FLORES, JOHN CARLO A.

GENDER AND SOCIETY

BSME – 2D

MODULE 4
LEARNING ACTIVTY 1
1. The data cited by Anonuevo in the above discussion, provided an overview of the
gender situation in the Philippines. But these data are largely based on available source prior to
2000. As part of your learning activity, read about articles online that could provide you with
the most recent information, statistical updates and developments on issues
pertaining to gender and women issues in the country. You may want to visit websites of the
national agency (i.e., UN Women, PCW, PSA, DOLE, COMELEC, PIA, etc.). A recent publication by
David et al (2017) in the Philippine Institute of Development Studies of the University of the
Philippines may serve as a starting point for this reading assignment (No corresponding points.
Provide important statistics about gender situation in the country such as
percentage of women in the workplace, number of gender-based violence recorded, women
participation in politics, etc. Write this down in a bullet form. (20 pts.)

POPULATION
 Philippines’ current female population is 55.9M
 Philippines’ current male population is 56.2M
EDUCATION
 60.2% Males are enrolled in secondary education
 71.3% Females are enrolled in secondary education
 40.4% Both Male and Female are enrolled in tertiary education
POLITICAL
 10% of Duterte cabinet is female
 28% of congress are represented by females
WORK
 15 to 24 years of age accounted for almost half (41.4%) of the total number who were not
in the labor force, of which 22% were females while 18.8% were males.
 The estimated 39.84 million employed persons in October 2020, 62.0 percent or 62 in
every 100 employed Filipinos were males and 38.0 percent or 38 in every 100 employed
Filipinos were females.
INCOME
 The average annual income of female-headed household is Php 258,336
 The average annual income of male-headed households is Php 227,644
CASES
 66.67% of violence against women and children (VAWC) in year 2020
 21.54% of rape cases in the first eights months of the year 2020
 LEARNING ACTIVITY 2
1. Read about news articles that highlight issues pertaining to the aforementioned laws on
gender and women in the Philippines--- ranging from specific news on violation of these laws to
general issues such as unresolved debates between those who are ‘pro’ or ‘against’ specific
clause of these said laws. Attach a copy of the news report. (5 pts.)

2. Reflect on the issue presented in the news, and provide a brief reaction or a position
paper about the issue. A short essay will also do about the news being presented. Answer in not
less than five (5) but not more than twenty (20) sentences. (25 pts.)

The above news article portrays a rape situation, which is the primary subject of the ANTI-
RAPE LAW OF 1977. Women are almost the victims of rape which is particularly troubling given that
each woman's safety in the country is in jeopardy. The ANTI-RAPELAW OF 1977 serves as a safety net
for everyone, especially potential rape victims. Everyone has their own opinions about the subject.
Furthermore, after reading this essay, I realized that some hypotheses were useful and others were not.
This article examines several aspects of the law.

The news report shows how these two people defend their arguments and opinions. However, as
far as I'm concerned, victim blaming is most likely not the best approach. Accusing casualties of being
criminals or assailants will never be legitimate or right, just as hiding these criminals or assailants would
never be legitimate or right. Rape is rape, which is why the ANTI-RAPE LAW OF 1997 exists to remind
us that assaulting someone is a sign of wrongdoing. Why don't we broaden our minds and stop defending
people who aren't deserving of our protection? When you reject a person's privilege, you are already off-
base, to say nothing of attacking. Stop blaming the casualty for what they needed to go through. Assault is
illegal in any circumstance because it disregards an individual's right to privacy and occurs against the
victim's will. Furthermore, if individuals engage in this misconduct, stop protecting them and let the law
to deal with the violations. When forming an opinion, make sure you consider carefully to keep a strategic
distance from any irrelevant viewpoints; after all, we've been educated enough to know what's wrong and
what's right.
SUMMATIVE TEST

PART I. Identification. Identify the concept being asked by the statements below (10pts./
2pts. each).

ANTI-DISCRIMINATION BILL (SOGIE EQUALITY BILL) 1. The earliest version of this

bill was filed in2000 by the late senator Miriam Defensor Santiago and former Akbayan
representative Loretta Rosales under the 11th Congress. The bill is said to encompass
the long-held fight for equality and anti-discrimination for the LGBTQ+ community.

REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH LAW (RA NO.10354) 2. Equally controversial legislation

related to women’s issues, this law is said to guarantee universal access to methods
on contraception, fertility control, sexual education, and maternal care.

MAGNA CARTA FOR WOMEN 3. Also known as RA 9710, it is a comprehensive

women's human rights law that 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.

CONVENTION ON THE ELIMINATION OF ALL FORMS OF DISCRIMINATIONI

AGAINST WOMEN 4. It is an international treaty adopted in 1979 by the United
Nations General Assembly. Described as an international bill of rights for women, it was
instituted on 3 September 1981 and has been ratified by 189 states.

ANJTI-VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND THEIR CHILDREN ACT OF 2004

5.Under this law, the state recognizes the need to protect the family and its members
particularly women and children, from violence and threats to their personal safety and
security.

PART II. ESSAY. Answer the questions as concise but as substantial as possible. English
or Filipino will do. Use own words/ rephrase original source. Limit your answer into one
paragraph ONLY (40 pts./ 10 pts. each).

1. The data used by Anonuevo as reference in Lesson 1, indeed provided an overview of the
gender situation in the Philippines. But these data are largely based on available source prior to
2000 which are already obsolete. Provide updated data that shows the development of gender
situation in the country by researching on the most recent national policies passed by the
legislature, recent statistical reports on women’s contribution to labor force and changes in the
ratio or percentage of participation of women in local and national politics. Cite your sources.
You may begin with by referring to the websites of relevant national agencies (i.e., PCW, PSA,
DOLE, COMELEC, PIA, etc.).

