NINETEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session
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SENATE
1980
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of 5 In* 
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23 MAR-7 P6 36
S.B. No.
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(In substitution of Senate Bill Nos. 375,1339 and 1838)
Submitted by the Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and 
Gender Equality joint with the Committees on Health and Demography; and 
Finance with Senators Hontiveros, Legarda, Revilla, Jr. and Go as authors.
AN ACT
TO ENSURE GENDER-RESPONSIVE AND INCLUSIVE PROTOCOLS AND 
PROGRAMMING TO ADDRESS THE GENDER-DIFFERENTIATED NEEDS OF 
WOMEN DURING EMERGENCIES INCLUDING PUBLIC HEALTH CONCERNS, 
PANDEMICS, AND NATURAL AND MAN-MADE DISASTERS
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled:
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ARTICLE I
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GENERAL PROVISIONS
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Section 1. Short Title. - This Act shail be known as the "Gender Responsive and
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Inclusive Emergency Management Act of 2023."
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Sec. 2. Declaration of Policy. - The State hereby affirms its role as the primary
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duty-bearer in ensuring the enjoyment and fulfillment of all human rights during
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natural and other disasters and emergencies, including a pandemic, especially the
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right to life, which permits no derogation even during emergencies, and the right to
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health, so that every individual shall enjoy the highest attainable level of health. It
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affirms its Constitutional duties to guarantee the equality of men and women to the
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enjoyment of their human rights, with focus on the differentiated needs of, and impact
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of emergencies on, women, prohibit discrimination, and create an enabling
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environment under the "new normal" that guarantees the human rights of women. It
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acknowledges its corresponding duties relating to women's rights to participation and
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representation, protection from gender-based violence during emergency situations,


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sexual, reproductive, and mental health, and economic empowerment of women. It
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adopts a zero-tolerance policy towards gender-based violence, abuse and exploitation,
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which is rooted in gender inequality and discrimination. The implementation of
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approaches and strategies relevant to disaster risk reduction, emergency management
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must integrate human rights and gendered lenses. It is fundamental that policies,
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plans, programs, actions, conduct and results are non-discriminatory and that no one
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is left behind.
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Towards ensuring gender equality, the State shall be guided by existing
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frameworks on gender-responsive planning and programming during emergencies and
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shall likewise establish mechanisms and processes to ensure the adoption,
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reprogramming and/or continuity of programs that serve and address the gender-
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differentiated needs of women during an emergency situation.
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Accordingly, the State shall:
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(a) Be the primary duty bearer to enforce the protection of human rights and
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guarantee the agency, participation, and leadership of women during
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emergencies from the point of prevention until recovery and while adapting
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to the new normal in society;
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(b) Establish policies and programs to prevent the spread of a "notifiable
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disease", to prepare prior to its actual impact, and to deliver treatment,
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care, support and other essential services to individuals affected in
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accordance with evidence-based strategies and approaches that uphold the
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principles of human rights, integrating gender analysis, and taking into
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account the intersectional considerations that differentiate impact on
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different groups, identities and sectors;
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(c) Institutionalize real, actual and meaningful participation of women, at-risk
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individuals and communities affected by an emergency, and those who are
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most vulnerable to violations of human rights during such situations in policy
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and decision-making and at every stage of the emergency management,
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especially in the formulation of general guidelines and resolutions governing
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the national management of an emergency as well as in its implementation;
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(d) Empower and collaborate with women and institutionalize their role to
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publicly lead, decide and promote gender responsive, equitable and


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universally accessible response, recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction 
approaches in all areas of concerns, including public health, during an 
emergency;
(e) Adopt a multi-sectoral and inter-disciplinary approach in the preparation, 
response, and recovery stages of the emergency response management by 
ensuring an all-of-society engagement and partnership involving the whole 
government, public health practitioners, technical experts, local 
communities, civil society organizations (CSOs), academe, private sector, 
youth councils, persons most vulnerable to the emergency situation and 
other relevant actors or stakeholders, with the State as the primary duty- 
bearer;
(f) Guarantee access of everyone to emergency-related and essential services, 
as well as sustained access to livelihood and other productive opportunities, 
with special focus on at-risk individuals and groups;
(g) Undertake appropriate actions to ensure the continuous and effective 
functioning of and access to concerned institutions, communication 
systems, referral systems, protection mechanisms, and other appropriate 
measures to address gender-based violence and give priority to access 
effective remedies, including reprogramming of 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 emergency situation are addressed and 
integrated in measures, actions, and conduct relating to the management 
of the emergency response by integrating intersectional analysis in the 
formulation of policies, plans, and programs, particularly in the area of 
security and law enforcement at all levels of government and particularly at 
the barangay level;
(i) Ensure access to prompt and substantive social protection and safety nets, 
taking into account the heightened insecurity and burden on the part of 
women and at-risk individuals, communities, and groups that might be 
hindered from access;


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


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


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(d) An "emergency" is an event or series of events that represents a critical 
threat, unless immediate and appropriate action is taken, to the health, 
safety, security, or wellbeing of a community or other large group of people, 
such as a pandemic, natural or man-made disasters, humanitarian conflict 
or a public health threat.
(e) "Essential services" covers health and social services, whether provided by 
a public or private undertaking, to ensure the security, safety and well-being 
of persons, inciuding but not limited to food, water, medicine, medical 
devices, public utilities, energy, access to justice, police, health and 
protection services, and social protection addressing the needs of women 
during emergency situations, as may be determined by the lATF or other 
relevant lead government agency or body under the law.
(f) "Frontline Workers" are those employees within essential industries who 
must physically show up to their jobs. It includes public and private health 
workers, such as but not limited to medical professionals, hospital and 
health facility administrative and maintenance staff, and aides from private 
health facilities, as well as their service providers, health workers and 
volunteers of the Philippine Red Cross and the World Health Organization, 
and employees of Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs), the Philippine 
Health Insurance Corporation (PHIC), health insurance providers, disaster 
risk reduction management officers, public safety officers, volunteers, and 
other workers in other high priority sectors; Provided, that the lATF shall 
determine the sectors by which its workers can be classified as frontline 
workers.
(g) "Gender-responsive" is the consistent and systematic attention given to the 
gendered differences among individuals in society with a view to addressing 
status quo and structural constraints to gender equality; this includes 
creating and sustaining an environment through site selection, staff 
selection, program development, content, processes and materials that 
reflects an understanding of the realities of women's lives and addresses 
their needs and issues.


