As an organization advocating for human development in the Philippines, PLCPD continues to strive to address policy issues that affect the lives of vulnerable Filipinos through population and human development legislation. The PLCPD Legislative Agenda for the 20th Congress is a set of commitments that prioritizes and puts forward the concerns and aspirations of vulnerable sectors in our society. As a platform for cooperation and advocacy, this agenda will unite the members of PLCPD toward one common goal: to expand people’s choices and opportunities so every Filipino can live a better life.
Children’s rights
Ensuring universal birth registration through the strengthening of the civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) system. Addressing the needs of 3.7 million Filipinos, including 1.4 children, whose births are unregistered by making the registration system more inclusive, accessible, and affordable through the strengthening of the country’s CRVS system.
Magna Carta of Children. Translating the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child into a comprehensive domestic legislation for children that upholds the principles of non-discrimination, best interests of the child, survival and development, and participation of the child in matters affecting them.
Opposition to lowering of the minimum age of criminal responsibility (MACR). Support for calls to strengthen the implementation of the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act and opposition to proposals seeking to lower MACR.
Women’s rights and gender equality, sexual and reproductive health and rights, and the prevention of violence against women and girls
Adolescent pregnancy prevention. Institutionalizing a comprehensive program for adolescent pregnancy prevention by providing access to information and services on RH, strengthening comprehensive sexuality education, and social protection for adolescent parents.
Review and oversight of Reproductive Health (RH) Law. Making implementing agencies accountable for their mandate in ensuring: (1) family planning services, (2) reproductive, maternal, newborn child, and adolescent health at all levels, (3) massive information dissemination and awareness-raising and sexuality and RH education, and (4) adequate funding for the law.
Divorce. Instituting absolute divorce as an alternative mode for dissolution of marriage in the Philippines to give full relief not present in existing laws to couples in intolerable and irreconcilable conditions and protecting women, men, and children in abusive marriage relationships.
Anti-discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and sexual characteristics (SOGIESC) or SOGIE equality. Development and implementation of mechanisms in all aspects of society to fully integrate a true SOGIE-friendly and supportive programs and services, to shape a nation that fully accepts one’s right to be protected against discrimination, violence, and harassment, regardless of their gender identity, sexual orientation, and expression, in pursuit of a gender-equal society.
Magna Carta of Workers in the Informal Economy. Recognizing the contribution of workers in the informal economy and helping them achieve a quality life by providing benefits and safety nets and by affording them protection from poor and discriminatory working conditions.
Recognition of unpaid care and domestic work. Recognizing, measuring, and valuing unpaid care and domestic work by addressing gender inequalities in productive and reproductive roles, enhancing work-from-home opportunities for both women and men, improving public services and social protection measures that have direct and indirect consequences on care work, and reforming workplace policies to achieve work-life balance for both women and men.
Women, peace, and security
Institutionalization of women and children protection units (WCPU) in public hospitals. The proposal seeks to institutionalize specialized multidisciplinary units (i.e. WCPUs) in government hospitals staffed by trained physicians, social workers, mental health professionals, and police that will provide comprehensive services for victims of violence, especially women and children, including medical care, psychosocial support, legal documentation, and referral following standardized protocols.
Transitional Justice and Reconciliation Act for the Bangsamoro. The measure seeks to establish a regional program and an independent commission to address historical injustices, human rights violations, and land dispossession affecting the Bangsamoro and indigenous peoples in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, adopting a rights-based framework and focusing on truth-seeking, reparations, institutional reforms, and guarantees of non-recurrence. The bill mandates the Transitional Justice and Reconciliation Commission to investigate past abuses, document grievances, recommend reforms, and engage communities in healing and reconciliation.
Protection of the rights of internally displaced persons (IDP). The full description of the proposed measure is found under the theme “Protection of the rights of forcibly displaced persons, stateless persons, and populations at risk of statelessness.”
Human Rights Defenders (HRD) Protection Act. The measure seeks to formally recognize human rights defenders in law and guarantee a set of specific rights including the freedom to associate, assemble peacefully, receive funding, access and share information, and demand accountability. It mandates the State to protect HRDs from intimidation, reprisals, or violence, and sets up a Human Rights Defenders Protection Committee to monitor threats, investigate abuses, and ensure accountability. The bill also requires public authorities to use a rights-based approach in counter-insurgency or anti-terror programs, refuse orders that would violate HRD rights, and ensure that HRDs can access remedies and reparations.
Anti-discrimination on the basis of SOGIESC or SOGIE equality. The full description of the proposed measure is found under the theme “Women’s rights and gender equality, sexual and reproductive health and rights, and the prevention of violence against women and girls.”
Health and nutrition: Tobacco control
Creation of smoke-free and vape-free environments. Protection from the dangers of tobacco smoke and exposure to secondhand smoke by expanding the determination of public places and enclosed spaces where smoking and vaping are banned and removing indoor designated smoking and vaping areas.
Amendment to Vape Law (Republic Act 11900). Stringent regulation of electronic smoking devices, including vapes and heated tobacco products, through amendments to Republic Act (RA) 11900 that will revert the ban on flavors and access restriction for young people below the age of 21, return the regulation to the Food and Drug Administration, and ban the online sale and advertising of these products.
Increasing taxes on tobacco products and electronic smoking devices. Decreasing Filipinos’ risks of having non-communicable diseases through prohibitive price by imposing higher taxes on tobacco products and earmarking revenues from these to fund universal health care.
Opposition to measures relaxing safeguards against tobacco industry interference in legislation, including those that seek to incentivize corporate social responsibility by the tobacco industry.
Health and nutrition: Healthy food environment
Creating healthy food environment for children. The proposed measure aims to empower consumers, especially parents, to make more informed dietary choices and help curb rising rates of obesity and overweight among Filipino children. It classifies “healthy” and “unhealthy” foods through a Nutrient Profile Model and seeks to limit the marketing of unhealthy foods to children by regulating advertisements in schools, playgrounds, and other child-centered spaces. It covers pre-packaged products high in fat, sugar, or sodium, and requires front-of-pack nutrition labels on unhealthy items.
Protection of the rights of people forced to flee and stateless persons
Protection of the rights of IDPs. Ensuring that all citizens enjoy their rights in all circumstances, including in situations of internal displacement, by institutionalizing measures that will reduce the risk of displacement and prevent cases of arbitrary displacement and will support those who are displaced toward their return to their communities or resettlement and reintegration.
Comprehensive protection of the rights of refugees, stateless persons, and asylum seekers. Protection of the rights and obligations of persons of concerns or refugees, stateless persons, asylum seekers, and populations at risk of statelessness; institutionalization of the Refugee and Stateless Status Determination Procedure; and establishment of a designated office on refugee protection and statelessness matters.
Facilitated administrative naturalization. Expediting the process, reducing costs, and providing special consideration of the available durable solutions for recognized refugees and stateless persons, particularly with regard to the requirements for administrative naturalization.
Gender-responsive amendments to naturalization laws. Addressing gendered distinctions in terms of conferral and acquisition or retainment of citizenship by amending the following: (1) Article 15 of the Commonwealth Act 473 or the Revised Naturalization Law, which denies a married woman the right to choose her nationality following the naturalization of her husband, and (2) Section 12 of Republic Act 9139 or the Administrative Naturalization Law of 2000, which prevents married women who have been granted Philippine citizenship through naturalization from conferring her nationality to her husband.