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PCW Memorandum Circular No. 2022-01: Guide for the 2022 National Women’s Month Celebration



ToAll 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 National Government, Local Government Units and All Others Concerned
SubjectGuide for the 2022 National Women’s Month Celebration
DateFebruary 11, 2022


1. Purpose

This Memorandum Circular is issued to stakeholders to provide guidelines for the National Women’s Month Celebration in March 2022.


2. Background and Policy Mandates

The Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) leads the annual National Women’s Month Celebration (NWMC). The celebration is in recognition of women’s role and contribution in nation-building and as agents of national development.  This celebration also coincides with the worldwide observance of the International Women’s Day (IWD).

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


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

  • Proclamation No. 759, s. of 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 a role in community development.
  • Proclamation No. 744, s. of 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. Multi-year Theme and Objectives

The NWMC theme from 2017 to 2022 is “WE Make CHANGE Work for Women” which highlights the empowerment of women as harbingers of change that is anchored on “malasakit at pagbabago.”  It encapsulates the following key elements:

  • 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. 
  • We or “kami / tayo” in Filipino. The advocacy for gender equality is not solely for and from women. It is the work that needs and can benefit the whole nation. In various capacities whether as government officials and employees, members of the private sector, the academe, non-government organizations, or as private individuals, we 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.
  • CHANGE: Compassionate and Harmonized Actions and Networks for Gender Equality. 
  • Make Change Work. Bearing the same acronym with MCW or the Magna Carta of Women, making change work for women entails strengthening the implementation of this landmark law at all levels. It means providing functional mechanisms as well as implementing and making known to citizens, programs and services that address strategic gender needs of women.

With this, we want to emphasize that women should be active contributors to and beneficiaries of national development.  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.  The multi-year theme goes with the hashtag #WomenMakeChange.

Agencies at the national and local levels, as well as other stakeholders, shall be guided by the following general objectives in planning their NWMC activities:

  • 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;
  • To 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
  • To inspire and empower women and girls to be agents of change – to contribute in promoting gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls.

4. Focus for NWMC 2022: Agenda ng Kababaihan, Tungo sa Kaunlaran

To cap the six-year recurring theme, the 2022 NWMC will focus on the sub-theme: Agenda ng Kababaihan, Tungo sa Kaunlaran.

It will be a celebration of women exercising their choices, taking chances to make their voices heard, and benefitting from and trailblazing changes. It is a celebration of Filipino women’s power to take the narrative, raise priority issues that matter to them, and call for concrete actions. 


As the PCW continues to push for gender equality and women’s empowerment (GEWE) in leadership, governance, and public service, this year’s sub-theme focuses on including women’s concerns in the government agenda and enabling more women to implement and at the same time, demand programs and services that can bring the country closer to narrowing the gender gaps and moving towards sustainable and equitable development.


Specifically, this year’s celebration calls on stakeholders from both the government and private sector to:

  • Assess the gains already achieved towards GEWE and prevent  sliding back as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and other national issues;
  • Inspire actions to promote a gender-responsive pandemic recovery; and
  • Draw attention to the priority gender issues that must be addressed by future public servants, as outlined in the recently-updated GEWE Plan which spans until year 2025.


5. Suggested Activities

The PCW encourages government agencies and instrumentalities, non-government organizations, sectoral groups, private and civil society organizations, and other stakeholders at the national, regional, and local levels to conceptualize their own activities in line with the general objectives and focus of the 2022 NWMC.  Everyone is also enjoined to conduct any of the following suggested activities:


5.1 Share about NWMC in Flag Raising Ceremonies – All government agencies and local government units are encouraged to include NWMC announcement in their respective Flag Raising Ceremonies on February 28 or March 7, 2022. The use of the All-Women Cast Lupang Hinirang Video in NWMC activities is also encouraged.  The music video can be downloaded here.


