Greetings and preliminaries. 

      Exactly seven decades ago on this day, our foremothers gathered to celebrate a historic milestone in their lifelong quest to be recognized as equal and valuable partners in nation-building. It was on September 15, 1937, when President Manuel L. Quezon signed the law extending the right to vote to Filipino women. With tears in their eyes and a true sense of fulfillment, the pillars of the Filipino feminist movement witnessed this long-awaited moment at Malacañang Palace, after leading an intense national campaign to win the Filipino women’s right to vote. The hard work of this determined bunch of Pinays paid off for they more than met the quota of 300,000 affirmative votes required by the suffrage law of the 1934 Constitutional Convention. The 1930s suffragists, led by the National Federation of Women’s Clubs, used every possible means to draw women to register and vote for their own right to vote -- in the markets, streets, schools, piers and bus terminals, on radio programs and newspapers, in cities and provinces. Writers and wives of writers, wives and mothers of politicians and academicians, farmers, market vendors, factory workers - all were recruited to register and vote. 

      Minerva Laudico or Lola Ner, recipient of the Filipino Feminist Centennial Award for being one of the prime movers of the 1930s suffragist movement, recounted the days when she and her women comrades circled the country and delivered their strong and easy campaign line. Lola Ner said they would tell the women that the cucheros were better off because as long as they were of age, could read and write, they could vote; while a Filipino woman, even if she had earned the highest degree, was a doctor or a lawyer, could not vote, simply because she was a woman. When the women heard this they began to realize how lowly society regarded them when it came to suffrage. That’s why on April 30, 1937, Women’s Plebiscite Day, Filipino women came out and overwhelmingly voted in favor of the Women’s Right to Suffrage. 447,725 women voted "Yes", far exceeding the required number of votes to amend the suffrage law and finally allow women to vote. Lola Ner passed away August of last year at the age of 94, leaving with us a valuable legacy that we must forever cherish.

      Wisdom is gained from remembrance. Looking back at the struggles of the women who came before us helps us to better appreciate where we are today. It also allows us the perspective to examine how else we can uplift the lives of the generations of women who will come after us, just as Lola Ner and her fellow suffragettes had. While we have gained much ground to improve the status of women, there is still much that is left to be done.

      Yes, we have won the right to vote and earned the privilege of being elected into public office. We are the first women in Asia to earn the right to suffrage and the first in Asia to have a woman president -- it has happened twice in our country; it will no longer be a surprise if it happens again in 2010. Women voters account for half of the country’s total voting population and have consistently, though slightly, outnumbered men in terms of voter turnout in the past elections.1 But what do these mean? Should we look at these indicators as gains in themselves and are these enough for us to celebrate and rest on our laurels? Does having had two women presidents translate to a better situation for all Filipino women? Does having had more women voters lead to more women elected into public office? And does having had more women elected into legislative bodies bring about more legislation to improve the status of women? Apparently, not entirely so.

      While we have had two women presidents, a large number of Filipino women continue to live in poverty, bereft of opportunities to chart their future and make a significant, positive impact on society; While women voters have consistently outnumbered men in the national and local elections, there is still only one woman for every five men that gets elected into public office, a ratio that has been sustained in the past elections since 1995.2 In the legislature, the number of women has not increased substantially. Women senators continue to remain a minority, occupying at most four of the 24 seats, so that there is only one woman senator for every five to six male senators. In terms of leadership in Congress, from the time of the two chambers’ inception up to the present, not a single woman has become Senate President or Speaker of the House. At the Committee levels, the chairpersons come from the Majority Party or Administration Party. Oftentimes, decision-making of women in the legislature is also partisan, since legislators are inclined to take their parties’ stance on issues which are usually discussed in caucuses outside the formal senate sessions. In terms of tasks, women senators are assigned to traditional areas where women are expected to be involved such as Health and Demography, Youth, Women and Family Relations, and Public Information and Mass Media. Thus, given these limitations and constraints in the present setup, the influence of women legislators in decision-making and policy formulation continues to be wanting.

      Despite these multifarious challenges, the very few of us women in the legislature are doing our best not only to espouse the cause of women but to break the mold as well, letting our male colleagues know that yes, being a woman senator means we choose to give importance to women’s issues and prioritize legislation for women, but this is without prejudice to our capability of performing any task and assuming a position of leadership. From my experience in my first term as Senator, where I was chosen by my colleagues to be Majority Leader, the first woman to have occupied the post, I found that to gain the position did not necessarily mean that I had to abandon my being a woman and play like a man in this male dominated field. I learned that to earn the esteem of my male colleagues I did not have to be a “woman with balls” but simply a woman with a backbone.

