BEYOND BUDGET
Assalamu alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
The month of March, which pays tribute to us, women, has ended. However, our battle for women's empowerment and inclusion remains.
When I delivered the Philippine statement for the first Ministerial Round Table of the 68th annual Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68) at the United Nations headquarters in New York City on March 12, 2024, I reiterated the commitment of the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. (PBBM) in contributing to poverty eradication, acceleration of gender equality, and empowerment of all women and girls, as reflected in our Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028 and Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Plan 2019-2025.
Essentially, the CSW68 underscored the need for a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach to address gender issues.
One of the most pressing issues at hand for Filipinas, especially for girls, is period poverty. The World Bank estimates that period poverty affects around 500 million women and girls worldwide, and our country is not an exception. Given its magnitude, it is imperative that the issue be recognized, discussed, and addressed.
For those who may be unfamiliar with the term, period poverty is the lack of access to menstrual products, hygiene facilities, and reproductive health education, causing physical, mental, and emotional challenges to women and girls. Menstruation, despite being a natural phenomenon, is rarely talked about nor directly addressed because of the stigma attached to it. Thus, women, most especially girls between 12 and 14 years old, who are experiencing it for the first time, do not have adequate knowledge and are left confused. Communities without adequate water supply for hygiene and sanitation also pose a challenge.
Unfortunately, this issue is further aggravated by our geographical location. Ranked first out of 193 countries in the World Risk Index in 2023, our susceptibility to natural disasters, such as typhoons, negatively affects the menstrual experience of women and girls in the country.
Hence, I strongly believe that period poverty is an issue that must be addressed as early as now. Menstruation is intrinsically related to human dignity—when women and girls cannot access safe bathing facilities and safe and effective means of managing their menstrual health, they are not able to manage their menstruation with dignity.
The Philippine Commission on Women (PCW), the country’s primary policy-making and coordinating body on women and gender equality concerns, has laid out several recommendations to address menstruation-related challenges faced by women and girls.
According to the PCW, one of the calls for action of the World Health Organization in 2022, during the 50th session of the Human Rights Council Panel discussion on menstrual hygiene management, human rights, and gender equality, was for menstruation to be recognized and framed as a health, not a hygiene issue—a health issue with physical, psychological, and social dimensions, and one that needs to be addressed in the perspective of a life course.
Hence, acknowledging that there are conditions and disorders related to the menstrual cycle, the PCW supports the granting of either option of menstruation leaves to female employees: one day each month with full pay or two days each month with half pay. Moreover, since not all female employees menstruate nor have concerns about their menstrual cycle, it shall include a provision that identifies requirements to qualify a female employee for the leave benefit.
Similar to availing of maternity leave, however, not all private sector establishments can afford to provide menstruation leave benefits. Hence, the PCW recommends exemptions subject to the guidelines to be issued by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and to an annual submission of justification by the employer claiming an exemption for the approval of the DOLE.
On managing menstruation in the workplace, I completely agree with PCW that gender inequality, extreme poverty, humanitarian crises, and harmful traditions can all turn menstruation into a time of deprivation and stigma, which can undermine women's and girls' enjoyment of fundamental human rights. Thus, to effectively manage menstruation, women and girls require access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) facilities, affordable and appropriate menstrual hygiene materials, information on good practices, and a supportive environment where they can manage their period without embarrassment or stigma.
Recognizing that menstruation can occur irregularly, the PCW also recommends the provision of free menstrual products to all women and girls, especially those in marginalized sectors, as well as gender-neutral restrooms in the private and public sectors. In public schools, for instance, lack of access to menstrual products and proper hygiene facilities can be a barrier to quality education and staying in school. Other countries, particularly our neighbors, prove that this is not impossible. Japan and Taiwan mainly provide free period products to schools and universities, among other reforms.
With a population of over 110 million, almost 50 percent of which are female, the government needs to understand the sociocultural, economic, and even political barriers to menstrual products, education, and sanitation, as well as their impact on health. In this regard, I wholeheartedly support PCW’s recommendation on the necessity for studies that will identify the causes and understand the gravity of the issue in the Philippines—crucial for informed policy-making.
Beyond budget, period poverty hinders women’s and girls' participation in nation-building. To address this, we must provide for their basic needs and dignity, including access to menstrual products, hygiene facilities, and reproductive health education. Rest assured that the PBBM administration is committed to providing solutions and implementing programs and policies, through a whole-of-society approach, until we see the end of period poverty.
This is our Bagong Pilipinas, a sustainable and inclusive nation where women and girls can fully, actively, and confidently participate in nation-building without being limited by the most naturally occurring phenomenon in their lives—menstruation.
(Amenah F. Pangandaman is the current Secretary of the Department of Budget and Management.)