A LONG JOURN
REPRODUCT P
resident Benigno S. Aquino III signed Republic Act 10354, also known as the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012, is a bill that guarantees and enables measures for the sexual and reproductive rights of women, men, young people, and families by providing comprehensive and accessible reproductive health care services, including family planning. Following the bill’s signing, it was immediately contested in court by numerous conservative parties, prompting the Supreme Court to issue a status quo ante injunction, preventing the Reproductive Health Law from taking effect. The Supreme Court swept down several clauses in the Reproductive Health Law in its judgment last 2014. In nonemergency cases, health care
practitioners will be authorized to withhold reproductive health treatments to individuals based on their personal or religious convictions. Minors seeking medical treatment who are pregnant or have experienced a miscarriage will need prior consent from their parents. One Step Forward, One Step Back For the nation's consumers and providers of reproductive health care and activists for reproductive health and rights, the adopted health care reform law seems like a tug of war. Poverty is a multifaceted problem in the Philippines. According to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), as of the First Semester 2021, the
proportion of impoverished Filipinos living below the poverty line was 23.7 percent, or 26.14 million Filipinos. Despite the church's strong arguments against the country's ever-growing population, the church criticizes the Reproductive Health law, pending in Congress for more than a decade. As time passed, logical debates about family planning or women's reproductive rights were repeatedly lowered to philosophical, moral, and even existential debates about life and conception. One step forward, artificial family planning methods such as condoms were endlessly persecuted as sinful and classified as abortifacients, despite many scientific studies
NEY TOWARDS
TIVE HEALTH refuting such claims. One step back, "pro-life" organizations actively urged to use natural means, which some saw as timeconsuming, impractical, and ineffective.
Rights and Lives According to the Guttmacher Institute, the Filipino government's lengthy resistance towards modern contraception resulted in approximately 610,000 illegal abortions in 2012, with 1,000 women dying due to complications from unsafe abortion. Furthermore, the DOH HIV/AIDS and ART Registry of the Philippines (HARP) has 81,169 HIV and AIDS cases documented from January 1984 to October 2020. The inadequate
implementation of the Reproductive Health (RH) law is seen as more disruptive both economically and socially. For many Filipinos, this entails a higher poverty rate, more severe unemployment, and a frequent occurrence of hunger. Poverty reduction is difficult to achieve only through macroeconomic growth. Microeconomics must be prioritized as well since more children are born from poor families than rich ones which perpetuate a cycle of poverty. Investing in reproductive health will enable the government more leeway to address the needs of the poor in the long run. Having access to family planning services, there is less of a detrimental effect on both the children and their parents’ lives.
Universal access to responsible parenthood services and reproductive health care are critical building stones for the Philippines' long-term growth and development. Its significance, particularly in assisting Filipino mothers to survive pregnancy and childbirth, providing partners and individuals with the tools to make informed family decisions, and contributing to the improvement of young people's sexual and reproductive health, the abolition of gender-based violence, and the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases, make the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012 a relevant piece of legislation.
PINK TAX IN THE PH An Economic Gender
O
ver the years societal stereotypes take a toll on the economical conditions of people, in the issue of Pink tax, on women. Aside from the discriminatory tax being an additional cost in ‘women-labeled’ products which are commonly personal care items, it can also be associated with the gender-based pay gap and purchasing power. Gender norms that pressure individuals to fit in with the standard of the society correlated with the existence of price differentiation and elasticity are the bloodline of this prejudiced tax. ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF PINK TAX ON WOMEN The price discrepancy between products shows how an individual’s ability to purchase a certain item can be affected. Though women are often regarded as wage-earners due to their increasing population in the industry, they save less from what they
earn as their living costs are significantly higher than men. Thus, women's capability of buying in terms of quantity and quality is clearly influenced. Pink Tax applied in a country like the Philippines means more aggression towards women. For personal amenities, like razors, it costs men PHP 81.75, while PHP 122.25 for women. There is no
difference in the razor, just that there is the Pink Tax applied on the latter. Considering the additional expenses because of the discriminatory tax, there has been a huge cut on the wages of women over time. This greatly affects finances as the spent amount could’ve been used to cover other primary needs.
Women are left with no choice but to budget the remaining amount and at times either adjust by decreasing allocated costs for other needs or settle for products not designed for them. In addition, saving for future plans is hindered as living costs increase over time. Though the Pink Tax effect on retail costs may seem minimal, combined total from months to years can show a notable difference in men's and women's living expenses. Pink Tax not only enables temporary issues in regards to disparity but triggers other economic factors as well in terms of future living conditions of women.
