Bataan 1st district Rep. Geraldine Roman (left), former senator Leila de Lima (Facebook.PPAB)

Bataan 1st district Rep. Geraldine Roman has apologized to former senator Leila de Lima and to Filipino women in general for what she described as the misogynistic views of the previous Duterte administration. 

“I remember in the 17th Congress, and I’d like to take advantage of this opportunity to ask and seek forgiveness and apologize to the Senator Leila de Lima," Roman told House reporters on Monday, Dec. 2.

"Because at that time it seems that the past administration was sending like a message to the legislative that hindi puwedeng may opposition, hindi puwedeng may dissenting voice (there cannot be an opposition, there cannot be a dissenting voice). And a sitting senator was imprisoned. So unjustly for seven years," De Lima said, referring to De Lima.

"And many of us here in the House of Representatives, mostly the women, we felt like we [had] to [be] quiet, to protect our districts," Roman, a transgender woman, said.

"I'd like to take advantage to apologize to the millions of women who might have felt offended by misogynistic remarks that have been made in the past by our elected officials,” she added, without mentioning any name.

It was on Feb. 24, 2017--less than a year into former president Rodrigo Duterte's administration--that De Lima was jailed for alleged links to the illegal drug trade in the New Bilibid Prison (NBP). 

De Lima--a former Commission on Human Rights (CHR) chairperson and DOJ secretary--would remain incarcerated until Nov. 13, 2023, or over six years. She is now running for congresswoman under ML Party-list. 

Roman, chairperson of the House Committee on Women and Gender Equality, highlighted that things have changed under President Marcos. "So this is a different administration where there is freedom of speech."

She says her panel is also doing its part in making things better.

"It is for this reason that from the Committee on Women and Gender Equality, we are trying to amend the Safe Spaces Act to include a provisions for elected officials," she said.

Roman said these elected officials "must serve as a good example to citizens".

"Hindi po tama na gumawa tayo ng mga (It's not right for us to make these) misogynsits, homophobic, transphobic remarks, we should be respectful always of women," she said.

"So gusto namin, sa aming pag-amyenda sa Safe Spaces Act ay ma-penalize, at maparusahan ang ganitong klaseng behavior," she noted.

(So what we want to achieve by amending the Safe Spaces Act is to penalize and to punish these kinds of behavior.)