Gender, politics, religious fundamentalism and violence

Social justice and Sovereignty

The struggles of Filipino women have always been intimately linked with the broad, popular struggles for ________

matriarchal society

On the surface, the Philippines may be mistaken for a male chauvinist macho country, but it is in essence a ______ with many women actually holding sway over families, businesses and politics.

KATIPUNAN

During the Spanish period, women joined the underground resistance movement _______ in the struggle against colonialism. They fought alongside the men and acquired significant political skills and know-how. Such struggle enabled women to go beyond the traditional roles (i.e of homemaker and caregiver) which the highly patriarchal Spanish regime had imposed upon them.

Teodora Alonzo

________, mother of national hero Jose Rizal is recognized for her independent political views which drew the anger of the Spanish friars. For refusing to pay land taxes, she was made to walk under heavy guard for some 10 kilometers to the provincial jail and imprisoned for two and a half years.

Gabriela Silang, Gregoria de Jesus, Agueda Kahabagan, Teresa Magbanua, Melchora Aquino, Trinidad Tecson

The list of prominent Filipino women in history include _______________________________________ among others. These women did not only attend to the sick and wounded or solicit food and money for the revolution; they also served in the more dangerous tasks of transmitting messages and hiding documents. A few actually fought and reached the rank of general in the revolutionary army

Spanish

Another key struggle was for women’s right to education, particularly for a school where women could learn ____. Such school was deemed important because the ability to speak ____ was crucial to education mobility

American

By the time of the ____________ occupation (1940s), a significant number of Filipino women had become educated. In the hope of further shedding off their status as second-class citizens, these women enjoined and organized other women to fight for the right to suffrage. Until then, only the literate men were allowed to vote and run for office.

Suffragist

The _______ Movement provided inroads for women to get into politics. In 1937, women were finally granted the right to vote.

1935

The constitution of ____ had stipulated that the right of suffrage would be extended to women only if 300,000 women voted in its favor during a national plebiscite.

General Council of Women

A_______ (whose forerunner was the National Federation of Women’s Clubs in the Philippines) was then established in Manila to direct the plebiscite campaign. Its aim was to draw the support of the broadest number of women and launch various forms of campaign through media and personal connections. As it turned out, 447,725 women voted yes in the 1937 plebiscite.

national elections

When World War II broke out and the Japanese occupied the Philippines, women again fought alongside the men. After the war, these same women attempted to participate in the postwar government that was consolidated by the______ in April 1946 and the proclamation of Philippine Independence of July 4. Not too many women, however, were visibly present in mainstream politics. Between 1946 – 1971 (the last year of free elections before Martial Law), only 26 women were elected to public office: 11 Representatives, 7 senators, 6 governors and 2 city mayors. In 1951, women attempted to form a National Political Party of Women, but the project never got off the ground. Instead, in the same year, a separate group launched the Women’s Magsaysay-for-President Movement to support the presidential bid of Ramon Magsaysay.

Marcos’

In the early 70s, Filipino women joined the popular resistance against _____ dictatorial rule. By this time, more and more women had become politicized. Quite a good number even joined ideological groups while others became combatants of the rebel movements

Religious Fundamentalism

have been associated with conservative politics characterized by various forms of intolerance ranging from racism, sexism, homophobia, and elitism.

Fundamentalism

when used in religion, connote the imposition of a single interpretation of religious doctrines and hostility toward contradiction of plurality

Controlling Women’s Bodies and Violence Against Women

- The reason for detrimental effects on women’s rights is that the control over women is a feature of religious fundamentalisms.

- Women are affected by national and ethnic processes in several major ways.

1. Proper behavior is used to simplify the difference between those who belong and those who are not.

2. Women are seen as cultural carriers.

3. Control in terms of marriage and divorce.

false views on faith

Subordination of women to their husbands bounded by __________

Justification for even more violence against women

Purity and honor in the Philippine culture for example, shows that a woman’s humanity is measured by her sexual innocence before marriage and heterosexual exclusivity thereafter.

rape

is seen as the loss of a woman’s worth because it breaks either her sexual purity or her exclusivity

dishonor”

The sense of ____ attached to women who choose relations outside those dictated by their culture is the justification of even more violence against women, such as honor killings or severe punishment under law

rape and sexual violence

Because women serves as markers of their groups, tribe, nation, or culture, ___________ become an assault on her family or her entire community in situations of conflict.

malevolent cosmology

In the study of Paul (2005), he found that collective beliefs in a more benevolent religious cosmos are positively correlated to lower homicide rates. The Philippines, South Africa, and the Dominican Republic are classified along with United States as countries where a more ___________ is accepted, because beliefs in the devil and hell are embraced alongside beliefs in God and heaven. These countries exhibit higher homicide rates

Mexico

In this country priests are not allowed to vote

Philippines

In this country the Catholic church practically dictates policy, especially, around reproductive and sexual rights.

An-Na’im

_________ proposes the concept of secularism as mediation:

1. Citizens must be able to propose and advocate policy and legislative initiatives on the basis of their religious belief. But such proposals must be within the the context of reasoning that is acceptable to those who do not accept the particular belief system.

2. Such policy must conform to accepted human rights standards including standards of nondiscrimination and protection of the minority against the tyranny of the majority.