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(h) "Gender-sensitive" generally refers to the use of language in a gender equal 
manner, this includes non-usage of language that overtly and/or 
intentionally discriminates and stereotypes that demeans a group based on 
gender.
(i) "Health event of public health concern" refers to either a public health 
emergency or a public health threat due to biological, chemical, radio- 
nuclear and environmental agents as defined under RA 11332.
(j) "Intersectionality" is a framework for understanding that people experience 
overlapping (i.e., intersecting) forms of oppression, discrimination and 
marginalization based on their co-existing identities (e.g., inequality based 
on both gender and ethnicity).
(k) "Locally Stranded Individual" refers to foreign nationals or Filipino citizens 
in a specific locality within the Philippines who have expressed intention to 
return to their place of residence or home origin.
(l) "Marginalization" refers to a condition where a whole category of people is 
excluded from useful and meaningful participation in political, economic, 
social, and cultural life.
(m) 
"Mental Health Condition - refers to a neurologic or psychiatric condition 
characterized by the existence of a recognizable, clinically-significant 
disturbance in an individual's cognition, emotional regulation, or behavioral 
that reflects a genetic or acquired dysfunction in the neurological, 
psychosocial, or developmental process underlying mental functioning. The 
determination of neurologic and psychiatric conditions shall be based on 
scientifically-accepted medical nomenclature and best available scientific 
and medical evidence;
(n) "Migrant Workers" refers to Filipinos who are to be engaged, are engaged, 
or have been engaged in a remunerated activity in a State of which they 
are not legal residents, whether documented or undocumented.
(o) Mitigation refers to reducing the risk of exposure to GBV (e.g., ensuring that 
reports of "hot spots" are immediately addressed through risk-reduction 
strategies).


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(p) "Nondiscrimination" 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.
(q) "Pandemic" is defined under this Act as an epidemic occurring worldwide, 
or over a very wide area, crossing international boundaries, and usually 
affecting a large number of people as declared by the World Health 
Organization. The term also contemplates other public health emergencies 
as defined under RA No. 11332 and as declared by the Department of 
Health.
(r) "Preparedness" refers to efforts that focus on ensuring adequate capacity 
and knowledge, while reinforcing the ability to anticipate, respond and 
recover from the impact of emergency situations. Essential services to 
address gender-differentiated needs shall be included in these efforts.
(s) "Prevention" generally refers to taking action to stop gender-based violence 
(GBV) from first occurring (e.g., scaling up activities that promote gender 
equality or working with communities to address practices that contribute 
to GBV).
(t) "Recovery" is the process following relief and supports the transition into 
long- term reconstruction and development. Recovery actions are most 
effective if anticipated and facilitated from the very outset of a humanitarian 
response. It involves the restoration and improvement of facilities, 
livelihoods and living conditions of crisis-affected communities, including 
efforts to reduce risks brought on by the crisis. Essential services to address 
gender-differentiated needs shall be made available during this period.
(u) "Response" refers to an emergency response involves the provision of 
emergency services and public assistance during or immediately after a 
humanitarian crisis to save lives, reduce health impacts, ensure public safety 
and protection, and meet the basic needs of women, girls, boys and men in 
the affected population. This stage can range from a few days or weeks to


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many months and even years, particularly in protracted insecurity and
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displacement contexts. For the purposes of this Act, response shall be
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undertaken upon the declaration of the Department of Health of a public
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health emergency. Essential services to address gender-differentiated needs
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shall be made available during this period.
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(v) "Social Protection Floors" refers to nationally defined sets of basic social
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security guarantees that should ensure, as a minimum that, over the life
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cycle, all in need have access to essential health care and to basic income
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security which together secure effective access to goods and services
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defined as necessary at the national level; which include among others:
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access to essential health care, including maternity care; basic income
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security for children, providing access to nutrition, education, care and any
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other necessary goods and services; basic income security for persons in
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active age who are unable to earn sufficient income, in particular in cases
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of sickness, unemployment, maternity and disability; basic income security
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for older persons.
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(w) "Social Safety Nets" refer to noncontributory interventions designed to
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help individuals and households cope with chronic poverty, destitution, and
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vulnerability, such 
as unconditional and conditional 
cash transfers,
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noncontributory social pensions, food and in-kind transfers, school feeding
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programs, public works, and fee waivers. These programs target the 
poor
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and vulnerable.
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(x) "Stigma" refers to a set of negative and often unfair beliefs that a society
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or group of people have about something such as in the context of women.
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(y) "Violence Against Women" refers to any act of gender-based violence that
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results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual, or psychological harm or
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suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion, or arbitrary
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deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life.
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Sec. 5. Humanitarian Principies Guiding Emergency Programming and
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Management to Address Gender-Differentiated Needs of Women Inciuding At-risk
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Individuais and Groups During Emergencies. - The following principles shall ground,
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inform, and guide the formulation and implementation of policies, plans, programs.


