WOMENS POLITICAL PARTICIPATION IN SAN JOSE, OCCIDENTAL MINDORO: ISSUES AND CHALLENGES Clemencia G. Mabalot, Rosalinda C.

Gomez, Amalia E. Roldan, and Mary Yole Apple M. Declaro Occidental Mindoro State College Main Campus San Jose, Occidental Mindoro ABSTRACT One of the governments priority programs focuses on gender and development. It is an approach to or a paradigm of development that focuses on how social, economic, political and cultural forces determine how difficulty women and men participate in, benefit from, and control resources and activities for development. The GAD tract may be safety said to have crossed over from alternatives to mainstream. Policy guidelines laws, implementing rules and regulations have been formulated and distributed to the different government agencies so as to ensure the fundamental equality before the law of men and women. This includes among others Republic Act 7192 (Women in Development and Nation Building Act) the Millennium Development Goals, executive Order no 273 (Approving and Adopting the Philippine Plan for Gender Responsive Development, 1995-2025). Furthermore, in accordance with the Framework Plan for Women agencies are encouraged to promote gender responsive governance, protect and fulfill womens rights and promote womens economic empowerment. This study aims to determine the profile of women politicians in San Jose, Occidental Mindoro, determine the extent of participation of the women politicians in executive, legislative and judicial functions, and identify the issues and challenges of women in politics. The study use descriptive method of research. Simple random sampling was used in identifying the respondents. The study reveals that the mean age of women politicians in San Jose, Occidental Mindoro is 46.30, majority are college undergraduate serving as barangay councilors with 1 to 5 years experience. Women politicians participation in the executive, legislative and judicial functions is of great extent. Family responsibilities and relationships, economic and gender role stereotype greatly affect their political participation.

The study recommends that there is a need to emphasize equal opportunities for men and women in politics and other endeavors. It is also recommended that gender related trainings and seminars be conducted to increase awareness in the community. Furthermore, inclusion of gender related activities and programs in the different organizations are recommended. 1

I.

INTRODUCTION One of the governments priority programs focuses on gender and development. It is an

approach to or a paradigm of development that focuses on how social, economic, political and cultural forces determine how difficulty women and men participate in, benefit from, and control resources and activities for development. It recognizes the different roles, responsibilities, expectations, interest needs and contributions of women and men in society and integrates those gender concerns in the development planning process. For government, adopting gender and development means considering gender as a factor when it plans, budgets for, implements, monitor and evaluate programs, activities, projects and services for development. The need to address and integrate womens concerns in development was first introduced during the 70s using the Women in Development framework which focuses on providing services that promote equal participation of women in education, employment and other spheres of society. Another approach emerged known as the Women and Development. This focuses on the relationship between women and development processes rather than purely strategies that integrate women in development. These approaches, however, could not fully explain why women continue to be disadvantage in society so that the third approach, Gender and Development evolved in late 89s, an enhancement to the WID and WAD concepts. This approach recognizes women as agents of development, not merely as passive recipients of development assistance. It has for its policy to translate concretely governments commitment to the Constitutions provision on gender equality. In the Philippines, human resource is considered one of the most important assets of an organization. Both men and women constitute the workforce. Whatever are their statuses and roles 2

in life and in the workplace, both men and women affect the organization either positively or negatively. To achieve excellence and high productivity, an organization has to exert effort in empowering its workforce. Before, development programs are gender based. This resulted in the neglect of concerns particular to women, such as matters of reproductive health, technology support and extension service for farm and production tasks done by women, credit for womens economic incentives and many others. Because their particular concerns were not being addressed, women remained disadvantaged and marginalized. Such a situation was self- perpetuating because it gave women little opportunity to influence development agenda and direction. Today, the GAD tract may be safety said to have crossed over from alternatives to mainstream. Policy guidelines laws, implementing rules and regulations have been formulated and distributed to the different government agencies so as to ensure the fundamental equality before the law of men and women. This includes among others Republic Act 7192 (Women in Development and Nation Building Act) the Millennium Development Goals, executive Order no 273 (Approving and Adopting the Philippine Plan for Gender Responsive Development, 1995-2025). Furthermore, in accordance with the Framework Plan for Women agencies are encouraged to promote gender responsive governance, protect and fulfill womens rights and promote womens economic empowerment. To ensure that this program would be implemented, 5% of the agencies total budget appropriation is allotted. It is with in this context and with the end view of determining the full implementation of GAD programs and objectives that the study on Womens Political Participation in San Jose, Occidental Mindoro: Issues and Challenges was conducted.

