Passage of Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy bill—mothers and teenagers’ Christmas wish

 

A group of mothers and youth called on the Senate to pass the proposed bill on Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy (PAP) as a “Christmas gift.” Women’s groups and reproductive health advocates trooped to the Senate last Tuesday morning to kick off the 18-day campaign to end violence against women and children (VAWC) as well as call for the passage of the PAP bill. They expressed support to Senator Rise Hontiveros who is the main sponsor of the PAP bill and is head of the committee on women and children. 

 

“All we want for Christmas is a PAP. For youth to enjoy the holidays and not be burdened by teenage pregnancy,” stated Judy Ann Miranda, secretary general of Partido Manggagawa (PM). Aside from PM Women’s Committee, members of PM-Kabataan and Tara Kabataan, a Manila-based youth organization, also attended the Senate mobilization.

 

Dressed in Christmas-themed costumes and carrying lanterns with holiday wishes and creative Christmas ornaments, the mothers and youth sang Christmas carols but with lyrics modified to suit their demand against VAWC and for the passage of PAP.

 

The issue of early pregnancy has long been a concern for Filipino youth, especially those aged 10-19 years. According to data from the Philippine Statistics Authority in 2021, 10 percent of the total number of births in the country were from young mothers. Despite existing programs aimed at reducing this incidence, the numbers of early pregnancies remain high, significantly impacting the youth in terms of their health, education, future, as well as the economy and society.

 

“It is clear that early pregnancy poses severe challenges. Many young mothers are forced to stop their education due to the discrimination they face—not only in schools but also on social media and even from healthcare workers. Furthermore, early pregnancies pose health risks to these young individuals, including complications during pregnancy, repeat pregnancies, and lack of access to affordable and humane health services. There is also a lack of knowledge regarding sexuality, reproductive health, and the concept of consent, which puts the youth at risk of abusive relationships and coercive sexual encounters. In fact, most cases of adolescent pregnancy are a result of statutory rape—clearly a form of violence against children,” stated Eunice Santiago, an advocate from Tara Kabataan and PM Kabataan.

 

She added that “Thus, this issue is not merely due to young people's flirtations or impulsiveness but is a social issue that requires collective action from families, schools, the government, and the entire community. The PAP Bill aims to protect the youth against early pregnancy and ensure that adequate support is provided for young parents.”

 

Some key objectives of this bill include:

 

1.      Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE): This educates individuals about sexuality, reproductive health, consent, and respect for the body in a way that is age- and culturally appropriate. It aims to guide the youth to avoid early pregnancies by providing them with formal and accurate information regarding sex and their sexuality.

 

2.      Social Protection Services: This includes maternal health services, home-based schooling, PhilHealth coverage, counseling, and other services that can help young parents recover and address the stigma or discrimination they face.

 

3.      Access to Reproductive Health Services: The PAP Bill ensures that youth aged 16-18 will have direct access to information and health services, along with guidance from health workers.

 

 Currently, the PAP Bill has garnered sufficient support but still needs to be prioritized in the agenda to complete the interpellation process and proceed to a vote in the Senate.

 

“This is the right time to unite and strengthen the call for the passage of this law. This law is not just for young parents but also aims to protect Filipino youth from violence. The PAP Bill is a crucial step towards promoting the rights of youth and women. Through this, we ensure proper information, support, and protection for their bodies, sexuality, and future. It is time to encourage our lawmakers to prioritize the welfare of the youth and women. Let us collectively advocate for a humane, safe, and just society. Let’s support the PAP Bill—a gift of unity and responsibility for the future of youth and women!” Santiago ended. 

Photos of the Senate rally for PAP can be accessed here:

https://www.facebook.com/partidomanggagawa/posts/pfbid0274aNweXzu24HSzJ8wUFqshia2b1tEPSmLVSomKYuNsA7fKVFfttEoB3s9pmdGRUQl

 

https://www.facebook.com/partidomanggagawa/posts/pfbid0376RzysU1FXBycwHFyL7MwMagKbsgoAPv4eE1wK173TYFVkuhKZiyKoeUtZ4yJDQFl

Press Release

December 2, 2024

Partido Manggagawa Kabataan, Tara Kabataan

Workers to march on Bonifacio Day to press for wage hike, end to endo and political dynasties

 

Members of the Nagkaisa Labor Coalition will stage a protest march from España to Mendiola on Bonifacio Day, November 30, to demand government action on pressing labor issues. The coalition is calling for:

 

- A legislated wage hike of ₱150 or more and the abolition of provincial rates to help workers cope with inflation and the intensifying cost of living crisis.