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and other appropriate measures, including affirmative actions, in managing
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emergencies:
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(a) A survivor-centered approach which creates a supportive environment in
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which survivors' rights and wishes are respected, their safety is ensured,
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and they are treated with dignity and respect.
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(b) A human rights-based approach that seeks to analyze and address the root
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causes of discrimination and inequality to ensure that everyone has the right
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to live with freedom and dignity, safe from violence, exploitation and abuse,
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in accordance with principles of human rights law.
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(c) A community-based approach that ensures that affected populations are
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engaged actively as partners in developing strategies related to their
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protection and the provision of humanitarian assistance. This approach
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involves direct involvement of women, girls and other at-risk groups at all
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stages in the 
humanitarian response, to identify protection risks and
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solutions, and build on existing community-based protection mechanisms.
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(d)The humanitarian principles of humanity, impartiality, independence and
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neutrality which should underpin the implementation of the Minimum
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Standards and are essential to maintaining access to affected populations
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and ensuring an effective humanitarian response.
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{e)An equity approach that prioritizes the allocation of interventions and
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support that considers the intersectionality of women's circumstances that
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are affected disproportionately because of the multiple disadvantaged
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identities they possess (e.g. indigenous and poor woman).
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(f) The "do no harm" approach which takes into account all measures
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necessary to avoid exposing people to further harm as a result of the actions
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of humanitarian actors.
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(g)The Principles of Partnership which comprise a framework for all actors in
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the humanitarian space to follow principles of equality, transparency, a
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results-oriented approach, responsibility and complementarity.
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(h)Taking into account the best interests of the child wherein child and
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adolescent girl survivors of sexual abuse have the right to have their best
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interests assessed and determined and taken as a primary consideration in
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all decisions that affect them.
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(i) Rights-based policing wherein human rights principles and practices are
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taught and applied at all levels, in policy, doctrinal, operational and
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administrative functions of the police organization.
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Sec. 6. Interpretation of this Act. - Unless otherwise provided, nothing in this
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Act shall be construed as precluding provisions in existing Philippine laws, international
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human rights laws and related instruments, and international humanitarian laws that
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are more promotive of human rights and the preservation and protection of the right
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to life.
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ARTICLE II
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CREATION OF NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE PLAN TO
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ADDRESS THE GENDER-DIFFERENTIATED NEEDS OF WOMEN DURING AN
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EMERGENCY
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Sec. 7. National Preparedness and Response Plan to Address the Gender-
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differentiated Needs of Women during an Emergency. - A coherent, appropriate,
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efficient, developmental, evidence-based and survivor-centered national program
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against GBV and addressing gender-differentiated needs of women especially from
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marginalized sectors shall be developed to inform, direct and coordinate its
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implementation at all levels and to ensure accessibility, availability and quality of
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services at the community level.
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For this purpose, a Task Force, to be co-headed by the National Disaster Risk
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Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), the Philippine Commission on Women
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(PCW), in coordination with the lATF, Climate Change Commission, and Department
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of the Interior and Local Government, Department of Health, Department of Social
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Welfare and Development, and Department of Education, shall come up with said
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National Plan within six (6) months from passage of this Act, to be cascaded to the
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local government units where local counterparts may be established, and must be
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automatically integrated into the national strategy to manage the emergency. This
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plan shall be subjected to review and improvement every two (2) years. It shall
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address GBV and gender-differentiated needs at all stages of emergency
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management, and anticipating emergency-related events and factors that might
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impede the functioning of legal, medical, social, remedial and other protection
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measures and mechanisms, to include, but not limited to:
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(a) Reviewing lessons based on the responsiveness, preparedness, and impact
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of previous interventions from the COVID-19 pandemic to address the
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specific barriers and institutional obstacles faced by women including at-risk
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individuals and groups during emergencies that result in GBV, lack of access
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to sexual, reproductive, and mental health services, and discontinued
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education, taking into account intersecting vulnerabilities and the multiple
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burdens they experience, and addressing stigma and discriminatory
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practices, attitudes, and behaviors resulting in GBV;
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(b) Gathering, managing, and utilizing data concerning the risks and incidence
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of online and offline GBV, limited access to sexual, reproductive, and mental
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health services, and discontinued education to inform policies and programs
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to achieve gender inclusive responses and address gaps and lapses;
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(c) Providing prompt, accurate, disaggregated data by age, gender, ethnicity,
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and special needs, accessible, up-to-date, comprehensible, science-based,
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and transparent data on women during emergencies;
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(d) Developing protocols and guidelines of conduct relating to the delivery of
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service to women in the context of emergencies, providing access to
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essential services and government social protection and safety nets,
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including water, hygiene and sanitation (WASH), food and nutrition security;
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(e) Providing capacity-building for service providers, such as but not limited to
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frontline workers, volunteers, and governmental workers, on early
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identification and mitigation by building on their gendered analyses skills,
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strengthening nationwide helplines, and community-level referral
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mechanisms to ensure they are functional to prevent and respond to cases
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including chain management and service provision plans for these services
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to stay open during the outbreak;
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(f) Providing a clear channel of communication with GBV service providers and
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actors as well as women's organizations, GBV and Sexual and Reproductive
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Health watch groups, and local GBV service providers and survivor-centered
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referral systems through the utilization of technology;
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(g) Assisting in the planning of national, local and community units by
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developing, identifying, and sharing best practices;
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(h) Providing technical assistance, training, and consultation to improve
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preparedness and response capabilities, with focus on the needs of women
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and at-risk individuals and groups, including to support the achievement of
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evidence-based benchmarks and objective standards to monitor, assess and
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measure levels of preparedness, response and recovery;
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(i) Improving systems of public, private, and civil society collaboration and
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partnership to formulate, and address gaps and inefficiencies in the policies,
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plans, and programs to address GBV during emergencies, including systems
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of global cooperation; and
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(j) Carrying out other duties related to preparedness, response, and recovery
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activities for women, as the Task Force may deem appropriate.
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ARTICLE III
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GENERAL DUTIES OF NATIONAL GOVERNMENT AGENCIES AND
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LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS
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Sec. 8. Duties of National Government Agencies and Local Government Units. -
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Every department, agency and local government unit must come up with a gender-
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responsive emergency preparedness plan, manual or protocol for women in
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emergencies within sixty (60) days from receipt of the national plan and appoint one
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focal person to supervise and oversee the implementation of said plan, manual or
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protocol. The preparedness plan should outline the entity's plans to, where relevant:
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1) Monitor and gather data through the meaningful participation of women, including
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at-risk individuals and groups, regarding the realities of women relating to gender-
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based violence and access to education and mental, sexual, and reproductive
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health services in the context of an emergency that would inform, craft and direct
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policies to be implemented by the agency in all the stages of emergency
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management;
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2) Effectively prevent GBV by, but not limited to providing information about gender-
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based violence and ensuring access to safe and accessible reporting mechanisms
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notwithstanding curfews and quarantine restrictions, respond by, but not limited
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to ensuring grievance and justice mechanisms for victims, and eliminate the
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incidence of gender-based violence;
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3) Consistent with the National Plan, develop and craft guidelines and instructions on
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practices, protocols, systems of coordination and networking, information and
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education of first responders, especially during the response and early recovery
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stage, safety and personal protection of workers, and needs of women, girls and
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at-risk individuals, groups and communities, and ensure its timeliness,
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responsiveness, gender-sensitivity, availability, and accessibility;
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4) Develop and craft guidelines and protocols for alternative work arrangements that
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take into account the gender-differentiated needs of female employees of the
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agency;
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5) Ensure that communications systems, referral systems, protection mechanisms,
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and other measures on access to justice and effective remedies by women subject
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to gender-based violence are in place and have a contingency plan in case of
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barriers caused by an emergency to ensure operation during the period;
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6) Where applicable, provide immediate haven, shelter and security, resources and
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support to women, especially to those from the at-risk individuals and groups
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category, subject to violence;
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7) Enable sufficient and effective regulatory authority to respond and to prevent the
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incidence of gender-based violence during an emergency, including but not limited
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to the relaxation of regulatory requirements that impede the delivery of services
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or its compliance during an emergency, emergency procurement and provision of
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emergency funds for these purposes.
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Concerned agencies may also be mandated to update such plans, manuals or
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protocols within a given timeframe after the issuance of the National Plan.
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Sec. 9. General duties of local government units. - In addition to the duties
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under the preceding Section, local government units shall develop their emergency
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preparedness protocols through a gender-differentiated localized response, taking into
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account the local contexts, cultural and religious norms of the local populace, and
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concerns of the different women sectors in their area. This includes protocols and
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systems for assistance to gender-based violence, provisions for access to sexual and
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reproductive health needs, and ensuring availability of basic services for women
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through all phases of the national response regarding the public health emergency.
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The Local Government Units shall ensure that they have capable and trained
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personnel to provide the essential services package for women and are oriented about
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the policies, principles and procedure regarding gender equality, prohibition against
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gender-based violence, and gender sensitivity as well as those governing the
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management of an emergency. They are also mandated to use data-gathering, risk
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assessment analyses, and data-analytics to further improve and strengthen their
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services. They shall also develop a review mechanism by ensuring accessible feedback
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structures to further guide all phases of their emergency interventions.
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Subject to health protocols, the Local Government Units, in coordination with
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civil society organizations, non-government organizations, youth councils, private
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sector, and other stakeholders, shall conduct regular dialogues and information drives
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with the community to educate them on gender issues as a preventive measure to
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prevent gender-based violence and address gender-differentiated needs. Through this
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multi-sectoral mechanism, women can participate and put forth their specific needs
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for integration in the local government emergency programming and management.
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ARTICLE IV
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PROGRAMMING AND MANAGEMENT TO ADDRESS GENDER-
20 
DIFFERENTIATED NEEDS OF WOMEN DURING AN EMERGENCY
21 
Sec. 10. Leadership, Participation and Empowerment of Women. - Response
22 
and recovery systems must ensure that women are placed strategically and participate
23 
meaningfully in leadership, decision-making, and policy-making positions at all levels.
24 
In accordance with this, the lATF shall have the Philippine Commission on Women
25 
(PCW) as permanent member. Forty percent (40%) of membership of all development
26 
or counterpart response council or bodies from the regional, provincial, city, municipal
27 
and barangay levels shall be composed of women.
28 
In the formulation, planning, programming and implementation of prompt,
29 
effective and survivor-centered measures, the most senior leadership position shall
30 
be held by a woman to address issues affecting women and at-risk individuals and
31 
groups.
15


