09/03/2026
"As long as misogyny is spoken from the podium of power, Womenโs Month will remain a reminder of a struggle that is far from over."
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As long as misogyny is spoken from the podium of power, Womenโs Month will remain a reminder of a struggle that is far from over.
It is National Womenโs Month once again, a period meant to recognize womenโs contributions and reaffirm the countryโs commitment to gender equality. Yet, the recent remarks made by politician B**g Suntay about actress Anne Curtis expose how fragile that commitment remains. When a public official casually makes sexualized statements about a woman in a formal government setting, the celebration of womenโs rights begins to feel less like progress and more like performance.
During a House committee hearing discussing the impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte, Suntay inserted an analogy involving Curtis that described sexual fantasies about her. The remark had little relevance to the discussion and immediately drew criticism for its indecency. Lawmakers later moved to strike the comment from the official record. But the fact that such a statement could be made at all, inside a government proceeding no less, reveals something deeper about the political culture that continues to shape Philippine society.
Curtis herself is a powerful public figure with influence, visibility, and access to platforms that allow her to respond. But the incident also raises a more troubling question. If someone with that level of power can still become the target of such remarks in a public forum, what about the countless women who endure similar treatment away from cameras and microphones?
Those women often confront harassment in workplaces, schools, and public spaces where speaking out carries significant risks. While the Philippines has legal frameworks such as the Safe Spaces Act (RA 11313) that penalize gender-based harassment, enforcement remains weak and uneven. Complaints move slowly through the justice system and many victims choose silence rather than face lengthy legal battles or social stigma.
This gap between policy and practice highlights the difference between symbolic progress and lived reality. The Philippines often ranks relatively high in global gender equality indices, and women have held prominent positions in politics and business. In the Global Gender Gap Report 2024, the country ranked 25th out of 146 economies, with a gender parity score of 77.9%, placing it among the higher performing countries in the Eastern Asia and Pacific region. Yet the same report also shows that gaps remain in economic participation and political representation, including declines in the share of women in leadership and managerial positions and persistent disparities in wage equality. According to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), women in the Philippines still earn around 20% less on average than men, while surveys continue to document widespread experiences of workplace harassment and sexist remarks that often go unreported.
Even within political spaces, misogynistic remarks continue to surface with alarming frequency. And despite public outrage, consequences are often limited to apologies or calls for decorum rather than meaningful accountability. This pattern allows sexist behavior to embed itself within the broader political culture, gradually normalizing what should never have been acceptable to begin with.
Globally, similar frustrations have fueled movements pushing back against entrenched patriarchal systems. In South Korea, the emergence of the 4B movement reflects the growing disillusionment of women with institutions that continue to undermine their autonomy and dignity. While contexts differ, the underlying concern remains the same. Formal recognition of womenโs rights does not automatically translate to genuine respect.
The Philippine experience reflects this contradiction. Progress is often measured through policies, statistics, and symbolic observances. Yet when public officials themselves perpetuate misogynistic language, it reveals how deeply patriarchal attitudes remain embedded in the structures meant to govern society.
Leadership plays a crucial role in shaping social norms. Words spoken by people in power carry weight beyond the moment they are uttered. They influence how institutions behave and how society interprets acceptable conduct. When leaders display respect and professionalism, they set a standard for the public to follow. When they trivialize women through sexual remarks, they signal that such behavior can be tolerated.
National Womenโs Month was never meant to be a ceremonial display of progress. It is a reminder of the long and continuing struggle for dignity, equality, and justice. Yet that struggle cannot advance if those entrusted with leadership continue to reinforce the very attitudes that marginalize women.
Even if laws exist to protect women, and even if society celebrates their achievements every March, respect cannot flourish in a system where those in power casually undermine womenโs dignity. The government must strengthen the existing laws, enforce policies that protect womenโs rights, ensure accountability for gender-based discrimination, and promote inclusive leadership, while the public should actively challenge sexist attitudes and support movements that advance gender equality.
Misogyny that continues to echo within the halls of government cannot be erased by a month-long celebration of womenโs empowerment. Real change requires consistent action, accountability, and genuine commitment toward safeguarding womenโs rights and not just about seasonal recognition.
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