Section 2Sec./Art. 2

Declaration of Policy. It is the declared policy of the State under Article XIII, Section 14 of the 1987 Constitution to protect and promote the rights and welfare of working women, taking into account them maternal functions, and to provide an enabling environment in which their full potential can be achieved.

Article II, State Policies, Section 12 of the 1987 Constitution provides that the State recognizes the sanctity of family life and shall protect and strengthen the family as the basic autonomous social institution and that it shall equally protect the life of the mother and the life of the unborn from conception. Moreover, Sections 17 and 22 of Republic Act No. 9710, otherwise known as "The Magna Carta of Women", provides for womens rights to health and decent work.

To achieve these, and in recognition of womens maternal function as a social responsibility, the State shall institutionalize a mechanism to expand the maternity leave period of women workers. This will provide them with ample transition time to regain health and overall wellness as well as to assume maternal roles before resuming paid work. This Act is consistent with local and international legal instruments that protect and promote the rights of women.