Saturday, June 18, 2011

Fr. Joel E. Tabora's Inaugural Address as President of the Ateneo de Davao University 18 June 2011

Inaugural Address as President of the Ateneo de Davao University
Good afternoon.
First, a word from my heart: I am thrilled that you are here! Thank you all for coming – from Zamboanga, Cagayan de Oro, Bacolod, Iloilo, Cebu, Las Piñas, Manila, Hong Kong and Connecticut! I thank especially Dr. Licuanan and Bro. Armin for taking time out from their busy schedules to be here; I feel specially honored. I thank Fr. Jojo Magadia and all my brother Jesuits here, including the Presidents of the other Ateneos: Fr. Tony Moreno of Ateneo de Zamboanga University, Fr. Bobby Yap of Xavier University, Fr. Jun Viray of Ateneo de Naga University (AdNU) and Fr. Jett Villarin of Ateneo de Manila University. Warmest thanks to all who are here from the AdNU and the city of Naga. I thank the friends of my youth and my relatives who are here from far and wide. When I was studying at the ADMU and my sisters at Maryknoll, Joe Mari Chan used to bring us to school in his car; I am so happy that he and his wife, Mary Ann, are here. I am overjoyed especially that my step-mother, Mom Es, and my father have come to grace this occasion – with all his 92 years of life, love and wisdom. I thank all of you who represent the community of the Ateneo de Davao University (AdDU). I am thrilled! I take it: you are here, in good will, in love, in friendship and in support of the mission that has been given to me by the Board of Trustees of the AdDU. It is a mission, I believe, that comes to me as a Jesuit ultimately from God. It is a sacred trust for special service. Your being here affirms me in this mission, inspires me, gives me courage, and shall always be a special source of inspiration and strength as I meet the challenges ahead.
Second, another word from the heart: I am also thrilled to be here! Those of you here from Naga know how much I love the Ateneo de Naga and how that love can never die. I went to the AdNU in 1999 with only one friend; when I left AdNU a little over a month ago, it was being separated from hundreds of friends that was most difficult. Your surprise send-off at the airport brought me to tears! These have been friends who helped me learn the ropes of University administration, meet challenges of ongoing improvement in delivering quality basic and tertiary education in Bikol, helped me discover and accept responsibilities in contributing to the improvement of education in the Philippines. Despite today’s pain of separation, it was you who empowered me with the knowledge, insight, and the experience that enables me to face the challenges of Ateneo de Davao today with equanimity and a smile. For this, Ateneo de Naga, thank you! I thank you as a graduate thanks an alma mater for preparing him to face the challenges of the world. And as a well-trained graduate is not daunted but thrilled by the challenges that the world brings, I am thrilled to be here at the Ateneo de Davao!
I am thrilled to be here also because of what I have experienced since I arrived a little over a month ago on May 15.
First, Mindanao is beautiful! My hobby is photography. My camera is in love with Mindanao, and I feel I am on a honeymoon! On a trip to Koronadal in South Cotabato we were awed at the beauty of Mt. Matutum in the morning light. We travelled further to marvel at the beauty of Lake Sebu in the late afternoon light, after being dumbstruck at just one of its seven waterfalls. One Sunday, despite the rain, we went wild photographing incredible flowers on the way up to Lake Agco on Mount Apo; it was close to the steaming medicinal mud of this lake that I resolved one day to climb this highest mountain of the Philippines; I have since applied through Mr. Benjie Lizada for inclusion in the challenging mountaineering group called, “The Social Climbers.” Recently, on the suggestion of some of our student leaders, we travelled along the scenic Pacific coast of Davao Oriental, admiring gentle beaches and rolling waves, eventually to reach Cateel and its cascading Aliwagwag Falls. It took my breath away. On the way back through the highlands leading to Compostela valley, we saw trees as high as ten stories, giant ferns, and lush primary growth forests, and we prayed that all that natural beauty be preserved for future generations.
It is in this context of natural beauty, that I have met members of the community of the AdDU, and some of the people with whom they work. In the encounter with its faculty, staff, teachers and students, I have met another type of beauty: people responding courageously to problems in society and in the environment, even as they continue to care for and love their lives, their jobs, their families and their friends; people believing that the Jesuit, Catholic and Filipino University in Davao has a major role to play in this response. I have met people seriously interested in the defense of the upland watersheds, struggling with how to respond to politically powerful personalities who allegedly grab lands and take lives with impunity. I have met government officials and church officials appalled by 800-plus summary executions carried out locally; they are now calling for mass action on July 1st to demand that this stop. I have met people who passionately believe that the air we breathe must be free of the toxins brought by chemical agricultural spraying. I have met people who are convinced, rightly, that the deathblow to our forests is the deathblow to the future of our planet and of our race. I have met people passionate about protecting our mountains, our rivers, streams and coastal areas from the ravages of open-pit mining, and people deeply concerned about climate change, and the need to protect the environment against human industries that further pollute or damage it. I have met people passionate about peace in Mindanao, passionate about “waging peace” in an area of our country where too long, due to deep misunderstandings between clashing cultures, people have been waging war. In waging peace, I have met people hungry and thirsty for justice and judicial reform as indispensible requisites for waging peace, even as they are aware that this hunger and thirst can put them in harm’s way. I have also met people passionate about eliminating corruption and what Dr. Ronnie Amorado calls the “Kakistocracy,” that is, “the rule of the unprincipled, unethical and the unqualified” both in the public and private spheres. Among these I have also met people committed to eliminating smuggling in our city’s ports, no matter the cost. I have also met people deeply concerned that life and its demands are increasingly pulled away from the current concerns and diminishing influence of the Catholic Church, and that society seems to have yielded its moral leadership to the priests and priestesses of secular fashion, consumerism and hedonism.
When I was still in training as a Jesuit scholastic, I got involved in Jesuit vocations promotions through a group called the Jesuit Contacts. Our Provincial Superior at that time, Fr. Benigno Mayo, told us: “When you look for prospective Jesuits, search for the wild horses. Wild horses you must tame – only tame. If you get the lazy horses, you will have to push them from behind. When you do so, they kick you!” I am happy that the people I have encountered here at the ADDU are not lazy horses, but wild steeds, passionate in their desire to respond to the problems of society. I am certain as President I will not have to be pushing them from behind. What I think I will be doing is pulling them together, helping them to run together, and not apart from one another, and certainly not against one another! What I think I will be doing is clarifying to where we are all running together and why, bringing to bear the concerted, thunderous power of wild steeds running together onto the problems that challenge us.
What We Already Share
We will not have to push from behind. Together, especially after the multi-sectoral University Planning Workshop we conducted in Eden Nature Park last 19-23 May, 2011, we know we are first a university committed by that fact to instruction, research and community service.
We agree that our instruction must be excellent, providing not only quality basic education and competent professional training in such as engineering, nursing, communications, and entrepreneurship, but just as important, providing competent human training., forming our students to use their freedom to grow as human beings: to learn avidly, to love fully, to recognize the difference between right and wrong, to choose right over wrong, and so to take their place responsibly in society. We agree that we have not done this well enough, that many who are corrupt in high places have come from our classrooms, and that we must work hard to improve our output here. We agree that university research must be done, not just by certain individuals or institutes from the periphery of the university, but from its center. It is the same with outreach. Outreach must not be outsourced to individuals or institutes on the fringes of the University, it must emerge from its center. We agree, instruction must be enhanced by our research and outreach, just as our research must be enriched by what is learned or not learned in the classroom, and informed by what is encountered in serving our communities. We agree that outreach must be driven by the commitment to communicate truth to our students and the commitment to search for truth for our world.
