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FOURTEENTH CONGRESS 
1 
First Regular Session 
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8 JUN '11 Pi2:26 
OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
) 
Prepared by the Committee on Youth, Women and Family Relations in 
substitution of S. Nos. 433,549, 632,647,921,1287,1433,1701,1712,1797,1809, 
1865,1891,1959,1967,2048,2114 and 2240. 
AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE MAGNA CARTA OF WOMEN 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Repvesentatiues of the Philippines in Congress 
assembled. 
CHAPTER I 
GENERAL PROVISIONS 
SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as "The Magna Carta of 
Women of 2008." 
SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. - Recognizing that the economic, 
political, and socio-cultural realities affect women's current condition, the State 
affirms the role of women in nation building and ensures the substantive 
equality of women and men. It shall promote the empowerment of women and 
pursue equal opportunities for women and men as well as ensure their equal 
access to resources and to development results and outcome. 
The State condemns discrimination against women in all its forms and 
pursues by all appropriate means and without delay the policy of eliminating 
discrimination against women in keeping with the Convention on the 
Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and other 
international instruments. The State shall accord women the rights, protection, 
and opportunities available to every member of society. 
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The State affirms women’s rights as human rights and shall intensify its 
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efforts to recognize, respect, protect, fulfill, and promote all human rights and 
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fundamental freedoms of women especially in the marginalized sectors of 
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society to guarantee their economic, social, and cultural well-being without 
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distinction or discrimination on account of class, age, sex, gender, language, 
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enthnicity, religion, ideology, disability, education, and status. 
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The State shall provide the necessary mechanisms to enforce and 
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guarantee the realization of women’s rights as well as adopt and undertake steps 
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to include temporary special measures which encompass a wide variety of 
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legislative, executive, administrative, and other regulatory instruments, policies, 
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and practices aimed at accelerating the equal participation of women in the 
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political, economic, social, cultural, civil, or any other field. 
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The State, in ensuring the full integration of women’s concerns in the 
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mainstream of development, shall provide ample opportunities to enhance and 
develop their skills, acquire productive employment, and contribute to their 
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communities to the fullest of their capabilities. 
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In pursuance of this policy, the State recognizes the right of women in all 
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sectors to participate in policy formulation, planning, 
organization, 
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implementation, management monitoring, and evaluation of all programs and 
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other support services such as financing, production, and marketing to 
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encourage active participation of women in national development. 
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CHAPTER I1 
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DEFINITION OF TERMS 
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SECTION 3. Definitions. - For purposes of this Act, the following terms 
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shall mean: 
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(A) Women empowerment refers to the provision, availability, and 
accessibility of opportunities and observance of human rights which enable 
women to actively participate and contribute to the political, economic, social, 
and cultural development of the nation as well as those which shall provide 
them equal access to ownership, management, and control of production, and of 
material and informational resources and benefits in the family, communify, and 
society. 
(B) Discrimination against women refers to any gender-based distinction, 
exclusion, or restriction which has the effect or purpose of impairing or 
nullifying the recognition, enjoyment, or exercise by women, irrespective of their 
marital status, on a basis of equality of men and women, of human rights and 
fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural, civil, or any 
other field. 
(C) Marginalization is a condition where a whole category of people is 
excluded from useful participation in political, economic, social, and cultural life. 
(D) Marginalized refers to the basic, disadvantaged, or vulnerable persons 
or groups who are mostly living in poverty and have little or no access to land 
and resources, basic social and economic services such as health care, education, 
water and sanitation, employment and livelihood opportunities, housing, social 
security, physical infrastructure, and justice system. 