5.2 GAD Forum / GAD Agenda Setting – Government agencies and local government units (LGUs) can organize virtual or hybrid activities where they can discuss gender issues that they can help resolve or minimize, given their mandates, as well as assess internal gender concerns that need attention. The activities can be mounted alongside or after the online poll participation of the stakeholders and the issues therein can be integrated in the discussion. With GAD Agenda Setting, agencies and LGUs can reflect on their own GAD journey and plot their future plans towards a gender-responsive governance that benefits their clients/constituents and internal stakeholders. 


5.3 #GADtoKnow – Agencies and LGUs can produce and/or distribute information materials (online and print) featuring the list of their gender-responsive programs and services benefiting women, as well as simplified steps and requirements to avail of such. Agencies with major programs and services for the public in response to the COVID-19 pandemic are enjoined to share the number of their women beneficiaries as they encourage more women to take part in their programs. Participating agencies and stakeholders can also produce and distribute different IEC materials on the National Women’s Month Celebration and laws on women. Agencies can access information materials at library.pcw.gov.ph.


5.4 2022 NWMC banner of support.  Support the National Women’s Month Celebration by displaying the campaign banner in front of offices and uploading on the official website and social media accounts. 


5.5 #PurpleTuesdays or #PurpleYourIcon. Wear anything purple on all the Tuesdays of March to signify support for women’s empowerment and gender equality. Participants can also light up or decorate offices or landmarks in purple to spark interest and discourse on the celebration and what it stands for.


5.6 Musika ng Kababaihan Fridays (#MNKFridays). Share the advocacy through music! Play the songs from the MusikJuana Songwriting Contest 2021 and other PCW advocacy songs in office premises, public and private establishments, parks, and even on social media every Tuesday of March. Get these hymns of women’s empowerment here. 


5.7 Create and offer your own “Serbisyo para kay Juana”. It’s the season to make “everyJuana” feel appreciated! The PCW encourages government agencies and private organizations offering direct services, transactions, and products to the public to surprise Juanas with freebies, discounts, special lanes, and other promos for women and girls on International Women’s Day (March 8) and/or other dates in March as a form of appreciation for women’s various contribution in the societyStakeholders who wish to have their #SerbisyoParaKayJuana activities included in PCW’s list for announcements are requested to send details to e-mail: womensmonth@pcw.gov.ph. 


5.8 Coordinate with 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 their respective areas.


5.9 Conduct Fora, Workshops, Lectures, Contests or similar activities about Gender and Development (GAD) or tackle specific issues and concerns of women relevant to their respective sectors or mandates, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.  For schools, colleges, and universities, essay-writing, poster-making, or other contests and creative activities that cultivate young people’s interest on GAD may also be explored.


5.10 Organize activities in support of the Girl-Child Week and the Women with Disabilities Day Celebration – NGAs and LGUs may contact the Council for the Welfare of Children and the National Council on Disability Affairs, respectively, for guidance.


5.11 Use the official collateral designs released by PCW – stakeholders are advised to use the standard branding design released by the PCW for the 2022 NWMC.  The branding guide, standard banner, and sample collateral designs can be downloaded here.  


5.12 Support PCW’s online advocacy. Make the advocacy take over the online realm by posting about it, sharing posts from PCW’s official social media accounts, and developing agency-fit NWMC campaigns. Participants can also use the NWMC Advocacy Profile Photo and other online materials (Instagram Story/Facebook My Day Frames, Viber stickers). They can also showcase their activities online and join the online thread using #WomenMakeChange. Follow and share PCW’s official social media accounts to help us reach more Juanas.


5.13 Send us your Calendar of Activities and Activity Photos. Agencies with activities lined up can share the same to PCW by filling out this form so their respective events can be featured in the NWMC Calendar of Activities. For activity photos, submit them here.



6. PCW-Organized Activities

Stakeholders are enjoined to participate or support the activities organized by the PCW in time for the 2022 NWMC.


