Source: FB (Gabriela A National Alliance of Women)

Filipino women rise against systemic corruption and state fascism on International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women*

MANILA, Philippines – National women’s alliance GABRIELA marked this year’s International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (IDEVAW) and kicked off the One Billion Rising Philippines (OBR PH) campaign with militant mass actions in Recto and Mendiola, urging women worldwide to rise against corruption and fascism.

“The violence that women and their children face today cannot be separated from the massive corruption and state terrorism perpetrated by the Marcos-Duterte regime,” said Clarice Palce, GABRIELA Secretary-General. “While our people starve and struggle to survive, corrupt politicians, ruling elites, and their foreign masters continue to plunder our resources and profit from our labor.”

Carrying the theme “Women of the World, Rise Against Corruption and Fascism!”, this year’s IDEVAW shines a spotlight on the intertwined crises confronting Filipino women in the country.

GABRIELA underscored how entrenched corruption translates into daily, often lethal violence against women—manifesting in inadequate maternal healthcare, inaccessible social services, massive unemployment and absence of livelihood programs, and ballooning military expenditures used to terrorize communities resisting exploitation.

The group also emphasized how the corruption-ridden Marcos-Duterte regime deploys fascist tactics to silence public outrage.

“The justified anger of the Filipino people is being met with brutal state repression,” Palce said. “Protesters are violently arrested, communities are militarized, and those who expose corruption face red-tagging, threats and fabricated charges. This fascist response reveals a regime so desperate it can offer nothing but violence and lies.”

As lead convener of One Billion Rising Philippines, GABRIELA mounted dance protests featuring women from urban poor communities, labor unions, peasant organizations, youth groups, and survivors of violence—demonstrating the collective strength of women rising against systemic abuse.

“Hindi kami titigil hanggang hindi nawawakasan ang bulok na sistemang nagpapahirap at nang-aapi sa kababaihan!” (“We will not stop until we dismantle the rotten system that abuses and impoverishes women”) Palce declared. “The Marcos-Duterte regime’s corruption and fascism must end. We call on all women and people to join the growing movement for genuine change—for a society free from exploitation, oppression, corruption, and all forms of violence against women and children.”

GABRIELA stressed that ending violence against women requires dismantling the corrupt and fascist structures that enable it—including imperialist domination, feudal exploitation, and bureaucrat capitalism that keep the majority of Filipinos, especially women, in poverty.

“Our struggle for women’s rights is inseparable from the fight for national sovereignty, genuine democracy, and social justice,” Palce concluded. “Oust Marcos and Duterte now! Women of the world, rise against corruption and fascism!”