Press Release
March 14, 2018

Sen. Joel Villanueva's opening remarks during the labor hearing on bills on women empowerment

Magandang hapon po sa lahat.

Alam niyo po, sa bahay, ako po ang ulo ng tahanan. Bago po ako umalis ng bahay kanina, natanong po ako ng asawa ko na itinuturing kong leeg ko, kung ano ang i-he-hear ngayon sa Committee on Labor, sabi ko, "Bills on Women Empowerment".

Sabi n'ya, "Hoy, Mr. Villanueva, dapat ma-third reading agad ang mga 'yan." Sagot ko po, "Yes, Ma.am. Oo, naman".

Napasagot po ako ng "Oo, naman" hindi dahil sa bahay ay mas empowered si misis kundi dahil maganda po ang intensyon ng tatlong panukalang batas na tatalakayin natin ngayong hapon at sakto sa tema na napili ng Philippine Commission on Women on the occasion of the National Women's Month - "We Make Change Work for Women".

I believe that we can truly make change work for women by directly working with them, listening to their needs, and involving them every step of the way.

So, we're glad that Gabriela, Nagkaisa-Women, Women Business Council Philippines, Women's Rights Movement of the Philippines and the Philippine Commission on Women are all here present to share their insights and experiences on the three bills that seek to empower women, especially working mothers.

First, Senate Bill No. 412 by Senator Legarda seeks to amend Republic Act 7877 or the "Sexual Harassment Law" by expanding the coverage of the definition of the crime of sexual harassment to include unwanted text messages, e-mail or other similar means.

Alam n'yo po, mahigit dalawang dekada na mula nang maging batas ang RA 7877. Marami na din pong bagong teknolohiya, may 60-million internet subscribers na sa Pilipinas, 40-million active social media users, at tatlo sa bawat sampung Pilipino ang may smartphone.

Of course, these new forms of communication can be used to convey messages that are vulgar, sexist as well as push for, demand, or request, for sexual favors.

So, now that work or training-related sexual harassment does not only occur in a face-to-face confrontation between two people but also over the internet, using social networks or instant messaging, we want to know if there's a need to expand the definition of the crime of sexual harassment based on compliance monitoring by the DOLE on the implementation of RA 7877 or from the experience of ECOP or PMAP on their anti-sexual harassment programs.

Second, Senate Bill No. 892 by Senator JV Ejercito aims to amend certain provisions of the Labor Code and expand the prohibited acts of discrimination against women, especially with respect to the terms and conditions of employment on account of her sex.

Ito po 'yung klase ng anti-discrimination measure na gusto natin - patas na pagtingin sa mga kababaihan pagdating sa trabaho. Hindi po dapat gawing basehan ang sex o gender sa trabahong gagampanan ng isang manggagawa.

Alam niyo ho, noong TESDA pa po tayo, nag-pioneer tayo ng training kasama ang Meralco para sa mga linewomen kasi kaya rin naman po talagang gawin ng mga kababaihan ang ganung trabaho. Iyon hong mga trainees ng TESDA Women Center, ang training programs ho doon para lahat sa mga kababaihan - welding, automotive, driving, electronics, etcetera, para ho talagang "skills" o "professional qualifications" at hindi "sex" o "gender" ang maging basehan sa pagpili ng manggagawa.

But we know for sure that despite our protective anti-discrimination laws, management practices at small or even big corporations often still favor the advancement of men. For example, the 2017 report on Gender and Employment indicates that women are earning 30% less than their male counterparts in the service sector. The ILO also found that in the BPO sector, more women belong to lower-paid employment positions while male employees are usually in higher positions.

Gusto po nating malaman ang mga dahilan d'yan at klaruhin kung bakit may pananaw mula sa mga employers na iyong pagbibigay ng pabor sa male employees ay paborable sa mga female employees. Gusto nating tanungin ang mga kaibigan natin sa Women NGOs kung ano ang mga problemang nararanasan nila lalo na sa pasahod at mga benepisyo ng mga female workers sa kabila ng pangunguna ng Pilipinas sa ranking bilang "most gender equal country in Asia".

Pangatlo po, Senate Bill No. 1203 by Senator Tito Sotto seeks to provide a more friendly working environment for women by expanding maternity leave benefits, securing the rights of pregnant employees, protecting the rights of women in manufacturing firms and providing flexible work policies for working mother.

According to studies po kasi, "when women are empowered, all of society benefits." So, let's expand the horizon of opportunities and options for women workers, put an end to work and training-related violence and harassment, and promote pay equity and labor rights at work.

We, all of us, tayo pong lahat, can make change work for women.

Muli, salamat po sa bawat isa na naririto.

News Latest News Feed