Advocates call on 2025 candidates to push for women-centric laws

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Various civil society groups highlight a legislative agenda to ensure that discussions on women’s advocacies don’t stop when Women’s Month ends

MANILA, Philippines – A coalition of women’s rights organizations on Monday, March 31, called on Senate and House hopefuls in the 2025 elections to advance measures pushing the rights of women and youth.

The coalition, called the Caucus of Women Organizations, included the following in their 10-Point Women’s Legislative Agenda:

• A “humane” wage increase
• Adolescent pregnancy prevention bill
• Magna Carta of Children bill
• Amendments to and stronger implementation of the Safe Spaces Act, particularly in including rural public spaces, and addressing threats or deepfakes created by artificial intelligence
• Magna Carta of Workers in the Informal Economy
• Gender-responsive climate action
• Climate and environmental defenders protection bill
• Divorce bill
• SOGIE (sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression) equality bill
• Menstrual leave bill

The 10-point agenda captures the intersections of the many ways women are put at a disadvantage in society, from the world of work, to possibilities of violence, to the compounding threats when a woman is either an environmental defender or a victim of a disaster.

The coalition launched the agenda to the media on the last day of Women’s Month, just six weeks away from the 2025 midterm elections.

In a statement, the coalition said amending the Safe Spaces Act would ensure that women are protected from harassment not just in urban areas, but in rural and digital spaces as well, where violations often go unaddressed.

Passing the adolescent pregnancy prevention bill, they also said, is vital to curbing teen pregnancies which limit young girls’ access to education and economic opportunities.

The anti-teen pregnancy bill, which was so close to passage, faced a major setback in the beginning of 2025 when a religious coalition raised concerns alleging that comprehensive sexuality education would corrupt children. (READ: [DECODED] The ‘smear campaign’ against CSE, anti-adolescent pregnancy bill)

In their press briefing on Monday, Pambansang Koalisyon ng Kababaihan sa Kanayunan secretary general Fe Manapat discussed how women are uniquely affected during environmental disasters. Women are also the ones who have to primarily respond to the needs of their children.

“Sa kabila nito, ang mga kababaihang apektado ng krisis ay kadalasang may kaunti o halos walang impluwensiya sa disenyo at paghahatid ng makataong tulong. Mahalaga na hayaaang magsalita at dinggin ang boses ng mga babae sa mga desisyon na nakakaapekto sa kanilang buhay,” said Manapat.

(Women affected by crises often have little to no influence in the design and distribution of humane aid. It is important to listen to the voices of women when it comes to decisions that affect their lives.)

Gloria Madayag of Homenet also said women informal workers should not just rely on aid, but must be empowered to be resilient.

Determined to carry on

Progressive measures advocating for women and gender rights such as the divorce bill and the SOGIE equality bill have historically been excluded from top priority agenda.

Jean Franco, University of the Philippines political science professor and EveryWoman convenor, said this is because women’s voices remain largely invisible in society.

“‘Yung mga politiko, hindi nila alam kung paano bumoto ang mga babae. So pagka naglalabas sila ng plataporma, kung mayroon man silang plataporma, parating pangkalahatan,” she said.

(Politicians don’t know how women vote. So when they release their platforms — if they do have platforms — these are usually for the general public.)

Franco said there needs to be more data on how women vote, together with their concerns, in exit polls.

The advocates noted that the campaign for the measures they laid out will be a long battle, but that they will persevere.

“Tuloy-tuloy po ang pagsusulong ng mga kababaihan para sa karapatan din ng kababaihan…. Kung hindi man mapapasa ngayon ng mga nauna sa amin, nandito po kaming mga kabataan na talagang magsusulong at mag-aadvocate tuloy-tuloy para din po sa kabataan na mag-benefit din po,” said Yvonne Salamat, Kabataan Community Health Advocacy Team lead convenor.

(Women will continue to advocate for women’s rights. Even if those before us may not be able to get these measures passed, we the youth will continue to advocate for the next generation who will benefit.) – Rappler.com