FIFTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session 
) 
) 
SENATE 
S.B. No. 1434 
, 
Introduced by Senator Loren Legarda 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
7 
This bill seeks to lessen the inequalities and provide equal opportunity between men and 
women in the areas of public governance by reserving certain percentages of positions in the 
different branches of government to qualified women. 
Section 14 of Article 2 of the Philippine Constitution states that, "the State recognizes the role 
of women in nation-building and shall ensure the fundamental equality before the law of 
women and men." Pursuant to this~ RA 7192 or an Act Promoting the Integration of Women 
as Full and Equal Partners of Men in Development and Nation-Building was enacted in 1992 
to implement this State policy. Said Act provided the following provisions: that a substantial 
portion of official development assistance funds received from foreign governments and 
multilateral agencies and organizations shall be set aside and utilized by the agencies 
concerned to support programs and activities for women; the affirmation that women of legal 
age, regardless of civil status, shall have the capacity to act and enter into contracts; and that 
women shall be accorded equal opportunities for appointment, admission, training, 
graduation and commission in all military or similar schools of the Armed Forces of the 
Philippines and the Philippine National Police 
The Government of the Philippines has also adopted the Philippine Plan for Gender 
Responsive Development for 1995-2025, which is the government's 30-year blueprint of 
policies, programmes, projects and strategies wherein women, are both major participants 
and beneficiaries in national development. Since 1996, the General Appropriations Act 
(GAA), or government's budget, has included the so-called GAD or Women's Budget. This 
directs all government agencies to allocate five (5%) percent of their annual budgets to 
address gender issues. 
Along with ather landmark laws on women like Republic Act No. 8353 or The Anti-Rape Law 
which expanded the categorization of the crime of rape as crime against persons and not 
against chastity, Republic Act No. 8505 or the Rape Victim Assistance and Protection Act, 
which establishes Rape Crisis Centers all over the country, Republic Act No. 7877 or the Anti-
Sexual Harassment Act, which declares sexual harassment unlawful in the employment, 
education and training environment, and Republic Act No. 6955 or the Anti-Mail Order Bride 
Scheme environment, the State has created an environment in which, at least legally, women 
are equal to men with regards to participating in governance and decision making. 
However there are still significant constraints that adversely affect womens' participation in 
public governance. To date, women's share in decision-making positions remains low. This 
pattern is also true in other institutions in both government and private sectors where 


• 
women's participation also decreases as the position level goes up. This bill aims to address 
the discrimination experienced by women in the field of public service. This proposed 
measure reserves certain percentage in appointive positions in both national and local 
government, including the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National 
Police to qualified women. Failure to comply will be meted out with a corresponding penalty, 
which includes imprisonment and/ or fine. 
In light of the importance of this piece of legislation to allow more meaningful participation 
of women in public governance, immediate passage of this bill is earnestly sought. 
2 


FIFTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session 
) 
) 
SENATE 
S.B. No. 1434 
Introduced by Senator Loren Legarda 
AN ACT 
, 
't' 
10 
PROVIDING FOR WOMEN EMPOWERMENT AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
flssembled: 
SECTION 1. This Act shall be known and cited as the "Women Empowerment Act of 
2010." 
SECTION 2. Appointive positions in the national and local government shall be 
reserved to qualified women based on the following fraction and classification: 
a) At least one-third (1/3) of the Cabinet; 
b) At least one-third (1/3) of all undersecretaries and positions of comparable salary grade or 
at least one in every line department, government-owned and controlled corporations, 
government financing institutions, state colleges and universities, and local government 
units: Provided, that in cases where there are more than fifty percent (50%) of the women 
population occupying 
technical positions in departments, offices, bureaus and agencies, the secretary or the head 
agency shaH be a woman and the proportion of one third (1/3) shall be increased to two-
thirds (2/3); 
c) At least one-'third (1/3) of all assistant secretaries in every department; 
d) At least one-third (1/3) of all directors in every departm~nt; 
e) At least one-third (1/3) of all chiefs of division in every department, bureau or agency; 
f) At least one-third (1/3) of all ambassadors and consular offices; 
g) At least one-third (1/3) of all judges in all lower courts; and 
h) At least one-third (1/3) of all prosecutors in department of justice. 
It shall be the Civil Service Commission who shall enforce this provisio';1' 
SEC. 3: All duly-accredited political parties shall reserve at least one third (1/3) of its 
party slate of official candidates to women in elections for the municipality/city councils and 
provincial boards. 
The Commission on Elections shall enforce this provision. 


• 
• 
SECTION 4. Women in the Armed Forces of the Philippines shall be allowed combat 
and security-related assignments. 
The Armed Forces of the Philippines shall enforce this provision. 
SECTION 5. All police stations shall establish an all-female unit to attend to victims of 
rape, battering, incest and other crimes against women and chastity. For this purpose, the 
Philippine National Police shall reserve at least thirty percent (30%) of all items in each rank 
to women. 
SECTION 6. All departments, bureaus, agencies, and other government-owned and 
controlled corporations, in coordination with the National Commission on the Role of 
Filipino Women (NCRFW), shall include in their human resource development program, 
gender and development orientation, trainings, and seminars among others. 
SECTION 7. At least one-third (1/3) of scholarships, grants, fellowships and trainings 
in the National or Local governments, either in the Philippines or abroad, shall be reserved 
for qualified women. 
The Commission on Civil Service and the National Economic and Development Authority 
shall enforce this provision. 
SECTION 8. Nothing in this Act shall diminish the rights and privileges of incumbent 
male employees. 
SECTION 9. Persons who violate the proviSIons of this act shall'be punished by a fine 
not less than Fifty thousand pesos (PSO,OOO.OO) or imprisonment of not less than one (1) year 
nor more than six (6) years or both fine and imprisonment, at the discretion of the court. 
If the offender is a government official, he shall, in addition, be perpetually disqualified from 
holding any public office. 
SECTION 10. The National Commission on the Role Filipino Women, in Consultation 
with the Civil Service Commission, the Commission on Election, the Philippine National 
Police, and the National Economic Development Authority, shall formulate the necessary 
guidelines to implement this Act. 
SECTION 11. Repealing Clause. All laws, presidential decrees, executive orders, rules 
and regulations, or parts thereof, inconsistent with this Act, are hereby repealed or modified 
accordingly. 
SECTION 12. Separability Clause. - If any provision of this Act is declared invalid, the 
remainder of this Act or any provision not affected thereby shall remain in force and effect. 
SECTION 13. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
publication in at least two (2) national newspapers of general circulation. 
Approved, 
2