II.

OBJECTIVES The objectives of the study are as follows:

1. 2.

Determine the profile of women politicians in San Jose, Occidental Mindoro Determine the extent of participation of the women politicians in following mandated functions: a. Executive b. Legislative and c. Judicial

3. 4.

Determine the accomplishment of the women politicians Identify the issues and challenges of women in politics

III.

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE Womens equality in power sharing and active participation in decision making, including

decision making in political process at all levels will be ensured for the achievement of the goals of empowerment. All measures will be taken to guarantee women equal access to and full participation in decision making bodies at every level, including the legislative, executive, judicial, corporate, statutory bodies, as also the advisory Commissions, Committees, Boards, and Trusts etc. Affirmative action such as reservations/quotas, including in higher legislative bodies, will be considered whenever necessary on a time bound basis. Womenfriendly personnel policies will also be drawn up to encourage women to participate effectively in the developmental process. Legal-judicial system will be made more responsive and gender sensitive to womens needs, especially in cases of domestic violence and personal assault. New laws will be enacted and

existing laws reviewed to ensure that justice is quick and the punishment meted out to the culprits is commensurate with the severity of the offence. Globalization has presented new challenges for the realization of the goal of womens equality, the gender impact of which has not been systematically evaluated fully. However, from the micro-level studies that were commissioned by the Department of Women & Child Development, it is evident that there is a need for re-framing policies for access to employment and quality of employment. Benefits of the growing global economy have been unevenly distributed leading to wider economic disparities, the feminization of poverty, increased gender inequality through often deteriorating working conditions and unsafe working environment especially in the informal economy and rural areas. Strategies will be designed to enhance the capacity of women and empower them to meet the negative social and economic impacts, which may flow from the globalization process. IV. METHODOLOGY The descriptive method was employed in the study. San Jose is politically subdivided into 38 barangays. To determine the number of women politicians, the list of the municipal and barangay levels officials was secured from the Office of the Commission of Election (COMELEC.) A total of three hundred forty nine (349) officials served the municipality, of these, 63 are women. The distribution of women politicians are presented in table 1 below.

Table 1. Distribution of women politicians in San Jose, Occidental Mindoro. Municipality/Barangay San Jose (Municipal) Poblacion Barangays (8 ) Outside Poblacion (19) Island Barangays (11) Frequency 1 14 36 12 Percentage 2 22 57 19 5

Total

63

100

Researchers utilized all the women politicians in the municipality. They were given questionnaires and some were interviewed. The first part of the questionnaire asked on the womens profile. The second part are questions determining the extent of their participation in the political functions in their jurisdictions given the scale of 1- 5. The scale of 5 interpreted as Very Great Extent means that women are given full participation/leadership in all activities/ functions undertaken in their assigned post. The scale of 4 is of Great Extent, great participation/leadership in all activities/functions undertaken, 3 is of Moderate Extent, moderate participation/leadership in all activities/functions undertaken, 2 is of Little Extent, limited participation/leadership in all activities/functions undertaken and 1 means no participation in all activities/functions undertaken. Open ended questions were included also that asked on their factors affecting their political participation, issues and challenges. Out of the 63 officials who were given questionnaires only 40 replied and participated as samples of the study. The data collected were processed with the aid of statistical software.

