Impact of corruption falls heavily on women — groups
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 26 November) — Several human rights advocates here said women bear the brunt of the massive corruption in the country and called for accountability from government officials accused of stealing public funds.
During a rally to commemorate the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (IDEVAW) at Freedom Park along Roxas Avenue on Tuesday, Rose Hayahay, spokesperson for Gabriela-Southern Mindanao, lamented how those in government were stealing the taxes drawn from the wages of ordinary Filipino workers.
She said that the impact of systemic corruption “falls heavily on women who manage the household budget, buy soap, and pay for their children’s fare.”
“The taxes taken from the money earned by their husbands, from their hard work, are simply stolen by those in Congress, who enrich themselves,” Hayahay said in Cebuano.
Around 30 women’s rights advocates from Gabriela Southern Mindanao, Gabriela Youth Davao, Sabokahan Unity of Lumad Women, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT)-Davao Region, and Konsensya Dabaw joined the noise barrage against corruption, clamoring for accountability for the billions of public funds that were stolen.
Alyssa Ancheta, spokesperson for Gabriela Youth Davao, said that the double oppression carried by women is intensified amid rampant corruption.
“This IDEVAW, we assert that the systemic robbery of funds meant for basic social services is itself a form of gender-based violence. When resources for health, education, housing, and livelihood are stolen by the corrupt, women are denied the rights and support they need to live with dignity,” she said.
She added that the violence “is a result of state neglect, greed, and the deliberate prioritization of profit and power over working-class women’s welfare.”
In a briefer, protesters were women “from the urban poor communities, workers and from the informal work sector, fisher folks, students and indigenous peoples.”
“They are women from barangays in Davao, which are chronically flooded during heavy rainfalls and are drowned during typhoons. They are women struggling to feed their families amid rising prices and stagnant wages,” it added.
Protesters demanded accountability from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte, whom they described as “parehong korap, pahirap sa masa. Marcos-Duterte walang pinagkaiba (Both are corrupt, both oppress the masses. Marcos and Duterte are no different).”
The groups also called for the resignation of Marcos and Duterte, as well as those government officials implicated in the controversial flood control projects.
The protest was staged following the revelation of former Ako Bicol Party-list Representative Zaldy Co that Marcos was allegedly involved in ₱100 billion worth of budget insertions in the 2025 national budget, along with former House Speaker Martin G. Romualdez.
Meanwhile, Duterte was accused of misusing the confidential funds of the Department of Education (DepEd) during her tenure as secretary and of the Office of the Vice President. Duterte resigned as education secretary on June 19, 2024, amid a growing conflict with Marcos Jr.
Hayahay expressed dismay that, after several months of investigation, no concrete action has been taken to hold accountable officials implicated in corruption in the Senate and House of Representatives.
She urged Dabawenyos to “unite and demand accountability and transparency.”
“Jail all the thieves, return the money they have stolen, and place all the stolen funds into hospitals across the Philippines,” she said. (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)
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