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Written by Jenna Marie Difuntorum and Pia Natalie Daymiel
Art by Kyle Pontillo
“Violence against women is perhaps the most shameful human rights violation, and it is perhaps the most pervasive. It knows no boundaries of geography, culture or wealth. As long as it continues, we cannot claim to be making real progress towards equality, development and peace.” - Kofi Annan
As Women’s Month comes to a close, we celebrate the resilience, strength, and achievements of women across generations. However, this month must serve as more than a symbolic recognition of progress—it must be a reminder of the ongoing fight against gender-based violence. In the Philippines, cases of femicide, sexual violence, and systemic misogyny persist, proving that equality remains an unfulfilled promise.
Gender-Based Violence and the Abuse of Power
The 1993 rape-slay of Eileen Sarmenta and the murder of Allan Gomez by then-mayor Antonio Sanchez remain chilling symbols of how power, patriarchy, and impunity perpetuate violence against women. Decades later, the same patterns of abuse persist. In 2022 alone, the Philippine National Police (PNP) recorded over 12,000 cases of violence against women and children—a stark reminder that for many women, safety is a fleeting illusion.
But this violence is not confined to private spaces; it thrives even within the very institutions meant to protect. According to the Center for Women’s Resources (CWR), one woman or child is raped every 53 minutes, with law enforcement officers themselves implicated in numerous cases. Similarly, UN Women and Social Weather Stations that 3 in 5 women have experienced sexual harassment at least once in their lifetime. Even more alarming is that 50% of these women never reported the incident, trapped by fear, stigma, or the futility of seeking justice. Meanwhile,
This grim reality reflects a harsh truth: women are never truly safe—not in their homes, not on the streets, and not even under the watch of those sworn to protect them. When the very systems designed to uphold justice become instruments of abuse, the danger is not incidental—it is systemic. Women live in constant fear, navigating a world where violence is not the exception but the rule.
Safety should not be a privilege, yet for women, it remains an unfulfilled promise. Until this pervasive culture of abuse is dismantled, no place can truly be considered safe.
The Overlooked Struggles of Trans Women
“We have so many [people] who tell us there was this trans woman who was found dead in some street, in some province, and there’s nobody who cares about her so that case doesn’t get reported… But certainly, we know that there’s violence directed against trans women in the Philippines. And it’s rooted in the same patriarchy that non-trans women experience in their daily life.” - Naomi Fontanos, co-founder and executive director of GANDA Filipinas
The fight for safety and justice must go beyond traditional narratives of womanhood. Violence against women is not monolithic—it transcends identities, where those at the margins face even greater danger. If Women’s Month is truly about advocating for all women, trans women must be included in the conversation. Just as cisgender women face the perils of a misogynistic society, trans women experience heightened discrimination, abuse, and even murder—often at the intersection of misogyny and transphobia.
The Trans Murder Monitoring Project reports that over 4,000 trans and gender-diverse people have been murdered globally since 2008, with many cases occurring in countries with deeply entrenched patriarchal values, including the Philippines. Since 2010, at least 50 transgender or gender non-binary individuals have been killed in the country. Those who do not conform to traditional beauty standards or pass as conventionally feminine are especially vulnerable, as their visibility makes them targets for violence.
One of the most harrowing cases was the 2014 murder of Jennifer Laude, a Filipina trans woman killed by U.S. Marine Joseph Scott Pemberton. Shielded by his status under the Visiting Forces Agreement, Pemberton was granted absolute pardon in 2020, a glaring testament to how justice remains out of reach for marginalized women.
More recently, on February 21, the brutal and senseless killing of Shalani Dolina shocked the nation. Police investigations found her severed leg in an ice cooler, with her body wrapped in a mattress—a gruesome reminder of the extreme violence trans women continue to face.
These injustices are not isolated incidents. They reflect a society that refuses to acknowledge that trans women are women and that their suffering is rooted in the same oppressive structures that harm all women. True progress demands that no woman—regardless of gender identity—be left behind.
Beyond Celebration: The Fight for Justice
“Empowerment begins when we recognize and challenge the systems that perpetuate violence against women.” – Laverne Cox
Women’s Month should serve as a rallying cry—not just for remembrance, but for action. It is not enough to honor the names of those lost to gender-based violence; society must actively work to prevent more from being added to the list.
This means holding perpetrators accountable, challenging institutionalized misogyny, and ensuring policies protect all women, regardless of gender identity. The passage of the SOGIE Equality Bill in the Philippines is crucial in achieving this. By explicitly outlawing discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression, it offers long-overdue protections to those who have been denied basic rights. Yet, its prolonged stagnation in legislation reflects the very societal biases that must be dismantled.
Eileen Sarmenta, Jennifer Laude, Shalani Dolina, and countless others should not just be remembered as victims but as symbols of why the fight for justice must continue. Even more troubling are the stories we will never hear: the victims who choose not to speak up, silenced by the knowledge that the justice system will only fail them. Violence lies everywhere—from the intimacy of our homes to the very institutions meant to safeguard us.
So, as the spotlight on women’s issues begins to fade with the passing of the month, let this not be a margin that halts our pursuit of justice but rather a signifier to continue the movement and keep it alive anytime, anywhere.
True empowerment lies not only in celebrating women’s achievements but in dismantling the very systems that endanger their lives.