These include women in the following sectors and groups: 
1. Small Farmers and Rural Workers - those who are engaged directly or 
indirectly in small farms and forest areas, workers in commercial farms and 
plantations, whether paid or unpaid, regular or season-bound. These shall 
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include but are not limited to (a) small farmers who own or are still amortizing 
for lands that is not more than three (3) hectares, tenants, leaseholders, and 
stewards; and (b) rural workers who are either wage earners, self-employed, 
unpaid family workers directly and personally engaged in agriculture, small 
scale mining handicrafts, and other related farm and off-farm activities; 
2. Fisherfolks - those directly or indirectly engaged in taking, culturing, or 
processing fishery or aquatic resources. These include, but are not to be limited 
to, women engaged in fishing in municipal waters and coastal areas, women 
workers in commercial fishing and aquaculture, vendors and processors of fish 
and coastal products, and subsistence producers such as shell-gatherers, 
managers, and producers of mangrove resources, and other related producers; 
3. Urban Poor - those residing in urban and urbanizable slum or blighted 
areas, with or without the benefit of security of tenure, where the income of the 
head of the family cannot afford in a sustained manner to provide for the family 
the minimum basic needs of food, health, education, housing, and other essential 
amenities in Iife; 
4. Workers in the Formal Economy - those who are employed by any 
person acting directly or indirectly in the interest of an employer in relation to an 
employee and shall include the government and all its branches, subdivision, 
and instrumentalities, all government-owned and controlled corporations and 
institutions, as well as non-profit private institutions or organizations; 
5. Workers in the Informal Economy - the self-employed, occasionally or 
personally hired, subcontracted, and unpaid family workers in household 
incorporated enterprises, including homeworkers, micro-entrepreneurs and 
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producers, operators of sari-sari stores, and all other categories who suffer from 
violation of workers' rights; 
6. Migrant Workers - Filipinos who are to be engaged, are engaged, or 
have been engaged in a renumerated activity in a state of which they are not 
legal residents whether documented or undocumented; 
7. Indigenous Peoples - refer to a group of people or homogenous 
societies identified by self-ascription and ascription by other, who have 
continuously lived as organized community on communally bounded and 
defined territory, and who have, under claims of ownership since time 
immemorial, occupied, possessed customs, tradition and other distinctive 
cultural traits, or who have, through resistance to political, social, and cultural 
inroads of 
colonization, non-indigenous religions and culture, became 
historically differentiated from the majority of Filipinos. They shall likewise 
include peoples who are regarded as indigenous on account of their descent from 
the populations which inhabited the country, at the time of conquest or 
colonization, or at the time of inroads of non-indigenous religions and cultures, 
or the establishment of present state boundaries, who retain some or all of their 
own social, economic, cultural, and political institutions, but who may have been 
displaced from their traditional domains or who may have resettled outside their 
ancestral domains; 
8. Moro - native peoples who have historically inhabited Mindanao, 
Palawan, and Sulu, and who are largely of the Islamic faith; 
9. Children - those who are below eighteen (18) years of age or over but 
are unable to fully take care of themselves or protect themselves from abuse, 
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neglect, cruelty, exploitation, or discrimination because of a physical or mental 
disability or condition; 
10. Senior Citizens - those sixty (60) years of age and above; 
11. Persons with Disabilities - those who are suffering from restriction or 
different abilities, as a result of a mental, physical, or sensory impairment to 
perform an activity in the manner or within the range considered normal for a 
human being; 
12. Solo Parents - those who fall under the category of a solo parent 
defined under Republic Act No. 8972, otherwise known as the ”Solo Parents 
Welfare Act of 2000.” 
(E) Gender refers to the socially differentiated roles, characteristics, and 
expectations attributed by culture to women and men. 
(F) Gender equality indicates that women and men enjoy the same status 
and have equal conditions for realizing their full human potentials to contribute 
to and benefit from the results of development. 
(G) Gender equity refers to the policies, instruments, programs, services, 
and actions that address the disadvantaged position of women in society by 
providing preferential treatment and affirmative action. Such temporary special 
measures aimed at accelerating de facto equality between women and men shall 
not be considered discriminatory but shall in no way entail as a consequence the 
maintenance of unequal or separate standards. These measures shall be 
discounted when the objectives of equality of opportunity and treatment have 
been achieved. 
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(H) Gender and Development (GAD) refers, to the development 
perspective and process that are participatory and empowering, equitable, 
sustainable, free from violence, respectful of human rights, supportive of self- 
determination and actualization of human potentials. It seeks to achieve gender 
equality as a fundamental value that should be reflected in development choices; 
seeks to transform society’s social, economic, and political structures and 
questions the validity of the gender roles they ascribed to women and men; 
contends that women are active agents of development and not just passive 
recipients of development assistance; and stresses the need of women to organize 
themselves and participate in political processes to strengthen their legal rights. 
(I) Gender Mainstreaming is the strategy for making women’s as well as 
men’s concerns and experiences an integral dimension of the design, 
implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of policies and programs in all 
political, economic, and societal spheres so that women and men benefit equally 
and inequality is not perpetuated. It is the process of assessing the implications 
for women and men of any planned action, incltldjng legislation, policies, or 
programs in all areas and at all levels. 
0) Violence against women 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. It shall be 
understood to encompass, but not limited to, the following: 
1. Physical, sexual, psychological, and economic violence occurring in the 
family, including battering, sexual abuse of female children in the household, 
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dowry-related violence, marital rape, and other traditional practices harmful to 
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women, non-spousal violence, and violence related to exploitation; 
2. Physical, sexual, and psychological violence occurring within the 
general community, including rape, sexual abuse, sexual harassment, and 
intimidation at work, in educational institutions and elsewhere, trafficking in 
women, and prostitution; and 
3. Physical, sexual, and psychological violence perpetrated or condoned 
by the state, wherever it occurs. 
It also includes acts of violence against women as defined in Republic Acts 
No. 9208 and 9262. 
(K) Women in the military refer to women employed in the military, both 
in the major and technical services, who are performing combat and/or non- 
combat functions, providing security to the state, and protecting the people from 
various forms of threat. It also includes women trainees in all military training 
institutions. 
(L) Social protection refers to policies and programs that seek to reduce 
poverty and vulnerability to risks and enhance the social status and rights of the 
marginalized by promoting and protecting livelihood and employment, 
protecting against hazards and sudden loss of income, and improving people’s 
capacity to manage risk. Its components are labor market programs, social 
insurance, social welfare, and social safety nets. 
