International Women’s Day has long passed this year, but I just got around to writing this post now. What is misogyny in Tagalog?
Misogyny denotes prejudice against women, the belief that women are not as good as men. Often, involving hatred, contempt, or violence, but not necessarily. One definition of misogyny is “any hostile social practices, institutions, and actions and attitudes towards women.”
Now, what do you call that in Tagalog?
The reason I am writing about it is that I recently came across an old newspaper editorial. Rodel Rodis, a Filipino-American attorney and columnist in the Philippine Daily Inquirer published an article in 2013 claiming that there’s no word for misogyny in Tagalog, because – hold on to your pandesal – there’s no misogyny in the Philippines! I repeat, according to Rodel Rodis, there’s no misogyny in the Philippines. No phenomenon – no need for a word to speak about it.
Rodel Rodis, a Filipino-American attorney, Philippine Daily Inquirer columnist, and a true Vagina Warrior
Let’s see exactly what he says:
“The Tagalog word for it cannot be searched in the Internet which can otherwise provide the translation of any word in any language on earth.”
“The Spanish word for it, “misogino”, has not been incorporated into the Tagalog lexicon perhaps because the concept of “misogyny” would be alien to a Filipino culture that respects, loves and reveres mothers. More than any other people colonized by Spain, Filipinos have elevated the Blessed Virgin Mary to be the equal of the Holy Trinity.”
Wow, this is a strong claim. In a world where prejudice against women is widespread, the Philippines on the other hand doesn’t even have a word for misogyny, because apparently there are no misogynists! In other words, Rodel Rodis says, Filipinos do not have any prejudice against women. But is that true? Before we try to establish if a Tagalog word for misogyny exists, let’s look at what evidence we have to support this claim. Spoiler: none.
Gender equality in the Philippines
Before we start, it’s important to note that the Philippines is actually in a relatively good position regarding gender equality. Linguistically, the lack of gender distinction in the 3rd person singular pronoun in Philippine languages – like siya in Tagalog which is both he and she – is often hailed as a hallmark of this inherent gender equality.
By the way, do many Filipinos confuse ‘he’ and ‘she’ in English because there is only one 3rd person singular pronoun in Philippine languages?
This lack of gender distinction in pronouns actually seems to be the reason why many Filipinos mix up he and she even if they are fluent English speakers. I have a hypothesis that the direction of this mix-up – whether it is he used with reference to female, or she used with reference to male – correlates with the initial consonant in the native language of a person to whom this happens. For example, in Tagalog the consonant of siya is closer to the initial consonant of she, hence more often you would hear Tagalog speakers referring to men as she. In some of the languages spoken, for example, in the Ifugao province, on the other hand, the pronoun is hiya, so you would hear more people referring to women as he. But all this needs to be tested in a proper study and might prove to be wrong.
According to the Global Gender Gap Index report in 2024, the Philippines is the most gender-equal country in Asia, ranked number 3 in East Asia and the Pacific region after New Zealand and Australia. It is number 25 globally, between Australia and Serbia and way ahead of such countries as Canada (number 36), the USA (number 43), and Austria (number 49). Sounds pretty impressive, doesn’t it?
It’s not bad at all, indeed. However, it used to be number 6 globally in 2006-2008 when the index started during Macapagal-Arroyo’s time and peaked at number 5 in 2013 during Noynoy’s term – behind only four Nordic countries: Iceland, Finland, Norway, and Sweden. And just last year, the country ranked in the top 16 globally and top 2 in East Asia and the Pacific region – it has lost 9 positions in just one year. So, even though the Philippines is in a pretty good place relative to many other countries – top 25 – it is obvious that there are some problems. And unfortunately, the trend has been negative for quite a while.
Rodel Rodis’s logic and lack thereof
First, let’s consider Rodis’s examples. His main argument is that Filipinos respect, love, and revere their mothers. This argument is flawed, because, first, mothers are not the only group of women who face discrimination. Second, how many cultures in the world do not respect their own mothers? In their own culturally appropriate ways? I mean, for example, the ways Filipinos demonstrate respect towards their mothers can differ from those of the Chinese, English, Russians, and others. To give a most basic and superficial example of this, Europeans do not perform mano po to their parents or use the plural form of the second-person pronoun – like kayo – to address them. But this doesn’t mean they don’t respect them, because within their cultures respect is marked in some other ways.