A recent publication by David et al (2017) in the Philippine Institute of

Development Studies of the University of the Philippines may also serve as a
comprehensive source for your reference (see attached readings in the reference list).
You may answer in bullet-form, tabular form or in paragraph form. (10 pts.).

NATIONAL POLICIES
 Anti-bullying act of 2013. The anti-bullying act of 2013 (REPUBLIC ACT 10627)
includes gender-based bullying as a prohibited and punishable act. Gender
based bullying is defined by the implementing rules and regulations as “Any act
 that humiliates or excludes a person on the basis of perceived or actual sexual
orientation and gender identity (SOGI)”.
 Republic Act 11313 Prohibits gender-based sexual harassment like catcalling,
wolf-whistling, taunting, misogynistic and sexist slurs and sexual jokes in public
and online spaces.
 Safe spaces act in April 2019 which expanded the definition of sexual harassment
and protects physical and online spaces.
 Rainbow rights in 2012, a child rights expert relayed a story of a child assigned
male at birth who had a feminine gender expression.
 Republic act 11201 Increases the days of paid maternity leave from 60 days to
105 days to all working new mothers both in the public and private sector.

WOMENS CONTRIBUTION TO LABOR FORCE

 Labor force, female (% of total labor force) in Philippines was reported at 38.9% in
2020.
 In April 2020, about 32.7M or 44.3% of the total population 15 years and over
were not in the labor force. These include housewives, students, persons with
disabilities and those who have retired from their work. Majority (65.8% of this
were females, while the rest (34.2%) were males.

PARTICIPATION OF WOMEN IN LOCAL AND NATIONAL POLITICS

 28% of the congress are represented by females
 10% of Duterte’s cabinet is female
 In the 2019 national and local elections, only 20.6% (8,782) of the candidates
were female.
References:
https://tradingeconomics.com/philippines/labor-force-female-percent of totallaboor
force-wb-data
https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/iq/list
https://politics.com.ph/list-24-laws-duterte-signed-on-third-year-in-office/
Paris,J.(2019).Philippines drops to NO.16 in Gender gap Report
2020.Rappler.Retrieved fromhttps://www.rappler.com/nation/philippines-ranking-
gender-gap-report-2020

N/A(2020).Women’s Political
Participation and
Representation.Philippine
Commision on
Women.Retrieved from
https://pcw .gov.ph/womens-
political-participation-and
 representation/#::text=In%20the
%202019%20National
%20and,and%20values%2C
%20and
20gender%20stereotypes
N/A(2020).Women’s Political Participation and Representation.Philippine
Commision onWomen.Retrieved from https://pcw .gov.ph/womens-political-
participationandrepresentation/#::text=In%20the%202019%20National%20and,and
%20values%2C%20and20gender%20stereotypes
UNDP, Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines (2018).Legal
Gender Recognitionin the Philippines: A Legal and Policy Review.

2. What are the major developments from 2000 up to the present? Have we been better-off
when it comes to gender and women’s issues as compared before? Yes or no, and why? Answer
in one paragraph ONLY (10 pts.)

In comparison to 2000, we now have more progress on gender and women's

problems. Women are increasingly receiving what they deserve, and they are now
scrutinizing their place in society in the same way that men do. We now have more
laws protecting women and ensuring that their rights are equal to those of men. In
comparison to advancements in the year 2000, we now have a lot more progress
these days. Many thanks to all who have supported the advancements of women's
rights and gender equality campaigns. We are currently receiving the equality that
we as a society require as a result of them. I'm hopeful that this will go forward so
that we may all have the finest future possible.
3. Based on your reading of news articles that highlight issues pertaining to the existing laws
on gender and women in the Philippines (Learning Activity for Lesson 2), select one specific
article. Provide a summary of the news and highlight the controversies surrounding
the topic as presented by the author in the article. The more recent, the better. Properly cite your
reference. Answer in one paragraph ONLY (10 pts.)

The article is about Ben Tulfo victim blaming. It is believed that in order to
defend oneself from rapists, you must dress appropriately, and netizens replied by
saying that how people dress should not be a role in their rights being violated.
#HijaAko became a trending topic on Twitter because of this. Close-minded people
believe that the way women dress has a significant impact on raping, which I find to
be a complete joke. The anti-rape law of 1997 was enacted to safeguard us against
rapists. "Stop teaching girls how to dress! Teach people not to rape.” Frankie
Pangilinan. As I previously stated, the Anti-Rape Law of 1997 serves as a reminder
to us that rape is rape, no matter what the circumstances or rationale. Allow the law
to carry out its intended function.

4. What is the most pressing issue on gender situation in the Philippines do you think is
worthy of discussion among the contemporary youths and students like you? Why? Answer in
one paragraph ONLY (10 pts.)
 Until now, there are still discrimination happening. We won't be able to fix
this problem quickly, especially because some individuals are still closed-minded
and unwilling to adapt. Every minute, there are people who are discriminated against
because of who and what they are. For me, the best way to resolve is to obtain
adequate education about this type of problem, as well as to show others the
positive results of not discriminating against individuals and to be a role model for
everyone. We must first overcome these kinds of problems in order to achieve the
finest future we have ever desired. I am a young person who still believes that one
day, everyone will have a better life free of discrimination.