Act No. 4112 is an act amending Section 431 of the Administrative Code, as amended, granting to Filipino women the right of suffrage and eligibility for public offices. This Act, which made Filipino women the first to obtain the right of suffrage in Asia, was approved by President Manuel L. Quezon on December 7, 1933.
Commonwealth Act No. 647 is a Philippine law granting maternity leave to married women who are government employees. Approved on June 14, 1941, the law grants sixty days of maternity leave to married women who are permanently or temporarily appointed in the service of the government or of any of its instrumentalities, in addition to the vacation and sick leave that they already have. The law also provides for the employment of temporary workers to take the place of women on maternity leave, and states that the department head shall avoid giving strenuous work to pregnant women.
Presidential Decree No. 148, issued on March 13, 1973 by President Ferdinand Marcos, is a presidential decree amending certain sections of Republic Act No. 679, or the Woman and Child Labor Law, which was repealed by Presidential Decree No. 442, the Labor Code of the Philippines, on May 1, 1974. Parts of this decree, however, were incorporated into the Labor Code. Republic Act No. 679 was an act to regulate the employment of women and children, to provide penalties for violation hereof, and for other purposes (Repealed by Presidential Decree No. 442).
Republic Act No. 1564 is an act that amended Commonwealth Act No. 647 and granted maternity leave to women in the government service under temporary appointments who have rendered less than two years of service. It took effect on June 16, 1951.
Republic Act No. 2714 is an Act that provides for the creation of the Women and Minors Bureau in the Department of Labor under the executive authority of a Director, and granting the powers and duties of the bureau. Under this Act, the Women and Minors Division of the Bureau of Labor Standards is abolished and its functions, records, equipment, funds and personnel are transferred to the new Women and Minors Bureau. This Republic Act was approved on June 18, 1960.
Republic Act No. 3835 is an “An Act to Establish the Women’s Auxiliary Corps in the Armed Forces of the Philippines, to Provide the Procurement of its Officers and Enlisted Personnel, and for Other Purposes (As Amended by PD 1043)
Republic Act No. 6237 is an act that amended Republic Act No. 679, or the Woman and Child Labor Law, as amended by Republic Act No. 1131. It was approved on June 19, 1971.
Republic Act No. 6725, approved on May 12, 1989, is an act strengthening the prohibitions on discrimination against women with respect to terms and conditions of employment. It amends Section 135 of the Labor Code of the Philippines.
Republic Act No. 7192, also known as Women in Development and Nation Building Act, provides the legal guarantee for equal rights and opportunity of women in the specified area.
Republic Act No. 7322, signed by President Corazon Aquino on March 3, 1992, is an act amending Section 14-A of Republic Act No. 1161 as amended, by increasing the maternity benefits of female workers in the private sector. It also states that the benefits provided for in the act does not diminish the existing benefits already provided for in existing laws and private agreements.
Republic Act No. 7600, approved on June 2, 1992, is also known as “The Rooming-In and Breastfeeding Act of 1992″. It is a law providing incentives to all government and private health institutions with rooming-in and breastfeeding practices.
Republic Act No. 7688, approved by President Fidel V. Ramos on March 3, 1994, is an act giving representation to women in the Social Security Commission. More specifically, this Act provides that of the seven appointive members of the commission, at least two shall be women. Of these seven appointive members, three shall come from the labor sector, and at least one of them shall be a woman; three shall come from the management sector and at least one of them shall be a woman; and one shall come from the general public.
Republic Act No. 7877, also known as the Anti-Sexual Harassment Act of 1995, protects the dignity of women by declaring sexual harassment as unlawful in the employment, education or training environment.
Republic Act No. 7822, approved on February 20, 1995, is an act providing for assistance to. Filipino women who are engaged in micro and cottage enterprises. It covers all women who are citizens of the Philippines and at least 18 years of age, regardless of civil status. It gives those women who are engaged in business in the micro and cottage industries, as well as those women who are certified by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) to have engaged in the appropriate training and are qualified to engaged in the said industries, priority in obtaining loans from government financing institutions for the purchase of equipment, tools and materials for their business. The Act prohibits the mortgage or encumbrance of such equipment procured through the loan while the loan is not yet fully paid, and also prohibits refusal or delay, without justifiable cause, in granting the loans, providing penalties for the violations of these prohibitions.
Republic Act No. 7941 is an ¨Act Providing for the Election of Party-List Representatives Through the Party-List System, and Appropriating Funds Therefor.” It provides for the election of party-list representatives through the party-list system and the inclusion of women in the sectoral party list.
Republic Act No. 9262, cited as Anti-Violence Against Women and their Children Act of 2004, defines “violence against women,” provides for protective measures and safeguards for survivor-victims, and prescribes penalties for the commission of the act. It establishes an Inter-Agency Council on Violence Against Women and Their Children tasked to formulate programs to eliminate such acts of violence, as well as to develop capability programs for their employees to become more sensitive to their client’s needs.
Republic Act No. 8551, or the Philippine National Police Reform and Reorganization Act of 1998, established the Womenś Desks or Women and Children’s Unit that are now present in all police stations to assist women and children who have been victims of violence. Women cops are often behind these desks.
Republic Act No. 6725, an Act strengthening the prohibition of discrimination against women with respect to terms and conditions of employment…Considered as landmark legislation, RA 7192, also known as Women in Development and Nation Building Act, provides the legal guarantee for equal rights and opportunity of women in the specified area.¨
