distances to go to the health facilities for fear of imprisonment. In the submission of Lilak Purple Action for Women, they forwarded the declaration of Indigenous women denouncing the continued adoption of ordinances penalizing home births and calling for respect of the traditional birthing practices of Indigenous women. A Council of Elders in Bukidnon likewise issued a resolution calling for the repeal of the Provincial Ordinance penalizing home births as being discriminatory to IP women. During the course of the fact finding and public hearing, the Commission were informed of ordinances penalizing home births in Marikina City, Quezon City, Brooke’s Point Palawan, Midsalip, Midsayap, Province of Bukidnon, Municipality of Minalin Pampanga, Mac Arthur Leyte, Sultan Kudarat, Talisay City Cebu, Dingle and Estancia, Ilo-ilo. Aside from the twelve (12) identified by the Commission, there is a strong possibility that more of these ordinances exist. The situation, however, is far from simple. Together with the complaints of criminalization and penalization of traditional and indigenous birth attendants, the Commission also received submissions showing the dangers posed by delayed referral or outright refusal to resort to facility based delivery and also accounts of the dangers posed by unskilled birth attendants. In a study 17 submitted by Likhaan Center for Women on access to emergency obstetric care among urban poor in Malabon, key causes of maternal deaths were identified. The causes of maternal deaths include significant delays in seeking medical care (“the first delay”) and the harmful practices of traditional birth attendants (TBAs). They also noted that women with obstetric complications faced serious barriers at the admissions process of tertiary government hospitals, once admitted, however, most managed to get life-saving interventions. Likhaan Center for Women thus recommends the need to place greater focus on addressing the “first delay” and preventing harmful practices by unskilled birth attendants. To be consistent with its obligation under CEDAW, the State must review and the soonest repeal discriminatory policies which restrict, pose as barriers to women’s access to RH services and information. In the same vein, serious consideration must be accorded Likhaan Center for Women. A Report on the Project “Investigating Responses to Obstetric Complications and Access to Emergency Obstetric Care Among Urban Poor Women in Malabon, Philippines” 17 27