CEDAW/C/PHI/5-6 II. CHANGES IN THE STATUS OF WOMEN Positive Developments Recognition of the role of women in the Philippine Constitution 86. The recognition of the role of women in nation-building in the Philippine Constitution provides a strong basis for considering women as comprising a sector in themselves with the right to representation in various decision making bodies. Their inclusion among the marginalized sectors, together with other socio-economic groups like farmers, workers and indigenous peoples, qualifies them to run for the fifty (50) seats reserved for marginalized sectors in the House of Representatives. Women are also represented in such important Executive offices as the National Anti-Poverty Commission, which coordinates the program for reducing poverty. Other bodies that grant women reserved seats include the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples where women constitute two of the seven members of the board. Women are also represented in the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process. 87. The same constitutional guarantee underpins the periodic formulation of plans for women, from the first plan, the Philippine Development Plan for Women 1989-1992, to the current one, the Framework Plan for Women. The allocation of at least five percent of the national budget to the implementation of these plans, annually, is another concrete benefit. Increasing Literacy, Maternal Mortality and Life Expectancy 88. From 1996 to 2002, women in the Philippines had experienced improvements in areas such as health and education. Favorable changes occurred in literacy, school attendance and career options for women. Health indicators, such as maternal mortality and life expectancy, also showed positive trends. Government’s increasing awareness of gender issues led to the issuance of policies and implementation of programs that were increasingly gender responsive. The integration of gender and development objectives into government plans and programs contributed to this positive change. Compared to other countries, the Philippine rating based on the gender-related development index (GDI) and gender empowerment measure (GEM) put the country in the upper half of the rated countries (UNDP/HDR, various years). Increasing Support Services for Women 89. The implementation of RA 6972, which was passed in 1990, mandated the establishment of a day care center in every barangay. This resulted in the setting up of around 35,000 centers by 2000. As a support mechanism and a direct poverty-alleviating effort, day care centers have been criticized as providing very little time-off for women to really enable them to undertake gainful employment. But this is still a relief from childrearing, offering mothers time to do other things for themselves, if not for income-generation. The day care centers also afford pre-school children exposure to formal learning environment usually accessible only to those from middle and higher income families. Increasing Representation in Career Executive Service 90. The CSC reports that in 2002, women held 1,148 Career Executive Service (CES) positions, including those designated as acting or office in charge, in constitutional agencies and national government agencies. This accounted for about 36 percent of the total filled-up CES positions. 36