9710 97109710 9710
9710
MAGNA CARTA
OF WOMEN
RA RARA RA
RA
IMPLEMENTING RULES
AND REGULATIONS

Published by:
Office of the President
Philippine Commission on Women
1145 J. P. Laurel Street, San Miguel, Manila, Philippines 1005
Tel. No. 735-1654; 735-4955
https://www.pcw.gov.ph
Copyright: 2010
ISBN 978-971-8701-11-9
1st Printing
April 2010
Funded by:
UN Joint Programme to Facilitate the Implementation
of the CEDAW Concluding Comments
with special contributions from:
COMPLIMENTARY COPY. NOT FOR SALE.

REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9710
The Magna Carta of Women
IMPLEMENTING RULES
AND REGULATIONS

TABLE OF CONTENTS
REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9710 ………………………………………. 1-30
An Act Providing for the Magna Carta of Women
BOARD RESOLUTION NO. 1 ………………………………. 31-33
(Series of 2010)
Approving and Adopting the Implementing Rules
and Regulations of Republic Act No. 9710 otherwise
known as the “Magna Carta Of Women Act.”
IMPLEMENTING RULES AND REGULATIONS … 35-124
Republic Act No. 9710, otherwise known as the
“Magna Carta of Women”
APPENDIX ………………………………………………………… 121-124

1
Begun and held in Metro Manila, on Monday, the twenty-eight day of
July, two thousand eight.
S. No. 2396
H. No. 4273
AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE MAGNA
CARTA OF WOMEN
[R EPUBLIC A CT N O . 9710] Fourteenth Congress
Second Regular Session
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the Philippines in Congress assembled:
CHAPTER 1
GENERAL PROVISIONS

SECTION 1. Short Title. – This Act shall be known as “The Magna
Carta of Women”.
SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. – Recognizing that the economic,
political, and sociocultural 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 empowerment of women and
pursue equal opportunities for women and men and ensure equal access to
resources and to development results and outcome. Further, the State realizes
that equality of men and women entails the abolition of the unequal structures
Republic of the Philippines
Congress of the Philippines
Metro Manila

2
and practices that perpetuate discrimination and inequality. To realize this,
the State shall endeavor to develop plans, policies, programs, measures, and
mechanisms to address discrimination and inequality in the economic, political,
social, and cultural life of women and men.
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 consistent with Philippine law. The State
shall accord women the rights, protection, and opportunities available to
every member of society.
The State affirms women’s rights as human rights and shall intensify its
efforts to fulfill its duties under international and domestic law to recognize,
respect, protect, fulfill, and promote all human rights and fundamental freedoms
of women, especially marginalized women, in the economic, social, political,
cultural, and other fields without distinction or discrimination on account of
class, age, sex, gender, language, ethnicity, religion, ideology, disability,
education, and status.
The State shall provide the necessary mechanisms to enforce women’s
rights and adopt and undertake all legal measures necessary to foster and
promote the equal opportunity for women to participate in and contribute
to the development of the political, economic, social, and cultural realms.
The State, in ensuring the full integration of women’s concerns in the
mainstream of development, shall provide ample opportunities to enhance
and develop their skills, acquire productive employment and contribute to
their families and communities to the fullest of their capabilities.
In pursuance of this policy, the State reaffirms the right of women in all
sectors to participate in policy formulation, planning, organization,
implementation, management, monitoring, and evaluation of all programs,
projects, and services. It shall support policies, researches, technology, and
training programs and other support services such as financing, production,
and marketing to encourage active participation of women in national
development.
SEC. 3. Principles of Human Rights of Women. – Human rights
are universal and inalienable. All people in the world are entitled to them.

3
The universality of human rights is encompassed in the words of Article 1
of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states that all human
beings are free and equal in dignity and rights.
Human rights are indivisible. Human rights are inherent to the dignity of
every human being whether they relate to civil, cultural, economic, political,
or social issues.
Human rights are interdependent and interrelated. The fulfillment of one
right often depends, wholly or in part, upon the fulfillment of others.
All individuals are equal as human beings by virtue of the inherent dignity
of each human person. No one, therefore, should suffer discrimination on
the basis of ethnicity, gender, age, language, sexual orientation, race, color,
religion, political, or other opinion, national, social, or geographical origin,
disability, property, birth, or other status as established by human rights
standards.
All people have the rights to participate in and access information relating
to the decision-making processes that affect their lives and well-being.
Rights-based approached require a high degree of participation by
communities, civil society, minorities, women, young people, indigenous
peoples, and other identified groups.
States and other duty-bearers are answerable for the observance of human
rights. They have to comply with the legal norms and standards enshrined
in international human rights instruments in accordance with the Philippine
Constitution. Where they fail to do so, aggrieved rights-holders are entitled
to institute proceedings for appropriate redress before a competent court or
other adjudicator in accordance with the rules and procedures provided by
law.
CHAPTER II
DEFENITION OF TERMS
SEC. 4. Definitions. – For purposes of this Act, the following
terms shall mean:
(a) “Women Empowerment” refers to the provision, availability,
and accessibility of opportunities, services, 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

4
which shall provide them equal access to ownership, management, and
control of production, and of material and informational resources and
benefits in the family, community, 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.
It includes any act or omission, including by law, policy, administrative
measure, or practice, that directly or indirectly excludes or restricts women
in the recognition and promotion of their rights and their access to and
enjoyment of opportunities, benefits, or privileges.
A measure or practice of general application is discrimination against women
if it fails to provide for mechanisms to offset or address sex or gender-based
disadvantages or limitations of women, as a result of which women are
denied or restricted in the recognition and protection of their rights and in
their access to and enjoyment of opportunities, benefits, or privileges; or
women, more than men, are shown to have suffered the greater adverse
effects of those measures or practices.
Provided, finally, That discrimination compounded by or intersecting with
other grounds, status, or condition, such as ethnicity, age, poverty, or
religion shall be considered discrimination against women under this Act.
(c) “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.
(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 other resources, basic social and economic services such
as health care, education, water and sanitation, employment and livelihood
opportunities, housing, social security, physical infrastructure, and the justice
system.

5
These include, but are not limited to, women in the following sectors and
groups:
(1) “Small Farmers and Rural Workers” refers to those who are
engaged directly or indirectly in small farms and forests areas,
workers in commercial farms and plantations, whether paid or
unpaid, regular or season-bound. These shall 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) “Fisherfolk” refers to 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, coastal and marine 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” refers to those residing in urban and urbanizable
slum or blighted areas, with or without the benefit of security of
abode, where the income of the head of the family cannot afford
in a sustained manner to provide for the family’s basic needs of
food, health, education, housing, and other essentials in life;
(4) “Workers in the Formal Economy” refers to 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, subdivisions, and instrumentalities,
all government-owned and controlled corporations and institutions,
as well as nonprofit private institutions or organizations;
(5) “Workers in the Informal Economy” refers to self-employed,
occasionally or personally hired, subcontracted, paid and unpaid
family workers in household incorporated and unincorporated
enterprises, including home workers, micro-entrepreneurs and
producers, and operators of sari-sari stores and all other categories
who suffer from violation of workers’ rights;

6
(6) “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;
(7) “Indigenous Peoples” refers 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 as defined
under Section 3(h), Chapter II of Republic Act No. 8371, otherwise
known as “The Indigenous Peoples Rights Act of 1997” (IPRA of
1997);
(8) “Moro” refers to native peoples who have historically inhabited
Mindanao, Palawan, and Sulu, and who are largely of the Islamic
faith;
(9) “Children” refers to 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, neglect, cruelty, exploitation, or
discrimination because of a physical or mental disability or
condition;
(10) “Senior Citizens” refers to those sixty (60) years of age and
above;
(11) “Persons with Disabilities” refers to 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; and

7
(12) “Solo Parents” refers to 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) “Substantive Equality” refers to the full and equal enjoyment
of rights and freedoms contemplated under this Act. It encompasses de jure
and de facto equality and also equality in outcomes.
(f) “Gender Equality” refers to the principle asserting the equality
of men and women and their right to enjoy equal conditions realizing their
full human potentials to contribute to and benefit from the results of
development, and with the State recognizing that all human beings are free
and equal in dignity and rights.
(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
men and women 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 discontinued when the objectives of equality of
opportunity and treatment have been achieved.
(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 they 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” refers to 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,
including legislation, policies, or programs in all areas and at all levels.

8
(j) “Temporary Special Measures” refers to a variety of legislative,
executive, administrative, and regulatory instruments, policies, and practices
aimed at accelerating this de facto equality of women in specific areas. These
measures shall not be considered discriminatory but shall in no way entail
as a consequence the maintenance of unequal or separate standards. They
shall be discontinued when their objectives have been achieved.
(k) “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, dowry-related violence, marital rape,
and other traditional practices harmful to 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.
(l) “Women in the Military” refers to women employed in the
military, both in the major and technical services, who are performing combat
and/or noncombat 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.
(m) “Social Protection” refers to policies and programs that seek
to reduce poverty and vulnerability to risks and enhance the social status
and rights of all women, especially 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.

