President Rodrigo Duterte urged Filipinos to uphold women empowerment and reject the backward mindset on women that leads to inequality and oppression. The president’s message was released in time for the celebration of International Women’s Day.

“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.

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Duterte has always been criticized for his sexist remarks especially to Vice President Leni Robredo. He however said that the public should advocacies “that seek to fight for and acknowledge the inalienable rights of women as equal partners of men.”

“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.

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Duterte previously said that women can not be president due to emotional instability.

The National Women’s Month is observed every March, with this year’s theme as “Juana Laban sa Pandemya: Kaya!” (TDT)

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