That is the university. But we also agree that our university must be Catholic, Jesuit and Filipino. As Catholic it must proceed ex corde ecclesiae, from the heart of the Church. Its heart must be Jesus Christ, whose Love for us even today manifests the Love of the Father for ourselves and our world. As Jesuit, it must appropriate the fourfold mission of the Society of Jesus, committing itself , first, to the proclamation of the Faith; second, to the promotion of Justice without which the Faith is a lie; third, to sensitivity to cultures, and fourth, to inter-cultural and interreligious dialogue at the frontiers of today’s world. As Filipino, it must prepare its sons and daughters to engage the world locally and globally as trained and savvy Filipinos; it must allow the world to impact on it with openness, but also with critical self-possession.
On these, we agree. This is our shared mission. Here, we will not have to push horses from behind, but we will harness the passions and energies already within to move forward.
Moving Forward Together
But we will move forward together. How shall we learn to come together more?
I will invite all to come together more as a community of professionals and of friends in the Lord, even while respecting the right of members of our community to organize within the parameters of law. I will invite all especially to open themselves to a more intimate friendship with the Lord, who shall lead us to a deeper friendship with each other as he missions us to greater university engagement with our world. I will invite all to discover this friendship and the joy of this friendship especially through the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola complemented by a formation and spirituality program to introduce new faculty and staff to the culture of the Ateneo de Davao, and to nurture those who commit their lives to its service in this spirituality. I will pray that these efforts – fully dependent on God’s grace – succeed in his power and his Spirit, in the hope that this intimate friendship with the Lord can be better shared with our students and the communities we serve.
For this, with the approval of the Board of Trustees and religious superiors, we will build and create structures to support our coming together – in work, in reflection, in study, in sports and recreation, in prayer and in worship – among these a Community Center and a center for the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius in Samal. We will also work hard together to better compensate performance in mission-based instruction, research and outreach.
In this spirit of friendship in shared mission, where will we go?
With St. Ignatius and the Philippine Province, I shall invite all to a deeper openness “to thinking with the Church,” especially the local Church. The local Church of Mindanao has distinguished itself in discovering life and vibrancy in basic ecclesial communities; it has also distinguished itself through the Bishops-Ulama Conference in dialogue with the Muslim Community. As a Jesuit and Catholic University we will continue to work with the local Church in these areas. But also in a grateful proclamation of our belief in Jesus Christ, and the beatitude of belief in him for human wholeness and hope in an increasingly secular and troubled world.
Further, I will invite all to deliberate and discern on how we can best address the concerns specifically of Mindanao. The concerns of Mindanao are myriad.
Among them are the challenges to belief in a loving God of peace, the challenges to dialogue, a deeper understanding of our plural cultures in Mindanao, the call for inter-cultural and inter-religious dialogue. In this context, I propose that AdDU become the center of anthropological instruction and research in Mindanao, in order that we might better appreciate and celebrate its plural cultures and improve our service to our students and families in contemporary society.
There are painful concerns with problems of individual and social justice, of crass violations with impunity of human rights, the right to life, and the right to private property. I propose that AdDU, especially through its law school, be a center of judicial reform in Mindanao and in the country. I propose that the University through the law school also come to the service of the national community in helping draft and advocate laws that complement our outreach services.
Of deep concern to members of our University community are problems related to the environment. What can be done to protect the environment from irresponsible mining activities? What can be done to mitigate the ill-effects of human activity on climate? I propose that we make ADDU a vibrant center for environmental conservation and preservation, and that we ally ourselves with other similarly-minded universities and NGOs for this purpose nationwide and worldwide. In the context of our ongoing and increasing need for energy, I propose that we make the ADDU a center for instruction, research and outreach in renewable energy – hydro and wind energy, but especially solar energy.
I am certain, as our dialogue and discernment within the university progress, we will more deeply recognize to where we are being missioned as a University. With the ample yet limited resources we have, we must look at the issues and prioritize the areas of our intervention, even as we continue to ally ourselves with other Catholic schools and universities through the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP) or with other like-minded colleges and universities through the Coordinating Council for Private Educational Associations (COCOPEA). Our interventions must be university-level interventions, well-researched and well-thought out. We will not satisfy ourselves, nor help others appropriately, with mere appeals. We will labor and search for solutions.
Finally with the CEAP and the COCOPEA, and in the presence of Bro. Armin and of Dr. Licuanan, allow me to say that we will do all in our power to improve the quality of our own instruction in basic and in higher education through our own structures of quality assurance. In this context, we will proactively support the efforts of government to improve our national educational delivery through the K-12 program. This is clearly an educational adjustment that will not only affect basic but tertiary education as well. Next year, we will be telling our incoming high school freshmen that they will have six more years to study before reaching college. I propose, Bro Armin and Tatti, that you allow the ADDU and other similarly minded private schools to take the initiative in designing years 11 and 12 so that our graduates of this program would be ready either for work or for college by 2018. If allowed, the pioneering efforts of a University such as ours may offer the nation a paradigm of educational excellence for the future.
As Friends in the Lord and in His Mission
Together, as a university, Catholic, Jesuit and Filipino, I know we can surge forward. We do so profoundly conscious that we will build on the achievements of those who have preceded us. We build on the administration of Fr. Ting Samson who wisely led our community away from what has been referred to as its “dark ages,” brought the university to its coveted PAASCU institutional accreditation, and wisely shepherded the resources of the university to the powerhouse it is today. We build on the achievements of Fr. Ed Martinez, who presided over the bold expansion of the AdDU, building out its academic programs and facilities, giving AdDU, despite its limitation in land size, world-class instructional facilities. We build on the insight, sensitivity, vision and energy of our founding father, Fr. Ted Daigler, SJ. Just as we build on the excellence of such as Fr. Rudy Malasmas, Fr. James Donelan, Fr. Jorge Esguerra, and of our lay partners such as Ms. Zenaida de los Santos, Mr. Orlando Darang, Ms. Luzviminda Ilagan, Ms. Aida Rivera Ford, Ms. Connie Echevaria, Atty. Epiphanio Estrellado, Atty Hildegardo Iñigo. We surge forward knowing that our strength shall always be in running together as friends in the Lord, powered by our shared mission from the Lord, caring for each other and caring for those whom we are privileged to serve.
In this service, today, together we pray for generosity, begging the Lord to teach us his generosity, to teach us the service that he and our people deserve, finding our deepest joy in knowing that we do his holy will.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