- The abolition of endo (contractualization) in both private and public sectors.

- An end to violence against women as part of broader reforms for social justice.

 

The protest highlights frustrations over the lack of government attention to labor’s pressing issues. Despite the urgency of a wage hike, the Labor Committee in Congress has stopped deliberating on the matter since May. Senators on their part has passed the ₱100 wage hike bill in February.

 

In contrast, the Quadcom which was organized only in August by Speaker Romualdez has been conducting marathon hearings to investigate the Dutertes’ deadly war on drugs and illegal use of confidential funds.

 

Neglect of labor issues

 

While exacting accountability from the past administration is a good agenda to pursue, labor leaders insisted that sidelining key labor reforms, such as legislating wage hike and ending the scourge of labor contractualization, is perpetuating a state of national calamity. They pointed to the lack of leadership from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and House Speaker Martin Romualdez, noting that their action could push forward legislation to address workers’ demands.

 

"Workers are tired of being shortchanged by regional wage boards while Congress and Malacañang remain silent on their struggles," the coalition said.

 

Labor and calamities

 

The coalition also emphasized the compounding effects of recent typhoons, which have devastated communities across the country. Many workers, already struggling with low wages, are unprepared to recover from these disasters.

 

"This situation reflects decades of government neglect and the self-serving priorities of political dynasties,” echoing Bonifacio's belief that there can be no ‘kaginhawahan’ without ‘kalayaan’ from this kind of rule. Nagkaisa said this also includes freedom of women from violence and exploitation.

 

End political dynasties

 

The coalition argued that both the blending and warring political dynasties are importunate barrier to genuine progress for Filipino workers. "These dynasties are a calamity in themselves. Ang dynasty ang dapat i-endo hindi ang manggagawang Pilipino," the group concluded.

Nagkaisa Labor Coalition

27 November 2024

“War is violence against women”—feminist groups in the Philippines

 

On the first day of a 18-day global campaign to end violence against women, feminist groups in the Philippines highlighted the call for a permanent ceasefire as a step towards a permanent solution to the question of Palestine.

 

“War is violence against women. It is as clear as day in the ongoing hostage and prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas that women are disproportionately victimized in war. The history of conflicts reveals this ugly truth. Thus, we call for a stop to the war in Palestine and elsewhere. And demand a just peace,” argued Judy Ann Miranda, secretary general of Partido Manggagawa (PM). PM is among the groups that participated in today’s activity.

 

A hundred women leaders from various organizations that comprise the World March of Women-Pilipinas marched to the grounds of the Commission of Human Rights today for a rousing and festive program to launch the violence against women campaign. Community assemblies in several working class areas in Metro Manila followed later in the day.

 

The launch of the campaign served as an opportunity for women to raise the urgent call for solidarity to the people of Palestine. In the statement released for the event, the World March of Women-Pilipinas, stated that “Israeli forces through persistent bombings on Palestinian communities, kill[ed] more than 14,000 Palestinians. Most hurt were women and children, as hospitals were also bombed. World March of Women members in Palestine were [also among those] attacked.”

 

“The so-called humanitarian pause should give way to a sustained ceasefire in both Gaza and the West Back. A permanent ceasefire then enables political negotiations to end the Israeli occupation of Palestine,” Miranda explained. The women’s groups’ call for solidarity with Palestine is part of a sustained advocacy by social movements, trade unions, human rights organizations and grassroots communities in the Philippines.

 

Next week, on November 30, which is a traditional day of mobilization for workers in the Philippines, trade unions along with other civil society groups will also underscore the demand for a permanent ceasefire and a stop to the genocide in Palestine. Today, a rally is being held in Manila by Muslim and Christian organizations together with progressive groups. The mobilization is billed as a march for peace and justice in Palestine.

