These words are not apologies. They are symptoms of a culture that continues to normalize misogyny, excuse disrespect, and dismiss women’s dignity as something negotiable.

Women should never have to accept objectification disguised as praise. Reducing a woman to the fantasies, jokes, or casual commentary of men is not harmless banter, it reflects a culture that sidelines women’s voices, trivializes their contributions, and treats their bodies as public property.

Misogyny is not just offensive language. It has real consequences in the everyday lives of women. It affects how women are treated in workplaces, how seriously their ideas are taken in decision-making spaces, and how safe they feel in public and private spaces. It shapes hiring practices, wage gaps, career opportunities, and the constant pressure on women to prove their competence in environments that too often reduce them to appearances rather than abilities. It also dictates how women move through their rightful spaces on how they dress, where they go, how late they stay out, and how loudly they are allowed to speak.

Women are neither punchlines nor fuel for distasteful imaginations of men. Women’s dignity is not a disposable resource for political banter. Public officials who cannot comprehend basic respect are in no place to truly advance and uphold the rights of women.

Across the Philippines, women continue to fight battles that should have been won long ago. Women have been fighting for safety, fair wages, equal opportunities, bodily autonomy, representation in decision-making spaces, and the freedom to exist without harassment, ridicule, or humiliation. Yet misogyny persists not only in private conversations but even in institutions meant to serve the people.

International Women’s Day is not merely a celebration of achievements. It is a reminder that the struggle for equality is far from over. Token apologies, gender sensitivity seminars, and annual Women’s Month slogans will never be enough if the culture that enables sexism remains unchallenged.

To every woman whose dignity has been dismissed as a joke or whose voice has been ignored in rooms of power, DAKILA sees you and stands with you. Your resistance fuels our courage to reject narratives that discredit our battles to protect our lives, livelihood, and lifestyle.

This International Women’s Day, DAKILA calls for a society where women are empowered to lead, speak, and shape the future without fear of being diminished.
Until women can live, lead, and speak freely and safely, the struggle continues. And we will not be silent.