UPR Sexual Rights Database

National Report:
Para 58) The World Economic Forum’s 2016 Global Gender Gap Report ranks the Philippines as seventh in the world’s most gender-equal society. In 2013, the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) finalized the Women’s EDGE Plan that serves as guide for agencies and LGU to properly implement and enforce the Magna Carta for Women (MCW). The EDGE plan provides direction in identifying interventions and strategies addressing various gender issues.

Para 59) In 2013, GPH declared November 25 of every year as a National Consciousness Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and Children. Government agencies and institutions continue to conduct annual campaigns, like Women’s Month Celebration and 18-Day Campaign to End Violence Against Women (VAW) to raise awareness on Convention on Elimination of All Discriminations Against Women (CEDAW), MCW, related laws, and international human rights standards.

Para 60) GPH provides strong budgetary support for Gender and Development (GAD). The PhP 105.75 billion budget for GAD in 2015 was almost twice the PhP 57.73 billion of 2013. The number of agencies complying with the minimum 5% GAD budget allocation has also increased from a mere 25 in 2014 to 137 in 2017.

Para 61) To ensure gender mainstreaming and implement MCW, the Philippine Framework Plan for Women outline efforts for gender-responsive governance. As of March 2017, women occupy 43.5% of third level positions in government. Six out of 10 women occupying Career Executive Service positions are Career Officials.

Para 62) PNP has 1,918 Women and Children Protection Desks (WCPD) nationwide, with 4,573 personnel at the frontlines of responding and preventing, receiving and documenting gender-based violence and violence against women and children (VAWC), and of providing assistance in filing appropriate administrative and criminal cases. Around 88% of the 42,028 villages have WCPDs responding to gender-based violence cases. From 2013 to 2015, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has recorded a total of 30,334 VAW cases filed in court.

Para 63) GPH continues to work on improving the social condition of women through various rehabilitative and protective programs for Women in Especially Difficult Circumstances (WEDC). In 2016, DSWD assisted a total of 355,133 cases of WEDCs. Women-Friendly Spaces were also set up in LGU evacuation camps to ensure a systematic, organized and gender-responsive ways of delivering services to victims of natural or manmade calamities.

Para 64) The second leg of the Gender Responsive Economic Transformation of Women Project builds on the results and lessons of the 2006-2013 leg. It is a PhP 334.9 million project developed to provide a timely opportunity to improve sustainability, productivity, and competitiveness of women’s micro-enterprises and to continue enhancing the enabling environment for their economic empowerment.

Para 69) The PCW regularly formulates a Women’s Priority Legislative Agenda (WPLA), a set of proposed bills that seek to amend or repeal the discriminatory provisions of existing laws and moves for new legislations that promote women’s empowerment and gender equality. Included in the WPLA are bills amending the Anti-Rape Law, increasing maternity leave to 100 days, enacting the Anti-Prostitution Bill, and amending certain provisions of the Family Code and the Revised Penal Code.

UN Compilation:
Para 12) Referring to the relevant supported recommendations, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) stated that police officers assigned to the Women and Children Protection Centre within the police had received human rights training.

Para 38) The United Nations country team referred to a relevant supported recommendation and stated that the Philippines had made good efforts to increase gender sensitivity in the courts. However, women with disabilities and from marginalized groups experienced discrimination in the formal and informal justice systems

Para 71) The United Nations country team referred to the relevant supported recommendations and stated that there had been limited progress in ensuring that legislation conformed to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and other human rights instruments.

Para 72) The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women noted that the harmonization of national legislation with the Magna Carta of Women remained pending, including amendments to the Family Code, the Penal Code, the Anti-Rape Law, the Anti-Sexual Harassment Act and the Code of Muslim Personal Laws.

Para 73) The same Committee noted with concern the delay in the adoption of a bill to repeal a provision of the Family Code recognizing the supremacy of a husband’s decision over that of his wife in respect of community property, the exercise of parental authority and guardianship over a child

Stakeholder Summary:
Para 107) JS20 stated that women had always been at the bottom of development priorities. From 2006 to 2012, poverty incidence among women had been pegged at 26 percent, clearly indicating absence of economic progress among most women.

National Report:
Para 24) The following are relevant laws, aside from the Magna Carta of Women, enacted during the reporting period that significantly bear on women's and children's rights:
-Anti-Pornography Act of 2009;
-Anti-Photo and Video Voyeurism Act of 2010;
-Expanded Breastfeeding Promotion Act;
-Amended Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipino Act;
-Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law;
-Legitimization of Children Born to Underage Parents;
-Anti-Torture Act;
-Requiring the Certification of the Department of Social Welfare and Development to declare a "Child legally available for Adoption".

Stakeholder Summary:
Para 2) CHRP referred to Recommendation 8 on the elimination of gender-based discrimination and stated that the effectiveness of the 2009 Magna Carta of Women in eliminating gender-based discrimination and promoting equality was yet to be seen, particularly as it will not stop discriminatory practices in employment; and the Reproductive Health Bill was yet to be enacted after several years.

Para 3) CHRP referred to Recommendation 1 on inter alia a gender-responsive approach within the judicial system and stated that some judges refrained from applying the Anti- Violence against Women and their Children Act and other legislation including 1997 special law on rape. As pronounced by the Court of Appeals, women needed to satisfy a high threshold to prove rape and the lack of consent; the Magna Carta of Women did not make provision for the prosecution of alleged perpetrators; and rehabilitation and post- conflict care of women and children remained a challenge.