The Passion of God (The Homily of Fr. Joel E. Tabora, SJ, Mass of the Holy Spirit, 16 June 2011)

The Homily of Fr. Joel E. Tabora, SJ, Mass of the Holy Spirit, 16 June 2011

The Passion of God

Posted on June 16, 2011 by Joel Tabora, S.J.

Mass of the Holy Spirit.
The theme for our Mass of the Holy Spirit is: “Shared Passion, Shared Mission.”
Have you ever met anyone with a passion for photography? The one who has a passion for photography is one who goes out of his way to get the “perfect shot.” There is a Jesuit in Naga who is passionate about photography named Fr. Jun Embile. He goes out of his way to go to the Camsur Watersports Center in order to get the perfect shot of wake-boarders – even if he doesn’t know them. Fr. Ritche Elot is also passionate about photography. He does not balk at climbing a mountain in order to get the perfect shot. I knew some photographers of churches. They would study the way natural light falls on a church days before the shot, then shoot the church at precisely the right moment. The passionate photographer is one who goes out of his way to get the shot just at the right time, just with the right expression, just with the right texture or mood.
There is a lady I know whom you may also know. Her name is Gina Lopez of the ABS-CBN Foundation. She is passionate about the environment. She addressed our graduating class at ADNU and urged our graduates not to use their education, their energy, their resources to harm the environment. Her passion was also not confined to words. She saw the garbage and filth in the Pasig River, and she worked hard to clean it up. She saw the dying watershed of La Mesa Dam, and she worked to reverse the destruction. Recently, after the murder of her colleague, Dr. Jerry, she got passionately involved in protecting the forests of Palawan from destruction due to mining. Her passion is contagious.
Of course other people have other passions. There are some whose passion is: to sleep. It is incredible: whenever they have a free hour, or a free day, bliss is going to sleep! There are others whose passion is watching movies, or reading books, or shopping. Some people love to go into the malls and department stores to taken in the infinite possibilities of what there is to buy! Some are passionate about Facebook. Others about running. Yet others, among iPad users, about “Angry Bird”!
In the context of many distinguishable passions, one can ask today: Where is my passion? Where is for me the feeling, the fervor, the zeal, the ardor that centrates my energy and my activities? For some who’ve never thought of this before, it may be rather indistinguishable. Some may think they have no passion, and find their life rather drab, dry, and boring. For others, passion is a strong, amorous feeling, and an enduring, compelling drive to love and to be loved. For others, passion is a compulsion to give a command, and know the command obeyed, a compulsion for power. Whatever it is, it is good to be in touch with your passion.
Then, at such a Mass as this, it is good to step back and ask: Is this passion worthy of you. Or is there a jarring “disjoint” between your current passion and what or who you really know yourself to be. I know a lawyer. As a student he worked passionately to learn his law and pass the bar. Now he is working in one of the best law firms of the country. Yet, even as he has arrived at the best of the legal worlds, he asks, “Is this really all that there is? Is there not something I am about that is more than this?”
This is the Mass of the Holy Spirit. There are many ways in which you can look at the Holy Spirit. One way of looking at the Holy Spirit is as Love. Or as Wisdom. Another way is as the Passion of God. The Holy Spirit is the Passion of the Father looking at humanity in suffering and confusion, not turning his back on it, but saying yes to it. The Holy Spirit is the Compassion of the Father expressing itself, incarnating itself in our world. It is the Passion of Jesus Christ facing the selfishness, superficiality and suffering in the world and proclaiming: the Kingdom of God, insisting on: the God of Love. He did this so effectively, that he called forth opposition from those who were selfish, superficial, violent and Godless – causing his passion and death. But he was raised up, we know. God is still passionately loves us in our world.
Where is your passion? You were baptized into the life of God, into the Spirit of God. You were confirmed in the Spirit of Christ. The Spirit of Christ descended on the Church in the form of tongues of fire. Have you been set aflame by this fire? Does this fire burn within you? Does the Passion of God affect you, rub off on you, become part of you, even becomen a driving force within you? Does the Spirit of God become your passion so that you care for people with the care of God? Or that you care for creation with the creativity and delight of the Creator? Or that you care for justice with the truth and power of the merciful Lord?
We pray that it does. To share in God’s passion is to share in his mission – in his involvement and engagement in our world.
As we get in touch with our passion, we pray that your education at the Ateneo de Davao help you to share in God’s Passion, to receive the Holy Spirit and to experience his Peace.
[ADDU, 16 June 2011]

Friday, June 10, 2011

We Musn't Blink in front of the Chinese tiger (On Philippines' Spratlys dispute with China)

No doubt, by its pronouncements that the Spratlys and its contiguous group of island as it historical sovereign domain, China is now posturing itself as a big leaguer in international politics. There must be no ifs nor buts as regards China's claim as stated by its spokeperson Hong Lei: "“China asks the Philippine side to stop harming China’s sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, which leads to unilateral actions that expand and complicate South China Sea disputes,”(Philippine Star 09 June 2011). And such was further bolstered by the pronouncement of China's Ambassador to the Philippines Liu Jianchao "to rival claimants to the disputed Spratlys island group to stop searching for oil in the contested region without permission from China." (Inquirer 11 June 2011). People musn't be deceived to thinking otherwise, despite today's (11 June 2011) photo of DFA Secretary and the said Ambassador in a seeming cheerful handshaking gesture.

I don't think it's but a coincidence that China's ballpark-bully posture comes at a time when it's preparing to launch its first ever aircraft carrier. According to ABCNEWS:
The 990 ft., 67,500 ton carrier, long-rumored to be in development, is being constructed in the north-east port of Dalian, the report said. While Chen refused to give a specific date, the vessel is reportedly near completion and tests are expected to start later this year. It took an army of workers five years to transform the Soviet-era hull, which was initially bought by a company with ties to the Chinese army who claimed they were building a floating casino destined for Macau.

