CEDAW/C/SR.32 English Page 11 (Ms. Regent-Lechowicz) 59. The report said nothing about the participation of women in political life. In that connection, she asked whether the Philippines had ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. 60. She would welcome information on the electoral laws in the Philippines, including the establishment of lists of candidates for public office, eligibility requirements, the number of women who stood for office and the social groups to which they belonged. 61. The report indicated (p. 7) that the Civil Code was being reviewed with a view to eliminating provisions discriminatory to women. In what ways did those previsions affect family life and why had the Government been unable thus far to eliminate those provisions? Further information was needed regarding the social infrastructure of the country and the current legislation governing marriage, parental rights, inheritance rights and the situation of illegitimate children. She al30 wondered what steps the Government had taken to facilitate the life of working mothers, and whether the retirement age was different for women and men. On the subject of education, she asked what percentage of school-age children did not attend school or had dropped out of school. 62. The Philippines was a developing country, with most of its people engaged in agriculture, and she wondered if there was a special programme for female agricultural workers, who had a much harder life than their urban counterparts. Also, what percentage of women were unemployed? 63. Ms. OESER said that the oral introduction by the Philippine representative had been helpful because the report was more a programme of goals than an actual account of the existing situation. Even though only one third of the Government agencies dealing with women had responded to the Philippine Government's questionnaire, she wondered whether any results could be reported on the programmes contained in the annex to the report; and whether the Government had done anything to elicit responses from the remaining agencies, especially those at lower levels. 64. She asked whether international conventions, once adopted, automatically became part of the internal law of the Philippines or whether there was a special mechanism for affecting their incorporation. There was a rule in many countries that the most recent law enacted superseded any earlier contradictory laws; and if that rule applied in the Philippines, any legal provisions discriminating against women should automatically become null and void. 65. The information provided on page 2 of the report was unclear. It would be helpful to have a few examples of the laws discriminating against women which remained on the statute books, and what that meant in practice. She also did not understand what it meant to "identify gaps between de jure and de facto discrimination against women". 66. Was there a particular problem with minority women or was the status of women the same all over the country? / ...