Written by: Ella Malabanan and Dianne Cabebe
Graphic Design by: Suzy Mamangun
The History of Women’s Rights in the Philippines
This International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, let’s look back at the history of women's rights in our country and commemorate all the powerful women that have fought for gender equality. We have come so far, but our country still has so much to improve for us to create a safer and more inclusive society for women.
Women in Pre-colonial Philippines
Contrary to popular belief, Filipino society in barangays did not discriminate based on sex. In fact, women were an important part of the community and were given equal opportunity to education. Wives were not viewed as slaves, but as companions who were involved with important matters in the household. Men would even occasionally take their wives’ last names if she was an especially distinguished woman. Most tribes had a babaylan, or a highly respected priestess, who worked side by side with the datu in matters concerning their clan. She played a vital role in the community, acting as both a spiritual leader, a healer, a seer, and even as a warrior. Back then, women were seen as more than just subservient wives and were recognized for their leadership. However, this view on women was just one of the many things that changed due to colonization by Spain.
Filipina Women Under Colonization
Catholic friars that arrived in the Philippines deemed the Babaylan as evil women whose powers came from black magic. These claims were not based on actual evidence, but stemmed from a desire to eradicate non-Christian religious beliefs. The Babaylan were easy targets as they were the spiritual leaders of the community. The arrival of Catholicism also caused aggressive enforcement of traditional gender roles and beliefs on women’s sexuality. Women were expected to be the epitome of chaste and purity, completely devoted to their household duties. As a result, any resistance made by women meant staring down the barrel of a gun.
Many women, however, continued to defy gender roles by participating in revolutionary efforts alongside men. There were many other women that also supported the revolution by joining groups like the Katipunan (such as Tandang Sora) or writing for El Heraldo de la Revolucion and La Independencia, both revolutionary newspapers that fought for our independence. Women also showed their prowess on the battlefield during wars and resistance movements against colonialism. Among them were Gabriela Silang, the Henerala of the resistance in Ilocos; Trinidad Tecson, a Katipunera also known as the Mother of Biak-na-Bato; and Teresa Magbanua, a revolutionary leader from Iloilo known as the “Visayan Joan of Arc”.
Women’s Suffrage and the Feminist Movement in the Philippines
The beginning of the 20th century marked a big shift for the women’s movement in the Philippines. In 1905, the first Filipino feminist organization, Asociacion Feminista Filipina, or AFF, was formed by Concepcion Felix de Calderon alongside Trinidad, Jose Rizal’s sister, as one of their founding members. A year later, another women-led organization, the Asociacion Feminista Ilonga in Iloilo was founded by Pura Villanueva Kalaw. Both of these organizations advocated for the voting rights of women and education reform, health care, labor, and the prison system. 1n 1907, Filemon Sotto filed the first first congressional bill to allow women to vote. However, the all-male National Assembly did not pass it.
On April 30, 1937, Filipino women were finally able to exercise their right to vote for the first time. The nation held a plebiscite where women voted on whether they were in favor or not of having the right to vote and be elected in a general election. In the end, 447,725 or 91% of voters were in favor. Thirty years after the first national election in the Philippines, Filipino women were finally able to both vote and run for government positions. Elisa Ochoa became the first female congresswoman in the Philippines in 1941. A few years later, Geronima Tomeldan Pecson became the first female senator in the country.
Laws For Women, Made By Women
Women were first given protection against workplace discrimination with the passing of Republic Act 6725 in 1989. The act stated that it was illegal for an employer to discriminate against a female employee based on her sex.
Several acts have been passed that promoted safety for women from sexual harassment and abuse. In 1995, Republic Act 7877 outlawed all forms of sexual harassment in the workplace as well as in the education and training environment. On March 8, 2004, Republic Act 9262 or the “Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act of 2004” was passed to provide protection for women and children subjected to abuse. It provided extensive protective measures for them and also imposed penalties to their abusers.
Republic Act 9710, also known as the “Magna Carta of Women (MCW)” was legislated in August 2009 by then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. The MCW aims to eliminate sex-based discrimination, particularly in government roles. The law also required that the number of women in third level positions in government be increased until there was an equal amount of men and women employed in those positions. Because of the MCW, colleges and other educational institutions cannot use the fact that a woman is pregnant or married as causes for expulsion or refusal of admission. Lastly, the MCW also called for more non-discriminatory and non-derogatory portrayals of women in media and film.