PHOTO: The former Soviet "Varyag" aircraft-carrier

Itar-Tass/Newscom

The former Soviet "Varyag" aircraft-carrier... View Full Size

Itar-Tass/Newscom

The former Soviet "Varyag" aircraft-carrier in the Ukrainian port of Ilyichevsk in this June 19, 2000 file photo

"All of the great nations in the world own aircraft carriers -- they are symbols of a great nation," Chen's assistant chief, Lt. Gen. Qi Jianguo, assistant chief of the general staff, told the Hong Kong Commercial Daily. But Jianguo also emphasized that after the carrier was deployed it would "definitely not sail to other countries' territorial waters." This said statement itself simply essays China's self-perception: that it's now a great nation (aka superpower). Having its own aircraft carrier makes China belong to only other 9 countries in the world having their own aircraft carriers (US 11; UK 1; France 1; Italy 2; Spain 1; Russia 1; India 1; Brazil 1; Thailand 1). And China's Varyag carrier will be second only to the US' Nimitz class carriers in size. Even if Chinese military officials themselves are quick to admit that the Varyag is but a refurbished derelict of the Soviet era, one musn't be naive to non-chalantly dismiss the existence of the said carrier. Years ago, people would basically equate "made in China" products to second-class, if not third class, status. Today, not anymore. What with the fact that China has just more recently leap-frogged over Japan as the world's second largest economy. Military muscle plus economic muscle, indubitably is formidable muscle. In addition, it won't hurt if we don't forget Sun Tzu the war tactician himself saying "When strong, make your enemy think you're weak."

With China's growing status, thus we must always be on the alarm despite its above latter statement that it "would definitely not sail to other countries' territorial waters." It must be remembered that China, as earlier stated, has strongly said that the Spratlys is part of its domain. Thus, it mustn't be so surprising if one of these days if the Chinese leviathan Varyag is sailing along the Spratlys one of these days, as it considers the Spratlys as but part of its suzerainty. As Lt Gen Qi Jianguo, Assistant Chief of the General Staff of China's People's Liberation Army said "We are now facing heavy pressure in the oceans whether in the South China Sea, East China Sea, Yellow Sea or the Taiwan Straits," he said.(http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-13692558). South China Sea is where the Spratlys are.

With all of these, thus it's but proper for any self-respecting sovereign state like the Philippines, despite its miniscule military and economic might compared to the gargantuan China, that it must continue to use everything at its disposal to stem and stop these incursions of China into its own state's territorial sealanes as provided by the UNCLOS provisions. While we believe in diplomacy as a foremost instrument in settling the muscle-flexing of China, we musn't mistake cowardly retreat as diplomacy. If a bully collars you, and demands that you give him the money you have in your pocket because it's his, and then you unresistingly gave him your money, that's not diplomacy. That's cowardly surrender. I hope that some of our Senators saying that we must settle the dispute with China "diplomatically" because it's a superpower so terrifying to resist, will come to their senses that they're not helping our country's cause at all. To them I'd say "Mabuti pa si Asiong Salonga, ipinaglalaban ang mga mahihirap kahit pa na mga malalaking tao ang kalaban nya sa pag-gawa nito." That is, though of course, it would be going against prudence for our government to rattle the sabers versus China, however, we musn't blink in front of the Chinese tiger. We musn't lose our chutzpah despite the bully's bullying stance. Real diplomacy must only be from a position of strength, never from weakness. Thus, our government leaders must show real fire-from-the-belly when dealing with the humungous China. Para kay Inang Bayang magiliw!

Sunday, May 22, 2011

DON'T THE MAGNA CARTA FOR WOMEN (R.A. 9710), ANTI-VAWC LAW OF 2004 (R.A. 9262), FAMILY CODE OF 1987 (PLUS AMENDMENT) SUBSTANTIALLY MAKE RH BILL 4244 REDUNDANT?

DEFINITELY I'M A STAUNCH ADVOCATE OF WOMEN'S, CHILDREN'S, AND FAMILY'S RIGHTS AND BENEFITS IN THEORY AND PRACTICE. THUS, I HOPE THAT MY QUESTION ABOVE SHOULDN'T BE TAKEN AS ANTI-WOMEN, OR ANTI-CHILDREN, OR ANTI-FAMILY. IT STRIKES ME THAT THE REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CONCERNS OF THE RH BILL 4244 ARE ACTUALLY COVERED IN SUBSTANCE AND ACTUALITY IN THE WHOLE OF MAGNA CARTA'S SECTION 17. WITH THE MAGNA CARTA, WHAT WE APPARENTLY NEED IS BUT AN IRR AND NOT A NEW WHOLE LAW. SURPRISINGLY, THE SAME SECTION 17 EVEN CONTAINS A CLEARCUT PROVISION (SEC. 17, SUB-SEC. b) WHICH SUBSTANTIALLY ADDRESSES THE RESPONSIBLE PARENTHOOD AND SEX EDUCATION CONCERNS OF THE RH 4244 PROPONENTS. AS SUBSTANTIAL ADDITION, WE FURTHER HAVE THE ANTI-VAWC LAW OF 2004, AND THE FAMILY CODE TO ANSWER ALL THE SAID REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH AND RESPONSIBLE PARENTHOOD CONCERNS OF BOTH THOSE PRO- AND ANTI-RH BILL 4244.

NOW, WITH THE MAGNA CARTA (R.A.9710), ANTI-VAWC LAW OF 2004 (R.A. 9262), THE FAMILY CODE (E.O. 209) OF 1987, AND THE OTHER EXISTING GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS ON RESPONSIBLE PARENTHOOD AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH, ISN'T THE RH BILL 4244 SIMPLY REDUNDANT? I THINK IT'S ABOUT TIME FOR THE GOVERNMENT AND VARIOUS STAKEHOLDERS TO HAVE A CLOSER AND MORE SERIOUS SECOND LOOK INTO THESE LAWS AND PROGRAMS? THERE SEEMS TO BE SO MUCH ADO ABOUT SOMETHING THAT'S ACTUALLY BEEN THERE ALL ALONG. EFFECTIVE AND REAL IMPLEMENTATION IS WHAT'S LACKING THROUGHOUT ALL THESE YEARS. THAT'S WHY, I STILL DO BELIEVE THAT THE EFFECTIVE AND REAL ADDRESSING OF REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH AND RESPONSIBLE PARENTHOOD CONCERNS WILL STILL BOIL DOWN TO ONE THING: CORRUPTION. "KUNG WALANG CORRUPT" ALL THE SAID PRO-WOMEN, PRO-CHILDREN, AND PRO-FAMILY LAWS WOULD HAVE LONG BEEN IMPLEMENTED. THUS I DON'T THINK WE NEED MORE LAWS RE THE MATTER. ACTION! ACTION! ACTION! IS WHAT'S LONG BEEN NEEDED, AND IS STILL NEEDED NOW! JUST DO IT MR. PRESIDENT PNOY!