 

All these solidarity actions build upon earlier activities by numerous organizations in different parts of the country, including in the southern island of Mindanao which has a substantial Muslim population. Among those actions was a rally outside the Catholic Church in Manila last November 4 which was a local response to the call by the International People’s Assembly for a global day of action for Palestine.

 

“The drums of war are beating so hard that they are not only deafening but are inciting harm and violence against women,” according to the World March of Women-Pilipinas. It added  that “Historically, women and children suffer the most during war in the form of hunger, sexual assault, physical violence including unjust imprisonment as hostages of warring parties, loss of home and of family members.”

 

Miranda averred that “Women also do not want to be caught in the middle of the US and China conflict. We call for a peaceful solution to the West Philippine Sea issue. Through negotiations among the claimants, we want to guarantee the right of fishers, Filipinos and other nationalities, to gainful livelihood in what should be treated as common fishing grounds.”

 

Tensions in the South China Sea are escalating with the United States forming various military alliances such as the Quad and the AUKUS in a bid to contain China and maintain control over the busy shipping lanes in the region. The Quad is an alliance between the US, Japan, Australia and India while AUKUS unites Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States.

 

Recently the US has avowed that it will respond to an attack on Philippine ships in the disputed sea according to terms of a mutual defense treaty. Meanwhile, talks are ongoing for a visiting forces agreement with Japan.

 

The threats of war in the South China Sea has become a convenient pretext for an influx of the American soldiers and weapons to the Philippines. In 1991, US military bases in the country were kicked out in the culmination of a long struggle led by progressive movements to assert national sovereignty and an independent foreign policy. However, the war on terror opened the door for the return of the American military as so-called “visiting forces.”

 

The feminist groups recalled that prostitution and abuse of women and girls flourished around the sites of the former US military bases in the Philippines. Since the return of US troops in the country, they have been involved in two separate incidents involving the rape of a woman and the murder of a trans. All of the accused soldiers are now back in America after controversial decisions of acquittal or pardon.

November 25, 2023

Labor Groups vow to end VAW, call for ratification of Convention against violence at work

 

Some 500 workers led by the Nagkaisa! Labor Coalition marched ahead of the worldwide 18-Day Campaign to End Violence Against Women (VAW) at the University of the Philippines, Diliman as well as in Cebu and Bacolod, to call for an end to all forms of violence and for the ratification of ILO Convention 190 that addresses violence in the world of work.

Raising their banners, the women workers said: "We Vow to End VAW," as their collective commitment to pressure government ratification of ILO C.190 and a renewed culture of respect, safety and non-discrimination.

“Low wages, high prices, unemployment , and contractualization are vicious issues that plague Filipino women everyday. It is a form of economic violence which prevents women from living a life of dignity,” said Judy Miranda, head of the Nagkaisa! Women Committee (NWC), who led the labor sector’s protest action.

“We can only truly celebrate to End VAW when women have regular jobs, receive living wages, quality public services and are free from human rights violations and war atrocities,” added Miranda, who is also Partido Manggagawa Secretary General.

“We need to stop harassment and violence at work, particularly against women and girls,” said Atty. Sonny Matula, chairperson of Nagkaisa!

“We might not know it but many are suffering from such violence in our work premises, offices, schools and other places of work. We need to discover, expose and oppose it. There is no decent work if our fellow workers are suffering harassment and violence at work,” Matula added.

The loudest call of the predominantly women marchers is the ratification of ILO Convention 190 Concerning the Elimination of Violence and Harassment in the World of Work. Adopted in June 2019, ILO C. 190 is an assertion by the global community that violence and harassment in the world of work will not be tolerated and must end.

“Twenty-two countries have ratified the ILO C. 190. As one of the countries that supported its adoption, we in the Philippines should add our voices,” said Nice Coronacion, of the NWC.

“As we celebrate the International Day on the Elimination of All Forms of Violence Against Women, the ratification of ILO C. 190 will be one of our contributions in the fight to end all forms of injustice from domestic violence, rape, homophobia, sexual harassment, pornography, trafficking and prostitution,” added Coronacion, who is also Sentro Deputy Secretary General.

Public Services International (PSI) Philippine affiliates joined the national day of action for the ratification of ILO C. 190 to also start off the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence in the Philippines.

