Philippines: Congress urged to hasten passage of bill empowering women

May 2, 2008 - (GMA News) A government body for women’s advancement on Friday urged Congress to expedite the passage of a bill that aims to address gender biases and promote women’s empowerment in the country.

Myrna Yao, chairman of the National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women, said 27 years had passed since the ratification of United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women but the Philippines remains remiss in complying with its obligations.

"The Philippine government is duty-bound to implement the provisions of CEDAW specifically the UN CEDAW Committee's Concluding Comments that urges government to enact a comprehensive legal framework for the promotion of gender equality and women's empowerment," Yao said in a statement.

She said as signatory to CEDAW, the country should incorporate into its legal system laws that recognize gender equality, define and prohibit gender discrimination, and put forth a national agenda that would end all forms of discrimination against women.

Yao said the Magna Carta of Women bill, which is pending in both houses, is envisioned as the omnibus law to eliminate discrimination against women and to recognize, respect, protect, fulfill and promote all human rights and fundamental freedoms of women, particularly the poor and the marginalized.

It seeks to recognize the right of women in all sectors to participate in policy formulation, planning, organization, implementation, management, monitoring, and evaluation of all programs and projects.

The bill also aims to 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.

Yao noted that it is high time for the Philippine government to have a legal framework that recognizes the role of women in nation building and ensures the substantive equality of women and men.

"The Philippines should intensify its efforts to recognize, respect, protect, fulfill and promote all human rights and fundamental freedoms of women especially in the marginalized sectors of society to guarantee their economic, social and cultural well-being without distinction or discrimination on account of class, age, sex, gender, language, ethnicity, religion, ideology, disability, education and status," Yao said.

She said while Filipino women do not suffer the more glaring practices of gender inequality in other countries, they, nevertheless, are victims of a host of interrelated and interpenetrating factors which produce and reinforce inequality.

From:http://www.gmanews.tv/story/92972/Congress-urged-to-hasten-passage-of-bill-empowering-women