FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILWPINES 
First Regular Session 
S E N A T E  
S.B.NO. 936 
Introduced by Senator Loren Legarda 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
This bill seeks to 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 I1 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, Republic Act No. 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 provides that a substantial 
porticn 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; women of legal age, 
regardless of civil status, shall have the capacity to act and enter into contracts, and 
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, 1995-2025, which is the government's thirty-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), commonly known as the government's budget, has 
included the so-called GAD or Women's Budget. This directs all government agencies 
to allocate five percent of their annual budgets to address gender issues. 
Along with other landmark laws on women like Republic Act No. 8353, The 
Anti-Rape Law which expanded the definition of the crime of rape as crime against 
perscjns 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 constraints that significantly affect women's participation in 
public governance. Thus, 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 
PhiIippines 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 view 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. 
Senator 


FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session 
Introduced by Senator Loren Legarda 
AN ACT 
PROVIDING FOR WOMEN EMPOWERMENT AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
assembled: 
SECTION 1. This Act shall be known and cited as the "Women Empowerment 
Act of 2007." 
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 of the Cabinet; 
b) At least one-third 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 u.nits: Provided, that in cases where 
there are more than fifty percent (50%) women population Qccupying 
technical position in departments, offices, bureaus and agencies, the 
secretary or the head agency shall be a woman and the proportion of one- 
third shall be increased to two-thirds; 
c) At least one-third of all assistant secretaries in every department; 
d) At least one-third of all directors in every department; 
e) At least one-third of all chiefs of division in every department, bureau of 
agency; 
f) At least one-third of all ambassadors and consular offices; 
g) At least one-third of all judges in all lower courts; and 
h) At least one-third of all prosecutors in department of justice. 
The Civil Service Commission shall enforce this provision. 
SEC. 3. All duly accredited political parties shall reserve at least one third of its 
party elate of official candidates to women in elections for the municipality/city 
councils and provincial boards. 
The Commission on Elections shall enforce this provision. 


SEC. 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. 
SEC. 5. All police stations shall establish an all female unit to attend t3 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. 
SEC. 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. 
SEC. 7. At least one-third of scholarships, grants, fellowships and trainings in 
the National Local and 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. 
SEC. 8. Nothing in this Act shall diminish the rights and privileges of incumbent 
male employees. 
SEC. 9. Persons who violate the provisions of this act shall be punished by a fine 
not less than Fifty thousand pesos (P50,000.00) 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. 
SEC. 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. 
SEC. 11. All laws, presidential decrees, executive orders, rules and regulations, 
or parts thereof, inconsistent with this Act, are hereby repealed or modified 
accordingly. 
SEC. 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. 
SEC. 13. Repealing Clause. - All laws, presidential decrees, executive orders and 
their implementing rules, inconsistent with the provisions of this act are hereby 
repealed, amended or modified accordingly. 
SEC. 14. Eflectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
publication in at least two (2) national newspapers of general circulation. 
Approved,