V.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION This part discusses the findings using descriptive statistics. The socio- demographic

characteristics of the respondents were presented in table 1 below. Table 2. Profile distribution of the participants.
PROFILE VARIABLES FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE

1. Age a. Below 20 b. 21-40 c. 41-60 d. Above 60 2. Highest Educational Attainment a. College Graduate b. College Undergraduate c. High School Diploma d. Elementary Certificate 3. Current Political Position a. Brgy. Councilor b. Brgy. Chairman 111 c. Municipal Councilor 4.Years of Experience as Political Official a. 1- 5 b. 6 - 10 c. 11-15 d. 16 -20

1 11 21 7

3 27 53 17 27 38 27 8 90 7.5 2.5 63 20 13 5

11 15 11 3 36 3 1 25 8 5 2

The women politicians of San Jose had a mean age of 46.30, the youngest is 17 and the oldest is 64 years old. Fifteen (15) or 38% of them are College undergraduate, eleven (11) or 27% are College graduate of different major fields and the rest are High School and Elementary graduates. For their current position, majority are Barangay Councilors which is 36 or 90 %, 3 or 7.5% are Barangay Chairman and only 1 or 2.5% is a Municipal Councilor. Most of them have 15 years experienced as political leaders. Data reveals that the ages of the participants are covered by the Local Government Code of 1991 states that candidates for the position of chairman or members of the Sanguniang Barangay must be at least eighteen (18) years of age on election day, while members of the Sangguniang Kabataan must be (15) years of age. Sisons (2001), in his study concluded that the middle age of barangay officials means that they are dynamic, aggressive and possess the ideal spirit of firmly implementing rule and laws. 7

WOMENS PARTICIPATION IN EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS Table 3. Extent of participation of women in the executive functions (n=40).
A. EXECUTIVE (Tungkuling Ehekutibo) Mean 4.07 3.40 Interpretation Great Moderate

1.

Enforcement of all laws and ordinances ( Pagpapatupad ng mga batas at ordinansa) 2. Negotiating, entering into and sign contracts for and on behalf of the municipality/barangay upon authorization of the Sangguniang bayan/barangay. (Pakikipagnegosasyon, pagpasok at pagpirma sa mga kontrata batay sa pagsangayon ng Sangguniang bayan/barangay.) 3. Maintaining public order in the municipality/barangay and in pursuance thereof, assist the sanggunian members in the performance in their duties and functions. (Pagpapanatili ng katahimikan sa bayan/barangay) 4. Organizing and leading of an emergency group whenever the same may be necessary for the maintenance of peace and order or on occasions of emergency or calamity in the municipality/barangay (Pagbubuo at pangunguna sa grupong nagpapanatili ng katahimikan at kaayusan maging sa panahon ng kalamidad sa bayan/barangay) 5. Enforcement of laws and regulations relating to pollution control and protection of the environment. (Pagpapatupad ng batas para sa pangangalaga ng kalikasan) 6. Exercising general supervision over the activities of the Sangguniang Kabataan. (Pamumuno at paggabay sa mga gawain ng Sangguniang Kabataan) 7. Ensuring the delivery of basic services as mandated Under Section 17 of the Local Government Code.(Masiguro ang pagbibigay ng mga pangunahing serbisyo0 8. Conduct of an Annual Palarong Bayan/Barangay which shall feature traditional sports in coordination with the DEP-ED. (Pag-oorganisa ng palarong pamabayan/pambarangay). 9. Promote the general welfare of the municipality/barangay. (Pagtataguyod ng mga gawaing nakakabuti sa mga naninirahan sa barangay.) 10. Organization of regular lectures, programs, or forum on community problems and convene assemblies to encourage citizen participation in the government. (Pag-oorganisa sa mga pag-aaral, seminar at panayam) OVERALL MEAN

2.45

Little Extent

4.25

Great Extent

3.20

Moderate

4.17 4.56

Great Very Great

3.35

Moderate

4.58 4.67

Very Great Very Great

3.87

Of Great Extent

1 1.4 No participation 1.5 2.4 Little extent 2.5 3.4 Moderate extent 3.5 4.4 Of Great extent 4.5 5 Very Great extent

The executive function is the branch of government charged with putting into effect a country's laws and the administering of its functions. Table 3 presents the extent of participation of the women politicians in this function. With the overall mean of 3.87, the participants rated their participation as of Great Extent. They were given great participation and leadership in all of the executive functions undertaken in the municipality/barangay. In the ten functions given, women 8

have Very Great Extent of participation in the following: Organization of regular lectures, programs, or forum on community problems and convene assemblies to encourage citizen participation in the government (mean =4.67), promoting the general welfare of the municipality/barangay(mean = 4.58), and ensuring the delivery of basic services as mandated Under Section 17 of the Local Government Code (mean =4.56). Little Extent of participation is given in maintaining public order in the municipality/barangay and in pursuance thereof, assists the sanggunian members in the performance in their duties and functions (mean =2.45).

