WOMEN IN DIGITAL SPACE. Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary for Digital Media Services Emerald Ridao (4th from left) with other participants in the PCO-organized side event on the sidelines of the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68) in the United States on Wednesday (March 20, 2024, Manila time). The PCO’s side event carried the theme “Going DigitALL: Women’s Empowerment through Digitalization,” aiming to highlight the relevance of e-governance in creating safe spaces for women and empowering them to become agents of change. (Photo courtesy of PCO)
MANILA – Philippine officials participating in the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68) have emphasized the importance of digital collaboration among nations in empowering women and ending gender disparities.
In an event organized by the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) on the sidelines of the CSW68 in the United States on Wednesday (Manila time), Local Government Assistant Secretary for Administration, Finance, and Comptrollership Ester Apin-Aldana said nations must work together to create equal opportunities for women in the digital landscape.
“Collaboration is essential. We can successfully bridge digital divide and ensure the inclusion of all,” Apin-Aldana said. “The Philippines will continue to leverage technology as a catalyst for inclusive and data-driven governance through adoption of smart city initiatives, data analytics, and green technology to empower women at the grassroots.”
She touted the Philippines’ digitalization efforts to promote gender equality, saying the country is undergoing a rapid transformation by taking advantage of emerging technology to make sure that “no (Filipino) citizen is left behind” under the Marcos administration.
Taking into consideration the challenges women have to face in accessing and using digital tools, she said the Philippine government has also developed various programs to harness technological advancements.
Apin-Aldana said such initiatives include the Gender and Development (GAD) Local Learning Hub certification program for local government units (LGUs); the Philippine Commission on Women’s (PCW) digital GAD library; online GAD webinar series; and GAD Focal Point System and Gad Database.
She noted that the government has also partnered with various private sector institutions to upskill about 300,000 women by providing them with comprehensive digital training and employment opportunities in the next three years.
Apin-Aldana also cited the implementation of several programs in the country, such as the digitaljobsPH and Tech4ED to provide women with more employment opportunities in information and communications technology or ICT-enabled jobs.
She said the Strengthening Initiatives for Balanced Growth and Opportunities at the Localities (SIBOL) Program initiated by various LGUs would prepare women to develop the requirements of the private enterprises for emerging industries.
“The ongoing Digital Innovation for Women Advancement highlights the increasing women's participation in ICT,” Apin-Aldana said.
“Our Philippine Commission on Women will continually enhance the gender responsiveness of government policies and collaborate closely with local government units and national agencies.”
Apin-Aldana said the Philippines is committed to promoting gender equality and combatting violence against women through its existing laws, rules and regulations, such as Republic Act (RA) 9710 or the Magna Carta of Women, RA 11313 or the Safe Spaces Act, and the establishment of the Violence against Women and Children Registry System.
She added that such initiatives as e-lawyering and e-reporting to the Gender Ombudsman facilitate access to legal assistance and streamline complaint processes for accessibility at the grassroots level.
Access to digital media
PCO Undersecretary for Digital Media Services Emerald Ridao said the digital media has also become influential in advancing women empowerment.
“As with all emerging technologies, there is evidence to support that when women are given access, they can make significant change,” Ridao said, noting that as of 2022, about 62.39 percent of the 93.8 million active social media users in the Philippines were women who were “shaping online discourse and culture.”
“And of course, as access to the Internet grows, digital increasingly becomes a very powerful platform for more women empowerment and on entrepreneurship.”
Ridao, however, acknowledged that increased access to digital media also means more opportunities for violence and exploitation, saying online platforms could be “breeding grounds for hate speech” targeting women.
She added that women in rural areas’ lack of connectivity, affordable devices, and digital literacy is also one of the challenges that need to be addressed.
Ridao also emphasized the need to challenge and disrupt the perpetuation of “harmful” stereotypes and biases in media content.