9 CHAPTER III
DUTIES RELATED TO THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF
WOMEN
The State, private sector, society in general, and all individuals shall contribute
to the recognition, respect, and promotion of the rights of women defined
and guaranteed under this Act.
SEC. 5. The State as the Primary Duty-Bearer. – The State, as the
primary duty-bearer, shall:
(a) Refrain from discriminating against women and violating their
rights;
(b) Protect women against discrimination and from violation of
their rights by private corporations, entities, and individuals; and
(c) Promote and fulfill the rights of women in all spheres, including
their rights to substantive equality and non-discrimination.
The State shall fulfill these duties through law, policy, regulatory instruments,
administrative guidelines, and other appropriate measures, including temporary
special measures.
Recognizing the interrelation of the human rights of women, the State shall
take measures and establish mechanisms to promote the coherent and
integrated implementation and enforcement of this Act and related laws,
policies, or other measures to effectively stop discrimination against and
advance the rights of women.
The State shall keep abreast with and be guided by progressive developments
in human rights of women under international law and design of policies,
laws, and other measures to promote the objectives of this Act.
SEC. 6. Duties of the State Agencies and Instrumentalities. –
These duties of the State shall extend to all state agencies, offices, and
instrumentali¬ties at all levels and government-owned and controlled
corporations, subject to the Constitution and pertinent laws, policies, or
administrative guidelines that define specific duties of state agencies and
entities concerned.
SEC. 7. Suppletory Effect. – This chapter shall be deemed integrated
into and be suppletory to other provisions of this Act, particularly those
that guarantee specific rights to women and define specific roles and require
specific conduct of state organs.

10CHAPTER IV
RIGHTS AND EMPOWERMENT
SEC. 8. Human Rights of Women. – All rights in the Constitution
and those rights recognized under international instruments duly signed and
ratified by the Philippines, in consonance with Philippine law, shall be rights
of woman under this Act to be enjoyed without discrimination.
SEC. 9. 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 of 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 conflict 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 observe
international standards for the protection of civilian population in
circumstances of emergency and armed conflict. It shall not force
women, especially indigenous people, to abandon their lands,
territories, and means of subsistence, or relocate them in special
centers for military purposes under any discriminatory condition.
(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 shall 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.

11
SEC. 10. 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, including protection
during pregnancy.
SEC. 11. Participating and Representation. – The State shall
undertake temporary special measures to accelerate the participation and
equitable 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, and
evaluation of policies, plans, and programs for national, regional, and local
development:
(a) Empowerment within the Civil Service. – Within the next five
(5) years, the number of women in third (3rd) level positions in
government shall be incrementally increased to achieve a fifty-fifty
(50-50) gender balance;
(b) Development Councils and Planning Bodies. – To ensure the
participation of women in all levels of development planning and
program implementation, at least forty percent (40%) of membership
of all development councils from the regional, provincial, city,
municipal, and barangay levels shall be composed of women;
(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 discrimination to represent their government
at the international level and to participate in the work of
international organizations:

12
(e) Integration of Women in Political Parties. – The State shall
provide incentives to political parties with women’s agenda. It
shall likewise encourage the integration of women in their leadership
hierarchy internal policy-making structures, appointive, and electoral
nominating processes; and
(f) Private Sector. – The State shall take measures to encourage
women leadership in the private sector in the form of incentives.
SEC. 12. 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.
SEC. 13. Equal Access and Elimination of Discrimination in
Education, Schoolarships, 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 nontraditional skills training in
vocational and tertiary levels shall be encouraged.
(c) Expulsion and non-readmission of women faculty due to
pregnancy outside of marriage shall be outlawed. No school shall
turn out or refuse admission to a female student solely on the
account of her having contracted pregnancy outside of marriage
during her term in school.
SEC. 14. Women in Sports. – The State shall develop, establish,
and strengthen programs for the participating of women and girl-children in
competitive and noncompetitive 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.
For this purpose, all sports-related organizations shall create guidelines that
will establish and integrate affirmative action as a strategy and gender

13
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 nonmaterial incentives to local
government units, media organizations, and the private sector for promoting,
training, and preparing women and girls for participation in competitive and
noncompetitive sports, especially 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 in the same
sports category: 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 divisions.
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 its total women student population in granting athletic
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.
SEC. 15. Women in the Military. – The State shall pursue
appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination of women in the military,
police, and other similar services, including revising or abolishing policies
and practices that restrict women from availing of both combat and noncombat
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 the same promotional
privileges and opportunities as men, including pay increases, additional
remunerations and benefits, and awards based on their competency and
quality of performance. Towards this end, the State shall ensure that the
personal of women shall always be respected.

14
Women in the military, police, and other similar services shall be provided
with the same right to employment as men one 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, police, and other similar services shall be
entitled to leave benefits such as maternity leave, as provided for by existing
laws.
SEC. 16. Nondiscriminatory and Nonderogatory Portrayal of
Women in Media and Film. – The State shall formulate policies and programs
for the advancement of women in collaboration with government and
nongovernment media-related organizations. 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, airtime, and
resources, strengthen programming, production, and image-making that
appropriately present women’s needs, issues, and concerns in all forms of
media, communication, 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.
SEC. 17. Women’s Right to 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 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.

15
Access to the following services shall be ensured:
(1) Maternal care to include pre-and post-natal services to address
pregnancy and infant health and nutrition;
(2) Promotion of breastfeeding;
(3) Responsible, ethical, legal, safe, and effective methods of family
planning;
(4) Family and State collaboration in youth sexuality education and
health services without prejudice to the primary right and duty of
parents to educate their children;
(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
and disorders;
(7) Prevention of abortion and management of pregnancy-related
complications;
(8) In cases of 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;
(9) Prevention and management of infertility and sexual dysfunction
pursuant to ethical norms and medicals standards;
(10) Care of the elderly women beyond their child-bearing years;
and
(11) Management, treatment, and intervention of mental health
problems of woman and girls.
In addition, healthy lifestyle activities are encouraged and promoted through
programs and projects as strategies in the prevention of diseases.
(b) Comprehensive Health Information and Education. – The State
shall provide women in all sectors with appropriate, timely, complete, and

16
accurate information and education of all the above-stated aspects of women’s
health in government 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 strengthening of character;
(2) The formation of a person’s sexuality that affirms human dignity;
and
(3) Ethical, legal, safe, and effective family planning methods
including fertility awareness.
SEC. 18. Special Leave Benefits for Women. – A 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.
SEC. 19. 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:
(a) the same rights to enter into and leave marriages or common
law relationships referred to under the Family Code without
prejudice to personal or religious beliefs;
(b) the same rights to choose freely a spouse and to enter into
marriage only with their free and full consent. The betrothal and
the marriage of a child shall have no legal effect;
(c) 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;
(d) the same personal rights between spouses or common law
spouses including the right to choose freely a profession and an
occupation;
(e) the same rights for both spouses or common law spouses in
respect of the ownership, acquisition, management, administration,
enjoyment, and disposition of property;

17
(f) the same rights to properties and resources, whether titled or
not, and inheritance, whether formal or customary; and
(g) women shall have equal rights with men to acquire change, or
retain their nationality. The State shall ensure in particular that
neither marriage to an alien nor change of nationality by the
husband during marriage shall automatically change the nationality
of the wife, render her stateless or force upon her the nationality
of the husband. Various statutes of other countries concerning
dual citizenship that may be enjoyed equally by women and men
shall likewise be considered.
Customary laws shall be respected: Provided, however, That they do not
discriminate against, women.
CHAPTER V
RIGHTS AND EMPOWERMENT OF MARGINALIZED
SECTORS
Women in marginalized sectors are hereby guaranteed all civil, political,
social, and economic rights recognized, promoted, and protected under
existing laws including, but not limited to, the Indigenous Peoples Rights
Act, the Urban Development and Housing Act, the Comprehensive Agrarian
Reform Law, the Fisheries Code, the Labor Code, the Migrant Workers Act,
the Solo Parents Welfare Act, and the Social Reform and Poverty Alleviation
Act.
SEC. 20. Food Security and Productive Resources. – The State
recognizes the contribution of women to food production and shall ensure
its sustainability and sufficiency with the active participation of women.
Towards this end, the State shall guarantee, at all times, the availability in
the market of safe and health-giving food to satisfy the dietary needs of the
population, giving particular attention to the specific needs of poor girl-
children and marginalized women, especially pregnant and lactating mothers
and their young children. To further 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, including the right to full, accurate, and truthful information

18
about safe and health-giving foods and how to produce and have regular
easy access to them;
(b) Right to Resources for Food Production. – The State shall
guarantee women a vital role in food production by giving priority to their
rights to land, credit, and infrastructure support, technical training, and
technological and marketing assistance. The State shall promote women-
friendly technology as a high priority activity in agriculture and 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, i.e., 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;
(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 woman 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

19
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 supports 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;
(11) Indigenous practices of women in seed storage and cultivation
shall berecognized, encouraged, and protected;
(12) Equal rights shall be given to women to be members of
farmers’ 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.
In the enforcement of the foregoing, the requirements of law shall
be observed at all times.
SEC. 21. Right to Housing. – The State shall develop housing
programs for women that are localized, simple, accessible, with potable
water, and electricity, secure, with viable employment opportunities and
affordable amortization. In this regard, the State consult women and involve
them in community planning and development, especially in matters pertaining
to land use, zoning, and relocation.

