The National Council of Women of the Philippines (NCWP) is the legacy of women’s empowerment in the country. It is a product of sixty years’ track record of successful advocacy initiatives, gender responsive programs and projects, and dynamic leadership of prominent women from various fields of endeavors.

NCWP’s legacy started with a challenge of rebuilding the nation after World War II when President Manuel L. Roxas, the President of the New Republic of the Philippines, recognized the importance of women’s participation and contributions.  Francisca Tirona Benitez, a civic leader, educator and one of the seven women founders of the Philippine Women’s University (the first women’s university in Asia founded in 1919 by Asians), was invited by President Roxas to mobilize the women sector to actively participate in the first July 4^th Independence Day Celebration.

Mrs. Benitez accepted the challenge and initiated a series of consultation meetings with various women’s groups and organized their perspectives on how the women can maximize their contributions in the celebration of the birth of the New Republic.  She presided over the First Women’s Assembly, and a working committee was formed with Mrs. Benitez as the Chairperson.  Members of the National Committee were Dr. Belen E. Gutierrez, Ms. Josefina R. Phodaca and Dr. Helena Z. Benitez, including First Lady Trinidad Roxas, Professor Geronima Pecson, Mrs. Aurora A. Quezon, Mrs. Josefa Jara-Martinez, Dr. Leticia P. De Guzman, and Dr. Minerva G. Laudico.  Thus, these women’s groups were officially recognized during this milestone national ceremony celebrating Philippine Independence.

Aware that the call for women’s participation in rebuilding the nation should not be limited in the Independence Day celebration, these women leaders adopted a resolution and formulated their action programs in support of the government’s rehabilitation initiatives.  The need to unite themselves as one solid women’s coalition was perceived.

Thus, the Women’s Civic Assembly (WCA) was established in 1946, consisting of 34 various established women’s associations, with Mrs. Benitez elected as the founding President.  Its name was changed to Civic Assembly of Women of the Philippines (CAWP) in 1949. Later attuned with the rest of national women’s councils in the ASEAN region, CAWP was reorganized in 1990 as the National Council of Women of the Philippines (NCWP), which has served as active partner of the government in nation building.

NCWP has a long list of achievements of successful advocacy works and development interventions to promote the economic, social, cultural and political empowerment of Filipino women.  NCWP’s representation in the international women’s conventions (including four UN Women’s Conferences), national assemblies and local bodies contributed to the empowerment of its women leaders in various fields. First woman senator (Senator Geronima Pecson), first woman Commissioner of Social Welfare (Hon. Asuncion A. Perez), first Filipino woman Ambassador (Hon. Trinidad F. Legarda), first Filipino woman Associate Justice of the Supreme Court (Justice Cecilia Muñoz Palma), first Filipino woman certified public accountant (Dr. Belen Enrile Gutierrez), and first Chairperson of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (Dr. Helena Z. Benitez) were past presidents of NCWP. Other women leaders maximized their potentials and expanded their network through the development venues provided by NCWP.

NCWP is the “founding mother” of the National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women (NCRFW), the policymaking body of the President and Cabinet, which serves as the national government machinery for the advancement of women. After attending the United Nations First Women’s World Conference held in Mexico City in 1975, NCWP’s successful lobbying activities led to the establishment of the NCRFW through PD 633 and Executive Orders 208 and 268. This incorporated NCWP as a charter institutional member of the NCRFW Board of Commissioners.

Through the local chapters of its affiliated national organizations, NCWP was able to elevate its advocacy work on emerging issues and concerns of Filipino women at the national and international arena.  Through Executive Order 329, NCWP has been designated as one of the lead monitoring arms of NGOs for the effective implementation of the Global Platform for Action. This mandate calls for NCWP’s active involvement in promoting the Beijing Platform for Action (BPFA) and monitoring its implementation at the national and local levels.

As a member of the International Council of Women (ICW) since 1957 and the ASEAN Confederation of Women’s Organizations (ACWO) since 1981, NCWP has been able to elevate the local women’s concerns to the policy making body at the national and international levels. In 2005, NCWP also joined The International Alliance of Women (TIAW), another international network of women organizations.

At the local level, the NCWP and the Department of the Interior and Local    Government (DILG) forged a partnership through a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) in 2001 on the formation of local councils for women. A Memorandum Circular 2002-167 stipulated the guidelines on the procedures and structures for the creation of local councils of women.

With its 60-year legacy and NCWP’s varied roles as stakeholder of women’s empowerment in the APEC and ASEAN, the organization can meet the challenge and promote its ascendancy in the global milieu.  NCWP has enlivened its legacy in its current programs and projects; emphasizing that it is not enough for women leadership to be successful in their own right; it is more important for women leadership to be significant by making a real difference by touching the lives of others.