CEDAW/C/PHL/7-8 of quality tests and are now being sold commercially. ( Please see Annex 3. Brief on the GREAT Women Project) On financial support to NGOs that run shelters and drop-in centres for the rehabilitation of women and girls in prostitution 117. While it recognizes their work and contributions to development efforts, the State Party is proscribed by its laws to use private funds for private purposes, and hence, it cannot provide direct financial support to NGOs that run shelters and drop in centres. Nevertheless, the State Party offers benefits and privileges alongside meeting set standards through registration, licensing and accreditation, to NGOs engaged in social welfare and development activities, i.e. run shelters and drop -in centres, referred as Social Welfare Development Agencies (SWDAs). Examples of these benefits and privileges include inclusion in the DSW D’s Registry of Registered, Licensed and/or Accredited SWDAs, technical assistance on the programs and services implementation. On accelerating women’s political participation 118. Section 11 of the MCW which provides that “the State shall undertake temporary special measures to accelerate the participation and equitable representation of women… in decision-making and policy-making processes.” To implement this provision, the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) is mandated to incorporate in its accreditation of political parties, including party-list organizations, specific provisions that promote integration of women in the leadership hierarchy, internal policy-making structures, and appointive and electoral nominating process of said parties. Political parties are urged to create programs where their members can advocate on matters of policy and women members can participate meaningfully within the party. 119. For the bureaucracy, MCW targets a 50-50 distribution among men and women in 3rd level managerial positions covering Assistant Bureau Director up to Undersecretary. For women’s participation at the local level, the law provides that they should comprise at least 40% of membership in local development councils. It also stipulates that women should be provided equal opportunity, on equal terms with men, to represent the government at the international level and in the work of international organizations. 120. Supporting women’s participation in local governance is incorporated in the guidelines issued to localize the MCW which states that “LGUs shall ensure active participation of local committees/councils in partnership with national/regional government agencies, academe, private sector and civil society organizations (CSOs) operating at the local level for effective gender mainstreaming.” 121. In the present Congress (2013), women occupy 6 of the 24 senatorial seats (25%) and about the same percentage (25.64%) of the congressional seats. At the local level, there is an increase in percentage of women P rovincial Governors, from 15.4% in 1998 to 22.5% in 2013. At the municipal level, the number of women mayors is increasing, from 15.26% in 2004 to 20.86% in 2013. 122. In the Philippine Congress, a party list organization of women, Gabriela Women’s Party, has been successful in staying in Congress in the past four election periods. Gabriela has been pushing for gender responsive laws, including the bill on divorce. 28/36 15-03079