SKIN CARE IS LIFE The Shifting of Beauty Demand in the time of Pandemic
W
hen the pandemic hit, the beauty and personal care industry experienced a lot of swings in demand. Retail businesses were shut down, and employees were forced to work from home. Date evenings were a thing of the past, and while cosmetic and fragrance industries suffered, skincare remained resilient. When a consumer is at home, their beauty habits shift. According to Baird (2020), 90% of women say they apply little or no makeup while working from home since they prefer to focus on self-care rather than cosmetic glam. Since there are lockdowns, many people see little or no need to wear cosmetics, which is often linked with socializing and going out. Instead, consumers prioritized cleanliness and hygiene. L’Oréal Philippines Country Managing Director Supriya Singh said the pandemic had induced the shift in the beauty industry. “In the past, our business has always been make-up heavy, but this new normal has driven some changes,” she noted, citing a boom in skincare, which has extended regimen. Because of the work-from-home setup, women are less likely to wear make-up. Make-up accounted for 80% of L'Oréal's overall sales locally two years ago, but hair and skincare products have increased quicker to around 50 percent with the pandemic. With Zoom and other video conferencing platforms, people's
perceptions about the importance of looking good began to shift. According to Lycored's research, 54% of respondents claimed that the rise in video calls has made them think about their appearance more. During the pandemic, most people were facing social isolation, and there was a lot of talk about mental health. Suddenly people wanted products that could give them that positive and emotional boost. Then sensory beauty products that provide mental and emotional comfort became popular among customers, and there were thousands of skincare posts on Instagram dedicated to alleviating stress during the pandemic. Since people are spending more
time online, resulting in a more diversified consumer market that is more educated about skincare, more concerned with the ingredients used in formulations, and more connected to influencers they trust and listen to, which affects the demand for skincare products. The popularity of k-beauty is another factor that influences the demand for skincare. The Hyun Bin-Son Ye-jin hit series Crash Landing On You influenced Filipinos to explore serums, essences, tone-up creams, and water gels to achieve the almost glass-like skin of K-drama leading ladies. However, today's most crucial beauty trend is that women are becoming more relaxed in their approach to beauty and open to embracing flaws, especially on stressful days brought by the pandemic. Some call it letting go, but we like to think of it as self-love and accepting our imperfections.
Women on the move
Filipinas shaping the country’s business industry Julie anne duyugan
The system of patriarchy has been gradually reaching its dissolution since the time women started to realize their rights, worth, and importance. Through the years, the fight for acknowledgment in society brought women to exercise their right to vote and hold a position, stand on equal footing with men in the workplace, especially in terms of wages, and decide over their bodies. In the age of business and entrepreneurship, women are also asserting power in the business industry and economy.--a challenging battle with the same hurdles, men and their patriarchal ideologies and social stigma. Yet, women business owners and entrepreneurs are not backing down hence stepping up their game. According to the Women and Entrepreneurship report for 2015 of Investing in Women Asia, 51% of business owners in the Philippines are women. 20% of major leadership positions such as CEO, COO, President, and Vice President comprise Filipinas, while 30% of board directors in different businesses in the Philippines are also composed of women. In 2020, the Philippines topped 31 other countries in terms of the most female executives with high-ranking positions with 47%. A significant improvement in figures is shown from the 35% in the previous year with the country at the 5th place on the list. Here are 5 inspiring Filipinas shaping the business industry in the Philippines:
Teresita sy-coson Banco De Oro (BDO) Unibank Chairperson and SM Investment corporation (SMIC) Vice-Chairperson Teresita' Tessy' Sy - Coson is a member of the ASEAN Business Advisory Council. This delegation strengthens the economic integration of the region. Aside from heading one of the country's largest universal banks, Sy - Coson was responsible for increasing their corporation's retail merchandising and mall development. The eldest and first daughter of the late Henry Sy Sr., Sy - Coson finished her undergraduate degree from Assumption College.
Robina Gokongwei-pe Robinsons’s Retail Holdings Inc. President and CEO Robina Gokongwei - Pe continues her family legacy in the business industry. Aside from the RRHI, Gokongwei - Pe is the senior vice president and group general manager of Robinsons Retail Holdings. She also serves as the Director of Cebu Air, Robinsons’ Bank and Land Corporation, and the non-executive director of JG Summit Holdings, Inc. Gokongwei - Pe is also the first female board member of the educational institution, Xavier School. Daughter of late John Gokongwei, Robina attended the University of the Philippines - Diliman and New York University (NYU), where she obtained her degree in Journalism.
