Poll exec proposes gender quota to decide majority, minority party

She noted that her proposal made to the Comelec en banc is now for study by the poll body’s law department. (File photo: Rowena V. Guanzon/Twitter)

MANILA — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will study the proposal of Gender and Development (GAD) Committee head Commissioner Rowena Guanzon for the institution of a gender quota in determining dominant majority and minority parties in forthcoming elections.

She noted that her proposal made to the Comelec en banc is now for study by the poll body’s law department.

“I have just proposed a point system for determining the dominant majority party and dominant minority party. Those that will field at least 30 percent women candidates will have additional points,” Guanzon said in her Twitter account, @commrguanzon.

The poll body official has been pushing for gender equality in government by holding several seminars and forums in different areas in the country to encourage more women to participate in electoral exercises.

Earlier, the Comelec- GAD came out with a 40-second video, encouraging women to participate in politics. It features teen actress Kathryn Bernardo.

In the May 2016 national and local elections, a total of 36,081 candidates were found to be males, while there were only 8,664 female aspirants.

Male bets won in the said polls, numbering to 14,092 where there were only 3,849 winning female candidates.