Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 1993, published 80th ILC session (1993)

Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111) - Philippines (Ratification: 1960)

The Committee notes the information supplied by the Government in reply to its previous direct request.

1. The Committee notes with interest the information supplied on the achievement of the Philippine Development Plan for Women, 1989-92 (PDPW) following an impact evaluation of its implementation in the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) from 1989 to 1992. It notes from this information that the DOLE's plan focused on equal employment opportunities, sexual harassment, women homeworkers and women in migration in its effort to integrate working women's concerns into its programme. The implementation led DOLE to formulate policies on these issues, initiate training programmes, disaggregate data by sex for reporting activities, include equal employment opportunities in its internal merit promotion plan and adopt Administrative Order No. 68 of 1992.

The Committee requests the Government to continue supplying information on the impact and evaluation of the PDPW in other government departments and other sectors.

2. Noting the list supplied by the Government of numerous pending House and Senate Bills which concern the promotion of equality of opportunity and treatment between men and women in employment and occupation (covering matters such as the removal of restrictions on the number of childbirths for the enjoyment of maternity leave benefits, the increase of maternity benefits in the public and private sectors, the granting of paternity leave in the private and public sectors, the prohibition of gender discrimination and sexual harassment and the establishment of further national machinery to implement and enforce legislation ensuring equality of opportunity and treatment for women), the Committee asks the Government to continue providing information on the passage of the relevant Bills, as well as copies of any texts adopted and any implementing guidelines.

3. The Committee is grateful to the Government for supplying a copy of the Women in Development and Nation-building Act No. 7192 of 11 December 1991, which, inter alia, ensures economic equality and opportunity for women and their equal participation with men in national development activities. The Committee notes that the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), with the assistance of the National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women (NCRFW), is responsible for the implementation of this Act. The Committee requests the Government to provide more detailed information on the activities of NEDA and NCRFW, as well as the results achieved in the practical implementation of Act No. 7192, and any court decisions involving its implementation.

4. Regarding the special civil service examinations to qualify members of the cultural communities for appointment to the civil service, the Committee notes that pursuant to section 9(4) of Republic Act No. 6040 (the Civil Service Act of 1959), the Civil Service Commission (CSC) held unassembled examinations for the cultural communities to establish a register of eligible applicants among members of these communities from 1975 to 1980 and, in 1989, for the first time held special written examinations opening access to posts to them. The Committee requests the Government to provide statistical data on the outcome of this measure, as well as further information on legislative (such as progress in the passage of the pending House and Senate Bills which concern the promotion of equality of opportunity and treatment for cultural minorities in employment and occupation) or administrative (in addition to the nationwide education programme launched in 1989) measures taken or contemplated to promote equality of opportunity and treatment in access to employment and training for the country's minorities, including copies of any pertinent reports.

5. With regard to the grievance procedures for victims of discrimination based on gender, religion, ethnic origin or political belief contained in the Civil Service Commission's 1989 resolution "to institutionalize a long-range mechanism within the government sector to ensure equality of opportunities in employment and terms and conditions of work", the Committee notes that the resolution does not mention the other grounds of discrimination enumerated in Article 1, paragraph 1(a), of the Convention, such as race, colour, national extraction and social origin. It refers to paragraph 58 of its 1988 General Survey on Equality in Employment and Occupation, in which it states that, where provisions are adopted in order to give effect to the principle contained in Convention No. 111, they should include all the grounds of discrimination set forth in Article 1, paragraph 1(a). The Committee would appreciate receiving a copy of this resolution and hopes that measures will be taken to expand its provisions or to adopt others so as to mention expressly race, colour, national extraction and social origin. It requests the Government to inform it of measures taken or contemplated to this end.