1 
Sec. 11. Guarantee of non-discrimination. - This Act shall prohibit discrimination
2 
in all forms committed against women as provided under the Magna Carta of Women
3 
during the occurrence of an emergency.
4 
Sec. 12. Strengthening GBV Preparedness and Response Systems. - GBV
5 
preparedness and response systems during an emergency shall be considered
6 
essential services and appropriate budgetary allotment from the emergency funding
7 
shall be ensured towards the formulation, reprogramming or continuity of said
8 
systems. Services to respond to GBV shall remain uninterrupted and functional, even
9 
during quarantines and lockdowns. In particular:
10 
a) GBV services, especially temporary shelters that must be safe and secure,
11 
psychosocial services, and legal aid, shall remain functional, accessible, and
12 
compliant with public health protocols notwithstanding the occurrence of a
13 
public health emergency. All government units, desks and offices involved in
14 
the GBV referral pathways, including hotlines, social protection, and community
15 
care services, must also be fully operational to enable timely reporting and
16 
response to GBV;
17 
b) Mechanisms under Republic Act No. 9262 for the processing and issuance of
18 
Barangay Protection Orders (BPO), Temporary Protection Orders (TPO) and
19 
Permanent Protection Orders (PPO) shall remain operative and the
20 
reglementary periods under the law shall be maintained;
21 
c) GBV services, which must include but is not limited to a help desk, are to be
22 
made available to women and girls staying in any detention, quarantine,
23 
evacuation, or isolation facilities where a prolonged stay is required or
24 
necessary; Provided that) all personnel and decision-makers involved in camp
25 
coordination and camp management, such as in evacuation sites, transitory
26 
shelters and community-based/ home-based arrangements shall be capacitated
27 
to receive GBV-related complaints and provide GBV-related services;
28 
d) All duty-bearers required under Republic Act No. 11313 to establish
29 
mechanisms to receive and investigate complaints for violations of the Act must
30 
ensure that such mechanisms are functional and effective;
31 
e) Communication systems, with emphasis on localized communication down to
32 
the level of barangays, must be established in coordination with the
16


