WOMEN community leaders, activists and advocates convened for a hybrid 2022 National Summit on March 6 – two days before today’s March 8 International Women’s Day – to craft the Women’s Agenda for the 2022 national elections. More than 100 women from Luzon joined the face-to-face gathering in Quezon City while participants from Visayas and Mindanao joined the virtual conference.
It was interesting. The national summit started with a discussion of the situation of women in the last six years. Participants then joined the workshops to raise their local situations and their demands to build the agenda.
The Women’s Agenda include issues on employment, national industrialization, agricultural support, human rights, assurance of sovereignty, free from violence, and non-discrimination of marginalized sectors including LGBTQ and indigenous peoples, among others.
Indeed, women have suffered the brunt of a worsening socioeconomic crisis in the last six years. Women’s unemployment rate remained high while those employed suffered low wages and job insecurity. Women find it difficult to realize decent work, stable livelihood, food security, and access to social services such as health and education.
The minimum wage has not increased since 2018, while prices of basic commodities continue to rise since the implementation of the TRAIN law in the beginning of 2018.
Also, women’s economic insecurity made them more vulnerable to different forms of abuse and violence.
Thus in the coming elections, women’s participation is crucial. Platforms and programs of candidates must be scrutinized. Women should support candidates who forwarded the women’s agenda, and should reject those who have records of misogyny, corruption, fraud, and violence.
And yes, there is a need to mobilize beyond the electoral season.While we see the 2022 national elections to forward women’s issues and concerns, women’s political participation should not be limited in casting votes on May 9.
