Lawmaker bats for declaration of Women's Day as holiday

MANILA, Philippines - As the world celebrates International Women's Day today, Rep. Mylene Garcia-Albano (2nd District, Davao City) expressed hope that the House proposal to declare March 8 a non-working holiday in the country will ultimately become a law in the next Congress to allow Filipino women to fully enjoy their special day through a one day break from their work places.

Garcia-Albano, a Vice Chairperson of the House Committee on Women and Gender Equality and one of the 60 co-authors of House Bill 3962 seeking to declare March 8 every year a non-working holiday, said the one day off work is a great means of paying tribute to Filipino women for their massive contribution to nation building through their various roles and tasks in society.

“Today, we salute our women for all their many achievements, sacrifices and challenges that th ey have faced in working for the well-being of their families and our country. We hope that in the near future, we can allow them to enjoy Women’s Day more by declaring it a non-working holiday,” she said.

A bar topnotcher, Garcia-Albano also took the occasion as an opportunity to call for more socio-economic opportunities and better conditions for women through the support of all  sectors of society.

The House of Representatives approved HB 3962, which is principally authored by Rep. Luzviminda Ilagan (Party-list, Gabriela), on March 5, 2012 and transmitted the measure on March 8, 2012 to the Senate where it remains pending.

The bill seeks to amend Republic Act 6949 “An Act Declaring March 8 of Every Year as A Working Special Holiday to be Known as National Women’s Day,” by declaring the day a non-working holiday in recognition of the contribution of women in all aspects of national development and in consonance with the International Women’s Day celebrated around the world.

It also provides that further to the provisions of RA 6949, all government agencies at all levels, including attached agencies and local government units (LGUs) and government-owned and -controlled corporations, through their Gender and Development (GAD) Focal Persons, shall prepare and implement a program in the observance of the National Women’s Day on March 8 of every year, commemorating the role of women in the history of the country and promoting awareness on women's rights and participation in national development. 

Funds for implementation of the proposed Act shall be taken out of the five percent GAD budget allotted to all government agencies and LGUS.

Meanwhile, the United Nation’s theme for International Women's Day 2013 is  “A promise is a promise: Time for action to end violence against women” which seeks to strengthen the international community’s commitment to put an end to violence against women.