PHILIPPINES TOWARDS GREATER POLITICAL PARTICIPATION OF WOMEN
In the Philippine parliament they have realized that women have too modest a role in the political landscape of the country and the deputies of the party Akbayan (democratic left) presented a bill to promote equality between men and women. To correct the imbalance between male and female representation, the jurists have developed a proposal that provides financial incentives for political parties that welcome more women into their ranks and, above all, who entrust them with leadership positions.
Currently, Akbayan deputies Ibarra Gutierrez and Walden Bello say, there are very few women who occupy key posts in administration and politics and, in general, female representation is very low, even at lower levels. To cite a few numbers, only 78 of the current 289 members of the House of Representatives are women, while in the Senate there are 6 out of 24. Expanding the survey, out of 15 presidents of the Philippines there are only two women (but there are countries, like Italy or France, which have not had even one) and out of 15 judges of the Supreme Court there are three women. "The increase in the participation of women in the management of the country is proceeding too slowly" write the authors of the bill in an explanatory note "and this constitutes a barrier to the achievement of gender equality". "Guaranteeing equal representation in politics, public administration and company management" they add "would ensure that the interests and needs of women are taken into account in the decision-making processes that take place at a high level".
According to the draft law, political parties will be able to have access to a special fund to encourage female political participation, if they can demonstrate that at least 30% of leadership positions within the party are held by women and that women are reserved for a minimum of 30% of nominations in elections. Once obtained, however, the fund cannot be spent freely: the money must be used, in fact, to carry out programs against sex discrimination and in favor of the presence of women in politics, or to finance the electoral campaigns of candidates. In drafting the law, the Akbayan jurists referred to both the constitution, which recognizes the role of women in building the country and ensures their equality with men before the law, and the Magna Carta of Women, a document promulgated in 2009 under the presidency of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who denounces discrimination against women and guarantees their rights.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/581599/bill-filed-to-get-more-women-into-politics
