Legarda: Build On the Gains of PHL's Success in Women Empowerment

In celebration of the International Women's Day, Senator Loren Legarda today said that the country must build on the gains of its success in women empowerment, noting that the Philippines is number one among Southeast Asian nations in closing the gender gap.

"Filipino women are involved in all sectors of our society. In fact, they are present in more than a hundred countries around the world, caring for children and parents not their own, and operating businesses and industries as part of the force that drives the growth of the global community. We are sharing 10 million Filipinos with the rest of the world, and 60% of them are women," said Legarda.

"This reality compels us to continuously search for measures that will protect our women at home and beyond," she added.

The Senator said that the country has been improving on its women empowerment and gender equality initiatives as the implementation of related policies are improving through the years.

In November 2013, Legarda, on behalf of the Philippine government, received the Award for Closing the Gender Gap in South and Southeast Asia at the Women in Parliaments Global Forum in Brussels, Belgium.

The award was given to the Philippines for ranking first among nations in South and Southeast Asia in the World Economic Forum's survey of nations' ability to close the gender gap.

Legarda highlighted the country's success in closing the gender gap through relevant policies and programs of the government, including laws she authored and co-authored for the protection of women: the Anti-Violence Against Women and Children Act, the Magna Carta of Women, the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act, and the Domestic Workers Act, among many others.

"We are already number one in Southeast Asia and in the 2013 Global Gender Gap Report by the World Economic Forum (WEF), we are ranked fifth in the world in a survey of nations' ability to close gender gap. The challenge today is to maintain these gains," Legarda said.

"Women have been in leadership positions and continue to lead in the Philippines, but challenges will never go away. We must provide women the needed support to have the confidence to lead and be at the forefront of efforts to improve Filipino communities and take initiatives that will contribute to the nation's progress," she concluded.