Rodis also cites Marian devotion as an example:
“More than any other people colonized by Spain, Filipinos have elevated the Blessed Virgin Mary to be the equal of the Holy Trinity.”
First, by what measure exactly? Second, how is this relevant to the concept of misogyny? Revering one woman, the Virgin Mary, based on religious teachings, does not equate to a lack of prejudice against women in general.
Finally, Rodel Rodis mentions that Filipinos have elected a woman as a head of state twice, unlike Americans, who have never done so. This is true, but it’s not the whole truth. Marie Geraldine Caballero notes in her May 2023 commentary in the Philippine Daily Inquirer, “you can be in politics as long as you were preceded by your husband or father.”
This obviously applies to many notable figures in Philippine politics, including Cory Aquino (wife of Ferdinand Marcos’s main opponent Ninoy Aquino), Imelda Marcos (Ferdinand Marcos’s widow), Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (President Diosdado Macapagal’s daughter), Leni Robredo (wife of Naga Mayor and Secretary of the Interior and Local Government Jesse Robredo), and Sara Duterte (daughter of Davao Mayor and President Rodrigo Duterte). Other notable examples are Grace Poe (daughter of FPJ, an actor and popular presidential candidate) and Nancy Binay (daughter of VP Jojo Binay).
Also, having two female presidents in the past is not the same as having equal gender representation at all levels of government, such as local government.
One Filipino’s hatred of women
Now let’s take a look at a more interesting and distinct case personifying misogyny in the Philippines – former president Rodrigo Duterte. But hold on a second. Is Rodrigo Duterte really a misogynist? Well, it’s not just my opinion. For example, Gerry Lanuza, a professor at the Department of Sociology at UP Diliman, had a paper published in 2022 in Plaridel Journal of Communication, Media, and Society published by the University of the Philippines, titled “Duterte as misogynist fascist: A discourse analysis of Duterte’s misogynist criticisms against women”.
And if you support Duterte, your argument might go something like this: “No, this is bullshit. He is not a misogynist, and all such claims are biased”. But let me ask you a question. If saying that women are worthless without their vaginas is not misogynistic, then what is?
So, why is there such a study in Plaridel? What’s the material behind it? Although there are already some pretty good collections of Duterte’s worst misogynistic rants/jokes online, it’s worth presenting them here again with the video evidence to support the point made in this series. So let’s take a look at some examples. And they are a-plenty.
Signature rape joke
Duterte made his signature rape joke as early as in April 2016 when he was still only a presidential candidate – he said this then about the dead body of an Australian missionary Jacqueline Hammill who was raped and murdered in Davao in 1989:
Translation: “I looked at her face – son of a bitch. Like a pretty actress in America. Son of a bitch, what a waste. What came to my mind was, they raped her, they lined up. I got angry because she was raped – yes, that’s one thing, – but she was so beautiful, the mayor should have been first. What a waste.”
O di ba? Personal participation rape jokes, anyone? A good, solid start for the chief executive misogynist, isn’t it?
But you know what’s an even funnier joke? After this, Sara posted on Instagram saying that she was a rape victim herself, but she would still vote for her dad regardless of this scandal he caused. To which her dad responded that Sara – who, in her own words, was raped – was just a drama queen.
Literal catcalling, in public, with cameras
In June 2016, when he was already the president-elect but not yet inaugurated, Duterte catcalled the GMA-7 reporter Mariz Umali at his press-conference. Literally! He then followed it with some sort of a boomer serenade.
What’s interesting here, Duterte himself being the mayor of Davao was the one who signed the bill banning catcalling in Davao City as a form of sexual harassment. So, did he forget, or did he even ever care?
Duterte’s press secretary at the time, Attorney Salvador Panelo, defended him by saying this:
So, apparently catcalling is just something that “kind and playful individuals” do. Then why ban it as sexual harassment in the city where you are the mayor?
