CEDAW/C/PHI/5-6 522. The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) continued to conduct skills training in its regional and provincial centers nationwide. As noted in Article 11, TESDA programs offered non-traditional trades (such as welding, automobile and electronics) alongside traditional women’s trades, but most of the 60,000 women who attended TESDA trainings had done so in the latter. How many of the women trainees come from rural areas could not be ascertained from the available data. 523. The education department implements the Reading Education Training Program which is an adult literacy program open to both women and men in the communities. The rural reach of the program, however, cannot be ascertained as of reporting period. C. REMAINING ISSUES AND OBSTACLES 524. Despite efforts by government to alleviate the plight of the rural poor, poverty remains a major issue confronting rural women. Poverty is related to such issues as lack of employment, education and skills, and peace and order. The imbalance in the distribution of resources between urban and rural areas creates a wide disparity in the development of the two areas in favor of cities. Poor health, landlessness, school dropouts, and high incidence of child labor are a few manifestations of rural poverty. Government should have a more realistic and more comprehensive approach to the problem, one that gives women greater share in decisionmaking, and the necessary tools and resources to help them break away from destitution. The implementation of the Local Government Code that devolves power and resources to local government units should ensure a more equal distribution of resources for health, education, livelihood and other social amenities to help the rural poor. 525. To address the imbalance in development of rural and urban areas, government must create viable agricultural industries, livelihood and job opportunities for rural women that harness the resources in the area while ensuring food security and protecting the environment. Training and building the capability of women should match the skill requirements of local industries, existing as well as planned, in order to arrest the migration of women to urban centers to search for employment opportunities. 526. Local government units and devolved government agencies should deliver basic social services that respond to specific needs of women in the rural area. The programs and services to be delivered for rural women should be anchored on a comprehensive collection and analysis of socio-economic data on women’s needs and concerns in the locality. 527. Peace and order is a problem of the country that takes its greatest toll on rural areas. As evident in discussions elsewhere in this report, certain parts of Mindanao continued to be caught in the secessionist movement and kidnaps for ransom. Rural women caught in the midst of armed conflict suffer not only from extreme poverty but also severe anxiety and threat to their security. There is a need to address the peace and order situation in Mindanao and implement an integrated development program for Mindanao especially for its women and children victims of armed conflict. 528. Agriculture and fisheries are viewed as male areas, even if women engage in such occupations. Because of this non-recognition, rural women suffer. They have limited access to resources, 141