1 
Department of Information and Communications Technology and National
2 
Telecommunications Commission, for education and information dissemination
3 
on GBV, promotion of gender equality at home and outside, emergency risks,
4 
access to social protection, psychosocial services, safety nets, referral systems,
5 
protection measures and other appropriate measures in cases of GBV, which
6 
shall be disseminated through online means and traditional modes of
7 
communication to reach women living in remote areas or areas with limited
8 
access such as newspaper, pamphlets, and radio. Provided, that, relevant and
9 
gender-fair language, format, and relevant channels that are culturally- and
10 
age-appropriate shall be taken into consideration to ensure effective
11 
communication with individuals and communities.
12 
f) Review systems must be emplaced or strengthened, if they already exist, to
13 
monitor the effectiveness of GBV-related initiatives in events of public health
14 
concerns, emergencies, and disasters.
15 
Sec. 13. Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) Rights and Essential Services
16 
Package. - It shall be the duty of the national and local authorities to prioritize specific
17 
health needs of all women, including at-risk individuals and groups, at the community
18 
level, including in countries of destination for women migrants, particularly access to
19 
sexual and reproductive health services, including pre- and post-natal healthcare,
20 
access to essential services as defined above and physical rehabilitation during an
21 
emergency. The preparedness and response systems must include, but not limited to:
22 
(a) Available staff, funds and other resources;
23 
(b) Unhampered mobility and available public and safe transportation;
24 
(c) Availability and continuity of sexual and reproductive health commodities,
25 
goods, and essential services or relief packages and hygiene kits that must
26 
include emergency contraception and sanitary pads for women and girls of
27 
all ages;
28 
(d) Communication systems utilized to disseminate gender-sensitive
29 
information about SRH to enable women, youth, and communities to
30 
become aware of these available services and goods to reduce unsafe and
31 
unhealthy sexual practices;
17


1 
(e) Gender-sensitive support to frontline health workers on both facility and
2 
community level;
3 
(f) Additional financial, human, or logistical support to female health workers
4 
to offset the additional burden of household management; and
5 
(g) Systematic coordination and planning of addressing the gaps in accessing
6 
SRH services based on data gathered with the involvement of women,
7 
including at-risk individuals and groups;
8 
(h) Adoption of a strategy to ensure continuity and availability of ante and post-
9 
natal care and services during lockdowns as well as prompt access of
10 
pregnant women to the same, with corresponding precautions 
to protect
11 
them from risks of exposure such as, 
but not limited 
to, provision 
of
12 
maternal health information, provision of online check-ups, and updated
13 
referral hospitals and lying-in clinics during the lockdowns;
14 
(i) Provision of SRH services to WDL and GCICL of sufficient and regular access
15 
to SRH information, services, and products inside the detention and
16 
correctional facilities; Provided that, pregnant WDLs or those who have just
17 
given birth shall be allowed benefits including, but not limited to, house
18 
arrests, furloughs to attend to physical/medical checkups, release on
19 
recognizance, among others;
20 
(j) Provision of a reasonable accommodation to women with disabilities,
21 
including but not limited to access to sign language interpreters and large
22 
printouts;
23 
(k) Provision of SRH services to internally displaced women and girls in home-
24 
based arrangements or in evacuation sites/transitory shelters; and
25 
(I) Provision of SRH services to indigenous and religious groups to consider
26 
cultural and religious sensitivities, which can include having a female and/or
27 
indigenous person to provide SRH services, if practically possible,
28 
The Department of Health and each Barangay Health Emergency Response
29 
Team are mandated to ensure that the specific health needs, especially sexual health
30 
and reproductive needs, women and girls are included in the implemented essential
31 
health packages, systems and protocols in their constituency, including universal
32 
health coverage, during emergencies, subject to other existing laws.
18


2 
Sec. 14. Ensuring Mental Health and Psycho-social support (MHPSS). - It shall be the
3 
duty of the national and local authorities to prioritize the allocation of MHPSS to
4 
emergency victims most at-risk (e.g. women in the at-risk individuals and groups
5 
classification). The MHPSS systems shall include, but not be limited to:
6
7 
(a)Available staff, funds, and other resources;
8 
(b) Creation of a strategy that establishes a structure for emergency-sensitive
9 
individual and community programs and/or sessions to improve the mental
10 
and psychosocial well-being of individuals; this strategy must consider the
11 
potential obstacles in supplying MHPSS in times of emergency to ensure that
12 
at least women at-risk have sufficient access to its services;
13 
(c) Availability and continuity of mental health services, which can include but
14 
are not limited to: clinical services and individual and/or community wellness
15 
and MHPSS programs;
16 
(d)Communication systems must inform individuals of the available MHPSS to
17 
guarantee the awareness of how citizens can avail of these services;
18 
(e)Provision of MHPSS services to WDL and GCICL of access to mental health
19 
information, services, and products inside the detention and correctional
20 
facilities;
21 
(f)Provision of reasonable and accessible accommodation 
to women with
22 
disabilities,
23 
(g) Provision of MHPSS services to internally displaced women and girls in
24 
home-based arrangements or in evacuation sites/transitory shelters; 
and
25 
(h) Provision of MHPSS services to indigenous and religious groups that
26 
consider cultural and religious sensitivities, which can include using culturally
27 
and religiously-sensitive language, and having a female and/or indigenous
28 
person to provide mental health services, if practically possible.
29 
The Department of Health and each Barangay Health Emergency Response
30 
Team are mandated to ensure that the mental and psychosocial health needs of
31 
emergency victims, especially women at-risk, are included in their strategy and
32 
implementation of MHPSS services during emergencies.
19