CHAPTER I11 
RIGHTS AND EMPOWERMENT 
SECTION 4. Human Rights of Women. - All rights recognized under 
international instruments duly signed and ratified by the Philippines, including 
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under this Act to be enjoyed without discrimination. 
SECTION 5. Protection from Violence. - The State shall ensure that all 
women shall be protected from all forms of violence as provided for in existing 
laws. Agencies of government shall give priority to the defense and protection of 
women against gender-based offenses and help women attain justice and 
healing. 
Towards this end, measures to prosecute and reform offenders shall 
likewise be pursued. 
(A) Within the next five (5) years, there shall be an incremental increase in 
the recruitment and training of women in the police force, forensics and medico- 
legal, legal services, and social work services availed OS by women who are 
victims of gender-related offenses until fifty percent (50%) of the personnel 
thereof shall be women. 
(B) Women shall have the right to protection and security in situations of 
armed confIict and militarization. Towards this end, they shall be protected from 
all forms of gender-based violence, particularly rape and other forms of sexual 
abuse, and all forms of violence in situations of armed conflict. The State shall 
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observe international standards, particularly InternationaI Humanitarian Laws, 
for the protection of civilian population in circumstances of emergency and 
armed conflict. It shall not force women, especially indigenous peoples, to 
abandon their lands, territories, and means of subsistence, or relocate them in 
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special centers for military purposes under any discriminatory condition. 
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(C) All government personnel involved in the protection and defense of 
women against gender-based violence shall undergo a mandatory training on 
human rights and gender sensitivity pursuant to this Act. 
(D) All local government units are encouraged to establish a Violence 
Against Women’s Desk in every barangay to ensure that violence against women 
cases are fully addressed in a gender-responsive manner. 
SECTION. 6. Women Affected by Disasters, Calamities, and Other Crisis 
Situations. - Women have the right to protection and security in times of 
disasters, calamities, and other crisis situations especially in all phases of relief, 
recovery, rehabilitation, and construction efforts. The State shall provide for 
immediate humanitarian assistance, allocation of 
resources, and early 
resettlement, if necessary. It shall also address the particular needs of women 
from a gender perspective to ensure their full protection from sexual exploitation 
and other sexual and gender-based violence committed against them. Responses 
to disaster situations shall include the provision of services, such as psychosocial 
support, livelihood support, education, psychological health, and comprehensive 
health services. 
SECTION 7. Participation and Representation. - The State shall undertake 
temporary special measures to accelerate the participation and representation of 
women in all spheres of society particularly in the decision-making and policy- 
making processes in government and private entities to fully realize their role as 
agents and beneficiaries of development. 
The State shall institute the following affirmative action mechanisms so 
that women can participate meaningfully in the formulation, implementation, 
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and evaluation of policies, plans, and programs for national, regional, and local 
development: 
(A) Empowerment in Civil Service. - Within the next five (5) years, the 
number of women in third level positions in government shall be increased to 
ensure that no gender shall occupy more than sixty percent (60%) of such 
positions; 
(B) Development Councils and Planning Bodies. - To ensure the 
participation of women in all levels of development planning and program 
implementation, no more than sixty percent (60%) of the membership of all 
development councils from the regional, provincial, city, municipal, and 
barangay levels shall be composed by any one gender; 
(C) Other Policy and Decision-Making Bodies. - Women’s groups shall 
also be represented in international, national, and local special and decision- 
making bodies; 
(D) International Bodies. - The State shall take all appropriate measures 
to ensure the opportunity of women, on equal terms with men and without any 
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discrimination, to represent their governments at the international level and to 
participate in the work of international organizations; 
(E) Integration of Women in Political Parties. - The State shall provide 
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and electoral nominating processes. 
incentives to political parties with women’s agenda. It shall likewise encourage 
the integration of women in their internal policy-making structures, appointive, 
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SECTION 8. Equal Treatment Before the Law. - The State shall take steps 
to review and, when necessary, amend and/or repeal existing laws that are 
discriminatory to women within three (3) years from the effectivity of this Act. 
SECTION 9. Equal Access and Elimination of Discrimination in Education, 
Scholarships, and Training. - 
(A) The State shall ensure that gender stereotypes and images in 
educational materials and curricula are adequately and appropriately revised. 
Gender-sensitive language shall be used at all times. Capacity-building on 
gender and development (GAD), peace and human rights, education for teachers 
and all those involved in the education sector shall be pursued toward this end. 
Partnerships between and among players of the education sector, including the 
private sector, churches, and faith groups shall be encouraged. 
(B) Enrollment of women in non-traditional skills training in vocational 
and tertiary levels shall be encouraged. 
(C) Expulsion, non-readmission, prohibiting enrollment, and other related 
discrimination of women students and faculty due to pregnancy out of marriage 
shall be outlawed. 
SECTION 10. Women in Sports. - The State shall develop, establish, and 
strengthen programs for the participation of women and girl-children in 
competitive and non-competitive sports as a means to achieve excellence, 
promote physical and social well-being, eliminate gender-role stereotyping, and 
provide equal access to the full benefits of development for all persons regardless 
of sex, gender identity, and other similar factors. 
