"Comrades,
I say to you,
Spare no efforts, struggle unceasingly,
That at last peace may come to our people.
And jeweled dresses and deformed feet
Will be abandoned.
And one day, all under heaven
Will see beautiful free women,
Blooming like fields of flowers,
And bearing brilliant and noble human beings."
Excerpt from "To the Tune 'The River is Red'" by Qiu Jin
In honor of the International Women's Day last March 8, the 13th
Congress of the Philippines made way for women in legislature to hold
key positions, perhaps the only time the male-dominated organization
would be willing to "lend" their power. The day proved to
be a parody of sorts, like the Philippine Comedian of the Congress.
Perhaps, I thought, the men wanted to take a break so they let the
women have their day. What congressman would not be confident to "lend"
their power just for a day when the legislative body has enacted a
grand total of only two pro-women bills in the past nine years? Certainly,
Rep. Jose De Venecia wouldn't mind this tokenism.
They say that we could not expect the Congress to pass bills that
would be beneficial to women since women legislators are outnumbered
by their male colleagues. Out of the 235 House members, only 37 are
females. This figure, however, is not the only reason that sets them
back. An essential question remains: how many of these 37 solons are
not just extended powers of their husbands or fathers? We too have
long ago proved that having a woman for a president does not guarantee
pro-women policies.
The House is as well filled with typical machos who only see women
as wives, mothers, lovers and whores. We have an elected representative
who pays a Viva Hotbabe to perform in his province and expects her
to sleep with him.
It is disconcerting that even in Pres. Gloria Arroyo's term, some
of the more controversial bills in the Congress are considered to
be pro-women. Take the case of House Bill 3773 or the Responsible
Parenthood bill, which seeks to provide access and adequate information
on reproductive health. Critics are quick to call it anti-poor and
anti-life. I dare say how about a woman's life and her right to her
own fertility? I'm afraid our elected officers who haven't experienced
the pain of giving birth would never quite understand that.
Despite the continuing, laborious struggle for women's rights in
every aspect of life, there is still much to be celebrated this month
of March if not to lose hope. Women deserve so much more than mere
tokens for our toils. We will not cease to insist that.
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Disclaimer: The opinions contained here are of the author who claims to write her reality as Frida Kahlo paints her own. It does not neccessarily reflect the views/stand of the publication.
