President Rodrigo Duterte (Screengrab from RTVM)
MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte, in his National Women’s Month message on Monday, urged Filipinos to uplift women by rejecting the backward mindset that has created a culture of gender oppression and inequality.
“Let us elevate women to their rightful place in society by empowering every Filipina to break not only the barriers that have long hindered them from reaching their full potential, but also the backward mindset that fuelled a culture of gender oppression and inequality,” Duterte said.
READ: President Rodrigo Duterte's message in commemoration of the Women's Month. | @KAguilarINQ pic.twitter.com/sWsvFwtnRV
— Inquirer (@inquirerdotnet) March 8, 2021
Duterte, who has been often criticized for his sexist remarks, also reiterated his call to the public to support advocacies “that seek to fight for and acknowledge the inalienable rights of women as equal partners of men.”
READ: Duterte calls for support on causes promoting women empowerment
Although he recognized that the work in addressing inequality is far from over, Duterte claimed his administration made steps to ensure women’s rights are respected.
“While there is still much to be done to completely free women from this bondage of inequality, we can nonetheless proudly claim that concrete, sustainable, and inclusive actions have been taken by our government to create an environment where women’s rights are respected and their contributions to society are recognized,” he said.
Duterte’s remarks come at the heels of his recent remarks that the presidency is not a woman’s job because of their emotional differences to men.
In a situation briefing last year, Duterte cracked sexist jokes which was downplayed by Malacañang as a way to “lighten” the mood as the country reels from the effects of typhoons.
National Women’s Month is observed every March, with this year’s theme as “Juana Laban sa Pandemya: Kaya!”
The Philippine Commission on Women said this year’s observance “highlights women’s participation in battling the pandemic as well as discusses gender issues exacerbated by the pandemic.”