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For this purpose, all sports-related organizations shall create guidelines 
that will establish and integrate affirmative action as a strategy and gender 
equality as a framework in planning and implementing their policies, budgets, 
programs, and activities relating to the participation of women and girls in 
sports. 
The State will also provide material and non-material incentives to local 
government units, media organizations, and the private sector for promoting, 
training, and preparing women and girls for participation in competitive and 
non-competitive sports, specially in local and international events, including, but 
not limited to, the Palarong Pambansa, Southeast Asian Games, Asian Games, 
and the Olympics. 
No sports event or tournament will offer or award a different sports prize, 
with respect to its amount or value, to women and men winners, Provided, That 
the said tournament, contest, race, match, event, or game is open to both sexes. 
Provided, Further, That the sports event or tournament is divided into male or 
female division. 
The State shall also ensure the safety and well-being of all women and 
girls participating in sports, especially, but not limited to, trainees, reserve 
members, members, coaches, and mentors of national sports teams, whether in 
studying, training, or performance phases, by providing them comprehensive 
health and medical insurance coverage, as well as integrated medical, nutritional, 
and healthcare services. 
Schools, colleges, universities, or any other learning institution shall take 
into account the gender of its total student population in granting athletic 
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scholarship. There shall be a pro rata representation of women in the athletic 
scholarship program based on the percentage of women in the whole student 
population. 
SECTION 11. Women in the Military. - The State shall pursue appropriate 
measures to eIiminate discrimination of women in the military, including 
revising or abolishing policies and practices that restrict women from availing of 
both combat and non-combat training that are open to men, or from taking on 
functions other than administrative tasks, such as engaging in combat, security- 
related, or field operations. Women in the military shall be accorded with the 
same promotional privileges as men, including pay increases, additional 
remunerations and benefits, and performance awards based on their competency 
and performance. .Towards this 'end, the State shall provide women-friendly 
equipment and establish women-friendly facilities such as barracks, patrol 
gunboats, landing craft utilities, patrol craft escorts, auxiliary support vessels, 
landing ship tanks, and other related facilities that would enable them to render 
service and perform their duties equally with men. 
Women in the military shall be provided with the same right to 
employment as men on equal conditions. Equally, they shall be accorded the 
same capacity as men to act in and enter into contracts, including marriage. 
Further, women in the military shall be entitled to leave benefits such as 
maternity leave, as provided for by existing laws. 
SECTION 12. Non-Discriminatory and Non-Derogatory Portrayal of 
Women in Media and Film. - The State shall formulate policies and programs for 
the advancement of women in collaboration with media-related organizations 
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from the private sector. It shall likewise endeavor to raise the consciousness of 
the general public in recognizing the dignity of women, and the role and 
contribution of women in the family, community, and the society through the 
strategic use of mass media. 
For this purpose, the State shall ensure allocation of space or airtime and 
resources, strengthen programming, production, and image-making that 
appropriately present women’s needs, issues, and concerns in all forms of media, 
communication, and information dissemination and advertising. 
The State, in cooperation with all schools of journalism, information, and 
communication, as well as the national media federations and associations, shall 
require all media organizations and corporations to integrate into their human 
resource development components regular training on gender equality and 
gender-based discrimination, create and use gender equality guidelines in all 
aspects of management, training, production, information, dissemination, 
communication, and programming; and convene a gender equality committee 
that will promote gender mainstreaming as a framework and affirmative action 
as a strategy, and monitor and evaluate the implementation of gender equality 
guidelines. 
SECTION 13. Access to Information and Services Relating to Women’s 
Health. - 
(A) Comprehensive Health Services. - The State shall, at all times, provide 
for a comprehensive, culture-sensitive, and gender-responsive health services 
and programs covering all stages of a woman’s life cycle and which addresses 
the major causes of women’s mortality and morbidity; Provided, That in the 
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provision for comprehensive health services, due respect shall be accorded to 
women's religious convictions, the rights of the spouses to found a family in 
accordance with their religious convictions and the demands of responsible 
parenthood, and the right of women to protection from hazardous drugs, 
devices, interventions, and substances. 
Access to the following services shall be ensured: 
1. Safe motherhood, maternal and child health and nutrition; 
2. Family planning; 
3. Human sexuality education; 
4. Adolescent and youth health services; 
5. Prevention and management of reproductive tract infections, including 
sexually transmitted diseases, HIV, and AIDS; 
6. Prevention and management of reproductive tract cancers like breast 
and cervical cancers and other gynecological conditions; 
7. Prevention and management of abortion and its complications; 
8. Violence against women and children - women and children victims 
and survivors shall be provided with comprehensive health services that include 
psychosocial therapeutic, medical and legal interventions, and assistance 
towards healing, recovery, and empowerment, and shall also include the 
management, treatment, and intervention of mental health problems by women 
and girls; 
9. Prevention and management of infertility and sexual dysfunction; and 
10. Care of the elderly women beyond their child-bearing years. 
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In addition, healthy lifestyle activities are encouraged and promoted 
through programs and projects as a strategy in the prevention of diseases. 
