Delegates of the 1934 Constitutional Convention who argued against the right of women to vote said that "Men are only the slaves of women [...] what more do these women want? Do they want to be the President of our Republic? Do they want to replace our men in the management of the affairs of our state? [...] It is illusory, not to say highly preposterous, to claim that the intervention of women will result in the miraculous disappearance of mudslinging, mutual defamation, and loathesome personalities [...] Instead of purifying politics, [women] will be contaminated with its vice."
Since 1935, the Philippines has had two female presidents. Moreover, in the 2016 elections, the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) data indicate that out of 54,363,844 registered voters, more than half (28,052,138) are women.
Developed by: Dr. Jean Encinas-Franco (Assistant Professor)
Designed by: Herby Jireh Esmeralda (Research Assistant)
SOURCE
Balili, Perfecto (Bohol), CCR 18, (August 21, 1934), 418 and Carin, Casiano (Cebu), CCR 77 (October 30, 1934), 485-88 as cited by Amoroso, Donna. "Changing Notions of Nation and Representation at Constitutional Congresses of the Philippines, 1898 and 1935." National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies, Tokyo, April 4, 2005. (Paper presented at Workshop on Political Reform and Charter Change in the Philippines: Perspectives from the Nation and the Region, Eugenio Lopez Center, Antipolo City, July 8-9, 2005.)
