The Philippine State, Society
& Economy, 1992-1998

Jul 2, 92
The Women's Priority Agenda
In Ramos's 100 Days in Office
By GABRIELA National Council

Six years of rule under Cory Aquino left millions of Filipino women and their families in a worse situation than before. Save for a handful of women who made it to various political offices, the large majority of Filipino women continue to suffer from hunger, violence, extreme poverty, landlessness, meager income, political repression and the like. The incidence of violence has rising gravely making women victims and targets of rape, incest, battering, prostitution, sex trafficking, pornography and vrious forms of sexual harassment. The much-vaunted Philippine Development Plan for Women netted little results if at all.

With Ramos' avowed promise to continue the policies of the Aquino regime that has brought this country to crisis after crisis, how can there be a better future?

In this light, the struggle for women's progress, development and liberation must be pursued more vigorously. In times of economic and political crisis, women must even be more vigilant and assertive of their rights. The message to the Ramos' administration must be made loud and clear. The women are unwavering in their position: the resolution of the nation's crisis must mean the resolution of the basic demands of the people. Only then can women and their families live in prosperity and peace.

Gabriela poses this challenge to the Ramos administration who should muster enough political will and the guts to prioritize the following women's demands:

1. Solve the energy crisis by protecting environment friendly resources and respecting the rights of people affected by energy projects. Hence, the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant must be permanently closed and the Mt. Apo geothermal project must be immediately stopped.

2. Provide immediate economic relief to the people by ordering a stop to all price increase of foodstuffs and other commodities, especially fuel as well as water and power rates. Immediately suspend excessive increases in tuition fess. Undertake a massive low-cost housing program.

3. Repudiate onerous debts. Limit foreign debt payments to 15% of the entire GNP and allot more funds to productive and basic social services.

4. Reduce military budget and channel funds to basic social services, particularly comprehensive women health services. This will include affirmative-action nutrition program for females starting from birth and childcare programs that are based on gender-fair principles. It also includes a reproductive health program that will uphold women's reproductive rights. Subsidize women-run crisis intervention centers for victims of rape, incest and battering. Also provide seed capital assistance to women's cooperatives and livelihood projects.

5. Protect women and children by enacting pro-women laws on rape, incest, battering, prostitution, sex trafficking, porgoraphy and sexual harassment. Impose stiffer penalties against perpetrators of such crimes. Do not penalize women victims of prostitution and pornography.

6. Hold genuine talks will all armed groups, political forces, and sectors in opposition to government towards a just and lasting peace. Ensure women representives in both negotiating panels. Immediately release all political prisoners. Stop the "total war" policy.

7. Repeal the pro-landlord Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law and implement instead a program for genuine agrarian reform.

8. Immediately impose a total log ban and undertake a massive reforestation program. Mete out stiffer penalties on illegal loggers, trawl of Muro-Ami fishing operators, open pit mining companies, manufacturers and distributors of hazardous chemical inputs for agriculture.

9. Uphold the constitution and the nation's sovereignty by denying the U.S. access to its former military bases and use of Philippine territory for military purposes. Move towards the repeal of all unequal laws, treaties and relations with the U.S.

10. Respect the participation of people's organizations and non-government organizations in the economic, political, cultural and social development of the nation without discrimination as to their political beliefs, creed and gender. Stop labelling people's organizations as "communist fronts" and witch hunting their leaders.




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