I'M POSTING BELOW THE SAID WHOLE SEC. 17, AND THE WHOLE TEXT OF THE MAGNA CARTA FOR WOMEN (R.A.), ANTI-VAWC LAW OF 2004, THE FAMILY CODE OF 1987 FOR EVERYONE'S REFERENCE. THANK YOU FOR READING. BE INFORMED, BE FORMED. (THANKS TO THE LAWPHIL PROJECT OF THE ARELLANO LAW FOUNDATION AS SOURCE OF R.A 9710 & R.A. 9262; CHAN ROBLES VIRTUAL LAW LIBRARY FOR THE FAMILY CODE OF 1987)

MAGNA CARTA FOR WOMEN (R.A. 9710)

Section 17. Women's Right to Health. - (a) Comprehensive Health Services. - The State shall, at all times, provide for a comprehensive, culture-sensitive, and gender-responsive health services and programs covering all stages of a woman's life cycle and which addresses the major causes of women's mortality and morbidity: Provided, That in the provision for comprehensive health services, due respect shall be accorded to women's religious convictions, the rights of the spouses to found a family in accordance with their religious convictions, and the demands of responsible parenthood, and the right of women to protection from hazardous drugs, devices, interventions, and substances.

Access to the following services shall be ensured:

(1) Maternal care to include pre- and post-natal services to address pregnancy and infant health and nutrition;

(2) Promotion of breastfeeding;

(3) Responsible, ethical, legal, safe, and effective methods of family planning;

(4) Family and State collaboration in youth sexuality education and health services without prejudice to the primary right and duty of parents to educate their children;

(5) Prevention and management of reproductive tract infections, including sexually transmitted diseases, HIV, and AIDS;

(6) Prevention and management of reproductive tract cancers like breast and cervical cancers, and other gynecological conditions and disorders;

(7) Prevention of abortion and management of pregnancy-related complications;

(8) In cases of violence against women and children, women and children victims and survivors shall be provided with comprehensive health services that include psychosocial, therapeutic, medical, and legal interventions and assistance towards healing, recovery, and empowerment;

(9) Prevention and management of infertility and sexual dysfunction pursuant to ethical norms and medical standards;

(10) Care of the elderly women beyond their child-bearing years; and

(11) Management, treatment, and intervention of mental health problems of women and girls. In addition, healthy lifestyle activities are encouraged and promoted through programs and projects as strategies in the prevention of diseases.

(b) Comprehensive Health Information and Education. - The State shall provide women in all sectors with appropriate, timely, complete, and accurate information and education on all the above-stated aspects of women's health in government education and training programs, with due regard to the following:

(1) The natural and primary right and duty of parents in the rearing of the youth and the development of moral character and the right of children to be brought up in an atmosphere of morality and rectitude for the enrichment and strengthening of character;

(2) The formation of a person's sexuality that affirms human dignity; and

(3) Ethical, legal, safe, and effective family planning methods including fertility awareness.

Section 18. Special Leave Benefits for Women. - A woman employee having rendered continuous aggregate employment service of at least six (6) months for the last twelve (12) months shall be entitled to a special leave benefit of two (2) months with full pay based on her gross monthly compensation following surgery caused by gynecological disorders.

Section 19. Equal Rights in All Matters Relating to Marriage and Family Relations. - The State shall take all appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination against women in all matters relating to marriage and family relations and shall ensure:

(a) the same rights to enter into and leave marriages or common law relationships referred to under the Family Code without prejudice to personal or religious beliefs;

(b) the same rights to choose freely a spouse and to enter into marriage only with their free and full consent. The betrothal and the marriage of a child shall have no legal effect;

(c) the joint decision on the number and spacing of their children and to have access to the information, education and means to enable them to exercise these rights;

(d) the same personal rights between spouses or common law spouses including the right to choose freely a profession and an occupation;

(e) the same rights for both spouses or common law spouses in respect of the ownership, acquisition, management, administration, enjoyment, and disposition of property;

(f) the same rights to properties and resources, whether titled or not, and inheritance, whether formal or customary; and

(g) women shall have equal rights with men to acquire, change, or retain their nationality. The State shall ensure in particular that neither marriage to an alien nor change of nationality by the husband during marriage shall automatically change the nationality of the wife, render her stateless or force upon her the nationality of the husband. Various statutes of other countries concerning dual citizenship that may be enjoyed equally by women and men shall likewise be considered.

Customary laws shall be respected: Provided, however, That they do not discriminate against women.

THE MAGNA CARTA FOR WOMEN (R.A. 9710)

Republic of the Philippines
Congress of the Philippines
Metro Manila

Fourteenth Congress
Second Regular Session

Begun and held in Metro Manila, on Monday, the the twenty-eight day of July, two thousand eight.
Republic Act No. 9710 August 14, 2009

AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE MAGNA CARTA OF WOMEN

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress assembled::

Section 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as "The Magna Carta of Women".

Section 2. Declaration of Policy. - Recognizing that the economic, political, and sociocultural realities affect women's current condition, the State affirms the role of women in nation building and ensures the substantive equality of women and men. It shall promote empowerment of women and pursue equal opportunities for women and men and ensure equal access to resources and to development results and outcome. Further, the State realizes that equality of men and women entails the abolition of the unequal structures and practices that perpetuate discrimination and inequality. To realize this, the State shall endeavor to develop plans, policies, programs, measures, and mechanisms to address discrimination and inequality in the economic, political, social, and cultural life of women and men.

The State condemns discrimination against women in all its forms and pursues by all appropriate means and without delay the policy of eliminating discrimination against women in keeping with the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and other international instruments consistent with Philippine law. The State shall accord women the rights, protection, and opportunities available to every member of society.

The State affirms women's rights as human rights and shall intensify its efforts to fulfill its duties under international and domestic law to recognize, respect, protect, fulfill, and promote all human rights and fundamental freedoms of women, especially marginalized women, in the economic, social, political, cultural, and other fields without distinction or discrimination on account of class, age, sex, gender, language, ethnicity, religion, ideology, disability, education, and status. The State shall provide the necessary mechanisms to enforce women's rights and adopt and undertake all legal measures necessary to foster and promote the equal opportunity for women to participate in and contribute to the development of the political, economic, social, and cultural realms.

