Magna Carta of Women: A Positive Dev't. in Promoting Women's Rights - Rep.Maza

Assistant Minority Leader and Gabriela Women’s Party Rep. Liza Maza today expressed that the adoption of the Senate of the bicameral conference report on the Magna Carta of Women at 12:30 this morning is a positive development in the promotion of equal rights for women. Gabriela Reps. Maza and Luz Ilagan are members of the bicameral conference committee for the Magna Carta of Women, having co-authored the measure at its version at the Lower House.

“The Magna Carta is significant as the measure will finally set the standards on how women should be treated and will provide an enabling mechanism for the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). This is a historic move that will highlight the issues of Filipino women who have long struggled in advancing their dignity and well-being,” Maza said.

According to Maza, the Magna Carta of Women recognizes the indivisibility, interdependence and interrelatedness of women’s rights as human rights. Maza highlighted some provisions of the said Act that exemplifies these crucial points:

• Designates the Commission on Human Rights as the Gender and Development Ombud to ensure the promotion and protection of women’s human rights
• Ensures mandatory training on human rights and gender sensitivity to all government personnel involved in the protection and defense of women against gender-based violence
• Institutes 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”. The number of women in third level positions in government shall be increased to achieve a fifty-fifty (50-50) gender balance within the next five years while the composition of women in all levels of development planning and program implementation will be at least forty percent (40%)
• Ensures the equal treatment before the law by ensuring that 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 Magna Carta.
• Provides equal access and elimination of discrimination in education, scholarships, and training. Thus, “expulsion, non-readmission, prohibiting enrollment, and other related discrimination of women students and faculty due to pregnancy out of marriage shall be outlawed.”
• Ensures the responsible, legal, safe and effective methods of family planning
• Promotes the equal status given to men and women on the titling of the land and issuance of stewardship contracts and patents.
• Encourages Local Government Units (LGUs) to develop and pass a Gender and Development (GAD) code based on the gender issues and concerns in their respective localities based on consultation with their women constituents

Meanwhile in the House of Representatives, the said measure is still pending following the suspension by the plenary of the approval of the bicameral conference report last night.

Maza said that the Lower House should lose no time in adopting the said measure today.

The Gabriela solon also stressed that while the Magna Carta of Women is not a perfect piece of legislation, it is a historic move in support of the legitimate concerns of the Filipino women.

“It is high time to have a Magna Carta of Women ratified in the Philippines in order to move ahead with the debates and discussion of the rights of women. While we recognize that the root causes that hamper the growth and genuine development of our women lie in the abusive and exploitative structures of our society, such measure is a step forward in promoting women’s rights and welfare,” Maza concluded.