1 
Sec. 15. Strengthening education systems' responsiveness. - Education
2 
systems' adaptability in the event of a public health emergency or disaster must be
3 
accounted for to ensure the continuation of education for all learners, bearing in mind
4 
the vulnerabilities of girl learners. It shall be the duty of national and local authorities
5 
to identify the barriers to education of women and girls including those at-risk, at the
6 
community level and provide interventions, during emergencies. The preparedness
7 
and response systems must include, but not limited to:
8 
(a) Available staff, funds and other resources;
9 
(b) Adoption of a strategy, which considers the possible obstacles and issues
10 
caused by the public health emergency or disaster, that ensures the continuity
11 
and accessibility of education for women, prioritizing those from the at-risk
12 
category, and ensures that staff have sufficient resources and knowledge to
13 
execute the strategy;
14 
(c) Awareness of parents, women, and children of the alternative mode of
15 
education through information sent online and offline such 
as newspapers,
16 
pamphlets, radio, and in-person announcements, if health or disaster protocols
17 
permit;
18 
(d) Promotion of gender equality at home through using communication
19 
systems that include both offline and online means, which can include but is
20 
not limited to encouraging co-sharing of the household's task, to ensure women
21 
and girls have more resources to continue their education;
22 
(d) Provision of reasonable accommodation to ensure women and girls with
23 
disabilities receive an accessible form of education.
24 
The Department of Education, Technical Education and Skills Development
25 
Authority, Commission on Higher Education, and Local Government Units, in
26 
coordination with the Department of Information and Communications Technology,
27 
are mandated to address the specific needs of women and girls, as practically feasible,
28 
in the implemented alternative mode of education strategy.
29 
Sec. 16. Gendered Approach to Vaccination. - The procurement, allocation,
30 
distribution, delivery, facilitation and administration of vaccines must be transparent
31 
and must take into account gender-based differences in immunological responses,
32 
care burden or work of women both paid and unpaid, security of women against
20


1 
gender-based violence and other forms of attacks and other factors that increase
2 
women's vulnerability. Safe, efficacious and free vaccines or medications, including
3 
newly-approved ones for the current pandemic or health emergency, must be available
4 
and accessible to women, taking into account intersectional considerations that may
5 
impede such access and vulnerabilities of women that affect their right to life, health
6 
and security; provided that such access shall be in accordance with the priority and
7 
health protocols of the Philippines or relevant COD, and is rights-based, non-
8 
discriminatory, voluntary and based on informed consent. Information on vaccination
9 
and the scientific evidence behind it must be clear and effectively communicated. This
10 
gendered approach must be integrated in legal, policy and program implementation
11 
of vaccinations to address COVID 19 and other public health concerns, emergencies
12 
and disasters.
13 
Sec. 17. Social Protection and Livelihood. - It shall be the duty of national and
14 
local authorities such as the Department of Social Welfare and Development,
15 
Department of Labor and Employment, Department of the Interior and Local
16 
Government, the Civil Service Commission, in coordination with the various Local
17 
Government units, including the Public Employment Systems Offices, to address the
18 
difficulties of the most vulnerable and economically marginalized sectors of women
19 
and ensure their services are agile and beneficial to them, with emphasis on victims
20 
of gender-based violence. The measures shall provide long-term social protection
21 
which include, but not limited to:
22 
(a) Empowering women through their access to sustainable livelihood and/or
23 
employment as may be practicable, such as through the capacity-building
24 
and other services rendered by local Public Employment System Offices,
25 
work-from-home programming, collaborations with the private sector,
26 
providing economic empowerment programs to help women gain the skills
27 
needed for the job market in collaboration with the Department of
28 
Agriculture, Department of Tourism, Department of Trade and Industry, and
29 
Technical Education and Skills Development Authority and other relevant
30 
agencies, and access to flexible financing and loans,
31 
(b) Ensuring the unimpeded provision of safety nets and cash-based
32 
interventions to vulnerable and poor women, and solo parents;
21


1 
(c) Prioritizing gender alongside disability, age, and other overlapping
2 
vulnerabilities in the assessments of needs and decisions on targeting and
3 
delivery of programs;
4 
(d) Ensuring that women victims have adequate access to psychosocial services
5 
and shelters that have adequate resources for the needs of women,
6 
particularly health and social workforce; solo, young and 4Ps mothers;
7 
(e) Ensuring that work environments, including work-from-home arrangements,
8 
are VAW-free through continuous monitoring of the situations of vulnerable
9 
women and their protection, guaranteeing accountability of the perpetrators
10 
and holding of regular seminars to educate on VAW issues and standards
11 
especially during an emergency, among others;
12 
(f) Providing flexible work arrangements during a public health emergency. The
13 
Department of Labor and Employment and the Civil Service Commission are
14 
mandated to ensure this and provide rules and regulations for this purpose,
15 
taking into account the specific needs and concerns faced by women under
16 
such circumstances.
17 
(g) Providing work-from-home setup for women subjected to violence in their
18 
workplaces until the perpetrator has been held accountable;
19 
(h) Ensuring effective and inclusive grievance redressal mechanisms embedded
20 
in social protection programming which are designed to be accessible and
21 
inclusive of girls, women, persons with disabilities, children, older people,
22 
and other at-risk individuals and groups;
23 
(i) Enforcing other laws and issuances which may be enacted by virtue of the
24 
existence of such public health emergency or disaster, which contain services
25 
and protection afforded to women, particularly on social protection.
26 
Sec. 18. Protection for Locally Stranded Individuals. - The Department of the
27 
Interior and Local Government, in coordination with Local Government Units and the
28 
respective designated barangays, shall ensure the safety and security of all displaced
29 
women migrants or at-risk individuals and groups due to the emergency. This shall
30 
include an efficient mechanism for immediate delivery of food (in full respect for the
31 
individual's dietary restrictions by reason of health or religion), access to necessary
32 
drugs and medical care for persons living with HIV/AIDS, shelter and medical supplies
22


