PCW, Oxfam Pilipinas Ink MOU to Advance Philippine Policy on Care Economy

^{The Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) and Oxfam Pilipinas sealed their partnership through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
to advance the Philippine Policy on Care Economy (PPCE). In photo (L-R): PCW Executive Director Nharleen Santos-Millar,
PCW Chairperson Ermelita V. Valdeavilla, Oxfam Pilipinas Executive Director Maria Lot R. Felizco,
and Oxfam Pilipinas Gender Justice Portfolio Manager Jeanette Kindipan-Dulawan.}

In a move to strengthen collaboration toward the adoption, advocacy, and implementation of the Philippine Policy on Care Economy (PPCE), the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) and Oxfam Pilipinas signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at a ceremony at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Quezon City on September 25, 2025. This deal signifies institutional commitments to continue working together on gender equality and women’s empowerment initiatives, particularly in advancing the Philippine policy on the care economy.

In a nutshell, the care economy is all the work, both paid and unpaid, that’s done to take care of people, from raising kids and looking after the elderly to working as a nurse or caregiver. It is the foundation that allows everyone to go to work, school or engage in business, because someone else is making sure the household and its members are well-cared for.

The PPCE is envisioned as a strategic guide for decision-makers, duty-bearers, and advocates to foster a sustainable, inclusive, and equitable care economy in the country. Anchored primarily on the International Labour Organization’s 5R Framework for Decent Care Work (Recognition, Reduction, Redistribution, Reward, and Representation), the PPCE outlines priority policies across key sectors, including social protection and macroeconomic development, health and psychosocial care, public care services, crisis response, and labor and migration. It identifies gaps in current policies and recommends capacity development, awareness-raising, multi-stakeholder partnerships, and strengthened monitoring and evaluation to address them.

^{PCW ED Nharleen Santos-Millar emphasizes that care work should be a shared responsibility, not a burden borne disproportionately by women, during the opening of the program.}

Opening the program, PCW Executive Director Nharleen Santos-Millar highlighted the spirit of shared purpose in the partnership. She explained, “We have worked not as separate organizations, but as allies—united by a common purpose. And that purpose is clear: to ensure that care work—whether paid or unpaid—is no longer a burden borne disproportionately by women alone, but a responsibility shared by all.”

^{PCW Chairperson Ermelita V. Valdeavilla highlights the significance of the partnership with Oxfam Pilipinas
during the signing of the MOU to advance the Philippine Policy on Care Economy (PPCE), emphasizing initiatives to recognize, reduce, redistribute, and dignify care work.}

For PCW Chairperson Ermelita Valdeavilla, the MOU is more than a formal agreement, it is a concrete step toward inclusive progress. “Through this partnership, we aim to co-create knowledge, share resources, and jointly implement initiatives that will recognize, reduce, redistribute, and dignify care work—a critical, yet often overlooked, aspect of our society that disproportionately affects women,” she stated.

^{Oxfam Pilipinas Executive Director Maria Rosario “Lot” Felizco highlights the MOU with PCW as an opportunity to redefine the value of care in society,
emphasizing solutions to address the unrecognized importance of care work and advance gender equality.}

Oxfam Pilipinas Executive Director Maria Rosario “Lot” Felizco highlighted the partnership as a chance to reshape how care is valued in society. “Through this partnership, we aim to co-create solutions to address one of the most pressing yet often overlooked issues in gender equality: the unrecognized value and potential of care, care work, and the care economy,” she noted, emphasizing that the collaboration advances their vision of a society where care is seen as essential infrastructure and gender equality is achieved.

^{PCW Deputy Executive Director for Operations Anita E. Baleda closes the ceremony with a call to action,
reminding stakeholders that the signing of the MOU is just the beginning and that making care visible is key to achieving justice.}

Closing the ceremony, PCW Deputy Executive Director for Operations Anita Baleda urged partners to move with urgency. She stressed that the signing is only the beginning of real work: “The ink on this document is still drying, but the work is already alive in this room. This is our commitment to stop just talking about gaps and start building solutions—together. Let’s build on this momentum and bring the Care Economy from the margins to the mainstream of our national agenda. Let us remember: when we make care visible, we make justice possible.”

^{Through this MOU, PCW and Oxfam Pilipinas hope the Philippines will advance the recognition of care work, promote gender equality,
and turn shared commitments into concrete actions for a just and inclusive society.}

This MOU marks more than a policy milestone. It is a commitment to dignity, equity, and shared responsibility. Anchored on this vision, the PCW—through its Sectoral Coordination Division—is spearheading the development and adoption of a National Policy Framework on the Care Economy. By placing care at the heart of national priorities, PCW and Oxfam Pilipinas affirm that advancing gender equality means valuing the invisible labor that sustains families and communities. Together, we move closer to a future where every woman is empowered, every care worker is respected, and no one’s contributions are left unseen.