CEDM/C/SR.33 English Page 5 8. Ms. O)RT.FS said that, while she had not intended to participate in the debate, she wished to refer to the contents of the introduction of the report, which explained that the report covered the measures adopted during the short period elapsing between the ratification of the o:>nvention arx:i the time of the preparation of the report. That met the provisions of article 18 of the Convention in a literal manner. The objections of some experts to the report were due to the fact that the report covered only that brief period. However, the measures which had been outlined represented the contiruation of efforts mcrle in the past: arx:t gave an idea of the situation in the country. 9. Mr. IDRENO SALCEOO (Philippines) thanked the o:>mmittee for having allowed him to appear on that occasion and answer as many questions as possible. Mrs. Remon would be taking his place, and any questions which could not be answered immediately would be transmitted to the Government of the Philippines. Likewise, he would inform his Cbverrunent that some experts had had difficulties with the formal presentation of the report, he reiterated that the report covered a period of only one year and that the measures listed were those ac..opted under the various articles of the Convention. 10. In order to understand the problem of the status of women in the Philippines it was essential to know its history and background. In the Philippines, the law was intended to guarantee the people's happiness and progress, but if tradition made it possible to achieve the same results, it was not inq,ortant whether a specific law existed or not. Thus, in the Philippines, what women lacked under the law they possessed through tradition, the fo~e of custom and the nature_o~. t~ · people. The saying "The best men are women" oot only had a humorous meaning but was also meant as a tribute. wanen were not considered inferior to men, but canplernentary to them, as one Asian leader had said, "Women hold up half the sky". According to Philippine myth<)logy, man and woman had issued forth together from the bamboo. All of Philippine society and its trcrlitions were based more on the corx::ept of complementarity than on equality. 11. In answer to the question relating to the provision which allowed widows to take out a marriage licerx::e 30 days after the death of their husbands, he explained that the pericxi had previously been 300 days, which roughly corresporx:ied to the natural period elapsing between conception and birth. The delay had been intended to protect a possible child as the deceased father's heir. Currently, with modern methcxis, it was possible to ascertain within 30 days whether a woman was pregnant, that was the change which was being proposed. 12. The protection of wanen had its basis not only in law but in tradition as well. The Philippines considered that the law ought to be the product of the society itself, therefore, the laws ilti)Osed during the country's colonial past, such as the provision based on the Napoleonic Code concerning a woman's dowry, for example, were not implemented. In the Philippines, the Jnan paid the dowry in order to canpensate the family for the loss of their daughter. That dowry was paid in cash or in the form of services, as was generally the case in the provinces. There was no law on the subject, but women were protected in practice. There must be a balarx::e between the law and custom. / ...