By SENATOR RISA HONTIVEROS 
 

It was 2003. I remember getting a call while I was burping my youngest, Sinta, at home. Carrying my then one and a half year old daughter over one shoulder and cradling my cellphone against the other with my jaw, I went out onto the balcony of our duplex to get a better signal. I was asked if I could stand as a nominee of my party, Akbayan.
This was the second time I had been asked to run. I had many reasons to say no. Sinta was still so young. Motherhood and campaigning would be tough to balance, and even tougher if our party got reelected.

It was a tense time, and even more than when I was younger, I knew that I had to do something. I knew then what to answer.

“Okay, I’ll stand as a nominee.”

When we got reelected and I started my first term in Congress as Representative of Akbayan, I must admit I was anxious. It was not easy being a woman in a male-dominated institution such as the House of Representatives. Still, I persisted. I persisted even when my husband, Frank, died in 2005 and I became a solo parent of four children. I knew I had to.
I know that my experience is not unique to me. Countless women have had to struggle and overcome similar challenges in their lives as they pursued different career paths. And yet, despite the many women who have had to jump through hoops to be successful in their respective fields, many women still find themselves having to jump through hoops.

For example, in public service, the barrier to entry for women remains high. Local statistics prove this, as only two out of 10 elected officials are women. Even in the Senate, only seven of us are women in a chamber of 24 legislators. 

Aside from the daily challenges faced by women, we also have to contend with the lack of stable political parties, poor economic empowerment of women, and the political violence surrounding elections. All these, coupled with the false but persistent belief of some Filipinos that men make stronger leaders are roadblocks against the entry of women into politics and public governance.

But despite this, and perhaps because of this, more women are entering public service. I have seen this myself when I spoke at a fellowship activity for newly-elected women barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan officials. Some of them were just starting out in public service, so I told them that I had felt the same way when I was first elected: Fearful, anxious and doubtful, but still very much willing to soldier on.

It is important that we get more women leaders in every sector and every part of society. Who else will take up the cudgels for women’s rights and gender equality but us women? Our unique experiences as women defined by our daily struggles and triumphs shape our insights in policymaking.

After all, women lawmakers — including myself — were at the forefront of pushing for important laws for the interests of millions of Filipino women, including the Expanded Maternity Leave Law, the Kalusugan at Nutrisyon ng Mag-Nanay Act, the Safe Spaces Act and the Expanded Solo Parents Welfare Law. These are just some of the strong policy and legal reforms needed to dismantle barriers that prevent women from enjoying a better life.

We are still working with women’s organizations to pass legislation that will make our country more gender-responsive, such as the Maternity Benefit for Women in the Informal Economy bill, and the Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy bill that address old and new issues being faced by the most vulnerable sectors.

But we need more warm bodies in this continuing fight for women’s rights and gender equality. So I encourage all women, especially our young women, to step up, be involved, be informed, speak truth to power, dare to swim against the current, and embrace your potential for greatness. I would not be here had I not persevered against the fear and anxiety I felt when I was first elected to Congress.

I always look back to that fateful call in 2003, my daughter, Sinta, against one shoulder and cell phone against the other. Our country needs you, especially in our political situation today. Will you brace your shoulders and answer the call?