EMBATTLED OPPOSITION Senator Leila De Lima vowed to continue her fight against extrajudicial killings and human rights violations at a forum held in Miriam College last Friday, October 14.
“We need to raise awareness on our fight for the truth, fight for justice, fight for human rights, women’s rights and democracy,” she said.
The senator is the staunchest critic of President Rodrigo Duterte and his war on drugs. As chair of the Commission of Human Rights in 2009, De Lima has investigated the then-Davao City mayor for his involvement in the Davao Death Squad.
As chairperson of the Senate Committee on Human Rights, she led an inquiry on the mounting number of extrajudicial killings under Duterte’s presidency until her colleagues removed her as chair.
Because of this, she has faced relentless personal attacks from no less than the president himself and his allies. Duterte, among other things, has accused De Lima of benefitting from the illegal drug trade at the New Bilibid Prison because of her alleged relationship with driver Ronnie Dayan.
De Lima flatly denied these allegations at the forum. “But never did I betray my country. I want that made clear because that’s what I fear that some of you may have started to believe the relentless, vicious attacks being launched and led by the most powerful man in the country,” she said.
“I am not the bad and evil woman, or slut that they are trying to portray in the past few weeks,” De Lima said.
According to the speakers, Duterte’s personal attacks against De Lima such as accusations of adultery reveal sexist and misogynist attitudes.
“For aren’t women supposed to be moral, while it’s alright for men to live with a woman not his wife, have two girlfriends at his side, and make jokes of rape victims?” Dr. Socorro Reyes, president of the Center for Legislative Development, asked rhetorically.
Despite the Philippines’ standing as the most gender-equal nation in Asia, De Lima warned that such attitudes from those who “still maintain backwards thinking” may endanger women’s rights in the country,
“It’s not that we’re facing full-blown social marginalization—it is that this fast-growing and spreading brand of old-school misogyny is the type of creeping marginalization and sexism that could very well overwhelm us before we know it,” De Lima said.
She also called on women to speak out against the creeping sexism and disregard for human rights. “Let’s put a stop to the evil of silence. We must speak, and we must speak, not just as human beings, but specifically as women,” De Lima said.
Continuing crusade
The senator also pointed out that the government’s focus appears to have been poured out on the War on Drugs that the fair treatment of women and human rights have been neglected.
“While men seem to think of only the here and now […] we as nurturers always have to think ahead and deeply, that’s why we have intuition…women’s intuition,” she said.
As the floor was opened for questions, De Lima provided ways on improving the government, stressing the importance of action from the youth. Such avenues for action include the use of communication tools such as social media.
Reyes urged the audience for action despite these challenges. “When women act, women win,” she said.
De Lima said that she plans to continue her talks in several other educational institutions to propagate her message.
“Halos walang nakikinig sa akin sa Senado so I might as well get out of the Senate halls and reach out to you, in the hope that you would listen and open your minds,” she said.
