Biography

Rowena V. Guanzon, former Mayor of Cadiz City, is a litigation lawyer known in the pioneer field of gender discrimination and violence against women. She has written three books, Engendering the Philippine Judiciary(published by the United Nations Fund for Women and the UP Center for Women's Studies Foundation), the Davide Court: Its Contributions to Gender and Women’s Rights (published by The Asia Foundation and UP Center for Women's Studies Foundation), and The Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act.

She has also published articles on the Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act in the Journal of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines and the Philippine Law Journal, and an article on the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act in the Journal of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines. Her latest book, The Anti-Sexual Harassment Act: notes and Cases, will be published by the U.P. Law Center,  Recently, she wrote A Primer on The Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children and the Barangay Protection Order, published by the U.P. Law Center.

Professor Guanzon graduated in the top ten of her Class (Dean's Medal)  in the University of the Philippines College of Law and has a degree in Economics also from the University of the Philippines. She has a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government where she was an Edward Mason Fellow and Class Marshal.

A recognized expert in Violence Against Women legislations in the Philippines,  Professor Guanzon attended the Experts' Group Meeting on Good Practices in Violence Against Women Legislations in the United Nations in Vienna, and was invited to speak as  an expert on domestic violence laws and human trafficking in the Inter-Parliamentary Union conferences in Geneva and Hanoi.

Professor Guanzon teaches in the University of the Philippines College of Law, and is a founding member of the Asia Cause Lawyers Network, Gender Justice Network, and CEDAW Watch.  She is at present the Officer-in-Charge of the Institute for the Administration of Justice of the U.P. Law Center.

Weblog: http://www.bingguanzon.com

twitter@bingguanzon