CEBU CITY, Cebu (PIA) – Technical and consultancy services for women empowerment are made more accessible for government and non-government organizations after the University of the Philippines (UP) Cebu recently opened its Center of Good Governance and Development (CGGD). 

This was announced by UP Cebu Political Science Department professor Dr. Ana Leah Dungog-Cuizon during the public forum hosted by the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) on “Women Rights are Human Rights” in line with the Women’s Month celebration. 

Cuizon said the center is relevant to the efforts in promoting women empowerment. 

“This is a way where we see we can really help, particularly in advancing women inclusion and participation and in decision-making,” Cuizon said. 

CGGD is a convergence hub that provides assistance  in developing evidence-based policies, consultancy, and trainings. 

It also aims to facilitate responsive community extension programs through partnerships with the national and regional government agencies and local government units. 

Cuizon disclosed they have already forged partnerships with the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and Department of Health (DOH), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) .

Located at the UP Cebu College of Social Sciences, the center was soft-launched on Dec. 7, 2023. 

Women participation in governance

During the forum, Cuizon was one of the panelists together with regional administration and development advocate Atty. Amy Faith Suson-Sitoy, UP Cebu gender and development coordinator Anabelle G. Maglasang, and Pagtambayayong Foundation project officer and community organizer Liza Tumulak. 

The discussion focused on women leadership and their participation in governance. 

The dialogue tackled gender equality in education and employment, political participation and leadership, sexual and reproductive health and rights, and civil society organization (CSO) participation in nation-building.

The panelists noted that there has been a decline on the issues revolving around women's rights, as they shared their experiences involving the stereotype of women that are no longer prevalent nowadays.

However, the dialogue discussed the gaps that should be addressed to attain the inclusion of women.

One of the identified gaps is women’s participation in leadership and genuine participation in governance. 

Education and employment

Citing a recent report from the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW), Cuizon said young women in the country have reduced education access and retention, particularly during the digital transition at the time of pandemic, endemic and up until now. 

She also highlighted the results of the study done by Plan International, an international non-government organization, that young women are still unable to study at home. 

The study identified two primary causes: internet connectivity problems and the need to help with household chores and to take care of their siblings. 

Cuizon emphasized that women’s education is necessary to address the educational concerns of children. 

“In the same report of the PCW, a mother’s level of education has been found to create a positive educational outcome for her children,” she said. 

Cuizon also revealed that there are schools and universities offering specializations that are dominated by men, such as sciences, mathematics, and the artificial intelligence field.

She added that gender stereotypes prevail when it comes to employment of women in the said fields.

Political participation and leadership

The 2023 Global Gender Gap Index Report shows that the Philippines scored best in educational attainment with the score of .999. 

However, in the field of political empowerment, the country’s score is only at .409.

Sitoy said that this means that the political empowerment of women in the country remains low.

She pointed out that the belief that men are better leaders than women still exists. 

“We still have a long way to go in terms of political participation for women. Based also on Commission on Elections research, women are less likely to risk (political participation),” said Sitory.

CSO participation in nation-building 

Amid the empowerment of women in CSOs, Tumulak observed that the Magna Carta of Women and other related laws are not commonly recognized among the local officials. 

“One of the barriers that I see is that there is still a need for women’s participation in local governance to be more recognized,” said Tumulak. 

She added that “LGUs should also know that this is enshrined in many laws of the country.”

Sexual and reproductive health
Maglasang noted that there is a gap in the implementation of existing laws on sexual and reproductive health. 

“There are good laws, we have circulars from DepEd and CHED, even good modules on adolescent sexuality. But the gap is in implementation and the commitment,” she said. 

“There is still a lack of guidance counselors in public schools. They are guidance designate, on top of doing classes,” added Maglasang.