On the last day of National Women's Month, Quezon City 5th district Rep. PM Vargas highlighted his various pending bills in the House of Representatives that would have a positive impact on women, should they get enacted. “Empowered women empower society. They already have unique strengths and capabilities. We just need to fuel the change on how we want the world to perceive them,” Vargas said in a statement Friday, March 31. The legislator, who has consistently topped the legislative performance in the House of Representatives in the 19th Congress, has penned measures such as the proposed Young Women’s Refuge and Assistance Center Act (House Bill [HB] No.6007), which aims to provide ample and reliable access to maternal health and safe childbirth to young first-time mothers. For business-oriented women, a bill creating a National Program for Women’s Enterprise (HB No.6005) was also filed by Vargas. This will level the playing field, making them more competitive and resilient to challenges that come along the way in their chosen venture, the rookie solon said. He also shared the thought process behind the filing of HB No.6003, or the proposed Act Creating Women in Political Parties Empowerment Fund. “Since the time of my brother, former Congressman Alfred Vargas, we are working on policies to provide this sector the power to air their concerns and grievances that we, men, cannot fully understand. That is why we have considered filing [HB 6003],” he said. Vargas, citing data from United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian, which said that Filipino women have been the worst-hit by the pandemic. More than six million Pinays were exposed to domestic violence and other vulnerabilities, he said. As such, he filed the proposed Act to Ensure Gender-Responsive and Inclusive Protocols to address the gender-differentiated needs of women during public health emergencies, public health threats, disasters, and other health events of public concern (HB No.6001). Another Vargas bill, an Act Expanding the Prohibited Acts of Discrimination Against Women on Accounts of Sex (HB No. 4479), had been approved on third and final reading in the House as an amendment to the existing Labor Code of the Philippines.