Education

registration. In Section 12, the law provides that an alien wife’s application that has been granted will not benefit the alien husband, but the children may petition for the cancelation of their alien certificate of registration.

This law, as well as Commonwealth Act 473, both provide for the privilege of naturalization. However, the two laws do not provide the same rights to alien husbands and wives, nor the same effects once naturalization is granted. The Commonwealth Act 473 does not allow an alien wife to file for naturalization, while the Administrative Naturalization Law does not provide the husband the derivative naturalization that results upon the grant of the petition by the alien wife.

Equal rights relating to marriage and family relations as specified in Section 19 of the Magna Carta of Women provide:

While the law speaks of nationality, by analogy,

“Section 19. Equal Rights in All Matters

Relating to Marriage and Family Relations—

The State shall take all appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination against women in all matters relating to marriage and family relations and shall ensure:

... (g) women shall have equal rights with men to acquire, change, or retain their nationality. The State shall ensure that neither marriage to an alien nor change of nationality by the husband during marriage shall automatically change the nationality of the wife, render her stateless or force upon her the nationality of the husband. Various statutes of other countries concerning dual citizenship that may be enjoyed equally by women and men shall likewise be considered.”

the effects of naturalization obtained by men and women applicants should be the same as well. In addition to ensuring gender equality, enabling the extension of such a privilege would contribute significantly to the greater benefit of the entire family unit.

RECOMMENDATION FOR COMMONWEALTH ACT 473 AND ADMINISTRATIVE NATURALIZATION LAW

Amend the laws to allow qualified alien wives and husbands alike to file for naturalization, and for both to enjoy the effects of a grant of naturalization. Education

Empowering communities to create better learning environments in the earliest stages of education is the core of the Early Years Act, a law that seeks to provide guidance on early education. Unequal access between the sexes to education is not an issue in the Philippines, but the access to quality education for those on the margins—such as the poor, those in conflict or those in the rural areas—is a matter of concern. The Early Years Act seeks to address this gap by strengthening local government units through promoting convergence initiatives on health, nutrition and early education.

23. Republic Act No. 10410 Early Years Act of 2013, which repeals Republic Act No. 8980 or the Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) Act of 2000

To guarantee the well-being and development of the child, the Philippines enacted the Early Childhood Care and Development Act in 2000 as the national ECCD policy of the Philippines. This was repealed later by Republic Act 10410 or the Early Years Act of 2013. These laws are built on a framework of shared governance from the barangay level up to the level of the national government.

The ECCD law provided guidance on health, nutrition, early education and psychosocial care, parenting education and other social services for children from birth to age six and their families. This age was later increased to eight years under the Early Years Act of 2013, recognizing the critical ages from birth to eight years as crucial to educational development, thus strengthening the early childhood care and development system. Children from birth to age four fell under the guidance of the ECCD Council, and children from five to eight years old were under the Department of Education.

While not directly amendatory, the Early Years Act of 2013 includes the promotion of the needs of children with special needs, which the ECCD Act was silent on. The law mandates the State to provide for reasonable accommodation and accessible environments for children with disabilities and advocate respect for cultural and linguistic diversity. Local governments are mandated to utilize their Special Education Fund and their Gender and Development Fund to implement the ECCD program, organize and support parent cooperatives to establish a community-based ECCD program, provide counterpart funds for the continuing