Villar bats for sensitive portrayal of women in media

Senate President Manny Villar today said he wants to institutionalize the sensitive and non-discriminatory portrayal of women in mass media and other forms of information technology by way of a law that grants incentives to media organizations for women-sensitive programs.

"We should endeavor to raise the consciousness of the general public in recognizing the dignity of a woman, and the roles and contributions of women in the family and the society through the strategic use of mass media and information technology," Villar said.

With this in mind, Villar filed Senate Bill 1712 or the Magna Carta of Filipino Women of 2007, which seeks to recognize the role of women in nation-building and to ensure the substantive equality of women and men.

"Among the intentions of this bill is to encourage media programming with sensitive depiction of women. It provides for incentives for programs that appropriately present women's needs, issues and concerns in movies, television shows, advertisements and print media," Villar said.

He added that the National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women will be designated as the lead agency in administering an incentives and rewards system to deserving media entities.

"Under this bill, the holding of gender-sensitivity training programs for media practitioners will be imposed to encourage the creation and use of non-stereotyped, balance, diverse and positive images of women in media," he said.

The Nacionalista Party president said this legislation is also designed to support media watch groups, media professional association and women's organizations advancing women empowerment.

"The use of gender-fair language will also be encouraged in the practice of the media profession under this bill," he said.

The proposal also urged the Movies and Television Review and Classification Board and other government agencies engaged in information dissemination to revise its rules and regulations to discourage unfair or derogatory portrayal of women in both media and film and all other materials in information technology.

Villar filed the Magna Carta Bill of Women to address the need for a comprehensive legal framework on gender equality raised during the 36th session of the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women for the Philippines.