ABSTRACT
Filipino women’s journey to political representation has been shaped by the Philippines’ colonial history, nation-building, and democratization. During the martial law period from 1972 to 1981, the flourishing of women’s movements in the Philippines has been traced to the rise of student activism in the 1960s. The active and committed participation of key women figures and women’s movements in ousting an autocratic regime ensured political space for them in the democratic transition. Scholarship on Philippine politics argues that the post-Marcos era ushered in a strong president and executive branch with enormous formal and informal powers. The Philippine Catholic Church and other faith-based groups are influential in winning elections and policymaking. The country’s reproductive health law, for instance, languished in the legislative mill for more than a decade due to staunch opposition from religious groups. The high incidence of inequality in the Philippines all the more creates an urgent need for members of parliament to integrate intersectionality into their legislative work.
