Gender-Responsive Governance

Governance is the exercise of economic, political and administrative authority to manage a

country's affairs at all levels. It comprises the mechanisms, processes and institutions,
through which citizens and groups articulate their interests, exercise their legal rights, meet
their obligations and mediate their differences (United Nations Development Program 1997).
In order to say that governance is good, UNDP further states that the it should be
participatory, transparent, accountable, effective, equitable, promotes the rule of law,
addresses priorities and makes decisions based on broad consensus, including especially the
concerns of the poorest and the most vulnerable in society; and formulates a strategic vision to
achieve sustainable human development.
According to the expansive definition, good governance implies democratic governance,
meaning an agenda for participation, human rights, and social justice.
The Philippine Framework Plan for Women describes good governance that is gender-
responsive as one that enhances the abilities of women and men to contribute to and benefit
from development.

REPUBLIC ACT NO. 7192
An Act Promoting the Integration of Women as Full and Equal
Partners of Men in Development and Nation Building and for Other
Purposes
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines
Congress assembled:
SECTION 1. Title. This Act shall be cited as the Women in Development
and Nation Building Act.

SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. The State recognizes the role of women
in nation building and shall ensure the fundamental equality before the law of
women and men. The State shall provide women rights and opportunities
equal to that of men.

National economic policies and plans need to recognize the roles and contributions of men,
women, boys and girls, and address their needs equitably. However, even gender-responsive
policies and plans often fail to improve gender equality and empower women because
insufficient resources are allocated to implement them. Although resources alone will not
achieve gender equality, ensuring adequate financing is a necessary step. While taxes are a
key source of financing for such initiatives, tax reforms can increase the tax burden on the
poorest women, and at the same time fail to generate enough revenues to fund programmes
needed to improve their lives. Gender-responsive planning and budgeting ensures that fiscal
resources are generated and allocated in a way that affects women and men equitably.
Gender-responsive governance as defined by the Philippine Framework Plan for Women is good
governance that enhances the abilities of women and men to contribute to and benefit from
development.
Leadership and Political Participation
The Philippines well developed legal framework for gender equality shows promise in the attainment of
a 50/50 gender balance in politics and decision making bodies. An eminent fact is the two woman
presidents that the country has elected within the past three decades.
Women and the Environment
Day-to day activities concerning the utilization and care for natural resources have provided women
with a special knowledge of the environment. Womens multiple roles in the society is deemed as a
viable solution to addressing environmental concerns.
Violence against Women (VAW)
The Philippine government recognizes the pervasiveness of VAW and have put in place several
mechanisms to address and eliminate its all forms.
Violence Against Women (VAW)
Violence against women (VAW) appears as one of the countrys pervasive social problems. According to
the 2008 National Demographic and Health Survey conducted by the National Statistics Office, one in
five Filipino women age 15-49 has experienced physical violence since age 15. It is indeed alarming that
despite efforts to address the concern, VAW persists.
VAW is deemed to be closely linked with the unequal power relationship between women and men
otherwise known as gender-based violence.Societal norms and traditions dictate people to think men
are the leaders, pursuers, providers, and take on dominant roles in society while women are nurturers,
mens companions and supporters, and take on subordinate roles in society. This perception leads to
men gaining more power over women. With power comes the need to control to retain that power. And
VAW is a form of mens expression of controlling women to retain power.
Women are also put to blame as the cause of their own misery. In the home, some women are accused
of being naggers or neglectful of their duties as wife that is why they are beaten by their spouses.
Rape is sometimes attributed to a raped womans flirtatious ways. A woman filing for sexual
harassment, in some instances is blamed for being malicious by interpreting her employers appreciation
of her good looks.
These are just some of the realities that contribute to the vulnerability of Filipino women to VAW. An
even greater problem is the lack of concrete information to show the extent of VAW in the country as
many cases of violence against women often go unreported due to women victims culture of silence.
Many of the victims are ashamed to relate their experiences while others tend to dismiss their ordeal as
a result of their lack of faith in the countrys justice system caused by frustrations over the lack of results
in filing complaints.
Several government mechanisms have already been put in place to address VAW. Non-government
organizations also take part in this crusade. It is uncertain when this trend will totally diminish in the
Philippine setting, but as long as current efforts to fight VAW are sustained, hope could be set high.
Women's Economic Empowerment
Womens economic empowerment through the Magna Carta of Women (MCW) is crucial in the fight
against poverty. Through its provisions, the MCW makes productive resources and economic
opportunities eqaully available for both men and women.
Gender Budgeting
Gender budgeting is part of the gender mainstreaming strategy. Gender budgeting focuses on
a gender-based analysis and an equality-oriented evaluation of the distribution of resources.
Gender budgeting:
Refers to the process of conceiving, planning, approving, executing, monitoring, analyzing and
auditing budgets in a gender-sensitive way. Involves analysis of actual expenditure and
revenue (usually of governments) on women and girls as compared to expenditures on men
and boys. Helps Governments to decide how policies need to be made, adjusted and
reprioritized. Is a tool for effective policy implementation where one can check if the
allocations are in line with policy commitments and are having the desired impact.
International Development Research centre defines Gender Budgeting as "Gender budget
initiatives analyze how governments raise and spend public money, with the aim of securing
gender equality in decision-making about public resource allocation; and gender equality in
the distribution of the impact of government budgets, both in their benefits and in their
burdens. The impact of government budgets on the most disadvantaged groups of women is a
focus of special attention.(IDRC, 2001)
Republic Act (RA) No. 7192, or the Women in Development and Nation-Building
Act, set into motion the allocation of a certain percentage of official development
assistance for gender concerns. The law has likewise been the starting point of what is
now known as the Gender and Development (GAD) Budget Policy, which was initiated
in the 1995 General Appropriations Act, that specifically mandates all government
departments, bureaus, offices and agencies to set aside at least 5 percent of their total
budget appropriations on gender and development.
A Joint Memorandum Circular issued in 1994 by the National Economic and
Development Authority (NEDA), Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and
the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW), formerly the National Commission
on the Role of Filipino Women (NCRFW), has served as a policy framework for the
integration of GAD in the development of programs, activities, and projects that
promote gender-responsive governance and womens economic empowerment.
The study on which the book, Accounting for Gender Results: A Review of the
Philippine GAD Budget Policy, is based, intends to determine whether the provisions
of RA 7192 has been achieved among selected line agencies. It seeks to examine (1) if
support for gender mainstreaming was given; and (2) whether or not women equally
benefited and participated in the development process. The study has been reviewed
by the NEDA Board-Social Development Committee.
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
As a signatory to the United Nations Millennium Declaration in 2000 that gave birth to the MDGs, the
country is bound to promote and fulfill the rights of women in all spheres, including their rights to
substantive equality and non-discrimination in accord with the shared vision of more empowered
women as targeted by the third MDG Promote gender equality and empower women.
UNDPs Country Programme (2012-2016), developed in partnership with and agreed by the Philippine
Government, is designed around the pursuit of inclusive growth that reduces poverty, including the
achievement of the MDGs, with a special focus on social development, good governance, peace and
environment and natural resources. It is based on and supports the achievement of the national
priorities as reflected in the Philippine Development Plan 2011-2016.