This Women’s Month, let us not only honor resilience—let us demand change.
“Violence against women is perhaps the most shameful human rights violation, and it is perhaps the most pervasive. It knows no boundaries of geography, culture or wealth. As long as it continues, we cannot claim to be making real progress towards equality, development and peace.” - Kofi Annan
As Women’s Month comes to a close, we celebrate the resilience, strength, and achievements of women across generations. However, this month must serve as more than a symbolic recognition of progress—it must be a reminder of the ongoing fight against gender-based violence. In the Philippines, cases of femicide, sexual violence, and systemic misogyny persist, proving that equality remains an unfulfilled promise.
Gender-Based Violence and the Abuse of Power
The 1993 rape-slay of Eileen Sarmenta and the murder of Allan Gomez by then-mayor Antonio Sanchez remain chilling symbols of how power, patriarchy, and impunity perpetuate violence against women. Decades later, the same patterns of abuse persist. In 2022 alone, the Philippine National Police (PNP) recorded over 12,000 cases of violence against women and children—a stark reminder that for many women, safety is a fleeting illusion.
But this violence is not confined to private spaces; it thrives even within the very institutions meant to protect. According to the Center for Women’s Resources (CWR), one woman or child is raped every 53 minutes, with law enforcement officers themselves implicated in numerous cases. Similarly, UN Women and Social Weather Stations that 3 in 5 women have experienced sexual harassment at least once in their lifetime. Even more alarming is that 50% of these women never reported the incident, trapped by fear, stigma, or the futility of seeking justice. Meanwhile,
This grim reality reflects a harsh truth: women are never truly safe—not in their homes, not on the streets, and not even under the watch of those sworn to protect them. When the very systems designed to uphold justice become instruments of abuse, the danger is not incidental—it is systemic. Women live in constant fear, navigating a world where violence is not the exception but the rule.
Safety should not be a privilege, yet for women, it remains an unfulfilled promise. Until this pervasive culture of abuse is dismantled, no place can truly be considered safe.
The Overlooked Struggles of Trans Women
“We have so many [people] who tell us there was this trans woman who was found dead in some street, in some province, and there’s nobody who cares about her so that case doesn’t get reported… But certainly, we know that there’s violence directed against trans women in the Philippines. And it’s rooted in the same patriarchy that non-trans women experience in their daily life.” - Naomi Fontanos, co-founder and executive director of GANDA Filipinas
The fight for safety and justice must go beyond traditional narratives of womanhood. Violence against women is not monolithic—it transcends identities, where those at the margins face even greater danger. If Women’s Month is truly about advocating for all women, trans women must be included in the conversation. Just as cisgender women face the perils of a misogynistic society, trans women experience heightened discrimination, abuse, and even murder—often at the intersection of misogyny and transphobia.
The Trans Murder Monitoring Project reports that over 4,000 trans and gender-diverse people have been murdered globally since 2008, with many cases occurring in countries with deeply entrenched patriarchal values, including the Philippines. Since 2010, at least 50 transgender or gender non-binary individuals have been killed in the country. Those who do not conform to traditional beauty standards or pass as conventionally feminine are especially vulnerable, as their visibility makes them targets for violence.
One of the most harrowing cases was the 2014 murder of Jennifer Laude, a Filipina trans woman killed by U.S. Marine Joseph Scott Pemberton. Shielded by his status under the Visiting Forces Agreement, Pemberton was granted absolute pardon in 2020, a glaring testament to how justice remains out of reach for marginalized women.
More recently, on February 21, the brutal and senseless killing of Shalani Dolina shocked the nation. Police investigations found her severed leg in an ice cooler, with her body wrapped in a mattress—a gruesome reminder of the extreme violence trans women continue to face.
These injustices are not isolated incidents. They reflect a society that refuses to acknowledge that trans women are women and that their suffering is rooted in the same oppressive structures that harm all women. True progress demands that no woman—regardless of gender identity—be left behind.
Beyond Celebration: The Fight for Justice
“Empowerment begins when we recognize and challenge the systems that perpetuate violence against women.” – Laverne Cox
Women’s Month should serve as a rallying cry—not just for remembrance, but for action. It is not enough to honor the names of those lost to gender-based violence; society must actively work to prevent more from being added to the list.
This means holding perpetrators accountable, challenging institutionalized misogyny, and ensuring policies protect all women, regardless of gender identity. The passage of the SOGIE Equality Bill in the Philippines is crucial in achieving this. By explicitly outlawing discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression, it offers long-overdue protections to those who have been denied basic rights. Yet, its prolonged stagnation in legislation reflects the very societal biases that must be dismantled.
Eileen Sarmenta, Jennifer Laude, Shalani Dolina, and countless others should not just be remembered as victims but as symbols of why the fight for justice must continue. Even more troubling are the stories we will never hear: the victims who choose not to speak up, silenced by the knowledge that the justice system will only fail them. Violence lies everywhere—from the intimacy of our homes to the very institutions meant to safeguard us.
So, as the spotlight on women’s issues begins to fade with the passing of the month, let this not be a margin that halts our pursuit of justice but rather a signifier to continue the movement and keep it alive anytime, anywhere.
True empowerment lies not only in celebrating women’s achievements but in dismantling the very systems that endanger their lives.
This Women’s Month, let us not only honor resilience—let us demand change.
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