Davao women rights advocates urge bets to tackle economic abuse problem

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DAVAO, Philippines – Women’s rights advocates in Davao City urged candidates for local and national positions to adopt platforms that address women’s rights amid ongoing abuse issues in the city.

At a Kapihan sa Dabaw on Friday, March 7, the advocates said economic abuse remains the leading cause of violence against women and children. 

Data from the city government’s Integrated Gender and Development Division (IGDD) showed 976 cases of economic abuse, 851 of psychological/economic abuse, 469 of physical abuse, and 90 of sexual abuse – a total of 2,386 cases – in the city in 2024.

Lorna Mandin, head of IGDD, said economic abuse includes situations in which women have stopped working, remain unemployed or are prevented from seeking employment by their partner or family.

“Women are mostly out of work, many of them have been laid off, so that translates to (abuse), but we can’t accept that excuse,” Mandin said

There were more cases of economic abuse reported to the IGDD in 2023, with 1,439 cases of economic abuse, along with 755 cases of psychological/emotional abuse, 463 cases of physical abuse, and 50 cases of sexual abuse, totaling 2,707 cases.

Women rights advocates said the numbers indicate that incidents have been underreported, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jeanette Ampog, executive director of NGO Talikala, urged the local government to take further action on gender-related violence.

“More women are reportedly being vulnerable to sexual abuse, incest, and domestic violence from their boyfriends, ex-boyfriends, or even immediate family members that need more action from implementors of the law,” Ampog said.

Another concern raised by Ampog is that the problem of exploited women is worsening due to rampant online sexual abuse and exploitation of children, which she said victimizes community and school children.

“We have laws, [a] complete set of laws, but you can see the victims are increasing and are getting younger. We need to ask how do we address these concerns?” asked Ampog.

Davao City has landmark local laws, including the Women’s Development Code, that ensure women’s social, economic, and political rights. Ampog said that local leaders from the city council and agencies handling gender-related issues must ensure that the laws are fully implemented.

“We have these laws that protect women, but what we need now is its full implementation. This will happen if those who direct and enforce these laws will look at women’s rights as human rights,” she stressed.

Women and election

Of the Davao City Council’s 21 members, one-third, or seven, are women. In the coming local election in May, nearly a third of the candidates, or 30, are women.

Some Davaoeños discussed priority concerns for women that they hope candidates will address.

Nelia Alcontin, 46, pointed out her family’s burden of covering the high cost of commodities, as she and her husband are daily wage earners.

“Unta ma-feel din namin yung alibyo sa mahal na gastusin kasi nagmamahal na talaga tanan. As a mother, puzzled ka talaga everyday paano mo i-budget ‘yung pera for a month sa dami ng gastusin,” Alcontin said.

(I hope we can feel relief from the high prices of commodities. As a mother, it’s puzzling every day to budget your money for a month with so many expenses.)

Students Merlfie, 17, and Glennivieve, 19, pointed out that candidates need to present concrete platforms to address the traffic situation in the city, as they feel stressed from commuting to school.

Merlfie, who resides in Matina Pangi, describes her daily commute as “stressful” because it takes almost an hour – or sometimes more – to reach her school, the University of Mindanao, which is about six to eight kilometers away.

Glennivieve said that the stress of travel, especially during rush hours, leaves them little time to rest and study.

“Stressful kaayo s’ya every day, like kailangan g’yud mi mumata early mag-take og longer period para maghulat og jeep and ang travel … additional burden g’yud s’ya sa amoa,” Glennivieve said.

(It’s stressful every day, like you wake up early as it takes a longer period to wait for a jeep and then the travel time.) 

The national government and city government pushed for the jeepney phaseout during the pandemic to give way to modernized jeepneys, which have experienced delays. Many jeepney drivers have not had their franchises renewed or have given up due to high costs. – Rappler.com

This article is republished with permission from the Davao Today as part of a content-sharing partnership for the 2025 Philippine elections.