The Women’s Priority Legislative Agenda for the 20th and 21st Congress, composed of 18 legislative agendas, is a result of a series of consultations with representatives from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. During the consultations, several salient and emerging issues were identified, including the strengthening of the Philippine Commission on Women, concerns related to archaic laws, and the continued lobbying of previously proposed bills that were not enacted in the last Congress. These were recognized as priority areas requiring attention in the upcoming legislative cycle. Stakeholder feedback and recommendations were subsequently consolidated, leading to the finalization of the priority legislative measures. The resulting set of measures was then presented to and approved by the agency’s Management Committee and Board of Commissioners.
The Women’s Priority Legislative Agenda for the 20th and 21st Congress includes eighteen (18) legislative measures under three (3) Strategic Pillars:
- Dismantling the architecture of discrimination by amending or repealing biased and archaic laws
a. Upholding the Right to Life and Security of Spouses and Daughters (Repeal of Article 247 of Revised Penal Code)
b. Removing the Distinction Between Adultery and Concubinage (Amending Articles 333 and 344, Repealing Article 334 of the Revised Penal Code)
c. Upholding Women’s Equal Rights in Marriage and Family
d. Recognize All Forms of Violence as Grounds for Legal Separation
e. Consent-Based Anti-Rape Law
f. Closing The Gap in the Safe Spaces Act
g. Comprehensive Amendment of Republic Act No. 9262 (Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act of 2004)
h. Gender-Responsive Amendments to Nationality Laws
- Building new pathways to progress by enacting enabling legislation for women’s empowerment
a. Enacting a Women’s Political Participation and Representation Law
b. Enacting the SOGIE Equality Act
c. Reinstituting Divorce in the Philippines
d. Enacting a Magna Carta of Workers in the Informal Economy
e. Upholding the Rights of Women Deprived of Liberty
f. Enacting National Policy on Preventing Adolescent Pregnancy
g. Enacting a National Policy on Valuing and Investing in the Care Economy
h. Strengthening the National Women’s Machinery
- Institutionalizing and promoting gender-responsive governance
a. Protecting the Rights of Internally Displaced Persons
b. Instituting Gender-Responsive and Inclusive Protocols in Public Health Emergencies and Disasters
To access the annotated policy briefs, please visit this page. Do take note that the policy brief for the “Strengthening the National Women’s Machinery” is still being drafted. The agency will follow through with the link once it is available. For the news article and photos and video documentation during the WPLA Launch last November 26-27, 2025, please refer to this link.
The PCW urges the nation, from officials and staff across all branches of the government, to NGOs, civil society partners, and private individuals, to come together for the enactment of women’s legislative measures towards a gender-responsive and truly inclusive society that empowers Filipina women from all sectors.
Should you have any concerns or want to share related documents and agenda for consideration, you may send them to wpla@pcw.gov.ph.