Being a creep in front of Typhoon victims
In November 2016, at a commemoration event for victims of Super Typhoon Yolanda, Duterte said this about VP Leni Robredo – exactly what the typhoon victims needed to hear from him:
Translation: “Ma’am Leni wore a dress that was shorter than usual. The protocol officers probably noticed I was always behind her. I told [Finance Secretary] Sonny Dominguez, “You’re too far, come closer. Check out her knees…” When Robredo noticed, she tried to cover… I wanted to say, “Ma’am why don’t you just wear shorts instead?”.
And he sang his bullshit serenade again.
In January 2017, Duterte spoke again in front of Super Typhoon Yolanda survivors in Tacloban city.
“Tingin ako sa langit, sabi ko, ‘Lord sana ‘yung mga pangit lang ang namatay na. Ang magaganda huwag sana. Sabi ni Lord, ‘Okay lang’”.
Translation: “I looked up to the sky and said, ‘Lord, I hope only the ugly died. I hope the beautiful ones did not. The Lord said, ‘Ok’”.
Publicly allowing soldiers to rape
May 2017, having declared martial law in Mindanao, Duterte went back to his favorite topic of rape and said this at a public event in front of soldiers:
Translation: “I’ll take your place in prison. If you rape three, I’ll take the blame.”
Saying there are fields where women cannot be competent
In May 2018, Duterte said that the next ombudsman “could not be politician, especially not a woman”.
Later same month, Duterte said this:
Translation: “I believe in the woman. The competence and capability but not in all aspects of life. Not you. No, no. It’s just the way it should be. It’s not appropriate. You cannot stand threats and intimidation.”
Forcibly kissing random women in public
In June 2018, Duterte solicited a kiss on the lips from a visibly uncomfortable OFW woman at a gathering with the Filipino community in South Korea.
And that wasn’t the first or the last time when he forcibly kissed his supporters in public in front of cameras.
Saying high rape rates are because there are so many beautiful women
In August 2018, Duterte joked about rape once again. Speaking about the high numbers of rape cases in Davao city, he said in Cebuano:
Translation: “For as long as there are many beautiful women, there is a lot of rape. Nobody agrees to do it on the first try. … Nobody agrees to do it on the first try. That is rape. Even when they’re inside the cinema, she will push him away. “No, don’t.” There are so many beautiful women. But if you happen to sit beside someone toothless, would you still want to do that?”
A side note, how does the fact that Davao has a high number of rapes live in the same head with the statement that Davao is the safest city in the Philippines?
Admitting having molested a maid
In December 2018, Duterte told a story about how he confessed to a priest about molesting their maid when he was in high school:
Being a creep again at a political rally
In May 2019, Duterte said this in Cebuano to Tita Baja-Gallentes, the mayor of Garcia Hernandez in Bohol, at a political rally:
Translation: “And you are truly beautiful. If it were me, why would I ever break up with you? I will really grab and hold on to your panty. Who cares if the garter snaps. You’re just too beautiful.”
Saying women should not become the president
In January 2021, Duterte said this about the possibility of his daughter Sara Duterte running for the president:
Translation: “I would pity her if she goes through what I experienced. This is not for women. You know, the emotional setup of a woman and a man is totally different. You’ll become a fool here. That is the sad story.”
“We will shoot you in the vagina”
But probably the worst misogynistic rant/joke that Duterte has ever made happened in February 2018 when Durterte spoke in Cebuano about women members of the NPA – the communist New People’s Army:
Translation: “Tell the soldiers, the women… tell them, call them and tell them: The mayor has a new order not to kill you, just shoot you in the vagina so—no more vagina, you’re useless.”
You can be of any opinion about Duterte’s politics. But, saying that a woman is useless without a vagina objectively could not be any more misogynistic.
Duterte apologists would say – but that’s just the way he talks. He’s only joking. Well, what’s the punchline here? What exactly is the funny bit of this joke?