      Women are natural leaders. We manage our homes well and can more than manage a country competently. We are good economic managers and know the needs of our citizens like the needs of our own children. We are naturally nurturing, we listen and value dialogue and consultation. We are attuned to the needs of others. We care for the environment. We are prayerful. As former President Corazon Aquino once said, “Politics must not remain a bastion of male dominance for there is much that women can bring into politics that would make our world a kinder, gentler place for humanity to thrive in.”

      While women legislators may be few in number at present, we can multiply our strength by soliciting the support of our male colleagues (just like Senator Chiz Escudero here, who is a supporter of women’s causes). The Filipina suffragettes of the 1930s knew that they could only achieve their agenda if they worked with and not against men. They succeeded in winning our right to suffrage because they were not only able to get the men of their time to support their cause but to champion it as well. You may be surprised, a quick look at the present 14th congress bills referred to the Senate Committee on Youth, Women and Family Relations shows that many of the legislative proposals on women have been authored by men, while not all of the women senators necessarily filed many women-related bills. As we gather the support of our male legislators, women’s groups should also lobby for the support of female legislators and educate them about the women’s cause. More women should also be encouraged to run for congress and women voters must be educated about the importance of voting for women legislators who are known to champion women’s causes, for an examination of the past congresses show that of the thousands of bills that have been filed, those concerned with women’s issues and concerns remain a small percentage.
      
      As long as Filipino women are kept from being equal partners of Filipino men in building this nation and as long as Filipino women continue to experience any form of abuse and disadvantage in society, legislation is needed to continue promoting, protecting and upholding their rights and welfare. As a legislator, championing the rights of women has always been and always will be a priority in my legislative agenda. In my previous term as Senator, I have seen through the passage of important pieces of legislation that sought to protect women, such as R.A. 9208 or the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act, and R.A. 9262 or the Anti-Violence Against Women and their Children Act. In my new term as Senator in the recently begun 14th Congress, I have filed several bills to address areas where women’s rights still need to be protected or advanced. Among these legislative proposals are the following:

• Senate Bill 1085 or the “Anti-Obscenity Act of 2007” which is a response to the resurgence of pornography in our present society and seeks to outlaw obscene acts, especially the public demonstration of the sexual act and the sale and display of materials with pornographic presentations;
• Senate Bill 1098 which seeks to expand the coverage of sexual harassment to include venues such as text messaging, electronic mail, the internet and other new forms of communication;
• Senate Bill 1373 which proposes the establishment of literacy programs for expectant mothers in all public and private hospitals, clinics and health centers to equip them with basic knowledge and skills that will foster effective parenting;
• Senate Bill 1386 or the “Women and Children Crisis Survivors Assistance and Protection Act of 2007”, which seeks to extend support services to other survivors of violence such as trafficked, prostituted, physically abused and exploited women and children;
• Senate Bill 934 which proposes the establishment of breast care centers in every region of the country to ensure that Filipino women have services to increase their awareness of breast cancer and its prevention;
• Senate Bill 936 or the “Women Empowerment Act of 2007” which seeks to provide equal opportunities between men and women in the areas of public governance by reserving a certain percentage in appointive positions to qualified women, in both national and local government, including the Armed Forces and the Philippine National Police;
• Senate Bill 937 which seeks to increase the penalties and include circumstances such as soliciting a prostitute in behalf of another, advertising the services of a prostitute, and recruiting a woman as a sex worker under false pretenses of lawful employment as punishable acts under the Revised Penal Code; and
• Senate Bill 1375 or the “Computer Pornography Act” which seeks to protect minors from indecent and immoral materials transmitted through electronic mail and other means of computer technology by penalizing violators of such acts, so that people like those behind “Boy Bastos” can be put behind bars.

      After seven decades since the pillars of the feminist movement succeeded in winning our right to vote, we have, indeed, come a long way. But the battle is not over for there is still a lot of ground to gain and avenues to cover. Truly, the impact of women voters and legislators in charting our future for God, country and families cannot be taken for granted. Being among the fortunate women who have had the privilege to break through the glass ceiling, I consider it my duty to help other women do the same so that experiencing empowerment will no longer be an exception but the rule for Filipino women. I owe my position to the multitude of Filipino women who have elected me into the legislature and believed in my capacity to champion their cause. I assure you that in me you shall find a strong ally in the Senate and that I will steadfastly carry on the work that our foremothers began.

      Once again, congratulations to all of us on this 70th Anniversary of Filipino Women Suffrage, a special day of celebration and remembrance. Maraming, maraming salamat po sa pag-imbita ninyo sa akin upang maging bahagi ng makasaysayang araw na ito.

      Mabuhay ang kababaihang Pilipina at mabuhay tayong lahat!