"More than beauty and grace, but also strength and courage."
(A message for the International Working Women's Day)
This note congratulates the fighting Filipina on International Working Women's Day this March 8. This holiday rightfully belongs to those who truly cared not just the family, officemates, students, friends, and the nation itself.
On this bright March day, this note sincerely and tenderly thanks to the Filipina and women around the world not because of her beauty and grace, but also for kindness, warmth, love, patience, as well as her strength and courage. She inspires everyone in times of trials, inspire creative impulses, engages in countless discoveries and accomplishments, all in pursuit of the country's desire for rebirth and thus filling it with real spiritual wealth.
For sure the government, as any other national holiday would have send messages congratulating the Filipina of today, praising for all her contributions to the society all amidst recent prejudices and bullshitries, of misogynistic statements and various forms of injustices. Duterte's recent statement that "women can do more" doesn't resolve the fact that he's the same Duterte who urged soldiers to "shoot in the vagina" or telling that the presidency "is not a job for a woman". And amidst the COVID19 pandemic and the rapidly worsening economic crisis marked by a sharp fall in the standards of living of millions, it is a crucial moment that women, together with the rest of the working people, must unite and take action to upheld, defend rights and welfare and resist unjust policies, of countless threats that worsen their oppression- for the fact that overall worsening social conditions really hit women particularly hard as it intensifies their oppression and suffering, be it from unemployment, unequal wages, and unjust working conditions including in the household.
With the realities happened affecting the woman of today, this made her determined to march together with the working people in condemning the oppressive order with Duterte and his hirelings defending it. They also have enough the delusions that's peddled by the corrupt bureaucrats, interest-seeking compradores and cronies, as well as oppressive warlords and local despots that impose burdensome policies and measures. Until when the order will feign "concern" over the plight of the people especially the women who have to content in low wages and unjust conditions while facing high costs of goods and services, and terror to those who are truly concerned about the country? Again, regardless of their "messages", that women, being in the workplace and in the field, also demands control on the prices of petrol, food, and other necessities; elimination of land rent, reduction of taxes, and better farm gate prices; as well as the need for jobs, just wages, and better working conditions. At the same time, asserting, fighting for rights as the order resorts to brazen acts of terror "in the name of national security", "defending democracy", or anything whatsoever that is obviously meant to silence the will of the people.
As the crisis continue to worsen, that the Filipina, imbued with patriotism and of social realities that surroundeth them, will rise up and resist in various forms, strengthening bonds with the labouring people and communities through unions and mass organisations, and waging forms of struggle all for national and social liberation.