Angeline tham Angkas Founder and CEO Angeline Tham is beating traffic and beating the norm. Tham is a former JP Morgan banker and also inclined in the tech industry with sold.sg, Singapore’s top online auction platform, and Gamers.PH, the country’s first online marketplace for video game titles and gears. Tham has been providing livelihood to 27,000 Filipinos registered in their database as riders and helping many Filipino commuters arrive at their destinations safely and fast with her company.
Doris Magsaysay-ho Magsaysay Group of Companies President and CEO Doris Magsaysay - Ho has been leading the Philippines' shipping and maritime transport industry. She also deals with the logistics and tourism sector of the company. Aside from the family legacy regarding business and entrepreneurship, Magsaysay - Ho obtained her master's degree in Industrial Design at Pratt Institute, carrying talent in visual arts inherited from her mother Anita, a famed modernist artist.
Felicia hung-atienza Not just its President and CEO, Feli Atienza founded the Chinese International School Manila. She is also the current President and CEO of Domuschola International School, former Board Director in Rappler, and former Vice President of Merrill Lynch. Aside from being a world-class businesswoman, Atienza is also busy volunteering with the Philippine Eagle Foundation, Move.org Foundation Inc., and Urban Program for Livelihood Finance and Training. Her impressive educational background reflects her victor as a businesswoman. Atienza completed her economics degree with a double major in Finance and Multinational Management as a cum laude.
V
ice President Leni Robredo maintained good governance despite the attacks of trolls and other oppositions through false information dissemination, mainly— threatened men. Her office received the highest rating a government agency could ever have. June 2021, when the Office of the Vice President (OVP) received the highest audit rating from the Commission of Audit (COA) for the fiscal year 2020: the highest rating the COA can give to a government agency. “In our opinion, the accompanying financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of OVP as of December 31, 2020, and its financial performance, statement of cash flows, statement of changes in net assets/equity, statement of comparison of budget and actual amounts for the year then ended, and notes to the financial statements, including a summary of significant accounting policies in accordance with International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSASs),” said the report. For the fiscal year 2018 and 2019, OVP also received an “unqualified opinion” from the state auditors making the Office receive it for three consecutive years. Meanwhile, its recertification from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is obtained in February 2021. Robredo credited the consistent highest ratings from COA to her staff. “Mahalaga ang
recognition na ito dahil patunay siya sa pagpapahalaga natin sa pagsasaayos ng ating mga sistema, lalo pagdating sa maayos na paggamit ng pera ng bayan,” she said in a statement. The Office is known for its Angat Buhay Program which benefited a lot of people, particularly those in the rural areas even before the Pandemic. VP’s Angat Buhay Program On her midterm, the fiscal year 2016 to 2019, it focused on deepening its anti-poverty program Angat Buhay and bringing Istorya ng Pag-Asa to more areas and later launched the Ahon Laylayan Koalisyon. It is a movement inspired by the People’s Council in Naga City, which aims to empower various sectors for priority determination and engage community leaders in collaborative problem-solving. It provides anti-poverty interventions from the conceptualization of partner organizations in implementation with consultations with local stakeholders. For three years of the term, the Office was able to mobilize a total of PHP 18.92 million worth of resources to conduct a nutrition program for 9, 703 individuals in nine areas with the help of Assisi Development Foundation, Nutrition Foundation of the Philippines, and Negrense Volunteers for Change, among others in
response to her Food Security Nutrition advocacy. For Universal Health Care’s advocacy, 84 individuals or 70 families of indigent patients from 8 different areas have received assistive devices, wheelchairs, canes and hearing aids, care of Physicians
for Peace Philippines. According to the report, In San Remigio, Cebu, the OVP has built a mental health facility furnished with the help of Solanaland Foundation Inc. and ANCOP Foundation USA, Inc. The ANCOP USA also provided 120 seats and carriers and 39 nebulizers to 84 156 individuals children with cerebral palsy. Several dental and medical missions have also been given free health services and consultations to communities in need throughout the Metro Laylayan. PHP 122.96 million worth of
A TALE O
PROG
educational infrastructure has been built, including 81 classrooms, five dormitories, learning spaces, and utilities for students in remote areas to promote Public Education and provided PHP 4.49 million worth of scholarships and technical training to equip the youths with appropriate skills for future employment. Meanwhile, around PHP 8.27 million worth of school kits have also been provided for students in the OVP’s adopted communities.
