Great countries are led by women, so why can't we let ours be led by one?

Before anything else, I would like everyone to look to their left and to their right. I want everyone to ask themselves, who made it possible for all these people to be here? Who brought them upon this world? How was it possible for me to make this post? And with that, I am here making this statement as a representation of every Filipina. I want you guys to listen to me as a woman, I want you to heed my battlecry as someone who has been battling oppression since the day my mother gave birth to me.

"I'm so sick of running as fast as I can, wondering if I'll get there quicker if I was a man." As Taylor Swift says in her song, The Man. Let's define first, this construct called Misogyny. The dictionary says it is hate or prejudice against women. It's how society views women, at lower societal value than men. Ever since the beginning of time, we all know that women have been perpetually undermined by society. Women are shamed for being emotional and conventionally weaker than men. To be honest, it dawns me why emotions should be a basis of an individual's value to society. It's not easy to be a woman! We go through a painful cycle every month. Women has the responsibility to carry humans in their wombs for nine months. If women are emotional, it's justified. Not for Filipinos though. Our culture believes that women are inferior to men. A woman's responsibility are believed to be staying at home, taking care of their children, and being of service to their husbands. As Filipinos, we all know for a fact that we have social constructs that somehow belittles women. As an example, in Filipino culture, it's a stereotype that engineering, medicine, architecture, aeronautics, construction industries, and even politics should all be male-dominated fields. Basically, anything that requires leading, critical thinking, and problem solving skills. This mindset is heavily rooted from misogyny. Women have always been held back by this construct as their economic value is lowered. As data says during a research made in the year 2021, women only makes up approximately 39% of the Philippines' workforce; this gender gap is totally alarming. What allows this to happen is our culture that encourages women to stay at home and become dependent to men as the providers of the family. And this, everyone, is one of the main reasons why our country is not making any progress.

Let's talk about what we know about women and their contribution in our neighbouring countries. First, Cynthia Marshall, CEO of Dallas Mavericks. The first Black woman to serve as the business leader for an NBA team. Second, Kathrin Jansen, Head of Vaccine Research and Development at Pfizer. She led a team of 650 experts to develop the first successful coronavirus vaccine. Lastly, Christine Lagarde, President of European Central Bank. The first woman to serve as France’s finance minister, as managing director of the International Monetary Fund and now as president of the European Central Bank. They are just the three out of millions of women in the world who has contributed to the society and showed that women are born leaders. Therefore, why are we holding back the females that could be the face of our future? One answer, misogyny. Although it does not show explicitly, misogyny transpires in the name of the Filipino culture. And with this in mind, I would like to bring up a name that I know is familiar to many Filipinos. Leni Robredo.

I could not possibly go on with this talk without mentioning her name. Leni Robredo. The only woman who ran for presidency during the 2022 election. A woman. That one definition alone had cost her a battle harder than the rest of the group— group of men. At one point, all her opponents had gathered to throw shade at her and even went to the extremes of telling her to withdraw from the race. All the while, she and her daughters had to deal with trolls sharing malicious contents and fake news about them. She has been mocked and attacked because of her intelligence. Her videos spliced and manipulated to make her look foolish. All of those defamations and attempts to discourage her, despite being the most credible candidate; clean track record, experience in public service, did not come from a political dynasty, and most importantly a loving mother. While some of her opponents having criminal allegations, she still became the public's target. All because she's a woman. If she were a man, she would have been praised for her intelligence. If she were a man, she would have been praised for being able to raise three successful children on her own. If she were a man, she would have been looked up to by the public because of her progressive platforms and her skills in leading. But then again, she's a woman. And the Philippines is not ready for that. We are not ready to accept that women can lead. We are not ready to break the stereotypes and end the stigma of downsizing the abilities of women. We are not ready for the future.

That's why I am here today, stating my purpose. A woman. Amplifying the voice of all the women who wants to lead, the women who aspires to be in male-dominated fields, the women who battle the prejudice against their gender identity, my sisters, my aunties, my teachers, my friends, and our moms who gave birth to all of us. If not for women, we would all cease to exist. It is high time we acknowledge the capabilities of women in our society and end this misogynist culture we have inherited from the conquerors of our country hundreds of years ago. This is our call for change. We are the face of revolution, we are proud Filipinas.