20
SEC. 22. 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 fairly remunerative as family living wage, security in the workplace, and
social protection for families, better prospects for personal development and
social integration, freedom for 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 taking into account women’s maternal functions;
(2) Support services that will enable women to balance their family
obligations and work responsibilities including, but not limited to,
the establishment of day care centers and breast-feeding stations
at the workplace, and providing maternity leave pursuant to the
Labor Code and other pertinent laws;
(3) Membership in unions regardless of status of employment and
place of employment; and
(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.
SEC. 23. Right to Livelihood, Credit, Capital, and Technology. –
The State shall ensure that women are provided with the following:
(a) Equal access to formal sources of credit and capital;

21
(b) 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.
SEC. 24. Right to Education and Training. – The State shall
ensure the following:
(a) Women migrant workers have the opportunity to undergo
skills training, if they so desire, before taking on a foreign job, and
possible retraining upon return to the country;
(b) Gender-sensitive training and seminars; and
(c) Equal opportunities in scholarships based on merit and fitness
especially to those interested in research and development aimed
towards women-friendly farm technology.
SEC. 25. 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 its local counterparts; community-
based resource management bodies or mechanisms on forest management
and stewardship; the National Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management
Council (NFARMC) and its local counterparts; the National Commission on
Indigenous People; the Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor; the
National Anti-Poverty Commission; and, where applicable, the local housing
boards.
SEC. 26. Right to Information. – Access to information regarding
policies on women, including programs, projects, and funding outlays that
affect them, shall be ensured.
SEC. 27. Social Protection. –
(a) The Social Security System (SSS) and the Philippine Health
Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) shall support indigenous and community-
based social protection schemes.

22
(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 remittance from abroad through appropriate bilateral and
multilateral agreements. 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.
SEC. 28. Recognition and Preservation of Cultural Identity and
Integrity. – The State shall recognize and respect the rights of Moro and
indigenous women to practice, promote, protect, and preserve their own
culture, traditions, and institutions and to consider these rights in the
formulation and 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 liveli¬hood, and other manifestations of their cultures and ways
of life: Provided, That these cultural systems and practices are not
discriminatory to women.
SEC. 29. Peace and Development. – The peace process shall be
pursued with the following considerations:
(a) Increase the number of women participating in discussions
and decision-making in the peace process, including membership in peace
panels recognizing women’s role in conflict-prevention and peace-making
and in indigenous system of conflict resolution;
(b) Ensure the development and inclusion of women’s welfare and
concerns in the peace agenda in the overall peace strategy and women’s
participation in the planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of
rehabilitation and rebuilding of conflict-affected areas;

23
(c) The institution of measures to ensure the protection of civilians
in conflict-affected communities with special consideration for the specific
needs of women and girls;
(d) Include the peace perspective in the education curriculum and
other educational undertakings; and
(e) The recognition and support for women’s role in conflict-
prevention, management, resolution and peacemaking, and in indigenous
systems of conflict resolution.
SEC. 30. 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 and survivors of rape and incest, and such other related circumstances
which have incapacitated them functionally. Local government units are
therefore mandated to deliver the necessary services and interventions to
WEDC under their respective jurisdictions.
SEC. 31. 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.
SEC. 32. 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.

24
(c) Equal access of Moro and indigenous girl-children in the
Madaris, 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 schools of living culture and traditions
shall be developed.
(e) Sensitivity of regular schools to particular Moro and indigenous
practices, such as fasting in the month of Ramadan, choice of clothing
(including the wearing of hijab), and availability of halal food shall be
ensured.)
SEC. 33. 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.
SEC. 34. Women are entitled to the recognition and protection of
their rights defined and guaranteed under this Act including their right to
nondiscrimination.
SEC. 35. Discrimination Against Women is Prohibited. – Public
and private entities and individuals found to have committed discrimination
against women shall be subject to the sanctions provided in Section 41
hereof. Violations of other rights of women shall be subject to sanctions
under pertinent laws and regulations.
CHAPTER VI
INSTITUTIONAL MECHANISMS
SEC. 36. Gender Mainstreaming as a Strategy for Implementing
the Magna Carta of Women. – Within a period prescribed in the implementing
rules and regulations, the National Commission on the Role of Filipino
Women (NCRFW) shall assess its gender mainstreaming program for
consistency with the standards under this Act. It shall modify the program
accordingly to ensure that it will be an effective strategy for implementing
this Act and attaining its objectives.

25
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, budgeting, monitoring and evaluation for GAD. GAD
programs addressing gender issues and concerns shall be designed and
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, policies, and commitments.
The development of GAD programs shall proceed from the conduct of a
gender audit of the agency or the local government unit and a gender
analysis of tis policies, programs, services and the situation of its clientele;
the generation and review of sex-disaggregated data; and consultation with
gender/women’s rights advocates and agency/women clientele. The cost of
implementing GAD programs shall be the agency’s or the local government
unit’s GAD budget which shall be at least five percent (5%) of the agency’s
or the local government unit’s total budget appropriations.
Pursuant to Republic Act No. 7192, otherwise known as the Women in
Development and Nation Building Act, which allocates five percent (5%) to
thirty percent (30%) of overseas development assistance to GAD, government
agencies receiving official development assistance should ensure the allocation
and proper utilization of such funds to gender-responsive programs that
complement the government GAD funds and annually report accomplishments
thereof to the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) and
the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW).
The utilization and outcome of the GAD budget shall be annually monitored
and evaluated in terms of its success in influencing the gender-re¬sponsive
implementation of agency programs funded by the remaining ninety-five
percent (95%) budget.
The Commission on Audit (COA) shall conduct an annual audit on the use
of the GAD budget for the purpose of determining its judicious use and the
efficiency, and effectiveness of interventions in addressing gender issues
towards the realization of the objectives of the country’s commitments,
plans, and policies on women empowerment, gender equality, and GAD.
Local government units are also encouraged to develop and pass a GAD
Code based on the gender issues and concerns in their respective localities
based on consultation with their women constituents and the women’s

26
empowerment and gender equality agenda of the government. 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.
To move towards a more sustainable, gender-responsive, and performance-
based planning and budgeting, gender issues and concerns shall be
integrated in, among others, the following plans:
(1) Macro socioeconomic 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 college, 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 development
and physical framework plan (PDPFP), and annual investment plan.
(b) Creation and/or Strengthening of the GAD Focal Points (GFP).
All departments, including their attached agencies, offices, bureaus, states
universities and colleges, government-owned and –controlled corporations,
local government units, and other government instrumentalities shall establish
or strengthen their GAD Focal Point System or similar GAD mechanism to
catalyze and accelerate gender mainstreaming within the agency or local
government unit.
The GAD Focal Point System shall be composed of the agency head or local
chief executive, an executive committee with an Undersecretary (or its
equivalent), local government unit official, or office in a strategic decision-
making position as Chair; and a technical working group or secretariat which
is composed of representatives from various divisions or offices within the
agency or local government unit.
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
performance evaluation.

27
(c) Generation and Maintenance of Gad Database. 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 develop and maintain a
GAD database containing gender statistics and sex-disaggregated date that
have been systematically gathered, regularly updated, and subjected to
gender analysis for planning, programming, and policy formulation.
SEC. 37. Gender Focal Point Officer in Philippine Embassies and
Consulates. – An officer duly trained on GAD shall be designated as the
gender focal point in the consular section of Philippine embassies or
consulates. Said officer shall be primarily responsible in handling gender
concerns of women migrant workers. Attached agencies shall cooperate in
strengthening the Philippine foreign posts’ programs for the delivery of
services to women migrant workers.
SEC. 38. 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),
the primary policy-making and coordinating body of the women and gender
equality concerns under the Office of the President. The PCW shall be the
overall monitoring body and oversight to ensure the implementation of this
Act. In doing so, the PCW may direct any government agency and
instrumentality, as may be necessary to report on the 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 the 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-à-vis GAD to ensure the implementation of this Act.
To effectively and efficiently undertake and accomplish its functions, the
PCW shall revise its structure and staffing pattern with the assistance of the
Department of Budget and Management.
SEC. 39. Commission on Human Rights (CHR). – The Commission,
acting as the Gender and Development Ombud, consistent with its mandate,
shall undertake measures such as the following:

28
(a) Monitor with the PCW and other state agencies, among others,
in developing indicators and guidelines to comply with their duties related
to the human rights of women, including their right to nondiscrimination
guaranteed under this Act;
(b) Designate one (1) commissioner and/or its Women’s Human
Rights Center to be primarily responsible for formulating and implementing
programs and activities related to the promotion and protection of the
human rights of women, including the investigations and complaints of
discrimination and violations of their rights brought under this Act and
related laws and regulations;
(c) Establish guidelines and mechanisms, among others, that will
facilitate access of women to legal remedies under this Act and related laws,
and enhance the protection and promotion of the rights of women, especially
marginalized women;
(d) Assist in the filing of cases against individuals, agencies,
institutions, or establishments that violate the provisions of this Act; and
(e) Recommend to the President of the Philippines or the Civil
Service Commission any possible administrative action based on
noncompliance or failure to implement the provisions of this Act.
SEC. 40. Monitoring Progress and Implementation and Impact of
this Act. – The PCW, in coordination with other state agencies and the CHR,
shall submit to Congress regular reports on the progress of the implementation
of this Act highlighting the impact thereof on the status and human rights
of women: Provided, that the second report shall include an assessment of
the effectiveness of this Act and recommend amendments to improve its
provisions: Provided, finally, That these reports shall be submitted to
Congress every three (3) years or as determined in the implementing rules
and regulations.
SEC. 41. Penalties. – Upon finding of the CHR 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 the 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.