“Every year, the OVP also takes part in Brigada Eskwela to help public schools in their preparation for the beginning of classes. This was made possible
with the help of partners like the American Chamber of Commerce-Philippines (AMCHAM), Bato Balani Foundation, and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce, Inc. (FICCI).” Stated in the midterm 2016-2019 report of OVP. A total of 72 families has now resided in OVP’s Angat Buhay Village, a transitory house catering to those who were affected by the Marawi siege located in Marawi, Lanao del Sur. More than PHP 12.89 million have been mobilized by partners such as
OF OVP’S
GRAM
Piso Para Sa Laban Ni Leni, Sigma Delta Phi – Southern California Alumnae Association, JS Unitrade, RAF International, Uratex, JVR Foundation, EMCOR, United Architects of the Philippines – Quezon City Elliptical Chapter, and Metro Stonerich Corporation for transitory shelters building in order to give stepping stone for the affected families. In terms of Rural Development, a total of 13.53 million worth of resources have been mobilized for livelihood opportunities to 6,214 farmers and fisherfolk and 1,445 indigent families.
This includes giving access to credit, farm inputs, and livelihood assets. VP was also able to encourage 3,776 households in areas like Agutaya and Quinapondan, with the help of our partners Team Energy and Solanaland Foundation which gave way to families to become more efficient and productive, especially in the work they do at home. Robredo also launched the #RespetoNaman campaign focused on bringing an end to gender-based violence (GBV) together with the Embassy of Sweden, Spark Philippines, and Empower. The Office also caters to programs for women empowerment. VP and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) worked together for the Babaenihan campaign to raise teenage pregnancy awareness. The office also launched a program for women political leaders called Angat Bayi through the support of the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives. As of 2019, 18 women leaders in local governments have already graduated from the program. Meanwhile, the office, as of 2022, served PHP 71.06 million worth of disaster response and rehabilitation from Partners, PHP 48.96 million Worth of disaster response and rehabilitation from the Office of the Vice President, and helped 207,244 families in coordination with various local government and Angat Buhay Partners, 7, 606 families were helped during Metro Laylayan, 3, 907 youths has
served, and PHP 6.25 million
worth of projects and training in benefit of 1, 253 individuals have benefited. On the other hand, the OVP’s response to Covid-19 has ballooned to PHP 505.39 million. The Office was able to mobilize PHP 56,854,320.00 worth of COVID-19 test kits and equipment, PHP 64,070,321.80 of Locally-produced PPE Other medical supplies, PHP 7,992,500.00 of Food and care packages, PHP 2,128,660.00 of Free shuttle and ferry service, PHP 43,986,592.26 of Free dormitories, PHP 15,625,000.00 of OVP shelters and Transportation for LSIs, PHP 25,618,692.82 of Assistance to communities (Relief). There are also PHP 14,106,881.43 of hot meals, PHP 390,000.00 of Community kitchen, PHP20,593.00 of Online community markets, PHP 9,052,332.33 of Sustainable livelihood and training, PHP 17,285,250.00 of Locally-funded projects such as Bayanihan eSkwela, PHP 20,430,231.12 of Gadget drive, PHP 2,553,947.00 of Community Learning Hubs, PHP 17,500,000.00 of Instructional videos, PHP 500,000.00 of Modular distance learning (DepEd), PHP 355,990.00 of Bayanihan Sugbuanon (Cebu), PHP 162,300.00 of Free haircut service, and PHP 206,760,523.51 of Medical assistance. According to the 2020 Annual Report, As of December 2020, the Office of the Vice President’s COVID19 Response Operations has reached 2,388 communities and hospitals nationwide, mobilizing more than PHP 505.39 million worth of resources working with 381 development organizations and partners.
Today, Robredo seeks the Presidential Office as she campaigns for the seat along with nine other men.