WOMENS PARTICIPATION IN LEGISLATIVE FUNCTIONS Table 4. Extent of participation of women in the legislative functions (n=40).
LEGISLATIVE (Tungkuling Pang-Lehislatura) Enactment of ordinances as may be necessary to discharge the respon-sibilities conferred upon it by law or ordinance & to promote the general. welfare of the inhabitants therein.(Nagpapatupad ng mga ordinansang sumasakop sa pangkalahatang kagalingan) 2. Enactment of annual and supplemental budgets in accordance with the provisions of the local code.(Nagpapatupad ng mga ordinansa ng badget) 3. Provision for the construction & maintenance of municipalitys/barangays facilities and other public works project. (Nagtatakda para sa pagpapagawa ng mga imprastraktura.) 4. Giving of assistance in the establishment, organization & promotion of cooperative enterprises that will improve the eco condition & well-being of the residents. (Pagtulong sa pagpapatayo ng mga Kooperatiba). 5. Regulating the use of municipal/barangay facilities constructed with government funds within the jurisdiction of the municipality/barangay and charge reasonable fees for the use thereof. ( Pangasiwaan ang mga kagamitang pambayan/pambarangay na nagmula sa pundo ng gobyerno at singilin ang gagamit kung nararapat lamang). 6. Provision for the organization of community brigades, barangay tanod, or community service units as may be necessary. ( Paglalaanan ang pagtatag ng mga brigading pampamayanan, barangay tanod, o mga pangkat panlinkuran ng pamayanan na kakailanganin) 7. Adoption of measures to prevent & control the proliferation of squatters & mendicants in the municipality/barangay. ( Pagtatakda ng mga paraan para maiwasan ang pagdami ng mga iskwater at pulubi sa bayan/barangay).
1.

Mean 3.72

Interpretation Great

3.92 3.24 3.40

Great Moderate Moderate

4.52

Very Great

2.35

Little Extent

2.90

Moderate

Provision for the proper development & 4.52 Very Great welfare of children in the municipality/ barangay. by promoting & supporting activities for the protection and total development of children, particularly those below seven years of age.(Paglalaan ukol sa tamang pag-unlad at kagalingan ng mga bata.) 9. Adoption of measures towards the prevention 4.02 Great and eradication of drug abuse, child abuse, and juvenile delinquency. ( Pagtatakda ng mga hakbangin upang maiwasan at masugpo ang pangaabuso sa mga kabataan). 10. Provision for the establishment of non-formal 4.58 Very Great education center in the barangay whenever feasible, in coordination with the DEP-ED. ( Pagbibigay ng non-formal ng edukasyon sa nasasakupan.) OVERALL MEAN 3.71 Great 1 1.4 No participation 1.5 2.4 Little extent 2.5 3.4 Moderate extent 3.5 4.4 Great extent 4.5 5 Very Great extent
8.

Table 4 presents the extent of participation of women in legislative function. As the law making body of the government, it is considered an effective tool for good governance and results in ordinances and resolutions that enable citizens to achieve a better life or development and if it contributes to the attainment of the communitys shared vision With the overall mean of 3.71, the women were given great participation in all of the activities conducted in their place relative to legislative functions. Women have Very Great Extent of participation in the provision for the establishment of non-formal education. Center in the municipality/barangay whenever feasible, in coordination with the DEP-ED(mean = 4.58), provision for the proper development & welfare of children in the municipality/ barangay, by promoting & supporting activities for the protection and total development of children, particularly those below seven years of age (mean = 4.52) and in regulating the use of municipal/barangay facilities constructed with government funds within the jurisdiction of the municipality/barangay and charge reasonable fees for the use thereof (mean =4.52). Little extent or limited participation/leadership is given to provision for the organization of community brigades, barangay tanod, or community service units as may be necessary (mean = 2.35). 10