(B) Comprehensive Health Information and Education. - The State shall 
provide women in all sectors with timely, complete, and accurate information 
and education on all the above-stated aspects of women’s health in government 
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education and training programs, with due regard to the following: 
1. The natural and primary right and duty of parents in the rearing of the 
youth and the development of moral character and the right of children to be 
brought up in an atmosphere of morality and rectitude for the enrichment and 
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strengthening of character; 
2. The formation of a person’s sexuality that affirms human dignity; and 
3. Modern, safe, and effective family planning methods, including fertility 
awareness. 
SECTION 14. Special Leave Benefits for Single Women. - A single woman 
employee having rendered continuous aggregate employment service of at least 
six (6) months for the last twelve (12) months shall be entitled to a special leave 
benefit of two (2) months with full pay based on her gross monthly 
compensation following surgery caused by gynecological disorders. 
SECTION 15. Equal Rights in All Matters Relating to Marriage and Family 
Relations. - The State shall take all appropriate measures to eliminate 
discrimination against women in all matters relating to marriage and family 
relations and shall ensure: 
(1) The same rights to enter into and leave partnerships or relationships 
without prejudice to personal or religious beliefs; 
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(2) The same right to choose freely a spouse and to enter into marriage 
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only with their free and full consent. The betrothal and marriage of a child shall 
have no legal effect; 
(3) The joint decision on the number and spacing of their children and to 
have access to the information, education, and means to enable them to exercise 
these rights; 
(4)The same personal rights between partners, including the right to 
choose freely a profession and an occupation; 
(5) The same rights for both partners in respect of the ownership, 
acquisition, management, administration, enjoyment, and disposition of 
property; 
(6) The same rights to properties and resources, whether titled or not, and 
inheritance, whether formal or customary. 
Customary laws shall be respected; Provided, however, That they do not 
discriminate against women. 
CHAPTER IV 
RIGHTS AND EMPOWERMENT OF MARGINALIZED SECTORS 
Women are guaranteed all the rights- civil, political, social, and economic 
rights-recognized, promoted, and protected under existing laws, including but 
not limited to, the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act, Urban Development and 
Housing Act, Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law, Fisheries Code, Labor 
Code, Migrant Workers Act, Solo Parents Welfare Act of 2000, and Social Reform 
and Poverty Alleviation Act. 
SECTION 16. Food Security and Productive Resources. - The State 
recognizes the contribution of women to food production and shall therefore 
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ensure sustainability and sufficiency of its activities in the household and 
community levels. To address this, the State shall ensure: 
(A) Right to Food. - The State shall guarantee the availability of food in 
quantity and quality sufficient to satisfy the dietary needs of individuals, the 
physical and economic accessibility for everyone to adequate food that is 
culturally acceptable and free from unsafe substances and culturally accepted, 
and the accurate and substantial information to the availability of food; 
(B) Right to Resources for Food Production. - The State shall promote the 
right to adequate food by proactively engaging in activities intended to 
strengthen access to, utilization of, and receipt of accurate and substantial 
information on resources and means to ensure women's livelihood, including 
food security: 
1. Equal status shall be given to women and men, whether married 
or not, in the titling of the land and issuance of stewardship contracts and 
patents; 
2. Equal treatment shall be given to women and men beneficiaries 
of the agrarian reform program, wherein the vested right of a woman 
agrarian reform beneficiary is defined by a woman's relationship to 
tillage, ix., her direct and indirect contribution to the development of the 
land; 
3. Customary rights of women to the land, including access to and 
control of the fruits and benefits, shall be recognized in circumstances 
where private ownership is not possible, such as ancestral domain claims; 
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4. Information and assistance in claiming rights to the land shall be 
made available to women at all times; 
5. Equal rights to women to the enjoyment, use, and management 
of land, water, and other natural resources within their communities or 
ancestral domains; 
6. Equal access to the use and management of fisheries and aquatic 
resources, and all the rights and benefits accruing to stakeholders in the 
fishing industry; 
7. Equal status shall be given to women and men in the issuance of 
stewardship or lease agreements and other fishery rights that may be 
granted for the use and management of coastal and aquatic resources. In 
the same manner, women's organizations shall be given equal treatment 
as with other marginalized fishers organizations in the issuance of 
stewardship or lease agreements or other fishery rights for the use and 
management of such coastal. and aquatic resources which may include 
providing support to women-engaged coastal resources; 
8. There shall be no discrimination against women in the 
deputization of fish wardens; 
9. Women-friendly .and sustainable agriculture technology shall be 
designed based on accessibility and viability in consultation with 
women's organizations; 
10. Access to small farmer-based and controlled seeds production 
and distribution shall be ensured and protected; 
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11. Indigenous practices of women in seed storage and cultivation 
shall be recognized, encouraged, and protected; 
12. Equal rights shall be given to women to be members of farmer’s 
organizations to ensure wider access to and control of the means of 
production; 
13. Provide opportunities for empowering women fishers to be 
involved in the control and management, not only of the catch and 
production of aquamarine resources but also, to engage in entrepreneurial 
activities which will add value to production and marketing ventures; and 
14. Provide economic opportunities for the indigenous women, 
particularly access to market for their produce. 