29
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 and to invoke any of the
provisions of existing laws especially those recently enacted laws protecting
women and children, including the Women in Development and Nation
Building Act (Republic Act No. 7192). The Special Protection of Children
Against Child Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act (Republic Act No.
7610), the Anti-Sexual Harassment Act of 1995 (Republic Act No. 7877), the
Anti-Rape Law of 1997 (Republic Act No. 8353), the Rape Victim Assistance
and Protection Act of 1998 (Republic Act No. 8505), the Anti-Trafficking in
Persons Act of 2003 (Republic Act No. 9208) and the Anti-Violence Against
Women and Their Children Act of 2004 (Republic Act No. 9262). If violence
has been proven to be perpetrated by agents of the State including, but not
limited to, extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, torture, and internal
displacements, such shall be considered aggravating offenses with
corresponding penalties depending on the severity of the offenses.
SEC. 42. Incentives and Awards. – There shall be established an
incentives and awards systems 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.
SEC. 43. Funding. – The initial funding requirements for the
implementation of this Act shall be charged against the current appropriations
of the agencies concerned. Thereafter, such sums as may be necessary for
the implementation of this Act shall be included in the agencies’ yearly
budgets under the General Appropriations Act.
The State shall prioritize allocation of all available resources to effectively
fulfill its obligations specified under this Act. The State agencies’ GAD
budgets, which shall be at least five percent (5%) of their total budgetary
allocation, shall also be utilized for the programs and activities to implement
this Act.
SEC. 44. Implementing Rules and Regulations. – As the lead
agency, the PCW shall, in coordination with the Commission on Human
Rights and all concerned government departments and agencies including,
as observers, both Houses of Congress through the Committee on Youth,
Women and Family Relations (Senate) and the Committee on Women and

30
Gender Equality (House of Representatives) and with the participation of
represen¬tatives from nongovernment organizations (NGOs) and civil society
groups with proven track record of involvement and promotion of the rights
and welfare of Filipino women and girls identified by the PCW, formulate
the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of this Act within one hundred
eighty (180) days after its effectivity.
SEC. 45. Separability Clause. – If any provision or part hereof is
held invalid or unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provisions
not otherwise affected shall remain valid and subsisting.
SEC. 46. Repealing Clause. – Any law, presidential decree or
issuance, executive order, letter of instruction, administrative order, or
regulation contrary to, or inconsistent with, the provisions of this Act is
hereby repealed, modified, or amended accordingly.
SEC. 47. Effectivity Clause. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15)
days after its publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation
Approved,
This Act is a consolidation of Senate Bill No. 2396 and House Bill no.
4273 was finally passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives
Approved: August 14, 2009

31
Republic of the Philippines
Office of the President
PHILIPPINE COMMISSION ON WOMEN
(formerly National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women)
BOARD RESOLUTION NO. 1
Series of 2010
APPROVING AND ADOPTING THE IMPLEMENTING RULES AND
REGULATIONS OF REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9710 OTHERWISE KNOWN
AS THE “MAGNA CARTA OF WOMEN.”
WHEREAS, the President signed into law on August 14, 2009
Republic Act No. 9710, otherwise known as the “Magna Carta of Women,”
which is a comprehensive women’s human rights law that seeks to eliminate
discrimination against women by recognizing, respecting, protecting, fulfilling
and promoting the rights of Filipino women, especially those in the
marginalized sectors;
WHEREAS, Section 44 of the aforementioned law mandates the
Philippine Commission on Women (PCW), in coordination with the Commission
on Human Rights (CHR) and all concerned government departments and
agencies including, as observers, both Houses of Congress through the
Committee on Youth, Women and Family Relations (Senate) and the
Committee on Women and Gender Equality (House of Representatives) and
with the participation of representatives from non-government organizations
(NGOs) and civil society groups with proven track record of involvement
and promotion of the rights and welfare of Filipino women and girls identified
by the PCW, to formulate the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of
this Act within one hundred eighty days (180) days after its effectivity;
WHEREAS, the draft IRR was formulated by the Technical Drafting
Committee, in coordination and consultation with other government
departments and agencies, non-government organizations and other
stakeholders;
WHEREAS, the validation of the draft IRR entailed a participatory
and consultative process, involving government and non-government
stakeholders from the National Capital Region, Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao,
including the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao;

32
WHEREAS, the enhanced draft IRR was presented during the
PCW Special Board Meeting held on March 30, 2010;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, AS IT IS HEREBY
RESOLVED, by the Chairperson and the Members of the Board of
Commissioners of the Philippine Commission on Women, to approve and
adopt the rules and regulations implementing RA 9710, otherwise known as
the “Magna Carta of Women”
DONE this 30th day of March 2010 at Mabini Hall, Malacañang,
Manila.
HON. MYRNA T. YAO
Chairperson, Philippine Commission on Women

33

34

35
THE IMPLEMENTING RULES AND REGULATIONS
OF REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9710, OTHERWISE KNOWN
AS THE “MAGNA CARTA OF WOMEN”
Pursuant to Section 44 of Republic Act No. 9710, An Act Providing
for the Magna Carta of Women, the following Rules and Regulations
are hereby promulgated:
RULE I
GENERAL PROVISION
SECTION 1.Title – These Rules and Regulations shall be
known and cited as The Implementing Rules and Regulations of
Republic Act No. 9710, otherwise known as the “Magna Carta of
Women.”
SECTION 2.Purpose – These Rules and Regulations are
hereby promulgated to prescribe the procedures and guidelines for
the implementation of the “Magna Carta of Women” in order to
facilitate the compliance therewith and to achieve the objectives
thereof.
SECTION 3.Construction – These Rules and Regulations
shall be liberally construed in favor of women in order to promote the
principles and rights of women and to achieve the objectives of the
“Magna Carta of Women.”
SECTION 4.Coverage – Implementation of these Rules
and Regulations includes all concerned national government agencies
(NGAs), bodies, instrumentalities, including government-owned and –
controlled corporations (GOCCs), private entities, local government
units (LGUs), private and state universities and colleges (SUCs), and
private and public schools. The equivalent units in autonomous regions
shall likewise be accountable to implement these Rules and Regulations.
SECTION 5.Declaration of Policy – Recognizing that
economic, political, and sociocultural realities affect women’s current
condition, the State affirms the role of women in nation building and

36
1
ensures the substantive equality of women and men. It shall promote
empowerment of women, pursue equal opportunities for women and
men, and ensure equal access to resources and to development results
and outcome. Further, the State realizes that equality of men and
women entails the abolition of the unequal structures and practices
that perpetuate discrimination and inequality. To realize this, the State
shall endeavor to develop plans, policies, programs, measures, and
mechanisms to address discrimination and inequality in the economic,
political, civil, social, and cultural life of women and men.
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 consistent with Philippine
law. The State shall accord women the rights, protection, and
opportunities available to every member of society.
The State affirms women’s rights as human rights and shall intensify
its efforts to fulfill its duties under international and domestic laws to
recognize, respect, protect, fulfill, and promote all fundamental freedoms
and human rights, encompassing all civil and political rights, and
economic, social and cultural rights of women, especially marginalized
women, without distinction or discrimination on account of class, age,
sex, gender, language, ethnicity, religion, ideology, disability, education,
and status.
The State shall provide the necessary mechanisms to enforce women’s
rights and adopt and undertake all legal measures necessary to foster
and promote equal opportunity for women to participate and contribute
politically, economically, socially, and culturally.
The State, in ensuring the full integration of women’s concerns in the
mainstream of development, shall provide ample opportunities to
enhance and develop their skills, acquire productive employment, and
contribute to the development and upliftment of their families and
communities to the fullest of their capabilities.