ABOR F
rom the ratification of the Magna Carta of Women thirteen years ago to the vocal and impactful advocacies of organizations and figures that cemented equity and empowerment to the public psyche, we have visibly raised educational, economic, health, and political participation and opportunities for women. Though far from parity, this movement is greatly aided and given credence when we consider exceptional Filipinas who bolstered our national pride by giving us our first Nobel prize and Olympic gold. Indeed, women in the Philippines have never been more empowered. Yet despite these positive developments, various problems still plague the women of this country. The most notable is how the Philippines severely lagged in one crucial aspect of this multifaceted issue—abortion. Abortion—under all circumstances—is a criminal offense, punishable by up to six years jail time both for women who terminate their pregnancies and those who help them. While a liberal interpretation of the law may allow abortion to be performed on the grounds of saving a woman’s life and in cases such as rape and incest, its ambiguous nature can be easily used to justify the contrary. In addition to this restrictive law, Philippine society with its prevalent conservative sentiments coupled with a powerful Catholic church made
THE PROBLEM
the topic of abortion taboo and the act morally reprehensible. This has caused problems on numerous fronts. The realities of abortion The threat of penalization and social stigma does not deter the widespread practice of abortion throughout the country, as its main driver— poverty—is just as prevalent. Though on its way to uppermiddle income status, economic prosperity in the Philippines especially among the general populace seem to be lackluster, as on average, Filipino families only earn a daily wage of ₱800. In addition to this fact, nearly a quarter of the population is considered living below the poverty line, meaning that more than 26 million Filipinos are unable to afford their basic daily needs. Thus, contraceptives, most of which cost hundreds of pesos, are essentially out of reach. This circumstance is then partnered with the discontinuation of the supply of free contraceptives by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and other international donors in 2008, replaced by government programs which proved to be insufficient. Hence, many Filipino women lack necessary access to these contraceptives, causing many of them to exceed their desired family size by having more children than they want. This makes unintended pregnancy a common occurrence, where
data shows that over half of nationwide pregnancies are unintended. Such a case is especially true for young, poor Filipino women living in rural areas, hardly reached by government contraception and family planning programs. These circumstances eventually lead women to resort to abortion, twothirds of which who avail of such services are poor. In 2012 alone, 610,000 Filipino women have undergone abortions. But due to its illegality, the majority of which are done in secrecy and through highly unsafe methods, often selfinduced and performed in unsanitary conditions using outdated techniques. Since these abortions are not allowed to be conducted in professional settings, over 100,000 were hospitalized, and thousand died.
a
This grave issue on women’s health means that on average, 70 women induce abortion hourly, eleven of which would be hospitalized, and three would die daily. Even more concerning is that despite the passage of laws such as the Reproductive Health (RH)
MATIC STATE OF Law (RA 10354) and the Magna Carta of Women (RA 9710), which ensures access to professional post-abortion care, many medical practitioners still deny rendering such health services due to their religious and moral beliefs. Worse is that this denial of service has also been extended to women suffering complications from naturally occurring medical conditions such as miscarriages, incomplete abortion, and intrauterine fetal demise. Despite the lack of legal restrictions, women are still at risk of dying when they are illegally denied needed emergency life-saving care. Evidently, while the cause such a large number of abortions is socioeconomic in nature, it is not likely for this issue to be solved through poverty alleviation and higher standards of living. The problem is not that there are too many abortions, as even if we reduce its frequency, the illegality of such act and the structures put in place to prevent it and punish people involved in it will still force women to take drastic actions. An outdated law
TION
Abortion is penalized under Article 256 to 259 of Act No. 3851 or the 1930 Revised Penal Code, which Quezon Citybased women rights group EnGendeRights characterize as a “restrictive, colonial, and antiquated law that continues to perpetuate discrimination.” Describing the law as “colonial” and “centuries-old” is not an exaggeration as the law itself is a direct translation (from Spanish to English) of the 1870 Old Spanish Penal Code, the provisions of which can be traced back to the 1822 Spanish Penal Code. Hence, many argue that the context upon which the law was made was in a colonial, conservative Catholic view, one that lacks the contemporary advancements in human and women’s rights enjoyed by our current society, as it was introduced before women’s suffrage (1938 in the Philippines), the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (1981). In a twist of irony, while the Philippines still ban abortion under all circumstances, Spain has already liberalized its abortion laws in 2010, allowing the practice for up to 14 weeks of pregnancy on specific grounds. Other Catholicmajority countries such as Hungary and Portugal permit abortion within a given gestation time frame, while Poland, Ireland, Brazil, and Chile—also with predominantly Catholic populations—authorize the act under exceptional cases.
Towards empowerment
future
The illegality of abortion acts as a big thorn on women’s rights and empowerment as it clashes with issues on women’s health, freedom of choice, and bodily autonomy. However, with the existence of regulations and legal pronouncements such as the Magna Carta of Women (which explicitly directs lawmakers to repeal existing laws that are discriminatory to women) and Article 41 of the Civil Code (that expresses the prevalence of those with legal personality over prenatal protection) which serves as solid foundations for the advancement of this cause, the prospects for this issue does not seem to solely lie on preserving the status quo. Staying in line with the outlook of this issue, a substantial opportunity for change would be the national and local elections in May, which may prove to be a pivotal point for the future realities of this discussion. The prime position of interest would be the president of the republic, whose candidates appear to be divided with their views. Of the five survey frontrunners, Isko Moreno Domagoso and Manny Pacquiao are firm on their disapproval of abortion; Ping Lacson says more information would be needed to make a decision, while Leni Robredo is conflicted but open to discussions. Only Bongbong Marcos expressed a clear approval for the legalization of abortion, but only for severe cases.