SECTION 17. Right to Housing. - The State shall develop housing 
programs for women that are Iocalized, simple, accessible, with adequate water 
and electrical facilities, and secure with viable employment opportunities and 
affordable amortization. In this regard, the State shall consult women and 
involve them in community planning and development especially in matters 
pertaining to land use, zoning, and relocation. 
SECTION 18. Right to Decent Work. -The State shall progressively realize 
and ensure decent work standards for women that involve the creation of jobs of 
acceptable quality in conditions of freedom, equity, security, and human dignity. 
(A) Decent work involves opportunities for work that are productive and 
deliver fair income, security in the workplace, and social protection for families, 
better prospects for personal development and social integration, freedom for 
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people to express their concerns, organize, participate in the decisions that affect 
their lives, and equality of opportunity and treatment for all women and men. 
(B) The State shall further ensure: 
1. Support services and gears to protect them from occupational 
and health hazards; 
2. Support services that will enable women to balance family 
obligations and work responsibilities, including but not limited to the 
establishment of day care centers and breast-feeding stations at the 
workplace, and maternity leave of one hundred twenty (120) days for 
pregnant public and private sector employees; 
3. Membership in unions regardless of stat& of employment and 
place of employment; 
4. Respect for the observance of indigenous peoples’ cultural 
practices even in the workplace. 
(C) In recognition of the temporary nature of overseas work, the State 
shall exert all efforts to address the causes of out-migration by developing local 
employment and other economic opportunities for women and by introducing 
measures to curb violence and forced and involuntary displacement of local 
women. The State shall ensure the protection and promotion of the rights and 
welfare of migrant women regardless of their work status, and protect them 
against discrimination in wages, conditions of work, and employment 
opportunities in host countries. 
SECTION 19. Right to Livelihood, Credit, Capital, and Technology. - The 
State shall ensure that women are provided with the following: 
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(A) Equal access to formal sources of credit and capital; 
(€3) Equal share to the produce of farms and aquatic resources; and 
(C) Employment opportunities for returning women migrant workers 
taking into account their skills and qualifications. Corollarily, the State shall also 
promote skills and entrepreneurship development of returning women migrant 
workers. 
SECTION 20. Right to Education and Training. - The State shall ensure the 
following: 
(A) Participation in trainings and extension services related to rights 
enumerated in Sections 6 and 8 of this Act; 
(B) Gender-sensitive training and seminars; and 
(C) Equal opportunities in scholarships, especially to those interested in 
research and development aimed towards women-friendly farm technology. 
SECTION 21. Right to Representation and Participation. - The State shall 
ensure women’s participation in policy-making or decision-making bodies in the 
regional, national, and international levels. It shall also ensure the participation 
of grassroots women leaders in decision and policy-making bodies in their 
respective sectors, including, but not limited to, the Presidential Agrarian Reform 
Council (PARC) and local counterparts; community-based resource management 
bodies or mechanisms on forest management and stewardship; National 
Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Council (NFARMC) and its local 
counterparts; National Commission on Indigenous Peoples; Presidential 
Commission for the Urban Poor; National Anti-Poverty Commission; and, where 
applicable, local housing boards. 
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SECTION 22. Right to Information. - Access to information regarding 
policies on women, including programs, projects, and budgeting, shall be 
ensured. 
SECTION 23. Social Protection. - 
(A) The Social Security System (SSS) and the Philippine Health Insurance 
Corporation (PhilHealth) shall support indigenous and community-based social 
protection schemes. 
(B) The State shall institute policies and programs that seek to reduce the 
poverty and vulnerability to risks and enhance the social status and rights of the 
marginalized women by promoting and protecting livelihood and employment, 
protecting against hazards and sudden loss of income, and improving people's 
capacity to manage risks. 
(C) The State shall endeavor to reduce and eventually eliminate transfer 
costs of remittances from abroad through negotiations. It shall likewise provide 
access to investment opportunities for remittances in line with national 
development efforts. 
(D) The State shall establish a health insurance program for senior citizens 
and indigents. 
(E) The State shall support women with disabilities on a community-based 
social protection scheme. 
SECTION 24. Recognition and Preservation of Cultural Identity and 
Integrity. - The State shall recognize and respect the rights of Mor0 and 
indigenous women to practice, promote, protect, and preserve their own culture, 
traditions, and institutions and to consider these rights in the formulation and 
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implementation of national policies and programs. To this end, the State shall 
adopt measures in consultation with the sectors concerned to protect their rights 
to their indigenous knowledge systems and practices, traditional livelihood, and 
other manifestations of their cultures and ways of life; Provided, That these 
cultural systems and practices are not discriminatory to women. 