“This does not only deprive women of the ability to share their stories and perspectives but actually reinforces their exclusion from the very online discourse that directly impact their lives,” she said.
“Governments and the private sector must prioritize implementation of policies and initiatives that promote equality and diversity within our organizations. This includes measures to address disparity, to promote women to leadership positions. But more than anything, it’s really just ensuring a safe and inclusive work environment for women and girls.”
Ridao noted that in the Philippines, the PCO would be working with stakeholders to publish a gender-fair media guidebook that will serve as a reference for government communicators and the private media to convey messaging in more gender-neutral terms.
Meanwhile, United Nations (UN) Women Asia and the Pacific regional director Alia El-Yassir said collaborations and partnerships should ensure the direct involvement of women, considering that technological advancements are progressing at an exponential rate, giving them “exciting opportunities.”
El-Yassir said the UN Women is fully committed to strengthening digital security for all persons, especially women.
“We will continue to work closely with government partners, particularly law enforcement agencies, local civil society organizations, as well as justice sector actors who we believe play a critical role. We are also exploring collaboration with the private sector and tech companies to find ways to develop technology that is built and designed by and with women for women,” she said.
Chandy Eng, executive director of Gender and Development for Cambodia, said investing in women in digital transformation should be put on the list of government political will to address gaps in accessing technology.
Use of technology in education
Apin-Aldana also cited the need to invest in information and communications technology (ICT) education and foster female leadership in technology industries and digital spaces.
To address limited participation and leadership roles, she said, the Science Education Institute, a service agency of the Department of Science and Technology, also aims to lead in GAD within Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education by 2025.
Edna Imelda Fernandez-Legazpi, focal person of the Gender and Development Office (GAD) of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), also cited the agency’s initiatives in gender mainstreaming through technology.
Fernandez-Legazpi said the Philippine Higher Education Gender and Development Information System, a project launched by CHED, aims to mainstream gender auditing among higher education institutions (HEIs), account for the raw data on GAD activities, and provide an overview for administrators as they craft gender-inclusive policies.
She said CHED Memorandum Order 3 issued in 2022, which contains guidelines on gender-based sexual harassment in HEIs, was launched through the conduct of online and offline orientations with students, administrators, and stakeholders to orient and introduce the rules and provisions of RA 11313.
She added that the CHED has also capacitated its GAD focals in the central and regional offices on the use of the Gender Mainstreaming Monitoring System (GMMS), an online mechanism mainly formulated by the PCW that serves as a database for monitoring the government’s gender mainstreaming efforts.
Fernandez-Legazpi said the CHED seeks to produce “locally responsive, globally competitive, and gender-sensitive lifelong learners” by helping HEIs implement policies and programs toward gender equality.
She added that the agency is “very much open” to partnerships and collaborations with other government and non-government agencies to boost initiatives to make schools a “safe environment and equally gender sensitive.”
“As the Philippine higher education conquered the pandemic by shifting to online modalities and flexible learning, the implementation of Gender Mainstreaming did its own catching up by utilizing technology in its policies and programs,” she said.
“The Commission on Higher Education, being present in this noteworthy endeavor, underscores its commitment of being a staunch ally in the path towards gender equality through the integration of gender mainstreaming in the higher education.”
‘Transformative’ approach for women entrepreneurs
Chua Choon Hwa, deputy secretary general of Malaysia’s Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development, also highlighted the need to take a “transformative” approach to empower women who are part of the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) through financial technology.
Chua suggested lowering barriers in international trade, improving financial technology knowledge among women entrepreneurs through virtual learning platforms, and creating a special financial technology fund targeted at supporting women-led MSMEs globally.
“The integration of financial technology into the financing landscape for MSMEs in Malaysia represents a significant leap forward in empowering women entrepreneurs,” he said.
“By implementing these recommendations, we can ensure that women-led MSMEs not only survive but thrive in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Let us work together to build a more inclusive, equitable, and prosperous future for all.” (PNA)
