Gender Quotas Database
Philippines
South-Eastern Asia
Single / Lower House
Kapulungan Ng Mga Kinatawan / House of Representatives
| Total seats | 316 |
| Total women | 85 |
| Percentage of women | 27% |
| Election year | 2022 |
| Electoral system | Parallel |
| Quota type | No legislated |
| Election details | IDEA Voter Turnout - IPU Parline |
Upper House
Senado / Senate
| Total seats | 24 |
| Total women | 7 |
| Percentage of women | 29% |
| Election year | 2022 |
| Electoral system | Parallell |
| Quota type | No legislated |
| Election details | IPU Parline |
| Legal source | Details | |
|---|---|---|
| No data available | ||
Quota at the Sub-National Level
| Quota type | Reserved seats |
| Legal source | Details | |
|---|---|---|
| Quota type: Reserved seats | Electoral law |
The 1991 Local Government Code No. 7160 (s. 41, para. C) requires that a woman be 1 of 3 sectoral representatives included in every municipal, city and provincial legislative council. |
Voluntary Political Party Quotas*
| Party | Official Name | Details, Quota provisions |
|---|---|---|
| Citizens' Action Party | Akbayan Citizen's Action Party (Akbayan) |
Instituted a quota to ensure that at least 30% of its leadership positions are occupied by women (Article II, sec.6. a.) |
| Gabriela Women's Party |
An all Women's party, representing 250 women's organisations. The party got 4.2 percent of the votes in the 2016 national elections. |
* Only political parties represented in parliament are included. When a country has legislated quotas in place, only political parties that have voluntary quotas that exceed the percentage/number of the national quota legislation are presented in this table.
Additional information
The legislation pertaining to political party finance provides financial incentives to promote parties’ support to women members though allocating a quota equal to at least 5 per cent of electoral reimbursements for initiatives fostering women’s political participation.
The Act Providing for the Election of Party-List Representatives through the Party-List System, and Appropriating Funds, therefore, provides for the principle of representation of women in party lists submitted for the parliamentary elections (Section 5).
In 1986 a constitutional quota applicable to various marginalized groups, including women, was adopted for the following three parliaments: ‘For three consecutive terms after the ratification of this Constitution, one-half of the seats allocated to party-list representatives shall be filled, as provided by law, by selection or election from the labor, peasant, urban poor, indigenous cultural communities, women, youth, and such other sectors as may be provided by law, except the religious sector’ (1986 Constitution, Article VI, section 5).
Currently, several legislative initiatives are being considered in the parliament with regards to the introduction of minimum 40 per cent quotas for promoting women’s participation in all areas of public life, including public service. (Chairperson, Philippine Commission on Women 2021)
Sources
Legal Sources:
- Constitution of Philippine - Link
- Omnibus Election Code - Link
- Election Laws - Link
- Political Parties Law - Link
- Local Government Code - Link
Other Sources:
- Parliament of Philippine - Link
- Electoral Commission - Link
- Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Asia, ‘Quota Profile: Philippines’
- Akbayan, Constitution 2010
- Inter-Parliamentary Union, IPU Parline Philippines
Additional reading
- See the latest updates on Philippines on iKNOW Politics
- Hega, M. D., Alporha, V. & Evangelista, M. S. (2017). Feminism and the women's movement in the Philippines: Struggles, advances and challenges. [Friedrich Ebert Stiftung]
- Lundgren, S. S. & Petrosiute, V. (2016). Women's political representation in the Philippines. A study about gender equality in the government of the Philippines [Högskolan i Borås]
- Rappler. 2016. 46 Groups Proclaimed as Party list winners. Rappler. (online).
- Reilly, B. & Reyes, S. 2016. Zipper System: How to get more women elected. Rappler. (online).
- Atienza, M. E. 2000. Gender and Local Governance in the Philippines. Rose J. Lee and Cal Clark (eds.). Democracy & the Status of Women in East Asia. Boulder: Lynne Rienner. pp. 77-90
- UNIFEM. 2000. Progress of the World's Women 2000. New York: United Nations.
- Inter-Parliamentary Union. 1999. Participation of Women in Political Life: An assessment of developments in national parliaments, political parties, governments and the Inter-Parliamentary Union, five years after the Fourth World Conference on Women. Geneva: Inter-Parliamentary Union.
- Mission, G. 1998. Their own worst enemies: Gender politics in the Philippines. WIN Magazine. April.
- Aguilar, C. T. 1997. Challenges to Women Politicians in a Democratized Asian Society. Paper presented at The 17th World Congress of the International Political Science Association. Seoul.
- Calimoso, E. 1997. Cuberdyaryo, April 12.
- Philippine Parliament website, http://www.congress.gov.ph/
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