SECTION 25. Peace and Development. - The peace process shall be 
pursued with the following considerations: 
(A) Increase the number of women participating in decision-making in the 
peace process, including membership in peace panels; 
(B) Ensure the development and inclusion of the women’s peace agenda in 
the over-all peace strategy and women’s participation in the planning, 
implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of rehabilitation and rebuilding of 
conflict-affected areas; 
(C) Institute measures to ensure the protection of civilians in conflict- 
affected communities. 
(D) Include the peace perspective in the education curriculum and other 
educational undertaking; and 
(E) Recognize and support women’s role in conflict-prevention and 
peacemaking and in indigenous systems of conflict resolution. 
SECTION 26. Women in Especially Difficult Circumstances. - For 
purposes of this Act, ”women in especially difficult circumstances” (WEDC) 
shall refer to victims and survivors of sexual and physical abuse, illegal 
recruitment, prostitution, trafficking, armed conflict, women in detention, 
victims of rape-incest, and such other related circumstances which have 
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incapacitated them functionally. Local government units are therefore mandated 
to deliver the necessary services and interventions to WEDC under their 
respective jurisdictions. 
SECTION 27. Services and Interventions. - WEDC shall be provided with 
services and interventions as necessary such as, but not limited to, the following: 
(A) Temporary and protective custody; 
(B) Medical and dental services; 
(C) Psychological evaluation; 
(D) Counseling; 
(E) Psychiatric evaluation;' 
(F) Legal services; 
(G) Productivity skills capability building; 
(H) Livelihood assistance; 
(I) Job placement; 
(J) Financial assistance; and 
(K) Transportation assistance. 
SECTION 28. Protection of Girl-Children. - 
(A) The State shall pursue measures to eliminate all forms of 
discrimination against girl-children in education, health and nutrition, and skills 
development. 
(B) Girl-children shall be protected from all forms of abuse and 
exploitation caused by negative cultural attitudes and practices as well as in the 
economic exploitation of child Iabor. 
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(C) Equal access of Mor0 and indigenous girl-children in the Madaris, 
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schools of living culture and traditions, and the regular schools shall be ensured. 
(D) Gender-sensitive curriculum, including 'legal literacy, books, and 
curriculum in the Madaris and school of living culture and tradition shall be 
developed. 
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(E) Sensitivity of regular schools to particular Mor0 and indigenous 
practices, such as fasting in the month of Ramadan, choice of clothing (including 
the wearing of hijab), and availability of kalal food shall be ensured. 
SECTION 29. Protection of Senior Citizens. - The State shall protect 
women senior citizens from neglect, abandonment, domestic violence, abuse, 
exploitation, and discrimination. Towards this end, the State shall ensure special 
protective mechanisms and support services against violence, sexual abuse, 
exploitation, and discrimination of older women. 
CHAPTER V 
INSTITUTIONAL MECHANISMS 
SECTION 30. Gender Mainstreaming as a Strategy for Implementing the 
Magna Carta of Women. - All departments, including their attached agencies, 
offices, bureaus, state universities and colleges, government-owned and 
controlled corporations, local government units, and other government 
instrumentalities shall adopt gender mainstreaming as a strategy to promote 
women's human rights and eliminate gender discrimination in their systems, 
structures, policies, programs, processes, and procedures which shall include, 
but not limited to, the following: 
(A) Planning and Budgeting for Gender and Development (GAD). - GAD 
programs designed to address gender issues and concerns shall be designed and 
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implemented based on the mandate of government agencies and local 
government units, Republic Act No. 7192, gender equality agenda of the 
government, and other GAD-related legislation and policies. The development of 
the GAD programs shall proceed from the conduct of a gender audit of the 
agency or local government unit and a gender analysis of its policies, programs, 
services, and the situation of its clientele; the generation and review of sex- 
disaggregated data; and consultation with gender or women’s rights advocates 
and agency, or women clientele. The cost of implementing the GAD program 
shall be the agency’s or local government unit‘s GAD budget which shall be at 
least five percent (5%) of the agency’s or local government unit’s total budget 
appropriation. 
The utilization and outcome of the GAD .budget shall be annually 
monitored and evaluated in terms of its success in influencing the gender- 
responsive implementation of agency programs funded by the remainder of the 
ninety-five percent (95%) budget. 
Local government units are also encouraged to develop and pass a GAD 
Code based on the gender issues and concerns in their respective localities and 
the women’s empowerment and gender equality agendabf the govenunent. The 
GAD Code shall also serve as basis for identifying programs, activities, and 
projects on GAD. 
Where needed, temporary gender equity measures shall be provided for 
in the plans of all departments, including their attached agencies, offices, 
bureaus, state universities and colleges, government-owned and controlled 
corporations, local government units, and other government instrumentalities. 
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To move towards a more sustainable, gender-responsive, and 
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integrated in, among others, the following plans: 
1. Macro socio-economic plans such as the Medium-Term Philippine 
Development Plan and Medium-Term Philippine Investment Plan; 
2. Annual plans of all departments, including their attached agencies, 
offices, bureaus, state universities and colleges, and government-owned and 
controlled corporations; and 
3. Local plans and agenda such as executive-legislative agenda, 
comprehensive development plan (CDP), comprehensive land use plan (CLUP), 
provincial development and physical framework plan (PDPFP), and annual 
investment plan. 
