WHILE drafting one of the activity designs for gender and development, I came across a new executive order that strengthens our women’s commission or the Philippine Women Commission (PWC).
The PWC is the primary policy-making and coordinating body of women and gender equality concerns, as well as the overall monitoring and oversight body to ensure the effective implementation of Republic Act No. 9710 or the Magna Carta of Women.
Its initial purpose is to ensure the full integration of women in economic, social, and cultural development at national, regional, and international levels. This is in line with the state policy under the Philippine Constitution under Section 14 of Article II which provides that “the State recognizes the role of women in nation-building and shall ensure the fundamental equality before the law of women and men.”
The PWC expanded its role and scope of work. And recently, Executive Order No. 167 further developed PWC’s current composition as it raises the Chairperson’s rank to Undersecretary and creates a PCW secretariat.
PCW has now two separate representatives for senior citizens and persons with disabilities. Other representatives from civil society also include those from labor, business and industry, science and health, education or academe, urban poor, indigenous peoples, farmers and fisherfolks, media, culture, and the arts, the youth, and the National Council of Women in the Philippines.
Ex-officio members are the heads of the departments of Agriculture, Budget and Management, Education, Foreign Affairs, Health, Interior and Local Government, Labor and Employment, Social Welfare and Development, Trade and Industry, and the National Economic and Development Authority.
I share the same remark with its Chairperson, Chair Sandy Montano, that “the EO recognizes the importance of the Commission’s work in ensuring the fulfillment of the rights of women and girls. With this change, we are even more propelled to boost our actions towards promoting women’s rights, lobbying policies towards gender equality, and integrating gender in all aspects of development.”
Government agencies and even those in the private sectors should aim to promote gender and development in all aspects as PWC is doing. This also includes support for the policies that promote women’s rights and lobby for policies that eradicate discrimination against women, provide technical assistance to stakeholders, and undertake continuing advocacy to promote women’s empowerment, among others./PN
