DAVAO City Councilor Pamela Librado pushed to amend Section 229, Article 27 of Ordinance No. 0291-17, also known as the 2017 Revenue Code of Davao City, which requires prostituted women to obtain occupational permits, citing that this constitutes the local government’s sanctioning of prostitution, which the law considers exploitation.
Librado, who chairs the Committee on Civil, Political, and Human Rights, said her office has received a formal request from Jeanette Laurelo-Ampog, executive director of Talikala, Inc., calling for the removal of the section requiring prostituted women to obtain occupational permits.
“By requiring an occupational permit and collecting fees from prostituted women, we are effectively sanctioning an act that both national and local laws recognize as exploitation,” she said during her privilege speech on Monday, March 2, 2026, at the Sangguniang Panlungsod.
“How can the city government collect a revenue fee from an exploitative or illegal activity? A fee imposed to regulate an illegal act may itself be considered void,” she said.
The councilor said that requiring prostituted women to obtain occupational permits contradicts City Ordinance No. 5004, otherwise known as the Women’s Development Code.
Under City Ordinance No. 5004, which provides for the Women’s Development Code of Davao City, the local government unit (LGU) is mandated to provide socio-economic support to women in the entertainment industry to meet their practical needs. This includes women working in nightclubs, day clubs, cocktail lounges, and other similar establishments.
She said that Section 229 of the Revenue Code also stands in opposition to the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act, which penalizes the procurement and exploitation of individuals for sexual purposes.
Prostituted women in Davao City
Librado said that as of 2023, about 600 women are registered under occupational permits as Guest Relations Officers (GROs), massage attendants, or “taxi dancers.”
She said that in order to obtain an occupational permit, a prostituted woman usually has to fill out application forms, secure health certificates, and obtain employment certifications.
On an annual basis, prostituted women have to spend more than P4,000 just to secure these permits.
Shift to development
Librado said that under Section 16 of the Women’s Development Code, the LGU is mandated to provide socio-economic support to women in this industry. Some of the services that the city should provide include immediate health assistance, alternative livelihood programs, and continuous protection against discrimination and gender-based violence.
She said the city government’s goal is to create pathways out of exploitation instead of taxing those in vulnerable sectors.
Librado then called on the Committee on Women, Labor, and Finance to join the Committee on Civil, Political, and Human Rights in revisiting the provision and amending it to ensure that it aligns with local policies and the moral commitment of the city.
To recall, on October 5, 2023, the non-government organizations Lawig Bubai and Talikala Incorporated raised concerns about the permits granted to women engaged in prostitution.
Lawig Bubai and Talikala called on government bodies, non-government organizations, and faith-based groups to address the root causes of prostitution and implement interventions that support the rehabilitation of victims and survivors. RGP