PCW Memorandum Circular No. 2020-02: Guide for the 2020 Observance of the National Women’s Month

Posted on February 24, 2020

PCW Memorandum Circular No. 2020-02: Guide for the 2020 Observance of the National Women’s Month

To	All Heads of Executive Departments, Agencies, Bureaus, Offices, State Universities and Colleges (SUCs), Government-Owned and/or Controlled Corporations (GOCCs), Legislative and Judiciary Branches, Constitutional Bodies, Other Instrumentalities of
Subject	Guide for the 2020 Observance of the National Women’s Month
Date	February 24, 2020

1. Purpose

This Memorandum Circular is issued to provide a general guide for stakeholders for the National Women’s Month Celebration in March 2020.

2. Background and Policy Mandates

The Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) spearheads the Women’s Month Celebration (NWMC) which is conducted annually in recognition of women’s significant contributions in nation-building. This celebration is part of the worldwide observance of the International Women’s Day.

The following issuances serve as legal bases for the annual national activity:

Proclamation No. 224 s. 1988 declaring the first week of March each year as Women’s Week and March 8 as Women’s Rights and International Peace Day;
Proclamation No. 227 s. 1988 providing for the observance of the Month of March as Women’s Role in History Month;
Republic Act (RA) 6949 s. 1990 declaring March 8 of every year as National Women’s Day.

In addition, the country also celebrates the Girl Child Week and the Women with Disabilities Day within Women’s Month pursuant to the following:

Proclamation No. 759 s. 1996 – Declaring every fourth week of March as the Protection and Gender-Fair Treatment of the Girl Child Week. This underscores the need to provide every girl who is below 18 years of age with equal opportunities and adequate protection to prepare her for role in community development.

Proclamation No. 744 s. 2004 – Declaring the last Monday of March of every year as Women with Disabilities Day to emphasize the inclusion of women with disabilities within the society who deserve equal rights in the field of law and in all aspects of human endeavor.

3. Guide for 2020 National Women’s Month Celebration

3.1. Objectives

The 2017-2022 NWMC generally aims to:

Inform and engage women as stakeholders of government programs and services – to promote citizen-centric governance and make “change” a conscious effort to know, understand, and provide what ALL citizens need;

Create and facilitate platforms to discuss good practices, gaps, challenges, and commitments in pursuing gender and development (GAD) – to strengthen implementation of the Magna Carta of Women; and

Inspire and empower women and girls to be agents of change – to contribute in promoting gender equality and the empowerment of all women.

Thus, government agencies and local government units shall ensure that their programs and activities for the NWMC contribute in achieving these objectives and the focus of the 2020 celebration.

3.2. National Women’s Month Celebration Theme

The NWMC theme from 2017 to 2022 is “We Make Change Work for Women”, which highlights the empowerment of women as harbingers of change and contributors to and beneficiaries of development. This pursuit of development is also anchored on the commitment of “Malasakit at Pagbabago” or True Compassion and Real Change. The theme emphasizes that women should be active drivers in bringing about positive changes, and that they should also reap from fruits of development efforts. This can be made possible by empowering women – enabling them to meaningfully engage with other development stakeholders, and by fully implementing the Magna Carta of Women.

3.3. Elements of the Theme

WE stands for Women’s Empowerment – empowering women enables them to confidently and meaningfully engage with appropriate institutions to ensure that they contribute to and benefit from development and changes. Thus, women’s empowerment will make the change that we are espousing or any development effort responsive to women’s concerns.

Make Change Work = MCW = Magna Carta of Women – making change work for women necessitates strengthening the implementation of the MCW at all levels. It means putting in place functional mechanisms as well as implementing and making known to citizens, programs and services that address strategic gender needs of women.

Change – also means Compassionate and Harmonized Actions and Networks for Gender Equality.

We / us or “kami / tayo” in Filipino – who is going to pave the way for an enabling environment for women to be empowered? Who is going to ensure that the MCW is implemented at all levels? Who is going to make change work for women? It all of us, in our various capacities whether as government officials and employees, members of the private sector, the academe, non-government organizations, or as private individuals can be partners for a change that is gender-responsive. It emphasizes our collective effort, collaboration, and participation to ensure that women will not be left behind in the pursuit of change.