The Fight Continues
The freedom we enjoy today is owed to the sacrifices of women who united against their oppressors. Despite all the progress we have made in terms of women’s rights, we cannot ignore the fact that women continue to experience discrimination and abuse. Thousands of women are still victims of domestic violence, feminist activists are being red-tagged for speaking up, and our President still thinks that sexist remarks and rape jokes are funny.
On International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, let us be inspired to fight for safer spaces for women. And to all the women out there, remember your worth and don’t let anyone diminish it. Here’s a short literary mixtape full of poems to help you feel empowered and lift your spirits, when it feels like the world wants to silence your voice.
Literary Mixtape
Here are three beautiful poems written by female writers about the strength and resilience of women.
A Thousand Stories Long
By Nikita Gill
Woman.
You are a thousand stories long.
with the depth of the ocean
and an entire constellation
woven into your soul.
And you must remember this
before any man
tries to convince you
that you are less.
For all the women who feel small and fragile sometimes, may this poem remind you of your inner strength.
female
By Lucille Clifton
there is an amazon in us.
she is the secret we do not
have to learn.
the strength that opens us
beyond ourselves.
birth is our birthright.
we smile our mysterious smile
For all the women who have suffered abuse, been belittled for their gender, or shamed for their opinions, may this poem inspire you to never give up.
Still I Rise
By Maya Angelou
You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise.
Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
’Cause I walk like I've got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.
Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I'll rise.
Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops,
Weakened by my soulful cries?
Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don't you take it awful hard
’Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines
Diggin’ in my own backyard.
You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I’ll rise.
Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I've got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?
Out of the huts of history’s shame
I rise
Up from a past that’s rooted in pain
I rise
I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise.
Sources
Angelou, M. (1978). Still I Rise. Retrieved from https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/464 46/still-i-rise
Clifton, L. (1987). female. In K. Young (Ed.)., The collected poems of Lucille Clifton (276). New York: BOA Editions, Ltd.
Casayuran, M., & Terrazola, V.E. (2018, March). Empowering the fairer sex: Laws crafted for women in the past 30 years. Manilla Bulletin. Retrieved from https://mb.com.ph/ 2018/03/08/empowering-the-fairer-sex-laws-crafted-for-women-in-the-past-30-years/
Hega, M.D., Alporha, D.C., & Evangelista, M.S. (2017). Feminism and the women's
movement in the philippines: Struggles, advances, and challenges. Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung. Retrieved from http://library.fes.de/pdf-files/bueros/philippi nen/14072.pdf
Gill, N. (n.d.). A thousand stories long. Retrieved from https://amniismail.wordpress.com/201 7/03/10/a-thousand-stories-long/
Titgemeyer, L.S.B. (1997, March). La mujer indigena - the native woman: A description of the Filipino Woman during Pre-Spanish Time. University of Vienna Asian/PacificStudies &Information Center. Retrieved from https://www.univie.ac.at/voelkerkunde/ apsis/aufi/wstat/mujer.htm
Gonzales, C. (2020). Celebrating 83 years of women’s suffrage in the Philippines. Inquirer. Retrieved from https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1267381/celebrating-83-years-of-womens -suffrage-in-the-philippines
Olarte, B. (2017). Women’s right to vote: a lookback at a Philippine struggle for human rights. Humanist Alliance Philippines International. Retrieved from https://hapihum anist.org/features/womens-right-vote-lookback-philippine-struggle-human-rights/
Tan, N. (2014). Filipinas who were first in PH history. Rappler. Retrieved from https://rappler.com/newsbreak/iq/filipinas-first-ph-history
Republic Act 9710: Magna Carta of Women. (n.d.). Philippine Commission on Women.
Retrieved from https://pcw.gov.ph/republic-act-9710-magna-carta-of-women/
Republic Act No. 9262. (2004, March). Official Gazette. Retrieved from https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/2004/03/08/republic-act-no-9262-s-2004/#:~:textRepublic%20Act%20No.-,9262,THEREFORE%2C%20AND%20FOR%20OTHER%20PURPOSES
Umali, J. (2019, November). Teresa Magbanua was the Visayan Joan of Arc. Esquire. Retrieved from https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/features/teresa-magbanua-a 212-20191105-lfrm