Amid the recent controversy surrounding Quezon City 4th District Representative Bong Suntay’s lewd remarks about Anne Curtis, the country has welcomed Women’s History Month on a rather bleak note. 

The issue has spurred various emotions across social media, including outrage, disgust, and above all, despair at how a shameless act of sexism could spring from a supposedly well-respected politician during a formal House meeting.

Still, women carry on, not in mere tolerance but in defiance of the misogyny that seems to pervade every facet of daily life and politics. In times like these, one can only choose to celebrate the wins among a sea of losses.

In her keynote address ahead of a forum of notable female leaders, Mayor Joy Belmonte highlighted the NCR’s feat of eight of its 17 mayoral seats occupied by women. 

Department of Justice (DOJ) Undersecretary Margarita Gutierrez further affirmed the celebration with a firm but resounding reminder: “Diversity in photographs, it’s not enough. We need diversity in decision-making power. Women in governance are not here to fill quotas. We are here to ask difficult but necessary questions.”

Why we still need Women’s Month

Women everywhere can be invalidated, and at worst, violated. 

For Billie Dumaliang, director of Masungi Georeserve, her career as an environmental defender already leaves her susceptible to legal, political, physical, and verbal harassment. 

This manifests as dismissive comments meant to degrade a woman’s credibility, dismissing her passion as “attention-seeking” or indicative of being “too emotional.” Dumaliang cites instances when she was dismissed by potential partner companies due to her credibility and morality being questioned. 

“I’ve also been [told], ‘magaling ka lang sa PR, pero hindi ka talaga environmental advocate’ many times,” she said. 

From her professional to personal interactions, her intentions and abilities are constantly questioned, or attributed to men.  

“I’ve been called a witch by inquiring companies. Makikita mo sa Facebook, sasabihin, pangit ka, ganun. You also face rumors about romantic relationships. So sometimes, yung gains mo, achievements mo, are not credited to your merit, but are credited to your relationships.”

(I’ve also been [told], “you’re only good at PR, but you’re not really an environmental advocate” many times. I’ve been called a witch by inquiring companies. You’ll see on Facebook, they’ll say you’re ugly. You also face rumors about romantic relationships. So sometimes, your gains, your achievments, are not credited to your merit, but are credited to your relationships.)

Still, Dumaliang and her fellow woman advocates endure: “Societies always tell us that women who speak up will be punished. But our dedication is as real as misogyny, it is as real as men and society’s bias against women.”

Toward the more sinister side of the spectrum, this could also lead to violence or death. 

Sometimes, a woman is not allowed to exist beyond the confines of what is expected of her. If she dares to budge, she often faces dire consequences. 

Recounting the legal cases she has overseen or handled, Guiterrez notes, “Nagiging pervasive [at] normal na rape sa ibang lugar.” (Rape has become pervasive and normal in some places.) 

Not limited to one-off tragedies, she has encountered barangays teeming with such: “These are not just ordinary rape cases, [but] incestuous rape cases in one barangay — three different residences, three different victims.”

Grim reminders such as these are what prove the need for the deliberate observation of Women’s Month, even — or especially — to the dismay of those who refuse to see its purpose.

To know one’s privilege

In a world brimming with inequality, it is important to recognize that when some women do banner progress, it is because they, too, are privileged in other ways. 

Belmonte acknowledged that many of NCR’s female mayors are scions of political dynasties — women, yes, but women cut from the cloth of long-standing machineries meant to propel their political success.

Gutierrez, whose mother also worked in government, proclaimed herself as a “proud nepo baby, but the good kind, the kind na nagtatrabaho.” She lightheartedly clarified, “Hindi sayang ang taxpayers’ money with me.”

(The kind that works. The taxpayers’ money is not a waste with me.)

But what matters most is using such high positions to platform and protect women across different walks of life. Belmonte cited the Bawal Bastos ordinance, No Women Left Behind Program, Pangkabuhayang QC, and PopQC as just some of the initiatives her government has established in order to actionably further the women’s movement. 

With Katarungan Caravan, Guiterrez announced that the DOJ has successfully brought legal aid services to 50,000 Filipinos since 2023, many of which encompassed the rape cases she expressed deep concern about. 

“When services are brought directly to communities, especially to women and other vulnerable sectors the fear begins to diminish, your confidence grows, and access becomes real,” she said, further stressing why systemic upheaval is necessary: “Because justice should not depend on geography, justice should not depend on income, justice should not depend on connections.” 

When women lead

Dumaliang pointed out women’s designation as managers of the household can expand beyond the stereotype and be reframed into new opportunities.

“Because we are women, we can connect and mobilize our community towards better consultations and better [collaborations] so that they can achieve whatever they want to achieve.”

Guiterrez added, “Women understand structural barriers because tayo mismo (we ourselves), we navigated them ourselves. We know what it feels like to be underestimated.”

Capping off an afternoon of personal and professional insights across women in both the public and private sectors, the panel rallied Guiterrez’s call for Women’s Month to be “more than inspirational, but also institutional,” pairing advocacy with action each step of the way. – Rappler.com

Raine Romero is a Rappler intern studying AB Political Science with a Minor in Creative Writing at De La Salle University.