3.4 NWMC Focus for 2020

Year 2020 is a turning point in advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment (GEWE) in the Philippines. It marks the 45^th founding anniversary of the Philippine Commission on Women, which is the national machinery on women, and the 25^th year of the Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA) which is a global roadmap for the empowerment of women and girls. It is also pivotal for the 40th anniversary of the Philippine ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in August 1981. CEDAW, considered as the international bill of rights of women, was translated into a national law in the Philippines through the Magna Carta of Women (R.A. 9710 or MCW). 2020 also marks the 5^th year of the SDGs; the 10^th anniversary of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace, and security; and the 25th year since the Gender and Development (GAD) Budget Policy was introduced through the 1995 General Appropriations Act (RA 7845).

Thus, under the banner theme, “We Make Change Work for Women,” the 2020 NWMC shall celebrate and take stock of the progress made to advance GEWE in the country. In line with the global multi-generational campaign of UN Women, “Generation Equality: Realizing women’s rights for equal future,” the celebration shall also endeavor to bring together women and girl leaders from various generations towards a collective agenda of empowering all women and girls.

Government agencies, local government units, state colleges and universities, and other stakeholders are strongly encouraged to get the youth involved in their women’s month activities.

4. Suggested Activities

The PCW encourages government agencies and instrumentalities, non-government organizations, sectoral groups, private and civil society organizations at the national, regional, and local levels to conduct any of the following activities in line with this year’s theme and focus:

4.1 Production of Information, Education, and Communication Materials

Hanging of 2020 NWMC official streamer in all government agencies, including regional offices, local government units, and Philippine embassies and consulates. Streamer design and guide for the printing can be downloaded from the PCW website.

Development, production and distribution of IEC materials for 2020 NWMC which include collaterals designed by PCW and agency-specific materials like flyers that feature agency services offered to their women clients; and

Briefers on the 2020 National Women’s Month Celebration, BPfA, CEDAW , Magna Carta of Women and other laws and agreements protecting the rights of women will be available for download from the PCW website, so agencies and other participating stakeholders can produce and distribute.

4.2 Organizing or co-organizing NWMC activities at the agency, regional, or local level

All government agencies and local government units (LGUs) are encouraged to include NWMC announcement in their respective Flag Raising Ceremonies on Mach 2, 2020 (first Monday of March) or all Mondays of the month;

Agencies and LGUs are also encouraged to organize their own NWMC activities and information drive to promote their gender-responsive programs and services for their clients;

Those at the regional and local level may consider coordinating with their respective regional and local GAD mechanisms such as the Regional GAD Councils in holding inter-agency activities aimed at strengthening the implementation and monitoring of the Magna Carta of Women in the area;

The use of the All-Women Cast Lupang Hinirang Video in NWMC activities is also encouraged. The music video can be downloaded here;

Activities in support of the Girl Child Week and the Women with Disabilities Day Celebration are also encouraged. Agencies and LGUs may contact the Council for the Welfare of Children(www.cwc.gov.ph) and the National Council on Disability Affairs for guidance.

4.3 Conduct of Forums, Workshops, Lectures, Contests

Stakeholders may can hold forums, workshops and lectures that discuss GEWE or tackle specific issues and concerns of women relevant to their sector or mandates. In-depth conversations on the BPfA, CEDAW, Magna Carta of Women, and other women-related laws relevant to the agency/LGU can also be explored. For schools, colleges, and universities, essay-writing, poster-making, or other contests and creative activities that will cultivate young people’s interest in GEWE can also be conducted.

4.4 Film Showing Activity

Stakeholders may organize their own film showing activity as springboard for discussing GEWE, provided that their respective GAD Focal Point Systems (GFPS) are able to screen the films to ensure that featured films tackle GEWE or issues confronting women in the marginalized and vulnerable sectors.

Due to the variety of available films by local and international film outfits or by independent film producers, the PCW is not releasing a list of recommended films for the 2020 NWMC, to give the GFPS the freedom to select a film that is suited for their objectives, while observing the usual government procurement rules and processes.

4.5 Participation in #SerbisyoParaKayJuana

Serbisyo para kay Juana encourages agencies and organizations that offer direct services, transactions, and products to the public to give privileges like freebies and discounts to women on International Women’s Day (March 8) and/or other dates in March. This aims to bring the celebration to every Juana and make them feel appreciated, supported, and empowered.

