color and outward appearance, sex and gender identification, language, religion and
opinion, national or social origin, property, and birth or other status.
We sought to
follow
commitments since the
Discrimination Bill.
through
on these
imperatives and
international
14th Congress by filing various versions of an Anti-
To some extent, based on selected global studies, the Philippines is a
relatively open and equitable society. For instance, the country scores high on
global gender equality indices and ranks 8th overall in WEF's Global Gender Gap
Report 2018. However, many forms of discrimination persist.
Women
The October 2018 Labor Force Survey reveals that labor force is dominated
by men who account for 62 percent of the economically active workers. Despite
faster growth since 2008 of women (13.6 percent) compared to that of men (10.1
percent) in the labor force, there is still a substantial gender gap. In 2016, the labor
force participation rate was 63.5 percent overall: 77.6 percent of these were men,
while only 49.3 percent were women.
Violence against women, both in and out of the home, remains a serious
societal problem. According to the PNP Statistics on Crime Incidents, there are 2,962
reported rape cases during the first half of 2018 alone. In 2016 the number o f
Violence Against Women cases reported to the PNP is 40,536 which is 13 percent
higher than the 2015 report at 35,897 cases. In the Annual Comparative Statistics
on Violence Against Women released by the PNP-Women and Children Protection
Center in 2014 13,564 cases of physical injuries against women were recorded in
2013; 1,744 in 2012, and 1,588 in 2011. From 2011 to 2013, there were 300 sexual
harassments and 148 Anti-Trafficking cases reported to PNP-Women and Children
Protection Center.
Lesbian, Gavs, Bisexuals, and Transaenders
Discrimination is not limited to women alone. While consensual same-sex
relations, homosexuality, and transgenderism are not illegal in the Philippines, major
government agencies have yet to formally articulate specific affirmative policies.
Kwentong Bebot: Lived Experiences o f Lesbians, Bisexual and Transgender
Women in the Philippines, a study conducted by Rainbow Rights and published by
the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, stated that members