The State, in ensuring the full integration of women's concerns in the mainstream of development, shall provide ample opportunities to enhance and develop their skills, acquire productive employment and contribute to their families and communities to the fullest of their capabilities.

In pursuance of this policy, the State reaffirms the right of women in all sectors to participate in policy formulation. planning, organization, implementation, management, monitoring, and evaluation of all programs, projects, and services. It shall support policies, researches, technology, and training programs and other support services such as financing, production, and marketing to encourage active participation of women in national development.

Section 3. Principles of Human Rights of Women. - Human rights are universal and inalienable. All people in the world are entitled to them. The universality of human rights is encompassed in the words of Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states that all human beings are free and equal in dignity and rights.

Human rights are indivisible. Human rights are inherent to the dignity of every human being whether they relate to civil, cultural, economic, political, or social issues.

Human rights are interdependent and interrelated. The fulfillment of one right often depends, wholly or in part, upon the fulfillment of others.

All individuals are equal as human beings by virtue of the inherent dignity of each human person. No one, therefore, should suffer discrimination on the basis of ethnicity, gender, age, language, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, political, or other opinion, national, social, or geographical origin, disability, property, birth, or other status as established by human rights standards.

All people have the right to participate in and access information relating to the decision- making processes that affect their lives and well-being. Rights-based approaches require a high degree of participation by communities, civil society, minorities, women, young people, indigenous peoples, and other identified groups.

States and other duty-bearers are answerable for the observance of human rights. They have to comply with the legal norms and standards enshrined in international human rights instruments in accordance with the Philippine Constitution. Where they fail to do so, aggrieved rights-holders are entitled to institute proceedings for appropriate redress before a competent court or other adjudicator in accordance with the rules and procedures provided by law.

CHAPTER II
DEFINITION OF TERMS

Section 4. Definitions. - For purposes of this Act, the following terms shall mean:

(a) "Women Empowerment" refers to the provision, availability, and accessibility of opportunities, services, and observance of human rights which enable women to actively participate and contribute to the political, economic, social, and cultural development of the nation as well as those which shall provide them equal access to ownership, management, and control of production, and of material and informational resources and benefits in the family, community, and society.

(b) "Discrimination Against Women" refers to any gender-based distinction, exclusion, or restriction which has the effect or purpose of impairing or nullifying the recognition, enjoyment, or exercise by women, irrespective of their marital status, on a basis of equality of men and women, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural, civil, or any other field.

It includes any act or omission, including by law; policy, administrative measure, or practice, that directly or indirectly excludes or restricts women in the recognition and promotion of their rights and their access to and enjoyment of opportunities, benefits, or privileges.

A measure or practice of general application is discrimination against women if it fails to provide for mechanisms to offset or address sex or gender-based disadvantages or limitations of women, as a result of which women are denied or restricted in the recognition and protection of their rights and in their access to and enjoyment of opportunities, benefits, or privileges; or women, more than men, are shown to have suffered the greater adverse effects of those measures or practices.

Provided, finally, That discrimination compounded by or intersecting with other grounds, status, or condition, such as ethnicity, age, poverty, or religion shall be considered discrimination against women under this Act.

(c) "Marginalization" refers to a condition where a whole category of people is excluded from useful and meaningful participation in political, economic, social, and cultural life.

(d) "Marginalized" refers to the basic, disadvantaged, or vulnerable persons or groups who are mostly living in poverty and have little or no access to land and other resources, basic social and economic services such as health care, education, water and sanitation, employment and livelihood opportunities, housing, social security, physical infrastructure; and the justice system.

These include, but are not limited to, women in the following sectors and groups:

(1) "Small Farmers and Rural Workers" refers to those who are engaged directly or indirectly in small farms and forest areas, workers in commercial farms and plantations, whether paid or unpaid, regular or season-bound. These shall include. but are not limited to, (a) small farmers who own or are still amortizing for lands that is not more than three (3) hectares, tenants, leaseholders, and stewards; and (b) rural workers who are either wage earners, self-employed, unpaid family workers directly and personally engaged in agriculture, small-scale mining, handicrafts, and other related farm and off-farm activities;

(2) "Fisherfolk" refers to those directly or indirectly engaged in taking, culturing, or processing fishery or aquatic resources. These include, but are not to be limited to, women engaged in fishing in municipal waters, coastal and marine areas, women workers in commercial fishing and aquaculture, vendors and processors of fish and coastal products, and subsistence producers such as shell-gatherers, managers, and producers of mangrove resources, and other related producers:

(3) "Urban Poor" refers to those residing in urban and urbanizable slum or blighted areas, with or without the benefit of security of abode, where the income of the head of the family cannot afford in a sustained manner to provide for the family's basic needs of food, health, education, housing, and other essentials in life;

(4) "Workers in the Formal Economy" refers to those who are employed by any person acting directly or indirectly in the interest of an employer in relation to an employee and shall include the government and all its branches, subdivisions, and instrumentalities, all government- owned and -controlled corporations and institutions, as well as nonprofit private institutions or organizations;

(5) "Workers in the Informal Economy" refers to self-employed, occasionally or personally hired, subcontracted, paid and unpaid family workers in household incorporated and unincorporated enterprises, including home workers, micro-entrepreneurs and producers, and operators of sari-sari stores and all other categories who suffer from violation of workers' rights:

(6) "Migrant Workers" refers to Filipinos who are to be engaged, are engaged, or have been engaged in a remunerated activity in a State of which they are not legal residents, whether documented or undocumented;

(7) "Indigenous Peoples" refers to a group of people or homogenous societies identified by self-ascription and ascription by other, who have continuously lived as organized community on communally bounded and defined territory, and who have, under claims of ownership since time immemorial, occupied; possessed customs, tradition, and other distinctive cultural traits, or who have, through resistance to political, social, and cultural inroads of colonization, non- indigenous religions and culture, became historically differentiated from the majority of Filipinos. They shall likewise include peoples who are regarded as indigenous on account of their descent from the populations which inhabited the country, at the dime of conquest or colonization, or at the time of inroads of non-indigenous religions and cultures, or the establishment of present state boundaries, who retain some or all of their own social, economic, cultural, and political institutions, but who may have been displaced from their traditional domains or who may have resettled outside their ancestral domains as defined under Section 3(h), Chapter II of Republic Act No. 8371, otherwise known as "The Indigenous Peoples Rights Act of 1997" (IPRA of 1997);

(8) "Moro" refers to native peoples who have historically inhabited Mindanao, Palawan, and Sulu, and who are largely of the Islamic faith;

(9) "Children" refers to those who are below eighteen (18) years of age or over but are unable to fully take care of themselves or protect themselves from abuse, neglect, cruelty, exploitation, or discrimination because of a physical or mental disability or condition;

(10) "Senior Citizens" refers to those sixty (60) years of age and above;

(11) "Persons with Disabilities" refers to those who are suffering from restriction or different abilities, as a result of a mental, physical, or sensory impairment to perform an activity in the manner or within the range considered normal for a human being; and

(12) "Solo Parents" refers to those who fall under the category of a solo parent defined under Republic Act No. 8972, otherwise known as the "Solo Parents Welfare Act of 2000".

