Duterte renews commitment to empower women
President Duterte has reiterated his administration’s commitment to empower Filipino women and promote gender equality.
In his message on International Women’s Day, Duterte said the occasion serves as a reminder that there is a need to establish for an enabling environment for women to be empowered, and to make sure that the Magna Carta for Women is diligently implemented at all levels of government.
“We must also create and facilitate platforms to discuss best practices, gaps and challenges in pursuing gender and development in local government units all over the country,” he said.
“May this event serve as a testament to our fists commitment to always inform and engage various stakeholders—whether in the government, the private sector or in civic organizations,” the President said.
“In this manner, we can promote gender equality and put in place functional mechanisms that ensure that any development effort would be inclusive and gender responsive,” he said.
Duterte enjoined all Filipinos to address the needs of women and recognize their role in the country.
Duterte, a self-confessed womanizer, has been criticized for joking about women in his speeches.
He claimed that womanizing is his only crime.
In a statement, Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said the Duterte administration has been in the forefront in advancing women’s rights in the Philippines, citing the recently signed Extended Maternity Leave law as an example.
“Such executive action and legislative initiatives would hopefully improve the ranking of the Philippines in terms of women’s safety by Singapore-based research company ValueChampion, which considers women’s access to health care, lax laws regarding women’s safety, poor access to family planning resources and overall gender inequality in its list of safest countries in Asia Pacific for women,” he said.
“Indeed, we continue to honor all Filipino women and give due recognition to their achievements in the home, in the workplace, in the community and in nation building,” he added.
Last year, Duterte was criticized after he kissed a married Filipina on the lips during his visit to Seoul, South Korea. He explained that the kiss was a mere showbiz act, adding that he had been kissing women even he was just mayor of Davao City.
“That’s my style. Find your own. There is nothing wrong in a simple kiss you cause an uproar. They are just jealous,” he said.
Earlier, Malacañang said the Duterte administration continues to improve the lives of Filipino women in all spheres – economic, social, and political.
Malacañang had earlier enumerated the policies the President has implemented since he was mayor of Davao. This came after Duterte was slammed by women’s rights activists for his remark about shooting female New People’s Army (NPA) rebels in the vagina so they will not be able to bear a child.
The Palace also appealed to the public to “not take the words of the President literally but of course we should take the President’s words seriously.”
Among the pro-women policies Duterte implemented when he became president was Executive Order No. 12 which aims to attain and sustain zero unmet need for modern family planning through the strict implementation of the Responsible Parenthood and the Reproductive Health Act.