Manila asked to mitigate debt burden on women

Manila The Philippine government has run up a total of 9.79 trillion pesos (Dh835.29 billion) in ‘social debt' to women, an activist group said.

The amount was computed based on the budget shortfall for education, health, and housing during the course of debt payments by the government over 25 years, from 1986 to 2011, the Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC) said.

"The government should honour its social debt... to Filipino women because they have been carrying heavier burden [since 1986] after the ouster of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos," said Manjette Lopez, FDC's vice-president.

Highlighting the government's responsibility to women during celebrations to mark International Women's Day, Lopez said the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation's (Unesco) had recommended that the budget for education should be equivalent to six per cent of the country's gross national product.

The World Health Organisation had likewise pointed out to the government that its budget for health programmes should be equivalent to five per cent of the country's gross domestic product.