6.1 Pulso para sa Kababaihan, Tungo sa Kaunlaran Online Poll. Timely set months before another change in national and local leaderships, this activity aims to set a roadmap for future leaders through getting the pulse of Juanas and Juans on priority issues that must be addressed. Based on the Updated GEWE Plan Results Matrices, it lays down specific targets aimed at addressing gender issues in the following areas: Trade, Industry and Services; Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries (AFF); Labor and Employment; Health and Nutrition; Education; Shelter; Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and the Justice System; Women, Peace, and Security; Disaster Risk Reduction and Management; Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) and Information and Communication Technology (ICT); Infrastructure and Transportation; Energy; Women and Politics; Women and the Civil Service; Gender Norms and Culture. 


The PCW will launch the online poll on March 8 and interested Juanas can participate until March 25, 2022.  The results will be released on March 31, in line with the culmination of the National Women’s Month Celebration. The poll results can serve as a guide for future elected officials, but also for government agencies, private organizations, and GEWE advocates in crafting programs, activities, and projects.


6.2 International Women’s Day Celebration (March 8). The PCW will launch the NWMC Online Poll on the International Women’s Day and will guide the stakeholders in answering the survey. Relative to the IWD theme, “Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow”, the forum will also feature the contribution of Juanas in climate change response and disaster risk reduction and mitigation.


6.3 #JuanaSays: Agenda ni Juana edition. Now on its 8th year, the #JuanaSays online advocacy takes a twist. Weaving it with the online poll, #JuanaSays: Agenda ni Juana edition will feature videos of Juanas from different walks of life sharing the key concerns they want to see in the government’s agenda.


6.4 Musika ng Kababaihan Fridays (#MNKFridays). Every Friday of March is MNK day! In a teleradyo format, the PCW will stream songs from the MusikJuana Songwriting Contest 2021, to popularize the 12 areas of concern of the 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (BPfA) and other PCW advocacy songs on women’s empowerment, integrated with information on gains and challenges relative to gender equality. 


6.5 2022 NWMC Viber Sticker Pack.  PCW shall release a new set of Viber stickers for the 2022 NWMC, featuring positive messages that promote gender equality and women’s empowerment, particularly women’s participation and representation in leadership and decision-making.  Download, share, and use the sticker pack for free, through the Viber application. 



7. Observance of Health and Safety, and Election-Related Protocols

The annual celebration of the National Women’s Month is a peaceful, non-partisan, and not election-related activity. COVID-19 Alerts are still raised at various levels in different parts of the country. Thus, the PCW reminds all stakeholders to adhere to the prevailing protocols relative to physical gatherings in your respective areas. Government entities are likewise advised to refer to the Memorandum from the Office of the Executive Secretary dated November 8, 2021 entitled “Reminder to Uphold Political Neutrality in the Government Service at all Times” and the “Joint COMELEC-CSC Advisory on Electioneering and Partisan Political Activities” issued on March 29, 2016 in conceptualizing their NWMC activities. To maintain the focus on the advocacy, please refrain from using PCW-produced materials for political gains.



8. Use of the 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 2022 NWMC may be charged to the GAD Budget of government offices, and may be reflected in their FY 2022 GAD Accomplishment Report, provided that the activities conducted are in line with the theme, objectives, and focus area of concern provided in this circular, and fall within the mandate of the implementing government agency.

Nothing in this circular shall be interpreted to amend previously set policies on GAD Planning and Budgeting, or any procurement or administrative-related policies set by appropriate oversight agencies.



9. Additional Information and Inquiries

Stakeholders are advised to visit this link for more information, downloadable collateral designs, and updates about the 2022 NWMC.

Announcements are also posted on PCW’s official social media pages:


For further questions and clarifications, stakeholders may contact PCW’s Corporate Affairs and Information Resource Management Division through Trunkline: (02) 8735-1654 local 131 or 121, Direct Line: (02) 8352-5372 (Ms Nevi Calma, Mr Ann Jun Magnaye, or Ms Franz Dela Cruz) or email: womensmonth@pcw.gov.ph and media@pcw.gov.ph



For guidance and appropriate action.



(Sgd.) SANDRA S. MONTANO
Chairperson




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