1 
for women and children, including assisting mothers with breastfeeding, feed and care
2 
for their babies, protection against GBV, and other support.
3 
Sec. 19. Protection of Rural Women and Indigenous Women. -The concerned
4 
local government unit shall ensure that women in rural and indigenous communities
5 
belonging to their jurisdiction have adequate and unimpeded access to health, legal,
6 
and socio-economic services. This guarantee for indigenous women must be
7 
undertaken with due respect to their indigenous health systems, practices, and beliefs.
8 
They shall be furnished with the same, if not more, opportunities and facilities as those
9 
of their urban counterparts such as mobile clinics and service providers, as far as may
10 
be practicable.
11 
Sec. 20. Utilization of Information and Communications Technology (ICT). -
12 
This Act mandates the emphasis on the enhancement of the capacity of ICT systems
13 
to facilitate and aid the implementation of provisions under this Act. The Department
14 
of Information and Communications Technology and the National Telecommunications
15 
Commission, in coordination with public utilities and telecommunication providers,
16 
shall develop efficient and effective management information systems on GBV and
17 
other sexual exploitations, and other gender and inclusion issues, provide assistance
18 
to relevant agencies and civil society organizations, provide assistance to ensure the
19 
accessibility of the services provided through the use of ICT system including, but not
20 
limited to, immediate assistance from the Philippine National Police, information
21 
dissemination through short message service, and other services. ICT assistance shall
22 
include improving access and strengthening ICT literacy of women especially in poor
23 
communities and remote areas, reasonable accommodation for persons with
24 
disabilities, such as provision of Filipino Sign Language, among others.
25 
Sec. 21. Protection for Women Migrant Workers and their Children -
26 
Interagency bodies such as the lATF, Inter-Agency Council on Violence Against
27 
Women and Their Children (lACVAWC), Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking
28 
(lACAT) and the Sub-Committee on International Migration and Development
29 
(SCIMD), as well as government agencies including the Department of Migrant
30 
Workers and those part of the OCTA (one-country team approach in countries of
31 
destination) such as the Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Labor and
32 
Employment, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, and Department of Social
23


1 
Welfare and Development are mandated to ensure that migrant workers are given
2 
adequate resources and access to legal, medical, and social services in the receiving
3 
State, during transit and upon return, especially during repatriation. Relevant
4 
embassies and foreign affairs personnel must ensure the protection of women migrant
5 
workers and their children during an emergency. Coordination among these bodies is
6 
imperative, considering but not limited to the following:
7 
a) Responsibility to prevent and reduce GBV in women migrants and their
8 
children, including through international, regional, 
and 
bilateral
9 
cooperation;
10 
b) Development of consistent, gendered, and coherent frameworks and
11 
protocols between the host country and country of origin for the expedited
12 
process of seeking redress by women subjected to violence;
13 
c) Global partnership and international cooperation such as through drafting
14 
agreements on the extension of stay permits of migrant workers and their
15 
children between the host country and the country of origin and through
16 
the relaxation of migrant workers' requirements to access social services;
17 
d) Migrants and marginalized and other at-risk individuals or groups should be
18 
included in the public health strategies with due consultation with them;
19 
e) Grant of bilateral incentives between countries to encourage employers to
20 
renew contracts for existing workers in the host country;
21 
f) Implement measures to increase migrant women's awareness on how to
22 
access and utilize services provided by gender focal point officers;
23 
g) Labor, economic livelihood, and social protections for migrant;
24 
h) Freedom of movement;
25 
i) Non-discrimination;
26 
j) Access to Health, especially sexual and reproductive health rights services;
27 
k) Access to Justice; and
28 
I) Access to Social Protection and Social Services.
29 
Sec. 22. Specific protective measures for Women Migrant Workers and their
30 
Children, including victims of Anti Trafficking in Persons. - In relation to the preceding
31 
section, the following measures shall be undertaken, among other appropriate
32 
measures:
24


1 
a) During crisis preparation:
2 
1. Track information on conflicts and natural and climate-induced
3 
disasters and potential impact on migrants and their children;
4 
2. Orient and sensitize male responders and decision-makers on
5 
gender-responsive emergency management policies;
6 
3. Collect and share information on women migrant workers and their
7 
children, subject to privacy, confidentiality, 
security, and safety of
8 
migrants;
9 
4. Incorporate women migrant workers and their children in the
10 
prevention, preparedness, and 
emergency response systems and
11 
contingency planning;
12 
5. Communicate effectively with migrants;
13 
6. Establish coordination agreements beforehand; and
14 
7. Build capacity and learn lessons from emergency response and post-
15 
crisis action.
16 
b) During emergency response:
17 
1. Communicate widely with women migrant workers and their children
18 
on evolving crises and how to access help;
19 
2. Facilitate migrants' ability to move safely;
20 
3. Provide humanitarian assistance without discrimination;
21 
4. Establish clear referral procedures and systems;
22 
5. Relocate women migrant workers and their children, when needed;
23 
6. Uphold the principles of non-refoulement and refugee and stateless
24 
protection.
25 
c) After the crisis:
26 
1. Address migrants' and their children's immediate needs and support
27 
them to rebuild their lives;
28 
2. Ensure rehabilitation, integration and other interventions;
29 
3. Support migrant women's and their children's host communities.
30 
Victims of Anti-Trafficking in Persons shall be given support and assistance for
31 
their immediate rescue, repatriation and reintegration.
25


