LEGAL gender equality in the Philippines slightly improved after it enacted a law that increased the duration of paid maternity leave, according to a World Bank (WB) study.

The WB’s Women, Business and the Law (WBL) 2020 report, which analyzes laws and regulations affecting “women’s economic opportunity” in 190 economies, showed the Philippines had a score of 81.3, slightly higher compared to the 81.25 score recorded in last year’s edition.

This is still higher compared to the East Asia and the Pacific region and the global average scores of 71.3 and 75.2, respectively.

“On average, women have just three-fourths of the legal rights afforded to men,” the WBL report said.

To determine the overall score, the study uses eight indicators — mobility, workplace, pay, marriage, parenthood, entrepreneurship, assets and pension. Data used in the report covered the period from June 2017 to Sept. 2019, and showed the countries’ unweighted average of all eight indicator scores on a scale of 0-100, with 100 as the best score overall.

Of the 190 economies tracked, the Philippines’ score of 81.3 was the same as Zambia, Puerto Rico and Bahamas.

The study showed the Philippines had the highest scores in workplace (100), pay (100), and entrepreneurship (100). The country’s scored 75 for mobility and pension, and 60 for marriage. All the scores were the same as the previous year.

The Philippines, along with 15 other economies, improved in the parenthood indicator with a score of 80 from 60 previously, after passing a law extending the duration of paid maternity leave to 105 days from 60 days.

President Rodrigo R. Duterte signed Republic Act. No. 11210 or the 105-Day Expanded Maternity Leave Law on Feb. 20, 2019.

However, the Philippines’ score in the assets indicator fell to 60 from 80 previously. The World Bank said the assets indicator measured the “gender differences in property and inheritance law,” noting that better property and inheritance rights are positively associated with female earnings and employment.

“Legal rights for women are both the right thing to do and good from an economic perspective. When women can move more freely, work outside the home and manage assets, they are more likely to join the workforce and help strengthen their country’s economies,” World Bank Group President David R. Malpass was quoted in the report.

The report showed Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Latvia, Luxembourg and Sweden all had a score of 100.

“OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) high-income economies scored the highest (94.6), followed by the Europe and Central Asia (84.2), Latin America and the Caribbean (79.2), and East Asia and the Pacific regions (71.3),” the report said.

In the Asia-Pacific, Taiwan had the highest score of 91.3, followed by Hong Kong (89.4), Laos (88.1), South Korea (85), Timor-Leste (83.1), Singapore (82.5), and Japan (81.9). China had a score of 75.6.

Globally, the World Bank said 40 economies have adopted 62 reforms that will help women, but results remained uneven as “women in many countries have only a fraction of the legal rights of men, holding back their economic and social development.”

“There’s reason for optimism in this year’s study. Social mores are improving, and many countries have improved the regulatory environment for women over the last two years,” Mr. Malpass said.

Among the 10 economies that improved the most, he noted that nine are from the Middle East, North Africa, and Sub-Saharan Africa. These economies focused mostly on helping women start a job and work after having children.

He said this resulted in improving “women’s ability to enter the workforce and remain in it.”

“Much work remains. We shouldn’t be satisfied until every young girl can move through her life without facing legal barriers to her success,” he said.

At the bottom of the list was West Bank and Gaza (26.3), which the World Bank said made changes that “reduced inequality.” — Beatrice M. Laforga

FOOD PRICES, particularly of chicken and pork, may spike if the unrest at Taal Volcano in Batangas continues, as the Calabarzon Region is considered as a major source of livestock in the country, according to an economist.

“We worry that the Taal eruption may put pressure on food prices of livestock, particularly chicken and hogs (as well as fish supply) since Calabarzon — Taal’s location and region most affected, is a significant contributor to local production of livestock,” Philippine National Bank (PNB) economist Jun Trinidad said in a note sent to journalists on Wednesday.

Calabarzon Region, which comprises five provinces — Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon, is the second-largest regional producer of live chicken and second-largest source of hog supply.

Mr. Trinidad said the downside risk from the Taal Volcano eruption, coupled with the strong typhoons in the fourth quarter of 2019, “would take its toll on inflation, rather than on domestic demand that could undermine GDP prospects.”

“While income and food price shocks arising from natural disaster events do not last given import channels and return to normal business/production in the affected regions, the recent natural disaster effects bolster a 2020 inflation trajectory that’s likely to breakout of the 2-2.5% range and perch at 3% year-on-year if not more, to kick start 2020,” he said.

However, Finance Undersecretary Gil S. Beltran said the inflationary impact of the volcanic eruption will be tempered as other regions can fill in the needed supply.

“Other regions are being tasked to fill in for devastated areas. This will temper the inflationary impact of the Taal eruption,” Mr. Beltran said in a mobile phone message yesterday.

According to preliminary projections made by National Economic and Development Authority’s (NEDA), Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto M. Pernia said Taal Volcano’s eruption and tremors resulted in P7.63 billion worth of economic losses in Batangas alone as of Monday, which translates to 0.3% of Calabarzon’s total regional economic growth.

NEDA Undersecretary Adoracion M. Navarro said Taal’s eruption may have caused the agriculture, forestry and fishery sector P3.28 billion in economic losses, second only to the services sector which lost around P4.32 billion and economic and industry sector which suffered P27.16 million of economic losses.

The Department of Agriculture reported that the agriculture damage for the region reached P577.39 million, affecting around 2,772 hectares of land and 1,967 animals.

However, PNB’s Mr. Trinidad said damages caused by natural disasters can be mitigated by “size and speed” of government’s effort to aid and provide relief to affected areas, as well as through reconstruction and rehabilitation of infrastructure, school buildings, airports, public markets and medical facilities.

“Although bureaucratic delays can delay, if not weaken the government’s disaster response… Fiscal imperatives would also require jobs /income creation in the affected regions/provinces until business/production activities normalize,” he added.

Taal Volcano was still on Alert Level 4 as of Wednesday morning since it erupted on Sunday, with 28 volcanic earthquakes felt on Tuesday, according to Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.

The government has implemented a total evacuation of the Taal Volcano island and high-risk areas that are within the 14-kilometer radius from Taal’s main crater and those along the Pansipit River Vallley.

The Calabarzon Region had the second-largest contribution to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) with a 17% share in 2018, next to the National Capital Region’s 36% share. — Beatrice M. Laforga