Government agencies and other stakeholders that wish to have their promos included in PCW’s list of #SerbisyoParaKayJuana for announcements are requested to send details to e-mail: womensmonth@pcw.gov.ph.

4.6 Participation in Women’s Month Online Advocacy

Uploading of the official logo, advocacy video and other NWMC advocacy materials in government agencies’ website, Facebook, Youtube and Twitter pages and using the 2020 NWMC Facebook Profile Frame;

Following PCW’s official social media accounts and sharing updates and posts about the NWMC:

Participating in the online campaign thread about the observance using the hashtag #WomenMakeChange;

Sharing social media cards for #JuanaSays, which features daily dose of inspirational quotes from Filipino women whose work and contributions have created positive changes in their respective fields; and

Featuring the organization’s calendar of activities and activity implementation reports and Women’s Month advocacy materials in their official websites, social media accounts and publications, and sending links to the reports to PCW through e-mail womensmonth@pcw.gov.ph.

4.7 Participation in the Generation Equality Caravan (by invitation only)

State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) can participate in the Generation Equality Caravan, which will be held in Metro Manila, Iloilo and Cagayan de Oro City on March 9, March 17, and March 31, respectively. Each caravan leg will feature a “fireside chat” that cuts across generations: Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials, and Generation Z. The PCW will bring speakers of different ages who are immersed in working for gender equality and women’s empowerment and the participants, who are college students, will have the opportunity to ask them questions, and vice versa.

The event will also feature a BPfA exhibit, that will show the 12 areas of concern and the progress in addressing women’s issues in the Philippines and around the world. Each caravan will end with a ceremony where the speakers and participants will help form the Generation Equality logo.

4.8 Participation in the “Purple Fridays” Advocacy

Purple Fridays is an advocacy initiative calling on women and men advocates to advance women’s rights and gender equality, break gender stereotypes and stop gender-based violence and discrimination against women. Wear anything purple on all Fridays of March to show your support. Friday is chosen since this is the usual day when employees are not required to wear their office uniforms.

4.9 Participation and Promotion of MusikJuana Songwriting Competition

Interested musicians/composers can join the MusikJuana Songwriting Competition which PCW will launch in March. The competition aims to search for a musical piece that will help popularize the contents of the BPfA, and its 12 areas of concern. The mechanics of the competition will be issued in March and the deadline of the submission of entries will be on June 30, 2020. Winners will be announced and awarded in September, in time for the 25^th anniversary of the BPfA. Agencies and LGUs are requested to share and disseminate the contest mechanics which will be released by PCW through its website www.pcw.gov.ph.

5. Precautionary Measures Relative to COVID-19

Stakeholders are advised to refer to the Joint Statement of the Department of Health (DOH), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), and the Department of Tourism (DOT) on Public Gatherings which assured everyone that “it is safe to organize and attend public gatherings, meetings and festivals as long as all precautionary measures identified by the DOH are observed.”

Nevertheless, the PCW leaves it to the decision to continue or forego NWMC public events to agencies and LGUs, considering specific COVID-19 threats or circumstances that may arise in their localities after the February 18,2020 statement of the three agencies mentioned above.

All stakeholders are advised to refer only to official COVID-19 advisories and guidelines issued or co-issued by the DOH and posted in their website.

6. Use of Gender and Development Budget

The NWMC is one of the annual advocacy events spearheaded by the PCW. It promotes public awareness on women’s issues and recognizes the vital role of women in society. As such, expenses for the 2020 NWMC may be charged to the Gender and Development (GAD) Budget of government agencies and LGUs and may be reflected in the 2020 GAD accomplishment report of the government offices, provided that the activities conducted are in line with the theme and focus area of concern provided in this Circular.

7. Inquiries and Feedback

Stakeholders are advised to visit the 2020 NWMC webpage for more information and updates about the celebration.

For questions and clarifications, agencies may contact PCW’s Corporate Affairs and Information Resource Management Division at Trunk Line: (02) 8735-1654 local 131, Direct Line: (02) 8352-5372 (Nevi P. Calma, Vicky T. Atanacio or Sharina Walde) or email: womensmonth@pcw.gov.ph.

For your guidance and appropriate action.

(Sgd.) RHODORA MASILANG-BUCOY, PHD.
Chairperson)

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