1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8 
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20 
21 
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
CHAPTER IV 
FINAL PROVISIONS
Sec. 23. Appropriations. - The funds appropriated from the Calamity Fund for 
disaster risk reduction management and calamities amounting to 100 million, as well 
as from portions of the Gender and Development (GAD) budget or special health funds 
of agencies or local government units, may be used for the purposes above including 
for the implementation of the National Preparedness and Response Plan. Should the 
amount be insufficient to cover the necessary expenses, further financial support will 
come from the national government, subject to the guidelines of the Department of 
Finance in coordination with the Department of the Interior and Local Government.
Sec. 24. Penalties. - The following penalties and sanctions are hereby
established:
c.
Any person or entity found to have committed any act of 
discrimination against women and girls during an emergency 
situation shall be penalized with a fine of not less than Twenty 
Thousand Pesos (PhP20,000.00) but not more than Fifty Thousand 
Pesos (PhP50,000.00), or imprisonment of not less than one month 
but not more than six months, or both such fine or punishment, at 
the discretion of the proper Court: Provided, that if he or she is a 
government employee, he or she shall also be held administratively 
liable, without prejudice to criminal liability under this Act;
Any public officer 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: Provided, that 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 civil and criminal remedies;
Any person found to have committed violations of Republic Act No. 
7877, Republic Act No. 9208 as amended. Republic Act No. 9262, 
Republic Act 9775, Republic Act No. 9995, Republic Act No. 11313, 
as well as the crimes of rape, acts of lasciviousness, online sexual
26


1 
abuse and exploitation of children, as well as analogous crimes
2 
involving gender-based violence, shall be meted the penalties in the
3 
aforementioned laws in its maximum period when the crime is
4 
committed in quarantine facilities, or against persons designated as
5 
at-risk individuals and/or members of at-risk groups, or during an
6 
emergency when the said emergency provided enabling or facilitating
7 
conditions for the commission of the crime.
8 
Sec. 25. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - The PCW, as the lead agency,
9 
shall, in coordination with the Commission on Human Rights (CHR), Inter-Agency Task
10 
Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases, Department of the Interior and Local
11 
Government, Department of Health, Commission on Population and Development,
12 
Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Social Welfare and
13 
Development, Department of Foreign Affairs, National Development Authority,
14 
Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Information and Communications
15 
Technology, Department of Justice Philippine National Police and all concerned
16 
government departments and agencies, with the participation of civil society
17 
organizations, academe, private sector, public health practitioners and other key
18 
actors and stakeholders, formulate the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of
19 
this Act within thirty (30) days after its effectivity.
20 
Sec. 26. Congressional Oversight - Both Houses of Congress, particularly the
21 
Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality of the Senate
22 
and Committee on Women and Gender Equality of the House of Representatives shall
23 
oversee the implementation of this Act. The CHR, as Gender Ombud, shall likewise
24 
review the implementation after one (1) year, and subsequently, every year, in
25 
accordance with the recovery and rehabilitation plans of the government.
26 
Sec. 27. Suppletory Applications. - The applicable provisions of the Revised
27 
Penal Code shall have suppletory application insofar as they are consistent with the
28 
provisions of this Act.
29 
Sec. 28. Separability Clause. - If any part or provision of this Act is declared
30 
invalid or unconstitutional, the other parts hereof not affected thereby shall remain
31 
valid.
27


< 
/ i «
1 
Sec. 29. Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees, executive orders, rules and
2 
regulations or parts thereof inconsistent with any of the provisions of this Act, or is
3 
shown to facilitate or enable the commission of gender-based violence are hereby
4 
repealed, amended, or modified accordingly.
5 
Sec. 30. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
6 
publication in the Official Gazette or in at least two (2) national newspapers of general
7 
circulation.
8 
Approved,
28


GENDER RESPONSIVE AND INCLUSIVE PROTOCOLS
Salient Points
The bill seeks to protect human rights and guarantee the participation and 
leadership of women during emergencies from the point of prevention until 
recovery and while adapting to the new normal in society;
The bills seek to establish policies and programs to prevent the spread of a 
"notifiable disease", to prepare prior to its actual impact, and to deliver 
treatment and other essential services. This shall be according to evidence- 
based strategies and by integrating gender analysis, and taking into account 
the intersectional considerations that differentiate impact on different groups, 
identities and sectors;
The bill creates the National Preparedness and Response Plan to Address the 
Gender-Differentiated Needs of Women During an Emergency;
A Task Force, to be co-headed by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and 
Management Council (NDRRMC), the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW), 
in coordination with the lATF, Climate Change Commission, and Department of 
the Interior and Local Government, Department of Health, Department of Social 
Welfare and Development, and Department of Education, shall come up with 
said national plan;
The national plan shall, among other things review lessons based on the 
responsiveness, preparedness, and impact of previous interventions from the 
COVID-19 pandemic to address the specific barriers and institutional obstacles 
faced by women including at-risk individuals and groups during emergencies 
that result in gender-based violence, lack of access to sexual, reproductive, and 
mental health services, and discontinued education;
The bill strengthens gender-based violence preparedness and response 
systems. They 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;
The bill seeks to prioritize sexual and reproductive health rights (SRH) and 
develop essential services package in the communities;
The bill seeks to prioritize the allocation of mental health and psychosocial 
services to emergency victims most at-risk (e.g. women in the at-risk individuals 
and groups classification);
The bill seeks to provide social protection and livelihood to address the 
difficulties of the most vulnerable and economically marginalized sectors of 
women;
Page 1 of 2


> «
The bill seeks to Protect Women Migrant Workers and their Chiidren ensure 
that 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;
The bill outlines the General Duties of National Government Agencies and Local 
Government Units.
Page 2 of 2