WOMENS PARTICIPATION IN JUDICIAL FUNCTIONS Table 5. Extent of participation of women in the judicial functions (n=40).
C. JUDICIAL (Tungkuling Pang-Hustisya) Mean Interpretation 1. Receiving all complaints filed by individuals against other persons that are 3.40 Moderate subject to amicable settlement. ( Pagtanggap ng mga reklamong isinumite ng sino mang tao na nangangailangan ng pagsasaayos). 2. Summon respondents with notice to the complainants for them to appear 3.05 Moderate before him for mediation. (Pagaabiso o pagpapatawag ng mga inirereklamo ng may kalakip na hustisya ng nagrereklamo para ito ay humarap sa isang pamamagitan.) 3. Resolving the venue of settlement and referring any legal question to the 3.85 Great Extent secretary of justice or his duly designated representative. (Pagpapasya kung saang lugar dapat dinggin ang kaso at ipasa sa Secretary of Justice o ang kinatawan nito kung may susulpot na mga katanungang legal). 4. Organizing the Pangkat ng Tagapagkasundo. Pagbubuo/Paghihirang ng 3.77 Great Extent pangkat ng tagapagkasundo). 5. Rendering an arbitration award when agreed upon by the conflicting parties 3.87 Great Extent before the Pangkat ng Tagapagkasundo. (Pagdinig at pagpapasya /Pagggawad ng disisyon na napagkasunduan ng magkabilang panig sa pangkat ng tagapagkasuundo). 6. Administering oaths in connection with any matter relating to all 3.62 Great Extent proceedings in the implementation of the Katarungang Pambarangay. (Pangangasiwa ng mga panunumpa alinsunod sa pag-aayos ng mga usapin sa pagpapatupad ng katarungang pambayan/pambarangay). 7. Setting the date, time and place, and preside over the regular monthly 3.72 Great Extent meetings of the lupon. ( Pagtatakda ng araw, oras at lugar at pamunuan ang regular na buwanang pagpupulong sa lugar). 8. Preparing the agenda for each meeting.( Paghahanda ng Agenda). 3.37 Great Extent 9. Ensuring that the lupon exercises administrative supervision over the 3.35 Great Extent various pangkat and perform such powers, duties and function as may be prescribed by law or ordinance.( Pagtataguyod /Magsiguro na ang lupon ay magsasagawa ng supervision upang pangasiwaan sa ibat ibang pangkat at tumupad sa iba pang gawain tungkulin at gampaning itakda ng batas o ordinansa.) 10.Where the mediation or arbitration is made, she shall attest to the 4.02 Great Extent certification signed or issued by the lupon secretary. ( Kung saan namagitan at dininig at pinagpasyahan ang usapin, ay pagtibayin niya na may pirma/pinagtibay ng kalihim ng lupon) OVERALL MEAN 3.76 Great Extent 1 1.4 No participation 1.5 2.4 Little extent 2.5 3.4 Moderate extent 3.5 4.4 Great extent 4.5 5 Very Great extent

The main function of the judicial branch is to make sure all laws that are passed are considered constitutional and do not go in any way against the Constitution. Table 5 presents the

11

extent of participation of women in the judicial function. This ten activities/funtions given are observed in the barangay level. The barangay has quasi-judicial powers. Through the Lupong Tagapamayapa, it has the authority to mediate and amicably settle disputes between members of the barangay. In fact, a certification from the Lupon that no conciliation or settlement has been reached regarding matters within its authority is required as a pre-condition to the filing of a case in court or any other government office for adjudication. As observed in the barangays within the municipality of San Jose women were given a great participation in all activities conducted in relation to judicial functions. It was reflected in the overall mean of 3.76 and interpreted as of Great Extent. Of the ten activities, they were given highest participation in where the mediation or arbitration is made, she shall attest to the certification signed or issued by the lupon secretary (4.02), and with moderate participation in Summon respondents with notice to the complainants for them to appear before him for mediation (mean = 3.05).

