DAR Aklan lauds passage of Magna Carta of Women
KALIBO, Aklan – The approval of RA 9710 or the Magna Carta of Women last August 14, 2009 by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is a most welcome development in pursuit of women’s empowerment. Together with the CARP Extension with Reforms (CARPER) which was signed by the President last August 8 at Plaridel, Bulacan, PARO Daniel Y. Martelino believes holistic rural development will be attained through the affirmative actions provided by these laws.
The Magna Carta of Women sets the standards on how women should be treated as it seeks to eliminate all forms of discrimination against women by recognizing, protecting, fulfilling and promoting all human rights and freedoms of Filipino women, particularly in the marginalized sector.
Among the women in the marginalized sector are the small farmers and rural women workers who are DAR Aklan’s agrarian reform beneficiaries. A significant provision of the Magna Carta of Women promotes the equal status given to men and women on the titling of the land and issuance of stewardship contracts and patents.
The CARPER Bill meanwhile affirms in a provision that the “State shall recognize and enforce the rights of rural women to own and control land taking into consideration the substantive equality between men and women as qualified beneficiaries, to receive a just share of the fruits thereof, and to be represented in advisory or appropriate decision making bodies. These rights shall be independent of their male relatives and other civil status.” DAR-Aklan to date was able to distribute Certificate of Land Ownership Awards (CLOAs) and Emancipation Patents (EPs) to more or less 22,627 agrarian reform beneficiaries and 10,799 of whom are women.