House Bill (HB) 5012 (formerly HB 1021) was approved on Second Reading in the Lower House on June 8, 2006. It is entitled, “An Act Providing Private Workers and Employees Women and Gender Education in the Workplace.”
HB 5012 will require all private employers to provide free annual seminars on “women and gender education” to include women’s rights, welfare, development, gender equality, and two laws, RA 7877 on “Anti-Sexual Harassment Act” and RA 9208, the “Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act.” Its authors are Liza Maza, Joel Virador, Rafael Mariano, Teddy Casino, and Crispin Beltran.
While the Bill seems benign at the outset, it refers to the requirement to grant free annual seminars on “women’s rights” – a catch-all phrase that could include “reproductive rights” – and it imposes financial burdens on top of existing government programs.
In our view, providing “gender education” on women’s rights and gender equality suggests a cultural bias where there is none. It also sneaks in the opportunity to introduce reproductive health programs even if these were not discussed as part of HB 5012. Filipino women, especially the urban and rural workers, are fighting for the basic needs of everyday life – among them, nutrition, security of employment, continuing professional formation, and access to primary health care. They are not asking to understand such terms as “gender sensitivity” or “gender fairness” which are usually part of discussions on “women’s rights.”
On a more practical level, granting gender education is an unnecessary burden on employers because the Department of Labor has already imposed training programs on “priority gender issues” and “family welfare components” under Department Order 56-03 dated December 11, 2003, or the “Family Welfare Program.” The DOLE’s training programs cover “priority gender issues” such as the promotion of equality in employment opportunities, advocacy against sexual harassment, protection of the welfare of female overseas workers, and so on.
Read more on why we oppose this Bill: Executive Summary Against HB 5012
For a copy of our original alert, please see HB 1021 and HB 1023 Alert
Get a copy of HB 5012
HB 1023 entitled, “An Act Integrating Education on Women, Girls and Gender Rights,Equality and Welfare in All Levels of Public and Private Schools” is a companion Bill also filed July 1, 2004 and referred last July 28, 2004 to the Committee of Basic Education and Culture. It was also introduced by Cong. Liza Maza.
HB 1023 requires all private and public schools to provide “education on women, girls and gender rights, equality and welfare, sexual harassment, and anti-trafficking in persons.”
For a copy of HB 1023, please see www.congress.gov.ph
It seems these efforts to integrate women’s rights and gender education into all schools and workplaces will complement the passage of House Bill (HB) 3773.
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