37 In pursuance of this policy, the State reaffirms the right of women in
all sectors to participate in policy formulation, planning, organization,
implementation, management, monitoring and evaluation of all programs,
projects and services. It shall support policies, researches, technology,
and training programs and other support services such as financing,
production, and marketing to encourage active participation of women
in national development.
SECTION 6.Principles of Human Rights of Women –
Human rights are universal and inalienable. All people in the world
are entitled to them. The universality of human rights is encompassed
in Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)
which states that all human beings are free and equal in dignity and
rights.
Human rights are indivisible. Human rights are inherent to the dignity
of every human being whether they relate to civil, cultural, economic,
political, or social issues.
Human rights are interdependent and interrelated. The fulfillment of
one right often depends, wholly or in part, upon the fulfillment of
others.
All individuals are equal as human beings by virtue of the inherent
dignity of each human person. No one, therefore, should suffer
discrimination on the basis of ethnicity, gender, age, language, sexual
orientation, race, color, religion, political, or other opinion, national,
social, or geographical origin, disability, property, birth, or other status
as established by human rights standards.
All people have the right to participate in and access information
relating to the decision-making processes that affect their lives and
well-being. Rights-based approaches require a high degree of
participation of communities, civil society, minorities, women, young
people, indigenous peoples, and other identified groups.
States and other duty-bearers are answerable for the observance of
human rights. They have to comply with the legal norms and standards
enshrined in international human rights instruments in accordance

38 with the Philippine Constitution. When they fail to do so, aggrieved
rights-holders are entitled to institute proceedings for appropriate
redress before a competent court or other adjudicator in accordance
with the rules and procedures provided by law.
RULE II
DEFINITION OF TERMS
SECTION 7.Definition of Terms – As used in these Rules
and Regulations, the following terms shall mean:
A. “Affirmative Action” refers to a policy action that
favors marginalized groups in society, such as women. While it is a
special measure, it is not considered discriminatory since it aims to
accelerate the attainment of equality of women. Affirmative action
should not result in unequal or separate standards and must be
discontinued when the objectives of equality of opportunity and
treatment have been achieved;
B. “Audit of GAD Funds” refers to a comprehensive
audit of a government agency’s policies, fund programs, projects and
activities focusing on the area of gender and development to determine
economy, efficiency, and effectiveness of interventions in addressing
gender issues;
C. “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. It includes
any act or omission, including by law, policy, administrative measure,
or practice, that directly or indirectly excludes or restricts women in
the recognition and promotion of their rights and their access to and
enjoyment of opportunities, benefits, or privileges. A measure or
practice of general application is discrimination against women if it
fails to provide for mechanisms to offset or address sex or gender-
based disadvantages or limitations of women, as a result of which

39 women are denied or restricted in the recognition and protection of
their rights and in their access to and enjoyment of opportunities,
benefits, or privileges; or women, more than men, are shown to have
suffered the greater adverse effects of those measures or practices.
Provided, finally, That discrimination compounded by or intersecting
with other grounds, status, or condition, such as ethnicity, age, poverty,
or religion shall be considered discrimination against women under the
Act;
D. “Employee” refers to any person who performs services
for another and receives compensation therefor, provided, an employer-
employee relationship exists between them;
.
E. “Food Security” refers to a condition where all people
at all times have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and
nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences
for an active and healthy life;
F. “
Gender and Development (GAD)” refers to the
development perspective and process that is participatory and
empowering, equitable, sustainable, free from violence, respectful of
human rights, and 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;
G. “Gender Audit” refers to a form of “social audit” or
“quality audit” which determines whether the organization’s internal
practices and related support systems for gender mainstreaming are
effective and are reinforcing each other and are being followed. This
tool or process assists organizations in establishing a baseline, identifying
critical gaps and challenges, and recommending ways of addressing
them;

40H. “Gender Equality” refers to the principle asserting the
equality of men and women and their right to enjoy equal conditions
realizing their full human potentials to contribute to and benefit from
the results of development, and with the State recognizing that all
human beings are free and equal in dignity and rights;
I. “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 men and women 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 discontinued when the objectives of equality of opportunity and
treatment have been achieved;
J. “Gender Mainstreaming” refers to 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 social, political, civil, and
economic 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, including legislation, policies,
or programs in all areas and at all levels;
K. “Violence Against Women (VAW)” refers to any act
of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in physical,
sexual, or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats
of such acts, coercion, or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether
occurring in public or in private life. 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, dowry-
related violence, marital rape, and other traditional practices harmful
to 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,

41 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. Under these Rules and
Regulations, this term is used interchangeably with gender-based
violence;
L. “Gross monthly compensation” refers to the monthly
basic pay plus mandatory allowances fixed by the regional wage
boards;
M. “Gynecological disorders” refers to disorders that
would require surgical procedures such as, but not limited to, dilatation
and curettage and those involving female reproductive organs such as
the vagina, cervix, uterus, fallopian tubes, ovaries, breast, adnexa and
pelvic floor, as certified by a competent physician. For purposes of
the Act and these Rules and Regulations, gynecological surgeries
shall also include hysterectomy, ovariectomy, and mastectomy;
N. “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;
O. “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 other resources, basic social and
economic services such as health care, education, water and sanitation,
employment and livelihood opportunities, housing, social security,
physical infrastructure, and the justice system.
These include, but are not limited to, women in the following sectors
and groups:
1. “Children” refers to 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, neglect, cruelty,
exploitation, or discrimination because of a physical or mental
disability or condition;

422. “Fisherfolk” refers to 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, coastal and marine 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. “Indigenous Peoples” refers 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 as defined under Section 3 (h), Chapter
II of Republic Act No. 8371, otherwise known as the
“Indigenous Peoples Rights Act of 1997” (IPRA of 1997);
4. “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;
5. “Moro” refers to native peoples who have historically
inhabited Mindanao, Palawan, and Sulu, and who are largely
of the Islamic faith;

43 6. “Persons with Disabilities” refers to 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 as defined in Republic Act No. 7277 as
amended by Republic Act No. 9442, otherwise known as
the “Magna Carta for Disabled Persons;”
7. “Senior Citizens” refers to those sixty (60) years of age
and above. This term shall be used interchangeably with
elderly women, older women, or women senior citizens;
8. “Small Farmers and Rural Workers” refers to 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
include, but are not limited to: (a) small farmers who own or
are still amortizing for lands 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;
9. “Solo Parents” refers to 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;”
10. “Urban Poor” refers to those residing in urban and
urbanizable slum or blighted areas, with or without the benefit
of security of abode, where the income of the head of the
family cannot afford in a sustained manner to provide for the
family’s basic needs of food, health, education, housing, and
other essentials in life;
11. “Workers in the Formal Economy” refers to those

44who 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, subdivisions,
and instrumentalities, all GOCCs and institutions, as well as
non-profit private institutions or organizations;
12. “Workers in the Informal Economy” refers to self-
employed, occasionally or personally hired, subcontracted,
paid and unpaid family workers in household incorporated
and unincorporated enterprises, including home workers,
micro-entrepreneurs and producers, and operators of sari-
sari stores and all other categories who suffer from violation
of workers’ rights; and
13. “Youth” refers to those persons whose ages range
from fifteen (15) to thirty (30) years old as defined in Republic
Act No. 8044, otherwise known as the “Youth in Nation-
Building Act;”
P. “Medical Ethics” refers to a set of biomedical norms
that abide by the principles of autonomy or respect for persons,
justice, beneficence and non-maleficence. In order to affirm autonomy,
every effort must be made to discuss treatment preferences with
patients and to document them in the patients’ charts. The principle
of beneficence requires service providers, other things being equal, to
do good or what will further the patient’s interest. The principle of
non-maleficence requires service providers, other things being equal,
to avoid harm to the patient, or what would be against the patient’s
interests. Justice is the principle that requires distribution of goods and
services, including medical goods and services, and considers the
following criteria: likelihood to benefit the patient, urgency of need,
change in quality of life, and duration of benefit. As used in these
Rules and Regulations, the term ethical shall relate to the foregoing
definition;
Q. “Minimum Initial Service Package for Reproductive
Health (MISP)” refers to a set of priority activities to be implemented
during the onset of emergencies due to conflict situations or natural
disasters, including when refugee camps are being established. These

45 priority activities include the following: (a) provision of reproductive
health services, (b) implementation by appropriately trained health
service providers, which include a coordinator for reproductive health,
(c) development of guidelines and training materials on the
implementation of selected interventions, and (d) availability of essential
drugs, basic equipment and supplies based on the recommended
standards of the Department of Health (DOH). The aim of the MISP
is to reduce mortality and morbidity associated with reproductive
health issues during crisis situations, particularly among women;
R. “Sexuality” refers to the expression of a person’s
thoughts, feelings, sexual orientation and relationships, as well as the
biology of the sexual response system of that person;
S. “Social Protection” refers to policies and programs
that seek to reduce poverty and vulnerability to risks and enhance the
social status and rights of all women, especially 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;
T. “Special leave benefits for women” refers to a female
employee’s leave entitlement of two (2) months with full pay from
her employer based on her gross monthly compensation following
surgery caused by gynecological disorders, provided that she has
rendered continuous aggregate employment service of at least six (6)
months for the last 12 months;
U. “Substantive Equality” refers to the full and equal
enjoyment of rights and freedoms contemplated under the Act. It
encompasses de jure and de facto equality and also equality in
outcomes;
V. “Temporary Special Measures” refers to a variety of
legislative, executive, administrative, and regulatory instruments, policies,
and practices aimed at accelerating this de facto equality of women
in specific areas. These measures shall not be considered discriminatory
but shall in no way entail as a consequence the maintenance of

46 unequal or separate standards. They shall be discontinued when their
objectives have been achieved;
W. “Women in the military, police and other similar
services” refers 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. Police and similar services include, among
others, the Philippine National Police (PNP), Bureau of Fire Protection
(BFP), Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), National
Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency
(PDEA), other agencies with law enforcement functions and private
security agencies;
X. “Women’s Empowerment” refers to the provision,
availability, and accessibility of opportunities, services, and observance
of human rights through life-cycle and rights-based approach 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, community, and
society.
RULE III
DUTIES RELATED TO THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF
WOMEN
The State, private sector, society in general, and all individuals shall
contribute to the recognition, respect, and promotion of the rights of
women as defined and guaranteed under the Act.
SECTION 8.The State as the Primary Duty-Bearer –
The State, as the primary duty-bearer, shall:
A. Refrain from discriminating against women and violating
their rights;

