October 30, 2015
CEDAW Secretariat
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
Palais Wilson -52, rue des Pâquis
CH-1201 Geneva, Switzerland
Re: Supplementary information on the Philippines, scheduled for review by the Committee on
the Elimination of Discrimination against Women during its Pre-Sessional Working Group
This letter supplements the combined seventh and eighth periodic reports (state party report)1
of the Republic of the Philippines (State party) in connection with the review of the
Philippines' progress during the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against
Women’s (the Committee) Pre-Sessional Working Group on Nov. 23-27, 2015. The Center for
Reproductive Rights (the Center), EnGendeRights, International Women’s Rights Action
Watch Asia Pacific (IWRAW-AP), Women’s Global Network for Reproductive Rights,
WomanHealth Philippines Inc., and Population Services Pilipinas Inc. hope to further the work
of the Committee by providing information concerning reproductive rights in the Philippines as
protected by the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against
Women (the Convention).2 In 2008, the Center, IWRAW-AP, and the Philippine-based Task
Force CEDAW Inquiry with EnGendeRights as co-convenor requested a Special Inquiry into
the Philippines under Article 8 of the Optional Protocol to the Convention,3 which was taken
up by the Committee in 2012. 4 This letter focuses on developments since the Committee
conducted its inquiry in 2012, and in particular, provides updated information concerning the
status of implementation of the Committee’s recommendations.
In its 2006 Concluding Comments to the Philippines (2006 Concluding Comments) 5 the
Committee expressed concerns about the “inadequate recognition and protection of the
reproductive health and rights of women,” referring to, inter alia, high maternal mortality rates
(in particular resulting from induced abortions) and the difficulties of obtaining contraception.6
The Committee urged the state party to enhance women's access to sexual and reproductive
health services by: taking measures to make a comprehensive range of contraceptives more
widely available and without any restriction; reviewing the laws relating to abortion, including
removal of punitive provisions imposed on women who undergo abortion; and providing
access to post-abortion care.7
The state party should be commended for enacting two ground-breaking laws that recognize
women’s rights: the Magna Carta of Women (MCW) in 2009, as the translation of the
Convention into the country's legal system, and the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive
Health Act (RPRHA) in 2012. 8 Although abortion remains criminalized with no clear
exceptions, the MCW and RPRHA guarantee women's rights to reproductive health services,
and in particular, universal access to the full range of contraceptives 9 and recognize women's
right to post-abortion care.10
1