GENDER OMBUD REPORT 2016 separate allowance. In other areas, the allowance of BHWs is paid in a quarterly basis and the amount is almost negligible. Another challenge for health service providers is the lack of or inadequate support. There are accounts bout health workers who are overworked and underpaid, with some forced to work under conditions that threaten their physical security. Many Barangay Health Stations and RHUs and some municipal and provincial health facilities have insufficient supplies that prevent health workers and health service providers from performing their job effectively. The question of salary and regularization of health service providers and health workers also are indicative of the lack or inadequate support. NATIONAL INQUIRY CONCLUSIONS The National Inquiry which ran from March to May 2016 attempted to provide a grounded analysis of women’s enjoyment of reproductive health and rights as provided under CEDAW, the MCW, and the RPRH law. While the National Inquiry covered 15 regional consultations and five factfinding and public hearings, the results are limited to the participants consulted and interviewed, and the facilities visited. As presented, the National Inquiry has shown that despite the passage of the RPRH law, and despite of the decision of Imbong vs. Ochoa which upheld the law’s constitutionality, the implementation and support for the law remains uneven, often because of the large leeway given to agencies and LGUs to interpret and operationalize its provisions. The Inquiry has shown the varying degrees of support for the RPRH from different LGUs, ranging from full support to outright refusal. The Inquiry has likewise shown how this is linked to decentralization and the autonomy of LGUs, and the limits set on the mandate of the DOH in the delivery of RH information and 40 services. Aside from the uneven support in the implementation of the RPRH law and the fragmented delivery of RH services, the CHR was also able to identify existing discriminatory policies and legal barriers in the enjoyment of women’s right to reproductive health under CEDAW. The National Inquiry also found that health service providers continue to face barriers and challenges in the implementation of the RPRH, and that women from marginalized sectors continue to hurdle barriers in accessing RH services and information. Advocates are also critical of the ack of attention of the intersectional vulnerabilities of women arsing from their identities and specific contexts in addressing the issue. The CHR recalls the CEDAW and its GR 24 on health, which contain the State obligation to ensure the provisions for reproductive health. GR 24 reminds the State of its obligation to respect, protect, and fulfill women’s right to health care, including reproductive health, and the concurrent obligation to ensure that legislation, executive action, and policy comply with these three obligations.42 For the fulfillment of its obligations under CEDAW, GR 24 further recommends that state parties “should implement a comprehensive national strategy to promote women’s health throughout their lifespan. This will include interventions aimed at both the prevention and treatment of diseases and conditions affecting women, as well as responding to violence against women areas of family planning and will ensure universal access for all women to a full range of high-quality and affordable health care, including sexual and reproductive health services.”43 In view of the foregoing, and in order to assist the State in complying with its obligation with CEDAW and in fulfilling the promise of the RPRH law, the CHR submitted its recommendations to the legislature, the executive, and the judiciary.