47 B. Protect women against discrimination and from violation
of their rights by private corporations, entities, and individuals; and
C. Promote and fulfill the rights of women in all spheres,
including their rights to substantive equality and non-discrimination.
The State shall fulfill these duties through law, policy, regulatory
instruments, administrative guidelines, and other appropriate measures,
including temporary special measures.
Recognizing the interrelation of the human rights of women, the State
shall take measures and establish mechanisms to promote the coherent
and integrated implementation and enforcement of this Act and related
laws, policies, or other measures to effectively stop discrimination
against and advance the rights of women.
The State shall keep abreast with and be guided by progressive
developments in human rights of women under international law and
design of policies, laws, and other measures to promote the objectives
of the Act.
SECTION 9. Duties of the State Agencies and
Instrumentalities – These duties of the State shall extend to all state
agencies, offices, and instrumentalities at all levels, and government-
owned and -controlled corporations, subject to the Constitution and
pertinent laws, policies, or administrative guidelines that define specific
duties of state agencies and entities concerned.
SECTION 10. Suppletory Effect – This chapter shall be
deemed integrated into and be suppletory to other provisions of the
Act, particularly those that guarantee specific rights to women and
define specific roles and require specific conduct of State organs.

48RULE IV
RIGHTS AND EMPOWERMENT
SECTION 11. Human Rights of Women – All rights in
the Constitution and those rights recognized under international
instruments duly signed and ratified by the Philippines, in consonance
with Philippine law, shall be rights of women under these Rules and
Regulations to be enjoyed without discrimination.
SECTION 12. 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 violence and help women attain justice and healing. To
attain the foregoing, the following measures shall 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 of by women who are victims of gender-
related offenses until fifty percent (50%) of the personnel thereof
shall be women. To implement this measure, concerned government
agencies are mandated to undertake the following:
1. The Civil Service Commission (CSC) shall conduct
personnel audit of the bureaucracy and, together with
concerned government agencies and offices, recommend to
the Department of Budget and Management (DBM)
appropriate staffing measures and, when necessary and
consistent with the goal of providing assistance to victims of
gender-related offenses, the incremental creation of plantilla
positions to ensure that within the next five (5) years, there
would be fifty-fifty (50-50) ratio of men and women recruited
and trained in the police force, forensics and medico-legal,
legal and judicial services, and social work services;
2. In services predominantly occupied by women, such as
social work and health, this section shall not be construed to

49 mean that their number will be reduced to satisfy the ratio
required in this section;
3. Within six (6) months after the adoption of these Rules
and Regulations, the National Police Commission
(NAPOLCOM), the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI),
and the Department of Justice (DOJ) shall set policies, rules
and regulations for the implementation of the incremental
increase on recruitment and training of women in the police
force, forensics and medico-legal, legal services, and social
work services; and
4. Concerned agencies shall integrate in the code of conduct
for employees the services, procedures and protocols in
providing assistance to women victims of gender-related
offenses.
B. Women shall have the right to protection and security
in situations of emergency, armed conflict, and militarization. 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 observe international
standards for the protection of civilian population in circumstances of
emergency, armed conflict, and militarization. It shall not force women,
especially indigenous and Moro peoples to abandon their lands,
territories, and means of subsistence, or relocate them in special
centers for military purposes under any discriminatory condition. In
situations of emergency, armed conflict and militarilization, the following
shall be observed:
1. In no case shall women be forcibly recruited nor be
required to take part in armed hostilities in situations of armed
conflict;
2. Special efforts shall be made to ensure the full participation
of women in the planning and management of relief
operations. The Office of the Presidential Adviser on the
Peace Process (OPAPP), Department of National Defense-
Armed Forces of the Philippines (DND-AFP), Department

50of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department
of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department
of Education (DepEd), Department of Health (DOH),
National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), National
Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF), local government
units (LGUs) and other concerned government units, shall, in
their humanitarian actions, observe and implement international
standards such as the Minimum Initial Service Package
(MISP) for Reproductive Health;
3. In the provision of relief supplies, due consideration
shall be given to the specific requirements of pregnant women,
lactating mothers, sick people, senior citizens, persons with
disabilities, and children;
4. Pregnant and lactating women, women and mothers
with dependent children, women with disabilities who are
arrested, detained or interned for reasons related to armed
conflict shall have their cases considered with utmost priority
and humanitarian consideration;
5. In no case shall civilian casualties be classified as
collateral damage;
6. The LGUs and DSWD shall provide psychosocial
interventions to combatants and non-combatants, especially
children who suffered from armed conflict. LGUs may also
coordinate with private individuals and organizations that have
the expertise and capacity to assist those affected;
7. The OPAPP, Philippine Commission on Women (PCW),
DND-AFP, Commission on Human Rights (CHR), and other
concerned agencies shall formulate plans and guidelines to
ensure the implementation of United Nations Security Council
(UNSC) Resolutions on women, peace and security; and
8. LGUs shall provide temporary shelter to displaced women
and children in situations of armed conflict.

51 C. All government personnel, including appointing authorities,
local chief executives (LCEs) of LGUs and those in executive
managerial positions involved in the protection and defense of women
against gender-based violence, shall regularly undergo the mandatory
training on gender and human rights, particularly on the cycle and
continuum of violence, counseling and trauma healing. PCW in
coordination with the CHR, DSWD, DILG, Commission on Higher
Education (CHED), DepEd and CSC shall design the prescribed
module for human rights, gender sensitivity and gender-responsive
training. The training programs and modules developed shall be
periodically reviewed to ensure effectiveness.
D. All barangays shall establish a Violence Against Women
(VAW) Desk. The punong barangay shall designate a VAW desk
person trained in gender-sensitive handling of cases, preferably a
woman barangay kagawad or woman barangay tanod. Continuity of
VAW programs and services shall be ensured at all times.
All provincial governors, and city and municipal mayors shall ensure
the establishment of a VAW Desk in every barangay within their
jurisdiction and provide technical and financial assistance.
1. The VAW Desk shall, among others, perform the
following tasks:
a. Assist victims of VAW in securing Barangay Protection
Orders (BPO) and access necessary services;
b. Develop the barangay’s gender-responsive plan in
addressing gender-based violence, including support services,
capacity building and referral system;
c. Respond to gender-based violence cases brought to the
barangay;
d. Record the number of gender-based violence handled
by the barangay and submit a quarterly report on all cases
of VAW to the DILG and the City/Municipal Social Welfare
Development Office (C/MSWDO);

52e. Coordinate with and refer cases to government agencies,
non-government organizations (NGOs), institutions, and other
service providers as necessary;
f. Address other forms of abuse committed against women,
especially senior citizens, women with disabilities, and other
marginalized groups; and
g. Lead advocacies on the elimination of VAW in the
community.
The barangays may seek assistance from the PNP, civil society
organizations (CSOs), NGOs, and other LGUs in the performance of
these tasks.
2. The PCW in coordination with DILG, DSWD, DOH,
and DepEd shall take the lead role in the formulation of the standards
and guidelines in the establishment of the VAW desk, the design of
the prescribed module for capability building, and the development of
monitoring and evaluation tools.
3. The DILG, C/MSWDO, City/Municipal Health Offices
(C/MHO), PNP, and representative/s from LGU-accredited women
civil society organizations shall monitor the establishment and evaluate
the functionality of the VAW desk.
SECTION 13. 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
reconstruction efforts. The State shall provide for immediate
humanitarian assistance, allocation of resources, and early resettlements,
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 gender-based violence committed against them.
Responses to disaster situations shall include the provision of services,
such as psychosocial support, livelihood support, education, and
comprehensive health services, including protection during pregnancy.

