WE sought the comments of two leading feminists, lawyer Katrina Legarda and Inquirer columnist Rina Jimenez-David, on our recent post deploring the discriminatory ads in the Philippine newspapers’ Classified Ads sections (“Age and sex discrimination in hiring policies in RP”).

Katrina wrote: “I have been asking senators and congressmen (since 1986 ha) why it is they have not outlawed this kind of gender and age discrimination. Answer? No one has filed a bill… OK ba? It’s like divorce, and the difference between adultery and concubinage… no one supports these issues when they get to the floor, then when victimized spouses come to see me, they ask why the law is so unfair against women… they look at me blankly when I ask them where they were when I was trying to fight for them on these issues. They didn’t know daw. Well, ignorance of the law excuses no one.

“I choose my battles. Men and women who have been discriminated against should get their acts together. Hay naku.”

Rina posted her reaction in her “At Large” column: “Because he asked for my thoughts on the issue, and in light of Tuesday’s column on a proposed ‘Magna Carta of Women,’ I’m discussing in this space something that the Inquirer’s ‘man in Hollywood,’ Ruben Nepales, recently wrote about in his blog. Whenever he gets to read the copies of this paper that are shipped to him by friends in Manila, said Nepales, he can’t help but notice ‘ads that reflect the discriminatory policies of some human resources departments in Philippine companies.’ These personnel notices, he said, ‘not only showed age and sex bias but also discrimination based on height, looks and marital status.’ If such ads appeared in US papers, ‘discrimination lawsuits would immediately be filed against these employers.’

“He then cites examples of copy in employment ads that typically appear in local papers, not just the Inquirer: ‘Female, single, not more than 28 yrs; at least 5’1’ — this was a line from an employment ad for a telemarketer. Why this employer would discriminate based on height, among other things, is beyond me. After all, a telemarketer is defined as a salesperson who uses the telephone to solicit prospective customers to buy products or services. Are the telephones hanging way up in the ceiling or the walls of this telemarketing office?

“‘Single, not more than 25 years old, must be computer literate, good looking…’ — from an ad searching for a female private secretary. Enough said.

“‘Single, female…’ — a couple of requirements for a preschool teacher.

“An ad announcing vacancies for electrical engineer and mechanical engineers and a sales representative demands that applicants must be ‘male, not more than 30 years old…’ but for an internal auditor, the applicant not only has to be female, she must be ‘single, not more than 27 years old.’

“Comments Nepales: ‘I am appalled. Hello, it’s the 21st century. Can’t women apply as electrical and mechanical engineers and men aspire to be internal auditors in this company in the Philippines? And why the age restrictions? They are deplorable requirements to begin with — but to set different age requirements for male and female job applicants?

“‘Discrimination against job applicants based on sex, age, marital status, height and looks, among other qualifications, should stop. If there is no law yet against this type of discrimination, Philippine lawmakers should immediately enact one.’

* * *

“Well, I’ve got news for you, Ruben. There already is a law, known as the Shahani Law, that prohibits gender-based discrimination in the ‘hiring, training and promotion’ of employees. Once the ‘Magna Carta of Women’ is passed, even broader sanctions against discrimination will be in place. But I don’t know if these laws apply as well to discrimination based on age, height, looks or ‘personality.’

“The trouble is that with no enforcement or oversight agency designated, nobody it seems bothers to enforce the Shahani Law or complain about its routine violation. Let’s hope the Magna Carta, which is quite specific about the oversight agency (the proposed Commission on Women) and an ombud agency (the Commission on Human Rights), fares better.”