The country programme contributes to the UNDAF outcomes on universal access to quality social
services, with focus on the Millennium Development Goals, democratic governance, conflict prevention
and peace building and womens empowerment, and resilience to disasters and climate change.

UNDPs overall approach is to strengthen capacities of local governments and communities in democratic
governance, poverty, disparity and vulnerability reduction, sustainable management of environment
and natural resources, and climate change adaptation and disaster risk management, while ensuring
that human rights and gender are integrated into local policies, processes, programmes and budgets.
Complementary actions at the national and policy levels will be undertaken to contribute to a more
conducive enabling environment for local interventions. To reflect the complex and multi-sectoral
nature of the development challenges of the country, UNDP is pursuing convergence in its programme
and developing cross-practice activities such as the Poverty-Environment Initiative, Security Sector
Reform, Environmental Justice and Improved Local Governance for HIV Response.

Philippine Initiatives on Gender-Responsive Governance

In the Philippines, efforts to make governance gender responsive are promoted through legislation,
such as the Magna Carta of Women (MCW) which mandates non-discriminatory and pro-gender
equality and equity measures to enable womens participation in the formulation, implementation,
and evaluation of policies, plans, and programs for national, regional, and local development.

Leadership and Political Participation
The Philippine Constitution guarantees the fundamental equality of women and men before the law and
recognizes the role of women in nation building. Further, Section 11 of the Magna Carta of Women
(MCW) provides for the acceleration of womens participation and equitable representation in decision-
making and policy-making processes in government and private entities to fully realize their role as
agents and beneficiaries of development.
Women's Economic Empowerment
The Magna Carta of Women (MCW) moves for the empowerment of women in all spheres of
development. It seeks to eliminate discrimination through the recognition, protection, fulfillment and
promotion of the rights of Filipino women, especially those belonging in the marginalized sectors of the
society that include the poor. The MCW promotes gender equality which plays a pivotal role in the fight
against poverty. Through its provisions, the MCW levels up the playing field by making productive
resources and economic opportunities equally available for both men and women.
Generally, women do not control family properties and decision-making rights on the use of income,
further limiting opportunities to break the poverty cycle. Womens economic empowerment through the
MCW is deemed crucial in putting a halt to this scenario. The fight against poverty can be won when
women are capacitated to generate income for themselves and their families are provided with equal
access to resources in doing so.

Gender in Civil-Military Relations
This mainstreaming project is focused on working with the civil-military relations unit of the Philippine
Army in developing its handbook on how to engage with women as stakeholders. The project will also
capacitate the military in Mindanao, to be peace builders. (Note: The MCW recognized the first female
executive officer of the 10th Infantry Division for breaking barriers at last years Mindanao Womens
Congress. She will be the focal point for this project.)