Vaggione

_________ (2002) proposes the dual nature of the catholic church’s discourse must be addressed affectively:

1. Final interpretation of doctrine cannot be left to the Catholic hierarchy that has become fundamentalist.

2. The church must be criticized when it moves in secular spaces by counteracting its junk scientific arguments.

These two polarities must also be bridged because the Church has to be made morally liable for its misuse of scientific arguments.

Article II Section 14 of the 1987 Constitution

The Philippines is known for its very liberal and progressive Constitution that was formulated during the euphoria of People Power Revolution in 1986. Gender equality is a key element of this Charter and as enshrined in _________ , “the State recognizes the role of women in nation-building and shall ensure the fundamental equality before the law of women and men

Article 13 Section 14

Considering the unequal gender relations in the country, the Constitution further provided for women representation (as one of the 9 marginalized sectors) in the legislature through the party-list system (which should cover 20% of the lower house). Finally, __________ specifically mentioned that the “State shall protect working women by providing safe and healthful working conditions, taking into account their maternal functions, and such facilities and opportunities that will enhance their welfare and enable them to realize their full potential in the service of the nation”.

Local Government Code of 1991

Provides for the election of sectoral representation, including women, in local legislative councils.

Party List Law

Provides for the creation of women-oriented or women-based parties to compete under the party-list system. Women is one of the 9 sector identified in the law

Labor Code (1989)

Covers issues such as night work prohibition, specifies that employers must provide special facilities for women, prohibition of discrimination against women in respect to terms and conditions of employment, prohibition of discrimination by reason of marriage of a woman worker.

Women in Nation Building Law. Republic Act 7192 (1991)

is an act promoting the integration of women as full and equal partners of men in development and nation building. The law provides that a substantial portion of government resources be utilized to support programs and activities for women. The law also encourages the full participation and involvement of women in the development process and to remove gender bias in all government regulations and procedures. In relation to gender budgeting, the law specifically mandated all agencies to allocate a minimum of 5%, increasing to 30%, of all official development funds in mainstreaming gender concerns. Through executive directives however, this 5% allocation is further expanded to cover the total budget appropriations, not only development funds, of all government agencies and local government units in the country. This is known as the Gender and Development Budget or GAD.

1988 Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law

Gave Filipino women the right to own land that previously reverted to sons and other male family members.

Republic Act 7688 (1994)

An act giving representation to women in social security commission

1990 Day care Law (RA 6972) and 1996 Paternity Leave Act.

Both of which acknowledge that children is both a parental and state responsibility.

Anti-Sexual Harassment Law - RA 7877 (1995)

An act declaring sexual harassment unlawful in the employment, education or training environment.

Republic Act 7822 (1995)

An act providing assistance to women engaging in micro and cottage business enterprises.

Republic Act 8353 (1997)

An act expanding the definition of the crime of rape reclassifying the same as a crime against persons

Philippine Plan for Gender Responsive Development (1995-2025)

The National Plan for Women that consolidates the action commitments of the Philippines during the Beijing World Conference on Women. This is the over-all frame that is also the point of reference for the discussions and monitoring of gender mainstreaming.

Gender and Development Budget (GAD)

Integral to the national plan, it is aimed at “institutionalizing gender concerns in the mainstream development process and agenda and not just peripheral programs and projects of the government”. Concretely, it prescribes for the allocation of 5% of the government agency’s/local government unit’s budget on gender-responsive activities and projects. As a result, implementation of the development programs and policies of government also 1means women partaking a role in governance. As primarily stakeholders in the development process, women have the right to maximize their involvement in governance, be it at the local or national level

Framework Plan for Women (FPW)

This is part of the Philippine Plan for Women which the current administration developed to focus on three thrust namely: promoting women’s economic empowerment; advance and protect women human rights; and promote gender responsive governance. This plan identifies the concrete gender issues that will be addressed, pinpoint targets and indicators, name programs, formulates the implementation plan, and set-up tools for monitoring and evaluation.

Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women or CEDAW

It is obvious that the Philippines has a well-developed legal framework for gender equality. This is even reinforced by the ratification of international instruments on women (e.g.____________________) and clear commitments to the outputs of the UN Women Conferences. This is already a good handle for gender equality but their implementation and the “real politics” surrounding these legal norms leave so much to be desired

ONLINE GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE

refers to “harmful acts directed towards an individual or a group of individuals based on their gender that are partially or fully carried out through or enabled by technology” (UN Women as cited in Foundation for Media Alternatives (FMA), 2023).

GENDER-BASED ONLINE SEXUAL HARASSMENT Republic Act No. 11313, Section 12

Includes acts that use information and communications technology in terrorizing and intimidating victims through physical, psychological, and emotional threats, unwanted sexual misogynistic, transphobic, homophobic and sexist remarks and comments online whether publicly or through direct and private messages, invasion of victim’s privacy through cyberstalking and incessant messaging, uploading and sharing without the consent of the victim, any form of media that contains photos, voice, or video with sexual content, any unauthorized recording and sharing of any of the victim’s photos, videos, or any information online, impersonating identities of victims online or posting lies about victims to harm their reputation, or filing, false abuse reports to online platforms to silence victims.