MANILA – The University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) must review its compensation policy after reports of a pay gap between basketball referees in the men’s and women’s divisions.
Senator Pia Cayetano on Tuesday said it runs counter to the Magna Carta of Women (Republic Act 9710), which she principally authored, and the labor law principle of equal pay for equal work.
Referees officiating men’s basketball reportedly receive PHP3,000 per game, compared to PHP2,000 in the women’s division.
“In its attempt to justify the lower pay for the referees of the women’s division, the UAAP labeled the move as a tiered, merit-based system. But creating tiers is a circumvention of the law,” she said in a news release.
"It degrades women’s sports and violates the Magna Carta of Women’s specific mandate that sports organizations must adopt affirmative action in their strategy and must use gender equality as a framework in implementing their policies and budgets."
Cayetano said referees perform the same duties regardless of gender division.
“To claim otherwise demeans women’s sports and reinforces harmful stereotypes that the Magna Carta of Women seeks to eliminate. Equal pay is not optional. It is the law,” she added.
She noted that the Magna Carta of Women, enacted in 2009, requires gender equality to be integrated into all policies, programs and budgets.
In the sports sector, the law mandates affirmative action to ensure equal opportunities and benefits for men and women athletes and officials, equal treatment in pay and incentives, and gender-sensitive planning and budgeting.
It obliges national agencies, schools and private organizations to eliminate discriminatory practices and proactively advance women’s participation in sports.
Cayetano urged the UAAP and other sports groups to review and correct their compensation systems to ensure full compliance with gender equality standards and laws promoting fairness in sports. (PNA)