemination through short message 
service, and other services. ICT assistance shall include strengthening ICT 
literacy and access to technology of women especially in poor communities 
and remote areas, reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities, 
such as provision of Filipino Sign Language, among others. 
 
SECTION 17. Protection for Women Migrant Workers and Their 
Children. – Inter-agency bodies such as the IATF-EID, Inter-Agency Council 
on Violence Against Women and Their Children (IACVAWC), Inter-Agency 
Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) and the Sub-Committee on International 
Migration and Development (SCIMD), as well as government agencies part of 
the One-Country Team approach in countries of destination such as the 
Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), DOLE, and DSWD are mandated to 
ensure that women migrant workers are given adequate resources and access 
to legal, medical, and social services in the receiving State, during transit and 
upon return, especially during repatriation. Relevant embassies and foreign 
affairs personnel must ensure the protection of women migrant workers and 
their children during pandemic and other emergencies. Coordination among 
these bodies is imperative, taking into account, but not limited to, the 


following:  
 
a) Responsibility to prevent and reduce GBV in migrant women and 
their children, including through international, regional, and 
bilateral cooperation;  
b) Development of consistent and coherent frameworks and protocols 
between the host country and country of origin for the expedited 
process of seeking redress by women subjected to violence;  
c) Global partnership and international cooperation such as through 
drafting agreements on the extension of stay permits of the women 
migrant workers and their children between the host country and 
the country of origin and through the relaxation of migrant workers’ 
requirements to access social services;  
d) Migrants and marginalized and other at-risk individuals or groups 
should be included in the public health strategies with due 
consultation with them;  
e) Grant of bilateral incentives between countries to encourage 
employers to renew contracts for existing workers in the host 
country;   
f) Labor, economic livelihood, and social protections for migrant; 
g) Freedom of movement;  
h) Non-discrimination; 
i) Access to Health, especially sexual and reproductive health rights 
services; 
j) Access to Justice; and 
k) Access to Social Protection and Social Services. 
 
 
SECTION 18. Specific Protective Measures for Women Migrant Workers 
and Their Children. – In relation to the preceding section, the following 
measures shall be undertaken, among other appropriate measures: 
 
a) During crisis preparation:   
1. Track information on conflicts and natural disasters and 
potential impact on migrants and their children; 
2. Collect and share information on women migrant workers and 
their children, subject to privacy, confidentiality, security, and 
safety of migrants; 
3. Maintain an updated registry of sex-disaggregated data of 
migrant workers and their children;  
4. Incorporate women migrant workers and their children in the 
prevention, preparedness, and emergency response systems 
and contingency planning; 
5. Communicate effectively with migrants;  
6. Establish coordination agreements beforehand; and 
7. Build capacity and learn lessons from emergency response 
and post-crisis action. 
b) During emergency response: 
1. Communicate widely with women migrant workers and their 
children on evolving crises and how to access help; 


2. Facilitate migrants' ability to move safely; 
3. Provide humanitarian assistance without discrimination; 
4. Establish clear referral procedures and systems; 
5. Relocate women migrant workers and their children, when 
needed; and 
6. Uphold the principles of non-refoulement and refugee and 
stateless protection.  
c) After the crisis:  
1. Address migrants' and their children’s immediate needs and 
support them to rebuild their lives;  
2. Ensure rehabilitation, integration and other interventions; 
and 
3. Support 
migrant 
women's 
and 
their 
children’s 
host 
communities. 
 
 
CHAPTER III 
COORDINATION MECHANISMS DURING PANDEMIC, DISASTERS, 
HEALTH EMERGENCIES, AND OTHER HEALTH EVENTS 
OF PUBLIC CONCERN 
 
SECTION 19. National Preparedness and Response Program to Address 
the Gender-Differentiated Needs of Women During the Pandemic. –  To 
ensure access to essential services including access to justice and remedial 
measures and to mitigate the impact of any public health concern, emergency 
or disaster on the economy, a coherent, appropriate, efficient, developmental, 
evidence-based and survivor-centered national program against GBV and 
addressing gender-differentiated needs of women especially from marginalized 
sectors must be developed to inform, direct and coordinate its implementation 
at all levels and to ensure accessibility, availability and quality of services at 
the community level. For this purpose, the National Disaster Risk Reduction 
and Management Council (NDRRMC) and PCW, in coordination with the IATF-
EID, shall come up with said national plan, to be cascaded to the local 
government units, and must be automatically integrated into the national 
strategy to manage the pandemic. This plan shall be subjected to review every 
two (2) years. It shall address GBV and gender-differentiated needs at all 
stages of the pandemic management, and anticipating pandemic related 
events and factors that might impede the functioning of legal, medical, social, 
remedial and other protection measures and mechanisms, to include, but not 
limited to:  
 
(a) Understanding the nature and risks of the COVID-19 pandemic to be 
able to address the specific barriers and obstacles faced by women 
during COVID-19 pandemic that manifest in GBV, taking into 
account intersecting vulnerabilities and the multiple burdens they 
experience, and addressing stigma and discriminatory practices, 
attitudes and behaviors resulting in GBV, and providing for their food 
and nutrition security as well as access to essential services and 
government social protection and safety nets; 


(b) Gathering, managing, and utilizing data concerning the risks and 
incidence of GBV to inform policies and programs to achieve gender 
inclusive responses and address gaps and lapses in ensuring access 
by women of protection mechanisms; 
(c) Providing prompt, accurate, disaggregated, accessible, up to date, 
comprehensible, science based, and transparent data on women; 
(d) Developing protocols and guidelines of conduct relating to the 
delivery of service to women in the context of COVID-19; 
(e) Strengthening protection from sexual exploitation and abuse through 
capacity building for service providers and governmental workers on 
early identification and mitigation of such risks as well as 
strengthening nationwide helplines and community-level referral 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 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 other vulnerable 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 pandemic;  
(j) Representation and participation of women in coordination and 
decision-making bodies; and 
(k) Carrying out other duties related to the national preparedness and 
response program and recovery activities for women.  
 