The goal is to secure womens meaningful participation in the peace process and ensure the inclusion of
gender responsive provisions in the GPH-MILFpeace agreement. There can be no sustainable peace
without women and the MCW-initiated Womens Peace Table will ensure the participation of diverse
groups of women, especially Moro and indigenous women, in the peace negotiations and other
processes. MCW believes that promoting a culture of peace and multiculturalism in Mindanao is more
effective if undertaken with local government units, always taking into consideration each localitys
unique conditions and concerns. Thus, MCWs work on implementing the UNSCR 1325 and the
Philippine National Action Plan (NAP) on 1325 will be focused on key pilot LGUs through the passage of
ordinances that respond to local conditions. On the other hand, the Mothers for Peace Movement will
institutionalize its interventionsin conflict prevention and resolution at the grassroots (barangay) level
through the legally mandated VAWC desks and Lupong Tagapamayapa.
Womens Peace Table
It is a mediating table connecting the formal negotiations and the womens tables in the
communities.
Womens Priority Legislative Agenda (WPLA)
The WPLA seeks to repeal the discriminatory provisions of existing laws and moves for the
formulation and adoption of new legislations that promote women's empowerment and
gender equality. The WPLA is primarily anchored on the Philippine Plan for Gender-
Responsive Development (PPGD), Framework Plan for Women (FPW), and the provision on
the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW),
particularly it's Concluding comments.


Womens Peace Fund
This project is premised on the notion that the best way to make families and communities feel there
is a peace dividend is to give women small funds for livelihood projects they can start right away with
no need for training or study. These livelihood projects are those that give the women a daily
income to meet their familys needs. But while these simple livelihood projects require small
amounts of investment, the total fund must be big enough and fast enough so that the people in the
conflict-affected areas of Mindanao feel a peace dividend quickly in that way something is done
effectively to avoid a relapse into violence.
The WOMENS PEACE FUND rests on the belief that investing in and empowering women to drive
the post-conflict economic recovery in Mindanao will have a multiplier effect, benefiting not only to
their families but also their communities, creating a solid foundation for peace.
The WOMENS PEACE FUND will come from a pool of diverse sources and donors, big and small,
and managed efficiently and effectively so the funds go most quickly to the women in need of them.

Mindanao Commission on Women
The goal is to mainstream feminist principles in politics and governance, including integrity and
transparency. If women are to bring about major changes in their lives they must enter politics and
influence areas where decisions that directly impact their lives are being made. Under this
component, MCWs main focus is getting more women leaders who have feminist principles in
decision-making positions at the local level. In addition, MCW is also engaging in two critical areas of
governance that directly impact women in Mindanao the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the
energy sector, the former because of the precarious peace and order situation of the region, and the
latter because of the looming privatization of the Agus-Pulangi Hydropower Complex, the major
source of cheap power for Mindanao, a vital concern for women, especially those living in poverty.

Babaehon: Women of the First Peoples of Mindanao
Babaehon derives from the word babae meaning woman. In many indigenous dialects, babaehon
means women. The tagline Women of the First Peoples of Mindanao is an assertion of a claim as
being the original and unconquered inhabitants of Mindanao.
Babaehon was formed after an IP Womens Forum on Peace, Governance and Justice organized by the
Mindanao Commission on Women and UN Women in October 2012.
The core group intends to document the history of their respective peoples, map ancestral
domain, document and popularize customary laws, and discuss how to harmonize the conflict
between customary and state laws. The group will also respond to issues that call for solidarity,
such as the need to prot

3 out of 10 women are poor
Dying on giving birth, everyday 11 women die due to pregnancy related complications or the
lack of reproductive health services
Marion Cabrera (women and gender program coordinator) main inequalities of the women in
the phil : political participation economic marginalization traditional gender notions of what
women roles play in the society; the budget Is there but the problem is usage; put in the
finances needed to account for human rights
Remedios Rikken chairperson Phillipine Commission on Women Phil : Sometimes people dont
pay attention to women bcause they dont speak but to make them speak their consciousness
must be awaken, we need to do a lot of training and consciousness raising
Aida Jean Manipon national coordinator UN women the Phil- essentially good budgeting, why
good budgeting bec it addresses both the needs of men and women, boys and girls
Maritona Victa-Labajo, Undersec prj mangmt office head national anti-poverty commission, the
phil. Social technology that was introduced to implement policies that are aimed at improving
the life of women, recognize fundamentally the difference of situation of women, also want to
contribute to the gender equality outcomes and women empowerment, can also be seen at
process, a political process.
Has made significant impact on the lives of Filipino women
Jean Illio Gender expert, mirriam collge the phil- has brought about changes in the lives of
people women and men different context
Guimba, Ecija- Women participate in decision-making, have their voices in planning,
participation of women is important to the society, women become more stronger, they are
encourage to participate, women are also capable leaders theyre giving opportunity to be
leaders.
Rebecca Miranda pres national federation of rural women in the phil- gender development is
not only for women but is for men and women
Its the Needs but we can also say the rights
Long tem goal, continuous
They should know gender analysis in order to allocate the needs properly
Women should be conscious of human rights its not enough that they just know it,
Women and men are partner in nation development
Development is for everybody its not just for men but are also for women for rich and poor
Natural followers
Do most of the domestic jobs
Patriarchal society sexist
Subservient to men
No gender budget but only gender plan