Senator Pia Cayetano called on the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) to review its compensation policy after reports revealed a pay gap between basketball referees in the men’s and women’s divisions. Referees in the men’s division reportedly earn PHP3,000 per game, while those in the women’s division receive PHP2,000.
Cayetano said this disparity violates the Magna Carta of Women (Republic Act 9710), which she principally authored, and the labor law principle of equal pay for equal work.
“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.
She added that the pay gap “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 emphasized that 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 said.
The Magna Carta of Women, enacted in 2009, requires gender equality to be integrated into all policies, programs, and budgets. It mandates affirmative action in sports to ensure equal opportunities, benefits, pay, and incentives for men and women athletes and officials.
Cayetano urged the UAAP and other sports organizations to review and correct their compensation systems to comply fully with gender equality standards and laws promoting fairness in sports.