 
SECTION 20. Capacity-Building of the Local Government Units (LGUs). – 
The DILG, with the LGUs, shall be given the appropriate and sufficient 
funding by the national government to properly carry out the designated 
provisions under this Act. They shall be capacitated to be able to develop their 
pandemic preparedness protocols through a gender-differentiated localized 
response, taking into account the local contexts and concerns of the different 
women sectors in their area. This includes protocols and systems for 
assistance to gender-based violence, provisions for access to sexual and 
reproductive health needs, and ensuring availability of basic services for 
women through all phases of the national response regarding the public 
health emergency.  
 
The LGUs shall ensure that they have capable and trained personnel to 
provide the essential services package for women and are oriented about the 


policies, principles and procedure regarding gender equality, prohibition 
against gender-based violence, and gender sensitivity as well as those 
governing the management of the pandemic and other public health 
emergencies. They are also mandated to use data-gathering and data-
analytics to further improve and strengthen their services. They shall also 
provide an accessible feedback mechanism to further guide their practice. 
 
 
SECTION 21. Community Engagement. – Subject to COVID-19 protocols, 
the LGUs, in coordination with civil society organizations, non-government 
organizations, private sector and other stakeholders, shall conduct regular 
dialogues and information drives with the community to educate them on 
gender issues as a preventive measure to prevent gender-based violence and 
address gender-differentiated needs. Through this multi-sectoral mechanism, 
women can participate and put forth their specific needs for integration in the 
local government pandemic programming and management.  
 
 
CHAPTER IV 
FINAL PROVISIONS 
 
SECTION 22. Appropriations. – The amount needed for the initial 
implementation of this Act shall be taken from the current fiscal year’s 
appropriations for the Calamity Fund, Gender and Development (GAD) budget 
or special health funds of agencies and LGUs, and other appropriations 
available for the purpose. Thereafter, the amount necessary for the full 
implementation of this Act shall be included in the annual General 
Appropriations Act. 
 
SECTION 23. Penalties. – Any public officer, employee of an agency or any 
private individual mandated to implement this Act, who shall fail to perform 
in accordance with the mandates, duties, tasks and other acts imposed by 
this law shall be administratively liable for neglect in the performance of duty 
during the COVID-19, and other pandemics, emergencies and disasters. 
Should damage or injury be inflicted on any person by reason of such neglect, 
the aggrieved party can have recourse against the erring public officer, 
employee or private individual for appropriate legal remedies as the law may 
provide or afford, including criminal cases. In case of gender-based violence 
amounting to a crime or offense is committed by a public officer or employee 
while in the performance of any acts covered herein, penalties next higher in 
degree shall be imposed, including sexual harassment, especially in 
quarantine facilities, and against persons belonging to at risk individuals and 
those adversely affected by the pandemic. 
 
SECTION 24. Joint Congressional Oversight Committee. - There is hereby 
created a Joint Congressional Oversight Committee to monitor the 
implementation of this Act and to review the implementing rules and 
regulations promulgated. The Committee shall be composed of five (5) 
Senators and five (5) Representatives to be appointed by the Senate President 
and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, respectively. The Oversight 


Committee shall be co-chaired by the Chairpersons of the Senate Committee 
on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality and the House 
Committee on Women and Gender Equality. 
 
SECTION 25. Implementing Rules and Regulations. – Within sixty (60) 
days from the effectivity of this Act, the PCW, as lead agency shall, in 
coordination and consultation with the Commission on Human Rights (CHR), 
IATF-EID, DILG, DOH, Commission on Population and Development, DOLE, 
DSWD, Department of Foreign Affairs, National Economic and Development 
Authority, DTI, DICT, Department of Justice, PNP and other concerned 
government agencies, as well as civil society organizations, academe, private 
sector, public health practitioners and other key actors and stakeholders, 
promulgate rules and regulations to implement this Act. 
 
SECTION 26. Suppletory Applications. – The applicable provisions of the 
Revised Penal Code shall have suppletory application insofar as they are 
consistent with the provisions of this Act.  
 
 
SECTION 27. Separability Clause. – If any part or provision of this Act is 
declared invalid or unconstitutional, the other parts hereof not affected 
thereby shall remain valid.  
 
 
SECTION 28. Repealing Clause. – All laws, decrees, executive orders, 
issuances, rules and regulations, or parts thereof inconsistent with the 
provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.  
 
 
SECTION 29. Effectivity. – This Act shall take effect within fifteen (15) days 
after its publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general 
circulation. 
 
 
Approved,