‘Difference between Gabriela Silang, Cory Aquino as wide as Pacific Ocean’

MANILA, Philippines—A militant women’s group has slammed the “insulting” speech delivered by President Benigno Aquino III likening his mother, the late President Corazon Aquino, to heroine Gabriela Silang.

In a statement, Gabriela slammed the comparison as a “desperate” ploy to save the younger Aquino’s presidency.

“Only someone so out of touch with reality and desperate to raise his plummeting popularity rating could think of something as incredible as likening his mother to Gabriela Silang,” Gabriela secretary general Joms Salvador said on Thursday. “The difference between Gabriela and Cory Aquino is as wide as the Pacific Ocean.”

In a speech on Wednesday, Aquino compared his mother to Silang as both women had led the country upon the death of their husbands.

“Ang aking ina naman, ang ating ‘first woman president,’ minana ang renda ng pamumuno sa oposisyon mula sa aking ama. Para po siyang si Gabriela Silang, na humalili sa kanyang asawa na si Diego Silang nang mamatay ito, at malao’y pinamunuan ang himagsikan laban sa mananakop,” Aquino said.

“Sa administrasyon nga po ng aking ina, talagang tinulak niya ang ‘affirmative action’ para sa kababaihan, sa aspekto man ng pamamahala, at maging sa ating kapulisan at Sandatahang Lakas. Bilang babae at bilang lider ng bansa, alam ng aking ina na malaki ang maitutulong ng Pilipina sa paghubog sa tadhana ng sambayanan.”

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Salvador said that one of the differences between Cory Aquino and Silang was that the latter fought foreign conquerors while the former allegedly subscribed to foreign economic and political interests.

“Cory Aquino may have succeeded in taking up the fight of her husband Ninoy but it was never a fight against foreign domination,” Salvador said.

“Cory in fact continued centuries-old subservience to US economic and political interests, something which her son Noynoy is carrying on up to this very day.”

In his speech, Aquino also thanked the private sector in helping Filipinas to become entrepreneurs.

Aquino’s audience during the event were at least 5,000 women graduates of Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) and Coca-Cola Philippines’ Sari-Sari Store Training and Access to Resources (STAR) program.

“Dahil sa pagbabayanihan ng pribadong sektor, mga ahensiya ng pamahalaan, maliliit na negosyo, NGOs at LGUs, ang ating women entrepreneurs ay hindi na lang mga ilaw ng tahanan o simpleng kaagapay ng lalaki sa hanapbuhay,” Aquino said.

However, the pronouncements made by the President in the said event did not sit well with Salvador as she claimed that the STAR program facilitates “the twisted belief that women should be contented with just being part of the informal sector rather than being part of a productive labor force.”

“Aquino’s speech only shows his ignorance of women’s conditions. Women are already slaving in the informal sector long before the Tesda Coke STAR program because the government is unable to provide them with jobs that earn living wages,” Salvador said.

With the program, the women’s group said that it would “enslave women to housework.”

The STAR program provides skills training and access to resources to entrepreneurs to grow their small sari-sari store businesses. RC