FACTORS AFFECTING WOMENS POLITICAL PARTICIPATION The following are the common factors affecting the political participation of women:
1. FAMILY - Ninety-five percent of the participants are mothers. As mothers, their first priority

is the family. They have to balance their roles as a politician, as a wife and as a mother. They find difficult to manage their time to be effective and efficient political leaders. This lead to the family disputes and misunderstanding especially between husband and wife.

12

2. ECONOMIC- Lack of funds is one of the problems encountered by the women politicians of

San Jose. 75% of them commented that there are no enough funds to materialize their proposed projects and to give assistance to the calamity victims and marginal citizens.
3. GENDER ROLE STEREOTYPE The gender role ideology is used as an ideological tool by

patriarchy to place women within the private arena of home as mothers and wives and men in the public sphere. 10% of the participants noticed that as women in politics sometimes they feel inferior to their male counterparts. They are always assigned to education, health and beautification of the barangay which perpetuate and emphasized the idea that women can only do these kinds of jobs because of the roles attached to their gender. ISSUES AND CHALLENGES
1. Firmness in decision making. Women are perceived to be fickle minded and could easily

be persuaded by people who possess convincing prowess and who are good in affecting emotional aspect of a leader.
2. Minimize and eliminate corruption in the bureaucracy. Expectations for women leaders

as to their dedication and honesty in the performance in their duties, they are more honest and dedicated than men.
3. Enough funds for education and health. Limited budget and subsidies from the

government makes women politicians more creative, innovative and resourceful in finding ways on how to source out funds. 4. Creation of sustainable livelihood programs for the unemployed, out of school youth and elderly.

13

5. Peace and order in the community. Rampant drugs, prostitution, small time gambling

post danger in peace in order in the municipality/barangays. VI. FINDINGS

1. The mean age of women politicians in San Jose is 46.30. Majority are College

undergraduate. Most of them are Barangay Councilors with 1 year to 5 years experience.
2. Women politicians participation in the executive, legislative and judicial functions is of

great extent.
3. Family responsibilities and relationships, economic and gender role stereotype greatly

affect their political participation.

4. Firmness in decision making, minimizing and eliminating corruption in the bureaucracy,

raising of funds for education and health, creation of sustainable livelihood programs for the unemployed, out of school youth and elderly, peace and order in the community and malpractice are some of the issues and challenges in the political career of women.

VII. CONCLUSION
1. Women politicians of San Jose are effective leaders as can perform well as political leaders 2. Womens participation in the execution of political functions in their respective

municipality/barangay is highly recognized. 3. Stereotyping as to communities expectations associated with their gender is a great factor in participation of women in politics.

14

4. Issues and challenges encountered by women politicians give them motivation to prove women can effective efficient and decisive in their actions.

VIII. RECOMMENDATION 1. Encourage more women to get involved in politics.

2. Emphasize that men and women have the same and equal opportunities in politics and

other endeavors. 3. Increase awareness on gender related issues and activities through seminars and trainings. 4. Inclusion of gender related activities and programs and organization of women oriented clubs and movements in the municipalitys/barangays action plan and governance.

IX. REFERENCES: Social, Legal, political and economical Empowerment,http:www.iah.org/ our_work_socio_economic_women_empowerment asp.

Francisco, Josefa. 2008. Gender, Governance and Democracy. http://www.rightsreporting. net/index2.php?option=com_content&do_pdf=1&id=45 Chapman, Amanda. 2008. (PAT)Gender Bias in Education. http://www.edchange. org/multicultural/papers/genderbias.html 2007YLDA Empowers Young Women in Politics. http://www.fnf.org.ph/news/young-liberalsempowers-women-in-politics.htm Hontiveros, Risa. 2007. On Gender Balance in Politics and Governance. Priveledge Speech delivered on July 30, 2007http://www.akbayan.org/index.php?option=com _content&view= article&id =96:on-gender-balance-in-politics-andgovernance&catid=17:speeches&Itemid=10 15

16