At present, some representatives of the Philippines’ Congress are pushing for the Magna Carta for Women. The draft bill is consistent with the provisions of CEDAW and is drafted to be a comprehensive law for eliminating discrimination against women and recognizing and promoting all human rights and fundamental freedoms of women, particularly the poor and the marginalized. The bill is now being heard in the Senate Committee on Youth, Women and Family Relations and the Committee on Women in the House of Representatives. There is a good number of laws protecting and increasing the capacities of women to participate in politics. Some of such laws are: Republic Act No. 7192 and the Act Promoting the Integration of Women as Full and Equal Partners to Men in Development and Nation Building. The latter law requires setting aside 5-30% of official development assistance funds for programs and activities for women. The General Appropriations Act of 1998 mandates government agencies to set aside an amount from their appropriations for projects designed to address gender issues. Other examples include: RA 9262 is the Law on Anti-Violence Against Women and Children; RA 9208 is the Law Against Trafficking; RA 8353 is the Anti-Rape Law of 1997; RA 7877 is the Anti-Sexual Harassment Act. There are more laws and regulations, but the challenge is in strictly enforcing these laws and keeping them consistent. Generally, these laws have been successful because of the determination of women's groups that worked together around specific advocacy campaigns, the commitment of the government to CEDAW, and international agreements and conventions as an overarching framework. It is also important to mention the support of some key members of the House and Senate, support from media and from civil society at large. By Ms. Nelia Agbon, Senior Resident Country Director for Mindanao Programs, National Democratic Institute (NDI)