“Public workers in the Philippines, around 60% of whom are women, continue to experience various forms of violence and harassment including physical abuse, verbal and emotional abuse, economic abuse, sexual harassment and other forms of gender-based violence. Exacerbating the situation are the attacks against union rights of public workers through union harassment and intimidation, red-tagging and unfair labor practices,” said Jillian Roque of the Public Services Labor Independent Confederation (PSLINK).

Ratifying C190 will strengthen protection of public workers regardless of their employment status including the growing number of informal and precarious workers in the public sector such as the job orders, contract of service and even our Barangay Health Workers.

It is alarming that more than 640,000 workers in government are denied their rights to fair wages, job security and social protection. This number does not even include the 260,000 Barangay Health Workers all over the country who are predominantly women and serve as our primary health care frontliners but are not even considered as employees.

Photos can be accessed here: https://www.facebook.com/partidomanggagawa/posts/pfbid05CNihboQ3LNMQe3678tdrfxBxCpGdixMwMS1qb1D4X3FWAWpqcLBuCWgxnBHYQKel

Nagkaisa! Labor Coalition Women’s Committee

25 November 2022

Women workers to Tulfo: Hindi nakakalalaki ang VAWC

From Wikipedia

 

The militant Partido Manggagawa took issue with the stand of Senator Raffy Tulfo to amend the VAWC Law as codified his proposed Senate Bill 211 (SBN 211).

 

“Kinakailangan magpakita ng datos at matibay na batayan si Sen. Tulfo para magkaroon ng basehan ang kanyang panukalang baguhin ang VAWC para bigyan ng ispesyal na katayuan ang lalaki kumpara sa nanay at anak para mabigyan ng pantay na proteksyon at parusa sa SBN 211,” according to Judy Ann Miranda, Secretary-General of Partido Manggagawa (PM).

 

The group argued that a special law for women and children, such as the Republic Act No. 9262 or the Anti-Violence Against Women and Children Act of 2004, exists because domestic abuse against women and children has been pervasive and entrenched in Philippine society. Thus, it is not a law against men.

 

“We do not discount the fact that there may be men who are domestically abused by their wives/partners. In which case, there are provisions in the Penal Code (Articles 262, 263 and 265) and Article 72 of the new Family Code which they can use to file a complaint against their partners,” Miranda added.

 

The Philippines signed the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) 15 July 1980 and ratified it on 5 August 1981. After more than three decades, the problem remains. At the global level, the World Health Organization (WHO, 2021) estimated that “1 in 3 (30%) of women worldwide have been subjected to either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime,” mostly intimate partner violence.

 

“However, it should be clear to us why there is a special law specifically on domestic violence for women and children. RA 9262 gives out the message that wife-beating is not a trivial matter in Philippine society and that these abuses warrant a guarantee of protection and support from the government. We do not want male violence that is pervasive and entrenched in our society to be safely ignored and ridiculed by a proposed bill that would warrant equal protection for men,” Miranda concluded.

22 August 2022 

Women riders naglunsad ng unity ride laban sa diskriminasyon sa lansangan, trabaho at lipunan

 

Sa unang pagkakataon ay nagsagawa ng unity ride ang mga riders na kababaihan laban sa diskriminasyon na laganap pa rin umanong nararanasan ng kababaihan partikular sa lansangan, trabaho at sa buong lipunan.

Itinaon ang kanilang unity ride na may temang “Women Can Ride” sa bisperas ng pagdiriwang ng Pandaigdigang Araw ng Kaibabaihan.

Nagsimula ang unity ride Linggo ng umaga, Marso 7, sa Unibersidad ng Pilipinas at nagtapos sa People Power Monument sa Edsa. Pinangunahan ito ng Women’s Collective ng grupong Kapatiran sa Dalawang Gulong o KaGulong.

Ayon kay Jonalyn Batugon, tagapagsalita ng Women’s Collective ng KaGulong, layunin ng kanilang unity ride ang ipahayag ang damdamin ng kababaihang riders sa nararanasan nilang diskriminasyon sa kalsada, sa trabaho, at sa buong lipunan at hilingin sa pamahalaan ang angkop na mga patakaran upang ito ay maibsan.