Persecution of female politicians
There are many more comments Duterte made about many other women. Just one last example, Senator Leila De Lima who in 2016 was investigating Duterte’s involvement in Davao Death Squad extrajudicial killings. She faced hate campaigns that Rodrigo Duterte instigated against her on social media. Duterte announced that De Lima had an affair with her driver and later he claimed that he’s got a video of them having sex. Duterte’s allies in the Congress, including Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez were even pushing for this alleged sex tape to be shown at a House of Representatives hearing. No need to say that the authenticity of this alleged sex tape of Leila De Lima has never been confirmed.
Clearly, all this was character assassination in the build up to imprisoning De Lima in 2017 after Duterte himself alleged that she was involved in illegal drug trade.
De Lima was regarded as a prisoner of conscience for the 6.5 years that she spent in prison. She was finally released on bail just recently in November 2023 after getting acquitted in 2022 in two court cases filed against her. She was cleared of all accusations in the last case just last month, June 2024.
In 2019, while Duterte was still the president and De Lima was still in prison, Duterte was once again peddling this alleged sex tape by saying:
“Can you really believe a woman like that? Allowing herself… She was then the Justice Secretary. And if you want, I will give the disc to you. Look at the way she slurped after doing it.”
In March 2021, Duterte said this about De Lima:
Translation: “She is the only bitch who made the world believe that she’s a prisoner of conscience.”
To this, De Lima replied this on her Twitter account:
Translation: “Bitch? There’s not enough vaccines, even though you borrowed billions, and I am the bitch here? With so many people dying from COVID and extrajudicial killings, he’s still thinking about me, the one who he’s already put in prison?”
Women pushing back
And it’s not just me imagining that all these comments by Duterte are misogynistic. This comes from many Filipino women themselves.
For example, in 2018 there was an online campaign of Filipino women who uploaded videos of themselves with a message to Duterte with the hashtag #BabaeAko (“I am a woman”).
In 2019, on March 8, the International Women’s day, about 4 thousand women protested against Duterte’s misogyny in front of Malacanang, the presidential palace.
Duterte’s misogynistic idols
In fairness, Duterte is not the only leader of a country willingly demonstrating his misogyny in public. Many populist autocrats around the world use their political platform to propagate misogyny as well. For example, during the 2016 presidential campaign in the US, the merchandize sold at the Republican National Convention in support of Trump – to whom Duterte referred as “my idol” – included t-shirts and pins that said, “Hillary sucks but not like Monica”, “KFC Hillary Special. 2 Fat thighs. 2 small breasts… left wing.” And another one, “Life’s a bitch. Don’t vote for one.”
Another one is Putin whom Duterte also called his idol in 2016 – when Putin had already had a long list of heinous crimes under his belt (by the way, another idol of Duterte’s, in his own words, is Kim Jong-un) – by saying that they have similarities. To quote Duterte: “My characterization of Putin is what I would describe myself.” So, Putin is of course a misogynist as well. In 2006, when the Israeli President Moshe Katsav got accused of rape and sexual harassment, for which he was later jailed, Putin told the Israeli Prime Minister in a public meeting this:
“He turned out to be a strong man, raped 10 women. I would never have expected it of him. He has surprised us all, we all envy him!”
Hmm, lodi nga, noh?
Then, in 2022, right before Putin started his full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which is still killing dozens to hundreds of people every day, Putin addressed Ukranians by quoting this line from a necrophilic Russian folk rhyme:
“Whether you like it or not, bear with it, my beauty”.
It’s a completely different story why there are necrophilic folk rhymes in Russia.
And most recently, here is Putin’s message to women on March 8 this year:
“You, dear women, are capable of changing the world with your beauty, wisdom, and generosity of spirit, but mostly thanks to the greatest gift the nature gave to you – giving birth to children. Motherhood is an amazing preordination of women. … The most important thing for every woman – no matter what career she chooses and what she is able to achieve in it – is family … [and] relentless care of children.”
In other words, if you’re a woman, no matter what career you choose for yourself, you have a mission – give birth to children. Who, may we add, will then be brainwashed and sent as cannon fodder to other countries to die for Putin’s greed for palaces and power.
In the next part of this three-part series we will continue to explore the broader historical context of misogyny in Philippine politics as well as the modern extent of misogyny in the society and legal system before proceeding to discussion on the Tagalog vocabulary for misogyny.
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