Adamson Law echoes gender equality, social justice advocacies in women-centered forum
Date Posted: April 25, 2024 at 01:58 PM
.jpg)
Adamson Law echoes gender equality, social justice advocacies in women-centered forum
The "Abante Babae" spirit was in full swing at Adamson U as the College of Law featured "Women on Fire Redux," an advocacy forum to address critical issues facing women in the present society, held at the University Theater on April 16.
The event, conducted in partnership with the Office of the University President, hosted esteemed advocates of social justice in the country, namely former Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, Sr. Patricia Fox, former Senator Leila de Lima, Ms. Adora Faye de Vera, and Ms. Liza Maza.
Their insights sparked engaging discussions among attendees, emphasizing the importance of advancing women's rights and opportunities in achieving gender equality and social justice.
Adamson officials present at the event were University President Fr. Daniel Franklin Pilario, CM, Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Rosula Reyes, Vice President for Administrative Affairs Dr. Venusmar Quevedo, Vice President for Financial Affairs Fr. Rafael Eloriaga, CM, Vice President for Student Affairs Fr. Andrew Bayal, CM and Assistant to the Vice President for Academic Affairs Fr. Rock Joseph Enriquez, CM, along with the University's college deans and office directors.
Fr. Pilario officially kick-started the event with his opening remarks centered on the title of the event and the speakers' reputation for championing human rights amid threats and exploitations from the regimes of known strongmen until today.
Hegemony, machismo, misogyny
Former Chief Justice Sereno, a trailblazer in the legal arena and the first woman to hold the position of Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines, delivered insights from a more legal perspective into social justice existing within Filipino society and the role of the Filipino in responding to and alleviating societal problems.
"We, Filipinos, have to take on a higher level of leadership in order to focus on the core issues that ail society, and these have to do with how we look at human beings – the mindset that fits Filipinos is not that of victimization," Sereno said.
"[There are those issues that ail society] because we do not look at every human being as "mahalaga" – as innate bearers of the Creator God."
The former chief justice also highlighted the role of women in community building and how they are at the forefront of this effort in the country along with men, amid a still highly paternalistic culture.
This was echoed when she recalled during the open forum standing her ground when the administration led by then-President Rodrigo Duterte intended to "destroy the Judiciary."
"If I did not speak against the drug war of President Duterte… I would have completely failed as chief justice… If I could not defend the independence of the Judiciary, I would live in perpetual shame," she said.
"I cannot look anyone of you in the eye and say, "Fight for what is right," because fighting for what is right is a good in itself."
Sr. Fox, representing the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines, shared her experiences of advocacy and resilience via online video conferencing from her home in Australia after her missionary visa was not renewed despite surviving an initial deportation attempt by the Duterte Administration. Her unwavering dedication to marginalized communities, including women in rural areas, resonated deeply with the attendees.
She talked about systemic issues such as militarization, human rights violations, and environmental abuses in communities of indigenous peoples, stressing the importance of women leaders in grassroots organizations.
"[The women leaders] can be massive leaders of change [so] they need to speak forward together and talk about exactly what is keeping them in such situation, and once they get to know that, there is no stopping [these] women," she expounded.
A law practitioner before joining the religious life with the Congregation of Our Lady of Sion, Sr. Fox has been one of the top advocates of social justice in the country since arriving in the Philippines in the 1980s.
She was a staple figure at rallies, lobbying against destructive mining and political killing, as well as for justice, especially for the marginalized people, especially the indigenous, including the Lumads. This resulted in an attempt to deport her in 2018 – a case where she mentioned she was "never given a chance to fight for herself."
Former Senator de Lima, renowned for her fearless advocacy against human rights abuses and political persecution, contributed her perspectives on combating gender-based violence and injustice within the political sphere while telling an account of her nearly seven years of arbitrary detention.
"My experience provided a harsh reality check. I came face-to-face with the stark realities of gender repression and the unique challenges that women face in the pursuit of justice," she said.
She then reflected on repression manifesting in various forms with the common aim of "stifling dissent and preserving the existing power dynamics." She applied this notion to the effectiveness of former President Duterte's "populist approach stemmed from the deliberate reinforcement" of gender repression through a macho persona and rhetoric, perpetuating patriarchal norms and gender stereotypes.
De Lima further asserted that women face heightened scrutiny and hostility when engaging in political dissent, with attacks often targeting their personal identities rather than their ideas.
She recounted her own experience, where she encountered unrelenting misogyny, indicating that her gender became the focal point of attacks, overshadowing the substantive issues at hand. This, she noted, exemplified the systemic gender bias within political discourse, where women are often subjected to unfair scrutiny and discrimination based solely on their gender.
"As gender repression presents itself in different ways, we must also recognize the struggle to challenge it. While ideally, it should be inclusive and universal, the reality is far more complex due to the entrenched system of power and privilege that exists in society," she said.
"We must recognize that the struggles of women are unique. Our individual journey is shaped by our intersectional identities. These intersecting factors compound the challenges we face, magnifying the barriers to equality and justice."
Martial Law to date
Ms. de Vera, a former political detainee, bravely shared her story of survival and resilience, shedding light on the challenges women activists face and the imperative of amplifying their voices in pursuing social change.
De Vera vividly recalled how she saw women in far-flung regions being oppressed by military and paramilitary forces after the men in their houses went into hiding and narrated how she witnessed and experienced the abuses of the dictator-run regime first-hand.
“Why do we have to talk about [the abuses] until now? Because until now it’s still happening. Ang dami pang hinahanap, ang dami pang nawawala, ang dami pang hinuhuli nang walang warrant of arrest at ikinukulong nang walang charges. Ang dami pang mga peasant women na humaharap sa military para depensahan ang mga asawa nila, even in jail,” she said.
"[I] am an activist until now because women can't just sit and watch our families be torn apart. [The abuses that happened during Martial Law] still happen, and the women who are most affected are those on the ground… I needed to survive because the world outside needed to know what was happening."
Ms. Liza Maza, former representative of the Gabriela Women's Party and former convenor of the National Anti-Poverty Council, then synthesized the words of the speakers. With her extensive experience in advocating for women's rights and social justice, Maza emphasized the importance of collective action in addressing gender inequality and abuses and eventually empowering all women.
The forum sparked engaging discussions among attendees, fostering an environment of solidarity as observed in the number of participants during the open forum, which was cut short due to time constraints.
To end the event, AdU Law Dean Ana Maria Abad shared a stirring message inspired by the stories and points shared during the event.
"Let us not forget that the journey towards gender equality is not a sprint but a marathon… Let us pave the way for the future, unbound by prejudice or limitation. Let us continue to stand together, march forward, and make our voices heard," she said.
“Maraming-marami pa tayong gagawin.”