(e) "Substantive Equality" refers to the full and equal enjoyment of rights and freedoms contemplated under this Act. It encompasses de jure and de facto equality and also equality in outcomes.

(f) "Gender Equality" refers to the principle asserting the equality of men and women and their right to enjoy equal conditions realizing their full human potentials to contribute to and benefit from the results of development, and with the State recognizing that all human beings are free and equal in dignity and rights.

(g) "Gender Equity" refers to the policies, instruments, programs, services, and actions that address the disadvantaged position of women in society by providing preferential treatment and affirmative action. Such temporary special measures aimed at accelerating de facto equality between men and women shall not be considered discriminatory but shall in no way entail as a consequence the maintenance of unequal or separate standards. These measures shall be discontinued when the objectives of equality of opportunity and treatment have been achieved.

(h) "Gender and Development (GAD)" refers to the development perspective and process that are participatory and empowering, equitable, sustainable, free from violence, respectful of human rights, supportive of self-determination and actualization of human potentials. It seeks to achieve gender equality as a fundamental value that should be reflected in development choices; seeks to transform society's social, economic, and political structures and questions the validity of the gender roles they ascribed to women and men; contends that women are active agents of development and not just passive recipients of development assistance; and stresses the need of women to organize themselves and participate in political processes to strengthen their legal rights.

(i) "Gender Mainstreaming" refers to the strategy for making women's as well as men's concerns and experiences an integral dimension of the design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of policies and programs in all political, economic, and societal spheres so that women and men benefit equally and inequality is not perpetuated. It is the process of assessing the implications for women and men of any planned action, including legislation, policies, or programs in all areas and at all levels.

(j) "Temporary Special Measures" refers to a variety of legislative, executive, administrative, and regulatory instruments, policies, and practices aimed at accelerating this de facto equality of women in specific areas. These measures shall not be considered discriminatory but shall in no way entail as a consequence the maintenance of unequal or separate standards. They shall be discontinued when their objectives have been achieved.

(k) "Violence Against Women" refers to any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual, or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion, or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life. It shall be understood to encompass, but not limited to, the following:

(1) Physical, sexual, psychological, and economic violence occurring in the family, including battering, sexual abuse of female children in the household, dowry-related violence, marital rape, and other traditional practices harmful to women, non-spousal violence, and violence related to exploitation;

(2) Physical, sexual, and psychological violence occurring within the general community, including rape, sexual abuse, sexual harassment, and intimidation at work, in educational institutions and elsewhere, trafficking in women, and prostitution; and

(3) Physical, sexual, and psychological violence perpetrated or condoned by the State, wherever it occurs.

It also includes acts of violence against women as defused in Republic Acts No. 9208 and 9262.

(l) "Women in the Military" refers to women employed in the military, both in the major and technical services, who are performing combat and/or noncombat functions, providing security to the State, and protecting the people from various forms of threat. It also includes women trainees in all military training institutions.

(m) "Social Protection" refers to policies and programs that seek to reduce poverty and vulnerability to risks and enhance the social status and rights of all women, especially the marginalized by promoting and protecting livelihood and employment, protecting against hazards and sudden loss of income, and improving people's capacity to manage risk. Its components are labor market programs, social insurance, social welfare, and social safety nets.

CHAPTER III
DUTIES RELATED TO THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF WOMEN

The State, private sector, society in general, and all individuals shall contribute to the recognition, respect, and promotion of the rights of women defined and guaranteed under this Act.

Section 5. The State as the Primary Duty-Bearer. - The State, as the primary duty-bearer, shall:

(a) Refrain from discriminating against women and violating their rights;

(b) Protect women against discrimination and from violation of their rights by private corporations, entities, and individuals; and

(c) Promote and fulfill the rights of women in all spheres, including their rights to substantive equality and non-discrimination.

The State shall fulfill these duties through law, policy, regulatory instruments, administrative guidelines, and other appropriate measures, including temporary special measures.

Recognizing the interrelation of the human rights of women, the State shall take measures and establish mechanisms to promote the coherent and integrated implementation, and enforcement of this Act and related laws, policies, or other measures to effectively stop discrimination against and advance the rights of women.

The State shall keep abreast with and be guided by progressive developments in human rights of women under international law and design of policies, laws, and other measures to promote the objectives of this Act.

Section 6. Duties of the State Agencies and Instrumentalities. - These duties of the State shall extend to all state agencies, offices, and instrumentalities at all levels and government-owned and -controlled corporations, subject to the Constitution and pertinent laws, policies, or administrative guidelines that define specific duties of state agencies and entities concerned.

Section 7. Suppletory Effect. - This chapter shall be deemed integrated into and be suppletory to other provisions of this Act, particularly those that guarantee specific rights to women and define specific roles and require specific conduct of state organs.

CHAPTER IV
RIGHTS AND EMPOWERMENT

Section 8. Human Rights of Women. - All rights in the Constitution and those rights recognized under international instruments duly signed and ratified by the Philippines, in consonance with Philippine law, shall be rights of women under this Act to be enjoyed without discrimination.

Section 9. Protection from Violence. - The State shall ensure that all women shall be protected from all forms of violence as provided for in existing laws. Agencies of government shall give priority to the defense and protection of women against gender-based offenses and help women attain justice and healing.

Towards this end, measures to prosecute and reform offenders shall likewise be pursued.

(a) Within the next five (5) years, there shall be an incremental increase in the recruitment and training of women in the police force, forensics and medico-legal, legal services, and social work services availed of by women who are victims of gender-related offenses until fifty percent (50%) of the personnel thereof shall be women.

(b) Women shall have the right to protection and security in situations of armed conflict and militarization. Towards this end, they shall be protected from all forms of gender-based violence, particularly rape and other forms of sexual abuse, and all forms of violence in situations of armed conflict. The State shall observe international standards for the protection of civilian population in circumstances of emergency and armed conflict. It shall not force women, especially indigenous peoples, to abandon their lands, territories, and means of subsistence, or relocate them in special centers for military purposes under any discriminatory condition.