“Nagmamaneho kami ng motor, o bisekleta. O kaya ay nakaangkas sa aming mga mister o partner para makarating sa trabaho, makapunta sa palengke o saan mang lugar para sa maraming bagay at pangangailangan. Women rider kami, at katulad din ng kalalakihang riders na kalakhan ay manggagawa, nakikipagsapalaran din kami sa mapanganib na lansangan habang nilalabanan ang kahirapan,” pahayag ni Batugon.

Kapansin-pansin na bago pa man magkaroon ng pandemya ay dumarami na ang kababaihang riders at ang paliwanag dito ng KaGulong ay dahil ito sa malubhang krisis sa pampublikong transportasyon, di sapat na sweldo ng manggagawa, mahal na presyo ng mga bilihin, at kakulangan ng trabaho at hanapbuhay sa bansa.

“Mas matipid kaysa sa mamasahe, iwas-balyahan, at iwas-trapik ang pagmomotor. Nakakapag-enjoy pa sa ride kung may pagkakataon. Marami na rin sa amin ay nasa paghahanapbuhay gamit ang motorsiklo,” paliwanag ni Batugon.

Sinabi pa ni Batugon na nararanasan umano nila ang diskriminasyon sa kalsada sa harap ng mga macho at bastos na traffic enforcers, sa kapwa riders, at maging sa mga nakasakay sa apat na gulong. Sa trabaho naman ay marami nang uri ng diskriminasyon ang aming nararanasan tulad ng pahirapan sa hiring at paunahan naman sa tanggalan sa panahon ng krisis katulad ngayon.

“Sa loob ng bahay, ang mga women rider ay gumagampan ng tradisyunal na papel ng babae bilang nanay, yaya, at ngayon ay titser sa mga anak sa offline na pag-aaral,” pagtatapos ni Batugon.

Ang KaGulong ay isang rights-based na samahan ng mga riders kung kayat sa loob ng hanay nito ay nagtayo ito ng Women’s Collective upang harapin ang problema ng diskriminasyon sa kababaihan sa loob at labas ng samahan.

Kapatiran sa Dalawang Gulong
KaGulong
07 March 2021

VAW victim calls for respect for women’s rights in BPO’s

Press Release

March 7, 2014

Inter-Call Center Association of Workers (ICCAW)

On the eve of International Women’s Day (IWD), a VAW (violence against women) victim is calling on the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry for respect for women’s rights. Cheryl Anne Francia, a call center agent, was dismissed from her previous job due to absence from work after suffering physical abuse from her husband. “BPO’s should be a modern workplace not because of the hi-tech gadgets but because of regard for working women’s dignity,” she said.

Francia was on her way to work last 24 August 2013 when she had an argument with her spouse and was beaten. After recovering from the abuse, she reported for work after five days but was unceremoniously retrenched despite her appeals. She has since then filed a case against her former BPO employer for illegal dismissal and moved on to another call center company.

“I commemorate women’s day by coming out to appeal to my sisters that we should not suffer in silence but stand up for our rights,” Francia averred. She is optimistic of a favorable decision in her illegal dismissal case at the National Labor Relations Commission. Francia also has a pending VAW case against her husband at the regional trial court level. At 30 years old, she has worked at four call center companies in the last four years.

Francia was assisted in her labor and criminal cases by the Inter-Call Center Association of Workers (ICCAW), an industry-wide organization for the rights and welfare of BPO employees. Rosie Hong, a Cebu-based call center agent and spokesperson for ICCAW, asserted that “If BPO’s are truly empowered workplaces then concern for labor and women’s welfare should be a priority. Sadly reality still falls short of the ideal as Francia’s case reveals.” Hong also has a pending illegal dismissal case against a call center company in Cebu.

A National Statistics Office census in 2010 found that females comprise 55% of BPO workers. Hong, a single mother, cites from experience that while sleep disorders are common in BPO workers in general, women workers are especially burdened because they have household and parenting duties during daytime.

ICCAW is celebrating IWD with a round table discussion on the afternoon of March 29 at the University of the Philippines School of Labor and Industrial Relations (UP Solair). The UP Solair dean and a female professor will interact with a group of BPO workers. “I invite fellow BPO workers to join us at the UP Solair forum and let us inspire change in our workplaces, homes and society,” Francia stated as she echoed the theme of this year’s IWD.