53 A. The national, regional and local disaster coordinating
councils shall ensure the participation of women in the development
of a gender–responsive disaster management, including preparedness,
mitigation, risk reduction and adaptation.
B. In disasters, calamities and other crises, LGUs and
agencies concerned in all phases of relief, recovery, rehabilitation and
reconstruction efforts shall develop and implement a gender-responsive
and rights-based work and financial plan that include:
1. Active participation of established inter-agency and
multi-sectoral humanitarian cluster mechanisms that will help
ensure a more coordinated and gender-sensitive response in
all stages of the emergency;
2. Improved collection and use of age and sex-disaggregated
data and reproductive health indicators in rapid and
comprehensive assessments for strategic gender analysis and
programming of humanitarian response;
3. Timely, adequate and culturally-appropriate provision of
relief goods and services such as food, water, sanitary packs,
psychosocial support, livelihood, education and comprehensive
health services including implementation of the MISP for
sexual and reproductive health at the early stage of the
crisis;
4. Proactive adoption of measures by camp managers to
prevent sexual violence in evacuation centers and relocation
sites which include: (a) security and safety of women and
children as key criteria for the selection of evacuation sites,
(b) separate functional and well-lit latrines for men and women
with locks, (c) bathing facilities with privacy, (d) regular
security patrols preferably by female police officers; and (e)
prohibition of alcohol, drugs and gambling, among others;
and
5. Active involvement of women in the various camp
committees organized for food and water distribution, nutrition,
sanitation and hygiene, shelter, health, education, protection

54and security and safety especially in the decision-making
processes.
SECTION 14. Participation and Representation – The
State shall undertake temporary special measures to accelerate the
participation and equitable 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 and evaluation of policies, plans and programs for
national, regional and local development:
A. All agencies shall take proactive steps to capacitate
women employees to strengthen their qualifications and performance
to compete for third-level positions. Given equal qualifications between
men and women, appointing authorities shall appoint women in third-
level positions. Further:
1. The CSC and the Career Executive Service Board
(CESB) shall establish and maintain a roster of women
eligible for managerial executive positions in government,
indicating the positions they presently occupy whether in the
private or public sector. The CSC and CESB, taking into
consideration appropriate training, experience and education
required or desirable for the position, shall furnish these data
to the appointing and recommending authorities, including the
Office of the President (OP); and
2. All NGAs, and whenever applicable the LGUs, shall
submit to the CESB, every end of the semester, the list of
women who were appointed to third-level positions. The
CESB shall consolidate the list and track the qualification of
women to third-level positions and submit to the PCW for
inclusion in the report to the Congress on the implementation
of the Magna Carta of Women;

55 B. To ensure increased participation of women in all levels
of development planning and program implementation, at least forty
percent (40%) of membership of all development councils from the
regional, provincial, city, municipal, and barangay levels shall be
composed of women. Further:
1. At the regional level, the Regional Development Councils
(RDCs) shall endeavor to increase the women sector
representation in the council with the view of reaching the
forty percent (40%) target; and
2. At the local level, with reference to Article 64 (d) of the
Implementing Rules and Regulations of the Local Government
Code and during the periodic reorganization, the sex ratio of
the mandated members of the local development councils
shall be determined. In the event that the forty percent
(40%) membership is not met, women shall be given
preference in the selection of private sector and NGO
representatives and designation of the congresspersons’
representative. The LCEs shall undertake the necessary
information campaign to ensure participation of NGO women
representatives in the local development councils and other
local special bodies;
C. Representation of women or women’s groups in other
policy and decision-making bodies in the international, national and
local bodies shall be ensured by concerned appointing authorities;
D. All concerned agencies, especially the Department of
Foreign Affairs (DFA), Department of Labor and Employmnet
(DOLE), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and DSWD shall
ensure that women are given equal opportunities to be representatives
in different international bodies and positions. For this purpose, policies
on recruitment and selection, qualifying examinations, assignment of
posts and missions shall be reviewed and amended accordingly. All
government missions geared for bilateral and multilateral negotiations
shall consider gender concerns in their negotiating positions;
E. Upon the adoption of these Rules and Regulations, the
Commission on Elections (COMELEC) shall incorporate in its guidelines

56 for accreditation of political parties, including party-list organizations,
specific provisions that promote integration of women in the leadership
hierarchy, internal policy-making structures, and appointive and electoral
nominating process of said parties. Incentives under this Section shall
be determined by the incentives and awards board as provided for in
Section 42 of the Act;
F. Political parties are urged to create programs where
their members can advocate on matters of policy and women members
can participate meaningfully within the party; and
G. Concerned agencies shall take measures to encourage
women leadership in the private sector in the form of incentives as
determined by the incentives and awards board under Section 42 of
the Act.
SECTION 15. 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 the Act.
A. The PCW shall initiate, in coordination with concerned
agencies and women’s groups, the review of existing laws and policies
and recommend to Congress and other appropriate bodies the repeal
or amendment of discriminatory laws.
B. The executive–legislative body shall prioritize bills that
will amend or repeal discriminatory provisions of existing laws, inter
alia:
1. Family Code of the Philippines – (a) Article 14: on the
provision on giving preference to the father’s consent to the
marriage of children between the ages of 18 and 21; (b)
Articles 96 and 124: on the provision on giving preference to
the husband’s decision, in case of disagreement with the
wife, on the administration and enjoyment of community and
conjugal properties; (c) Article 211: on the provision of giving
preference to the husband’s decision, in case of disagreement
with the wife, over the persons of their common children;
(d) Article 225: on the provision on giving preference to the

57 husband’s decision, in case of disagreement with the wife,
on the exercise of legal guardianship over the property of
unemancipated common child; (e) Article 55, No.1: on the
requirement for repeated physical abuse and grossly abusive
conduct as a ground for legal separation;
2. Revised Penal Code – (a) Articles 333 and 334: on
adultery and concubinage; (b) Article 202: on the definition
of vagrants and prostitution; (c) Article 351: on premature
marriages; and (d) Article 247: on death inflicted under
exceptional circumstances;
3. Labor Code Article 130, on night work prohibition;
4. Rules of Court Rule 131 Section 3 (jj), on disputable
presumptions;
5. Code of Muslim Personal Laws; and
6. RA 8353, on removal of criminal liability of rapist when
victim marries him.
C. Local government units with the participation of women’s
groups shall also review existing ordinances and policies and repeal
or amend them accordingly.
D. Nothing in this section shall preclude the recommendation
for the passage of new laws.
SECTION 16. Equal Access and Elimination of
Discrimination in Education, Scholarships, and Training – The
State shall ensure that gender stereotypes and images in existing
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.

58A. Within three (3) years from the adoption of these Rules
and Regulations, the DepEd, CHED and the Technical Education and
Skills Development Authority (TESDA) shall:
1. Develop and promote gender-sensitive curriculum:
a. In coordination with PCW, set minimum standards
on gender sensitivity that will be integrated in the
subjects/courses/training curricular, co-curricular and
extra-curricular for students and trainees;
b. Integrate the principles of gender equality in
curricular offerings and pedagogical systems and
strategies;
c. Ensure that public and private sector professional
strategies; school counseling and career education
programs are gender-responsive;
d. Adopt comprehensive gender-fair language policy;
and
e. Enjoin all private and public accrediting institutions/
organizations to include gender-fair curriculum in their
accreditation criteria.
2. Develop gender-fair instructional materials:
a. Review, revise and update programs, syllabi, textbooks
and other instructional materials to ensure that gender
biases and discrimination are eliminated;
b. Develop gender-responsive instruments for the
evaluation of instructional materials and curricula,
including criteria about gender concepts, values, and
gender-fair language; and
c. Ensure that evaluators and personnel in-charge of
instructional materials and curricula are knowledgeable

59 on gender sensitivity, peace, human rights education, and
use of gender-sensitive language.
3. Ensure that educational institutions implement a capacity
building program on gender, peace and human rights education
for their officials, faculty and non-teaching staff and personnel;
4. Promote partnerships between and among players of the
education sector, including the private sector, churches, and
faith groups in the pursuit of the objectives of this section;
5. Encourage advertising industry and other similar institutions
to provide free use of space and installation of displays for
schools, colleges and universities for campaigns to end
discrimination and violence against women; and
6. Guarantee that educational institutions provide scholarship
programs for marginalized women and girls. Conditions such
as age, pregnancy, motherhood, disabilities, or lack of consent
of husband shall not be grounds for disqualification in the
grant of scholarships.
B. Enrollment of women in non-traditional skills training in
vocational and tertiary levels shall be encouraged. Further:
1. The DepEd, TESDA, and CHED shall develop programs
aimed at increasing the enrollment of women in non-traditional
skills training in vocational and tertiary levels, and mechanisms
for assessment and monitoring of compliance such as sex-
disaggregated list of students, tracers of graduates and the
like; and
2. Policies shall be developed to ensure that all teachers and
trainers, regardless of sex, ethnicity, political, social, economic
and religious status and affiliations have equal access to
scholarships.
C. Expulsion and non-readmission of women faculty due
to pregnancy outside of marriage shall be outlawed. No school shall

60 turn out or refuse admission to a female student solely on account of
her being pregnant outside of marriage during her term in school.
The DepEd, CHED and TESDA shall monitor and ensure compliance
of educational institutions to the following:
1. Women faculty who become pregnant outside of marriage
shall not be discriminated by reason thereof. They shall not
be dismissed, separated from work, forced to go on leave,
re-assigned or transferred. They shall have access to work
already held with no diminution in rank, pay or status and
shall be entitled to all benefits accorded by law and by the
concerned learning institutions;
2. No female student shall be expelled, dismissed, suspended,
refused or denied of admission, or forced to take a leave of
absence in any educational institution solely on grounds of
pregnancy outside marriage during her school term. When
needed, students who are pregnant shall be accorded with a
special leave of absence from school upon advice of the
attending physician, and be given an opportunity to make up
for missed classes and examinations. The same leave benefits
shall likewise be accorded to pregnant faculty members, and
school personnel and staff;
3. Pregnant students shall be assisted through available
support services while in school, such as but not limited to
counseling to ensure completion of their studies;
4. Programs and policies to prevent VAW shall be developed,
including institutional mechanisms for complaints in cases of
rape, sexual harassment, and other forms of violence and
discrimination against women, and provide assistance to
students, faculty, or personnel who have been victims of
VAW; and
5. Coordination with PNP, DOJ, CHR, DSWD, and the
LGU so that appropriate assistance are given to female
faculty and students who are victims of rape, sexual

61 harassment and other forms of violence against women and
discrimination.
SECTION 17. 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 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, and other
similar factors. For this purpose:
A. All sports-related organizations accredited by the
Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) 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.
B. 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 in the same sports category: 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 divisions.
C. All sports-related organizations 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.
D. Schools, colleges, universities, or any other learning
institution shall take into account its total women student population
in granting athletic 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.

