Acting Chief Justice Ramon Paul L. Hernando has urged the public to prevent gender-based offenses by educating everyone on the “obligations under the laws and rules centering on women” and “informing women about their rights.”

He stressed that everyone should be “a visible example of gender sensitivity and inclusivity” by always being considerate about “gender preferences, physiological differences, and specific sensitivities.”

“Do not turn a blind eye at discriminatory, demeaning, and bigoted acts,” he pointed out in his message during the opening last Friday, March 15, of the 2024 Women’s Month Celebration Photo and Video Exhibit at the lobby of the Supreme Court’s (SC) main building on Padre Faura Street in Ermita, Manila.

The exhibit, organized by the SC’s Court Committee on Gender Responsiveness in the Judiciary (CGRJ), “aims to recognize and showcase the efforts of the Philippine Judiciary in empowering women and furthering gender equality.”

Hernando is acting Chief Justice with the official leave of absence of Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo, Senior Associate Justice Marvic M.V.F. Leonen, and Associate Justice Alfredo Benjamin S. Caguioa, the third ranking member of the SC.

Hernando said that gender-based problems “can be treated with knowledge, so we must keep ourselves abreast with new rules and laws and the ever-evolving social norms concerning gender. “Ignorance should never be an excuse for disrespect,” he said.

At the same time, Hernando said: “Gender equality has never been about superiority or competition. Gender equality is about respect and recognition.”

In her message, SC Associate Justice Maria Filomena D. Singh, co-chairperson of the CGRJ, noted that “the judiciary has made great leaps” with regard to having a system that promotes sensitivity and inclusivity.

But she said that despite these milestones, “the road ahead is still long and we must maintain the momentum in ensuring equality.”

“True justice cannot be achieved without justice for all, and justice for all means justice that is equal and free from any form of discrimination,” she declared.

For her part, Sandiganbayan Associate Justice Maria Theresa V. Mendoza-Arcega, also vice chairperson of CGRJ, called on her female colleagues in the judiciary to “make their efforts count” and “be the positive change” for their fellow Filipinas who are still suffering from gender-based discrimination.

The SC’s Public Information Office (PIO) said that included in the exhibit, which will run until March 31, are compiled photos of the various official representations of Associate Justices Amy C. Lazaro-Javier and Singh in conferences of women judges abroad where they shared the Philippine Judiciary’s efforts towards gender inclusivity and
fairness; SC’s celebrations of Women’s Month and support for the Global Call to Ending Violence Against Women and the One Billion Rising Global Campaign; the gender sensitivity trainings and lectures on anti-violence against women conducted at the SC, Court of Appeals (CA), Sandiganbayan (SBN), and Court of Tax Appeals (CTA); and the lower courts’ celebration of the International Day of Women Judges, among others.

The PIO also said its video presentation, which highlights the various initiatives and activities led by the CGRJ, is also played on loop.

This year’s celebration of Women’s Month in the judiciary is themed “WE for Gender Equality and Inclusive Society.”