(B) Creation and/or Strengthening of the GAD Focal Points (GFP). - All 
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strengthen their GAD Focal Point System or similar GAD mechanism to catalyze 
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and accelerate gender mainstreaming within the agency or local government 
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The GAD Focal Point System shall be composed of the agency head or 
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local chief executive, an Executive Committee with an Undersecretary (or its 
equivalent), LGU official, or office in a strategic decision-making position as 
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Chair; and a Technical Working Group or Secretariat which is composed of 
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representatives from various divisions or offices within the agency or local 
The tasks and functions of the members of the GFP shall form part of their 
regular key result areas and shall be given due consideration in their 
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performance evaluation. 
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(C) Generation and Maintenance of GAD Database. - All departments, 
including their attached agencies, offices, bureaus, state universities and colleges, 
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government-owned and controlled corporations, local government units, and 
other government instrumentalities shall develop and maintain a GAD database 
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containing gender statistics and sex-disaggregated data that have been 
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SECTION 31. Gender Focal Point Officer in Philippine Embassies and 
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Consulates. - An officer duly trained on gender and development shall be 
designated as the gender focal point officer in the consular section of Philippine 
embassies or consulates. Said officer shall be primarily responsible in handling 
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gender concerns of women migrant workers. 
SECTION 32. National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women 
(NCRFW). - The National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women (NCRFW) 
shall be renamed as the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) and 
strengthened to be the primary coordinating agency and policy advisory on 
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women and gender concerns to the Office of the President and the Cabinet. It 
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shall also be the overall monitoring body to ensure the implementation of this 
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Act. In doing so, the PCW shall direct all agencies to report on the 
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implementation of this Act and for them to immediately respond to the problems 
brought to their attention in relation to this Act. The PCW shall also lead in 
ensuring that government agencies are capacitated on effective implementation 
of this Act. The Chairperson shall likewise report to the President in Cabinet 
meetings on the implementation of this Act. 
To the extent possible, the PCW shall influence the systems, processes, 
and procedures of the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government 
vis-&vis GAD to ensure the implementation of this Act. 
SECTION 33. The Gender and Development (GAD) Ombud. - A gender 
and development Ombud shall be established in the Commission on Human 
Rights. The GAD Ombud shall: 
(1) Monitor and oversee the strict implementation of this Act, in 
coordination with the PCW; 
(2) On its own or upon a report or complaint, have the power to require 
information, investigate, or hear administrative complaints involving the 
possible violations of this Act; 
(3) Use every and all reasonable means to ascertain the facts in the report 
or complaint, in all instances observing due process; 
(4) Recommend to the President or the Civil Service Commission any 
possible administrative action based on non-compliance or failure to implement 
the provisions of this Act; 
(5) Direct agencies to immediately respond to the problems brought to 
their attention in relation to the implementation of this Act and report to the 
PCW on the action taken; and 
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(6) Assist in the filing of cases against individuals, agencies, institutions, 
or establishments that violate the provisions of this Act. 
SECTION 34. Incentives and Awards. - There shall be established an 
incentives and awards system which shall be administered by a board under 
such rules and regulations as may be promulgated by the PCW to deserving 
entities, government agencies, and local government units for their outstanding 
performance in upholding the rights of women and effective implementation of 
gender-responsive programs. 
SECTION 35. Penalties. - Upon finding of the Gender Ombud that a 
department, agency, or instrumentality of government, government-owned and 
controlled corporation, or local government unit has violated any provision of 
this Act and its Implementing Rules and Regulations, the sanctions under 
administrative law, civil service, or other appropriate laws shall be 
recommended to the Civil Service Commission and/or the Department of Interior 
and Local Government. The person directly responsible for the violation as well 
as the head of the agency or local chief executive shall be held liable under this 
Act. 
If the violation is committed by a private entity or individual, the person 
directly responsible for the violation shall be liable to pay damages. 
Filing a complaint under this Act shall not preclude the offended party 
from pursuing other remedies available under the law. 
SECTION 36. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - As the lead agency, 
the PCW shall, in coordination with the Commission on Human Rights, all 
concerned departments and agencies, and with the participation of 
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its effectivity. 
with a proven track record of involvement and promotion of the rights and 
welfare of Filipino women and girls to be determined by the PCW, formulate the 
Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of this Act within six (6) months after 
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SECTION 37. Separability Clause. - If any provision or part hereof is held 
invalid or unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provision not 
otherwise affected shall remain valid and subsisting. 
SECTION 38. Repealing Clause. - Any law, presidential decree or 
issuance, executive order, letter' of instruction, administrative order, rule, or 
regulation contrary to, or inconsistent with, the provisions of this Act is hereby 
repealed, modified, or amended accordingly. 
SECTION 39. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) 
days after its publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
Approved, 
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