(c) All government personnel involved in the protection and defense of women against gender-based violence shall undergo a mandatory training on human rights and gender sensitivity pursuant to this Act.

(d) All local government units shall establish a Violence Against Women's Desk in every barangay to ensure that violence against women cases are fully addressed in a gender-responsive manner.

Section 10. Women Affected by Disasters, Calamities, and Other Crisis Situations. - Women have the right to protection and security in times of disasters, calamities, and other crisis situations especially in all phases of relief, recovery, rehabilitation, and construction efforts. The State shall provide for immediate humanitarian assistance, allocation of resources, and early resettlement, if necessary. It shall also address the particular needs of women from a gender perspective to ensure their full protection from sexual exploitation and other sexual and gender- based violence committed against them. Responses to disaster situations shall include the provision of services, such as psychosocial support, livelihood support, education, psychological health, and comprehensive health services, including protection during pregnancy.

Section 11. Participation and Representation. - The State shall undertake temporary special measures to accelerate the participation and equitable representation of women in all spheres of society particularly in the decision-making and policy-making processes in government and private entities to fully realize their role as agents and beneficiaries of development.

The State shall institute the following affirmative action mechanisms so that women can participate meaningfully in the formulation, implementation, and evaluation of policies, plans, and programs for national, regional, and local development:

(a) Empowerment within the Civil Service. - Within the next five (5) years, the number of women in third (3rd) level positions in government shall be incrementally increased to achieve a fifty-fifty (50-50) gender balance;

(b) Development Councils and Planning Bodies. - To ensure the participation of women in all levels of development planning and program implementation, at least forty percent (40%) of membership of all development councils from the regional, provincial, city, municipal and barangay levels shall be composed of women;

(c) Other Policy and Decision-Making Bodies. - Women's groups shall also be represented in international, national, and local special and decision-making bodies;

(d) International Bodies. - The State shall take all appropriate measures to ensure the opportunity of women, on equal terms with men and without any discrimination, to represent their governments at the international level and to participate in the work of international organizations;

(e) Integration of Women in Political Parties. - The State shall provide incentives to political parties with women's agenda. It shall likewise encourage the integration of women in their leadership hierarchy, internal policy-making structures, appointive, and electoral nominating processes; and

(f) Private Sector. - The State shall take measures to encourage women leadership in the private sector in the form of incentives.

Section 12. Equal Treatment Before the Law. - The State shall take steps to review and, when necessary, amend and/or repeal existing laws that are discriminatory to women within three (3) years from the effectivity of this Act.

Section 13. Equal Access and Elimination of Discrimination in Education, Scholarships, and Training. - (a) The State shall ensure that gender stereotypes and images in educational materials and curricula are adequately and appropriately revised. Gender-sensitive language shall be used at all times. Capacity-building on gender and development (GAD), peace and human rights, education for teachers, and all those involved in the education sector shall be pursued toward this end. Partnerships between and among players of the education sector, including the private sector, churches, and faith groups shall be encouraged.

(b) Enrollment of women in nontraditional skills training in vocational and tertiary levels shall be encouraged.

(c) Expulsion and non-readmission of women faculty due to pregnant;- outside of marriage shall be outlawed. No school shall turn out or refuse admission to a female student solely on the account of her having contracted pregnancy outside of marriage during her term in school.

Section 14. Women in Sports. - The State shall develop, establish, and strengthen programs for the participation of women and girl-children in competitive and noncompetitive sports as a means to achieve excellence, promote physical and social well-being, eliminate gender-role stereotyping, and provide equal access to the full benefits of development for all persons regardless of sex, gender identity, and other similar factors.

For this purpose, all sports-related organizations shall create guidelines that will establish and integrate affirmative action as a strategy and gender equality as a framework in planning and implementing their policies, budgets, programs, and activities relating to the participation of women and girls in sports.

The State will also provide material and nonmaterial incentives to local government units, media organizations, and the private sector for promoting, training, and preparing women and girls for participation in competitive and noncompetitive sports, especially in local and international events, including, but not limited to, the Palarong Pambansa, Southeast Asian Games, Asian Games, and the Olympics.

No sports event or tournament will offer or award a different sports prize, with respect to its amount or value, to women and men winners in the same sports category: Provided, That the said tournament, contest, race, match, event, or game is open to both sexes: Provided, further, That the sports event or tournament is divided into male or female divisions.

The State shall also ensure the safety and well-being of all women and girls participating in sports, especially, but not limited to, trainees, reserve members, members, coaches, and mentors of national sports teams, whether in studying, training, or performance phases, by providing them comprehensive health and medical insurance coverage, as well as integrated medical, nutritional, and healthcare services.

Schools, colleges, universities, or any other learning institution shall take into account its total women student population in granting athletic scholarship. There shall be a pro rata representation of women in the athletic scholarship program based on the percentage of women in the whole student population.

Section 15. Women in the Military. - The State shall pursue appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination of women in the military, police, and other similar services, including revising or abolishing policies and practices that restrict women from availing of both combat and noncombat training that are open to men, or from taking on functions other than administrative tasks, such as engaging in combat, security-related, or field operations. Women in the military shall be accorded the same promotional privileges and opportunities as men, including pay increases, additional remunerations and benefits, and awards based on their competency and quality of performance. Towards this end, the State shall ensure that the personal dignity of women shall always be respected.

Women in the military, police, and other similar services shall be provided with the same right to employment as men on equal conditions. Equally, they shall be accorded the same capacity as men to act in and enter into contracts, including marriage.

Further, women in the military, police; and other similar services shall be entitled to leave benefits such as maternity leave, as provided for by existing laws.

Section 16. Nondiscriminatory and Nonderogatory Portrayal of Women in Media and Film. - The State shall formulate policies and programs for the advancement of women in collaboration with government and nongovernment media-related organizations. It shall likewise endeavor to raise the consciousness of the general public in recognizing the dignity of women and the role and contribution of women in the family; community, and the society through the strategic use of mass media.

For this purpose, the State shall ensure allocation of space; airtime, and resources, strengthen programming, production, and image-making that appropriately present women's needs, issues, and concerns in all forms of media, communication, information dissemination, and advertising.

The State, in cooperation with all schools of journalism, information, and communication, as well as the national media federations and associations, shall require all media organizations and corporations to integrate into their human resource development components regular training on gender equality and gender-based discrimination, create and use gender equality guidelines in all aspects of management, training, production, information, dissemination, communication, and programming; and convene a gender equality committee that will promote gender mainstreaming as a framework and affirmative action as a strategy, and monitor and evaluate the implementation of gender equality guidelines.