Let us celebrate Woman Suffrage Day
I thank top election lawyer Romulo B. Macalintal for reminding me that the late president Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr. proclaimed April 30 of every year as Woman Suffrage Day through Presidential Decree No. 2346 dated March 29, 1984.
HISTORICALLY, SINCE THE RIGHT OF SUFFRAGE WAS GRANTED IN 1907 by the American colonizers, only male citizens were allowed to vote simply because as some male chauvinists claimed, women were mere “extensions of their husbands and fathers,” unfit for public service. Thus, women were classified together with minors, illiterate, aliens, and insane as among those who could neither vote nor be voted upon.
But Filipino women fought long and hard for the right to vote, asserting that in a democracy, every qualified citizen—regardless of gender, color, race, or religion—should have a voice in shaping the nation’s future. Their struggle culminated on April 30, 1937, when 447,725 Filipino women cast their ballots in a plebiscite in favor of granting themselves the right to suffrage. That day, 88 years ago, marked a historic milestone in the march toward gender equality.
Sadly, however, that hard-won victory is under assault—not by law, but by the disturbing conduct of some individuals who treat women as mere props or punchlines in political campaigns. Lewd remarks, misogynistic jokes, and outright gender-based harassment have become alarmingly common. The 447,725 brave souls who once stood up to assert women’s political equality must be turning in their graves, disheartened by this alarming regression in the public discourse.
IF THEY WERE ALIVE TODAY, those suffragists would surely rise in indignation. They would call out the candidates who make women the butt of their jokes or use them as fodder for cheap publicity just to win votes.
Consider the case of a lawyer running for Congress who is at risk of disqualification by the Commission on Elections and of disbarment by the Supreme Court for blabbering that single, still menstruating mothers could sleep with him once a year if he got elected. As a lawyer, he should have known better. Such remarks are not only inappropriate but are also unethical and a violation of the Court’s Code of Professional Responsibility and Accountability, which prohibits lawyers from using offensive or improper language.
Another male candidate was caught on video urging a man to kiss a widowed female board member candidate, quipping that her “something” was “already closed” and needed to be “loosened.” Former senator Leila de Lima was rightfully “deeply appalled and angered” by such degrading, misogynistic behavior.
This growing trend has not gone unnoticed. Even Malacañang has condemned the rise of offensive and sexist remarks on the campaign trail. President Marcos called such behavior “unacceptable”—a timely reminder from a leader whose father, as I said earlier, proclaimed April 30 of every year as Woman Suffrage Day.
That decree was meant to ensure that Filipino women would continue to champion clean, honest, and free elections. Indeed, it is crucial to remember the sacrifices and struggles that made today’s rights possible. Let us not diminish the legacy of Filipino suffragists by tolerating or, worse, laughing at gender-based harassment disguised as campaign humor.
LET US ALSO REMEMBER that the founder, first chairperson, and current chair emeritus of the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting, which fights for honest, orderly, and peaceful election for everyone, whether male or female, is a lady, former ambassador to the Vatican Henrietta “Tita” De Villa. The present chair is likewise a career woman of substance, Evelyn R. Singson, an ebullient fighter for gender equality.
Breaking the glass ceiling in the presidency was Corazon C. Aquino followed by Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo; in the Senate, Geronima T. Pecson followed by Eva Estrada Kalaw with longest-serving female senator Loren Legarda topping the Senate race twice in 1998 and 2007; and in the Supreme Court, bar toppers Cecilia A. Muñoz-Palma, Ameurfina A. Melencio-Herrera, and Carolina C. Griño-Aquino excelled. Recently, Justice Maria Filomena D. Singh was unanimously elected president of the prestigious International Association of Women Judges in Cape Town, South Africa.
Topping in private business is Tessie Sy Coson, chair of BDO, our largest bank and vice chair of the SM Investments Corp., our largest conglomerate. Following her in alphabetical order are Betty Ang, Liza Gokongwei-Cheng, Susan Co, Gretchen Oppen-Cojuangco, Helen Yuchengco-Dee, Robina Y. Gokongwei-Pe, Elizabeth T. Sy, Maria Grace Yao-Uy, and Josephine Gotianun-Yap.
Active lady law practitioners are (in alphabetical order) Ayala general counsel Franchette M. Acosta, MVP Group senior adviser Marilyn A. Victorio-Aquino, University of the Philippines College of Law dean Darlene Marie B. Berberabe, Romulo Law’s Cynthia del Castillo, Divina Law’s Estrella C. Elamparo, PLDT general counsel Joan de Venecia-Fabul, Gokongwei Group general counsel Macel Fernandez-Estavillo, veteran practitioner Lorna Patajo-Kapunan, ACCRALAW managing partner Patricia T. Prodigalidad, and V&A Law’s Sylvette Y. Tankiang, and others I can no longer name due to lack of space.
