Rafaela David: Braving the waves to assert PH rights
The fishing boats were already out in the open sea in 2024 when Rafaela David and other civilian volunteers arrived near a “payao” (a fishing contraption) in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
Filipino fishermen were casting their lines in waters they had known for generations but were now regularly patrolled by Chinese vessels.
“They’ve been faced with harassment from the Chinese coast guard,” David recalled. “But they were also proud of what they were doing and thankful that their struggle was being witnessed by fellow Filipinos.”
For many volunteers in the civilian mission, it was their first eyewitness encounter with such realities in this part of the archipelago. Some saw Chinese ships up close for the first time.
“Imagine ordinary citizens, volunteers, young people—and then you’re confronted with how gigantic your harasser is,” David said. “But that’s also the reason why we have to do this. If intimidation succeeds, then we lose our ability to assert our rights.”
Early interest in civic work
David, coconvener of the Atin Ito (This is Ours) Coalition and president of party list group Akbayan, is one of this year’s recipients of the Inquirer’s Women of Power Awards.
Now on its fourth year, Women of Power recognizes women whose purpose-driven action, service-oriented leadership and efforts to empower others help shape the Filipino story across the country’s sectors and Philippine society.
David’s involvement in advocacy began long before the coalition’s seaborne missions.
A political science graduate, she became interested in public affairs while still a university student.
“I was already interested in Philippine politics and what can be done to make sure that governance is really for the people and by the people,” she said.
She joined Akbayan through its youth wing and later worked with civil society groups advocating anticorruption and political reforms, including initiatives connected to the Ateneo School of Government.
“I’ve always been interested in making politics accessible to ordinary citizens,” she said.
Akbayan eventually became what she described as her political home—a party that encourages citizens to participate in governance both inside and outside government.
Younger leaders
David rose through the party ranks and eventually became its president during the presidency of Rodrigo Duterte.
She described that period as one of the most difficult chapters for the party, which was among the political groups openly critical of Duterte’s policies.
Akbayan also experienced an electoral setback during that time, temporarily losing representation in the House of Representatives.
But David said the moment also marked the rise of a younger generation of leaders within the party.
“It was a young executive committee that took on the task of bringing Akbayan to its next phase,” she said.
Civilian missions
David’s advocacy of maritime issues dates back more than a decade.
As early as 2011 and 2012, Akbayan was already campaigning to uphold Philippine sovereign rights over the West Philippine Sea.
The issue gained renewed attention after the country secured a landmark arbitral ruling against China at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague in 2016, which happened to be Duterte’s first year in power.
In 2023, civil society groups reconvened the Atin Ito Coalition to organize peaceful civilian-led activities highlighting the legal victory amid increasing acts of Chinese harassment in the WPS.
One of the coalition’s most visible efforts was a Christmas convoy in December 2023 that delivered supplies and holiday gifts to fisherfolk on Lawak Island.
David helped coordinate the mission, mobilizing volunteers and securing donations.
“We started planning, and before we knew it we were already announcing the first civilian mission to the West Philippine Sea,” she recalled.
Creative forms of advocacy
Subsequent missions delivered food, fuel and fishing gear while documenting the challenges faced by Filipino fishermen in the contested waters.
David believes civilian missions serve as a complement to government efforts in the maritime dispute.
“If China is militarizing the West Philippine Sea, all the more that we need to civilianize it,” she said.
That idea has led the coalition to experiment with creative forms of advocacy.
In May 2025, it organized a sea concert near Pag-asa Island, bringing together artists, fisherfolk and volunteers to raise awareness about the Philippine position.
Encouraging women to lead
For David, the growing participation of women in these efforts has been particularly encouraging.
Women have joined supply missions, supported fishing communities and taken leadership roles in advocacy campaigns.
As the country celebrates Women’s Month, she urged young Filipino women to claim their rightful place in civic and political movements.
“Take up space. Make sure our voices are part of the conversation,” she said.
She also emphasized the importance of solidarity among women in leadership tiers often dominated by men.
“In rooms that are often filled with men, we make sure more women are able to enter those spaces,” David said. “So we’re not the lone voice—but part of a larger conversation.”
