The Philippines stands confident in championing the rights of women in the country as the government assures the 193-member United Nations (UN) that their protection is its "core interest."
Through the country's permanent representative to the UN Ambassador Anton Lagdameo, the Philippines made the pronouncement during the commemoration of the international day for the elimination of violence against women on Tuesday, Nov. 29, in New York.
"Today, we stand united with our fellow Filipinos and with the international community in advocating for a world that is safe for women and girls," he said in his statement.
According to him, the Philippines has "remained strong in this advocacy" as it took pride of being among the earliest advocates of human rights of women at the UN fora as well as of pushing equal rights protection during the crafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
"During the Fourth World Conference of Women in Beijing in 1995, the Philippines willingly took on the difficult role of chairing the Main Committee which drafted the Beijing Platform for Action," the statement read, noting that the platform remains active today.
Lagdameo also asserted the country's fight for women rights by saying "violence against women is contrary" to the Philippine laws and policies.
He cited the inclusion of gender equality in the Constitution, the existing Magna Carta for Women as well as the Philippines' top ranking in the latest Gender Parity Index in Asia.
"Our yearly 18-day campaign to end violence against women is a yearly reminder to us here at the Mission and the Consulate of the legacy that we must continue, he said.
"But the fact that we still need to hold this campaign means that there is still a lot of work to do in closing the gaps for the achievement of true gender equality. I am confident that we will ably perform our role as champions of women's rights," he added.