62E. The PSC and Games and Amusement Board (GAB)
shall provide financial and other 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, especially in local and international events,
including, but not limited to, the Palarong Pambansa, Southeast Asian
Games, Asian Games, and the Olympics.
F. PSC and GAB in coordination with the DepEd, CHED,
SUCs, LGUs, and other sports-related organizations shall endeavor
to:
1. Train more female coaches for girls and women’s teams;
2. Conduct activities such as sports clinics and seminars
for potential female leaders, coaches, teachers at least once
a year;
3. Provide equal incentives and awards for both men and
women for any competition;
4. Provide equal opportunities for scholarships and travel
grants for women leaders, coaches and athletes with adequate
support mechanism;
5. Provide sufficient funds to support girls and women in
sports;
6. Form more girls’ and women’s teams in athletic leagues
like the Palarong Pambansa, University Athletic Association
of the Philippines, National Collegiate Athletic Association,
Private Schools Athletic Association, and University Games;
7. Collect sex-disaggregated data in sports participation;
8. Promote partnerships with community-based sports
organizations; and

63 9. Increase the participation of the elderly women, women
with disabilities and indigenous women through the promotion
and development of programs for them in coordination with
other sport organizations.
G. All government agencies and LGUs are enjoined to
increase women’s participation by forming women’s and girls’ teams
in various sporting events that they organize or sponsor.
SECTION 18. Women in the Military, Police and
Other Similar Services – The State shall pursue appropriate measures
to eliminate discrimination of women in the military, police, and other
similar services, 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 the same
promotional privileges and opportunities as men, including pay increases,
additional remunerations and benefits, and awards based on their
competency and quality of performance. They shall not be subjected
to harassment and violence, including verbal and sexual abuses in all
stages of their recruitment, training and service. Towards this end,
the State shall ensure that the personal dignity of women shall always
be respected.
Women in the military, police, and other similar services 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, police, and other similar services shall
be entitled to leave benefits such as maternity leave, as provided for
by existing laws. For this purpose:
A. The DND, DILG, DOJ and LGUs shall:
1. Grant the same privileges and opportunities to men and
women, including pay increases, additional remunerations
and benefits and awards;

642. Give equal consideration to men and women in the area
or field of assignment such as, but not limited to, operational
functions, administrative functions and international
peacekeeping duties where women can exercise and develop
their full potentials;
3. Pursue appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination
of women, including revision or abolition of policies and
practices that restrict women from availing both combat and
non-combatant trainings that are open to men, or from taking
on functions other than administrative tasks;
4. Assure non-discrimination in appointments to any key
position as well as designations to boards, tribunals,
committees, or any decision-making body. Women shall be
represented in every committee or board where gender issues
and concerns are articulated;
5. Ensure that the physical fitness tests administered on
women uniformed personnel in the military, police and similar
services, as requirements for entry, promotion or schooling
shall be based on standards, set by the respective agencies
taking into consideration women’s physical and biological
built. These shall be different from those required of their
male counterparts. Moreover, physical fitness tests for women
uniformed personnel in the military, police and similar services
shall be conducted by female doctors, practitioners or tactical
officers;
6. Accord women and men the same capacity to act in and
enter into contracts, including marriage:
a. Allow women to contract marriage upon entry in
military service or similar services, except for such
positions where a marriage ban for a specific period of
time is required for both men and women; and
b. Provide the benefits under existing laws such as, but
not limited, to maternity leaves, solo parent privileges
and leaves due to gynecological disorders;

65 7. Open all military and similar services, occupations,
registrations, special enlistments, and trainings to women;
8. Promote the rights of women enlisted personnel in the
military, police and similar services. Qualified enlisted women
personnel shall not be denied of promotion to the highest
non-commissioned officer position in the military, police and
similar services solely on the basis of sex and sexual
orientation;
9. Ensure the rights of women in the military, police and
similar services to decent facilities and personal protective
equipment:
a. Provide decent billet facilities and quartering, separate
from the men, in the military police and similar services,
regardless of the location or type of assignment;
b. Establish a child-care facility, child-minding room or
breastfeeding room for women in the military, police and
similar services as well as for women civilian employees;
and
c. Provide women in the military, police and similar
services with well-fitting personal protective equipment
and other operational equipment that shall ensure their
safety while in the performance of their duties;
10. Create mechanisms to implement the Act and these
Rules and Regulations in the military, police and similar
services. Establish or strengthen the Women’s Desks, and
Committee on Decorum and Investigation pursuant to the
Anti-Sexual Harassment Act of 1995 (Republic Act No.
7877) or in all military units and training institutions that shall
take charge of cases affecting women in the military, police
and similar services as well as women civilian employees;
and

6611. Revise policies on uniforms to allow women in the
military, police, and similar services to wear pants and
appropriately low-heeled shoes in the conduct of operational
duties and performance of administrative functions.
B. Increase the quota to twenty percent (20%) for female
admission into all officer-candidate and non-officer schools and
institutions in the military, police and similar services, including but not
limited to the Philippine Military Academy (PMA), Officer Candidate
School (OCS), Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA), Philippine
Public Safety College (PPSC).
C. Concerned agencies shall support women in the military
in training and peacekeeping operations:
1. Women shall be provided with trainings necessary for
deployment in peacekeeping forces in compliance to UNSC
Resolutions on women, peace and security; and
2. Female officers and enlisted personnel who are qualified
to perform peacekeeping operations, subject to the
requirements imposed by the requesting entity or country,
shall not be denied admission and entitlement to remunerations
and benefits appurtenant thereto.
SECTION 19. 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 government and non-government media-related organizations. 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 society through the strategic
use of mass media.
For this purpose, the State shall ensure allocation of space, airtime,
and resources, strengthen programming, production, and image-making
that appropriately present women’s needs, issues, and concerns in all
forms of media, communication, information dissemination, and
advertising.

67 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; 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.
A. The dignity of women and their roles and contributions
in all spheres of private and public life shall be promoted. The portrayal
of women in a discriminatory, demeaning and/or derogatory manner
in advertisements, shows and programs is not allowed. It shall not
induce, encourage and/or condone violence against women in any
form and/or the violation of their human rights. The PCW, in
coordination with concerned agencies and media organizations, shall
formulate media guidelines to protect women against discrimination in
media and film.
B. The Office of the Press Secretary (OPS) and its attached
agencies shall ensure the formulation of policies and implementation
of programs pursuant to the Act and these Rules and Regulations. It
shall also:
1. Provide over-all direction, guidance and monitoring as
lead agency of government mass media in the implementation
of the Act and these Rules and Regulations;
2. Formulate and implement a national communication plan
and advocacy activities on the Act and these Rules and
Regulations and relevant gender issues/concerns; and
3. Create a gender equality committee composed of
representatives from the OPS, PCW, various self-regulatory
bodies and the National Telecommunications Commission
(NTC), Movie and Television Review and Classification
Board (MTRCB), Film Academy of the Philippines (FAP),

68Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), Optical
Media Board (OMB), National Commission for Culture and
the Arts (NCCA), representatives of women’s media NGOs
to promote gender mainstreaming, formulate the gender
equality guidelines and Code of Ethics for media, and monitor
and evaluate the implementation thereof.
C. The NTC, MTRCB, FAP, FDCP, OMB, NCCA shall
ensure that the media and film industries comply with the Act and
these Rules and Regulations, including:
1. Formulation of policies and programs to raise consciousness
of the general public in recognizing the dignity of women and
the role and contribution of women in all spheres of private
and public life;
2. Allocation of space, airtime and resources for the airing
of advertisements that promote women’s human rights;
3. Enhancement of programming, production and image-
making that present women’s needs, issues and concerns;
4. Ensuring that, in cooperation with all schools of journalism,
information and communication, and national media federations
and associations, regular trainings on gender equality and
gender-based discrimination are integrated in the human
resource development components of media organizations
and corporations.
D. Self-regulatory bodies, groups, and associations for media,
television, cable, film, and advertising shall also ensure compliance
with the Act and these Rules and Regulations.
E. Creation of Local Media Board (LMB) in all LGUs to
monitor the implementation of these Rules and Regulations shall also
be encouraged.

69 SECTION 20. Women’s Right to Health – The State
shall, at all times, provide for comprehensive, culture-sensitive, and
gender-responsive health services and programs covering all stages
of a woman’s life cycle and which address the major causes of
women’s mortality and morbidity: Provided, that in the 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, the demands of
responsible parenthood, and the right of women to protection from
hazardous drugs, devices, interventions, and substances.
In order to eliminate discrimination against women, the State shall
develop and implement a comprehensive national strategy consisting
of health programs, services and information for promoting women’s
right to health throughout their lifespan. The strategy shall have as a
major goal the reduction of women’s health risks, particularly those
resulting from compli