Legislators hopeful of more pro-women laws

The Lady Legislators of the 13th Congress expressed optimism in the passage of more pro-women legislation in the country amid the slow-paced grinding of the mill in both houses of Congress.

Las Piñas Rep. Cynthia Villar, president of the bloc is even enthusiastic, saying the male-dominated House of Representatives is sensitive enough to the needs of women and now see the importance of enacting laws on women empowerment and women’s rights protection.

"We are more hopeful this time. The process may be slow, but we are taking our time to legislate pro-women and family measures. So far, we have passed breakthrough laws for the women sector in the 12th Congress and we are hoping to pass even more this time," Villar said.

The Lady Legislators have been credited for the passage of the Anti-Trafficking of Persons Law, Expanded Senior Citizens Law, the Law Protecting Children in the Workplace and the Anti-Domestic Violence Against Women and their Children in the last Congress.

This time, the lady lawmakers are pushing for the swift passage of House Bill 3783 declaring every 25th day of November as National Consciousness Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. The bill was passed on second reading last March 7 when the congresswomen took over the affairs of the lower house in celebration of Women’s Month.

The bill seeks to establish a comprehensive and structured campaign for national awareness on anti-violence against women, enlisting the cooperation of all government agencies and local government units, the media and non-government organizations. A consolidated data on the status of violence against women will be reported to the public every Nov. 25.

"We will know by then if more women will come out and tell their stories openly. Our culture prevents many battered women from coming out in the open to save the family and the home, which is wrong. Any act of violence committed against a woman, a child or any person for that matter should be exposed," Villar explained.

The congresswoman cited the need to educate women particularly in the provinces on their basic rights and provide them with livelihood opportunities.

"Many women are being maltreated by their partners due to ignorance and poverty. The women are helpless because they depend heavily on their partners. The solution? Women empowerment and knowing their rights and worth as human beings," she stressed.

The congresswomen are also pushing for the enactment of other pro-women bills, including HB 1021, An Act Providing for Women and Gender Education in the Workplace; HB 1084, An Act Establishing Crisis Intervention Centers for Women and Children Victims and Survivors of Abuse or Exploitation; HB 3773, Responsible Parenthood and Population Management Act of 2005; HB 208, An Act Broadening the Scope of Unlawful Practices of Matching Filipino Women for Marriage to Foreign Nationals, among others.