THE RIGHT to run for office is a right of every qualified Filipino regardless of gender, and women should be empowered to enter politics, retired Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner Rowena Guanzon said in a UST forum.
Guanzon said in the “Beyond Women Empowerment” webinar hosted by the UST Central Student Council on March 17 that gender bias in the country’s political scene should be quashed, especially ahead of the 2022 national elections.
“Politics is not the job for women—that’s wrong. […] Elections and the right to run for office is everybody’s right as a Filipino. I would encourage you to run for office if it is your dream job,” Guanzon, who is vocal in supporting the candidacy of Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo for president, said.
Guanzon also emphasized that women in the country comprised a huge voting bloc.
According to Comelec data, the number of registered female voters in the Philippines as of May 2019 was 31,816,812, nearly 1.8 million more than the 30,026,959 registered male voters.
“For the last three national elections, there are more women than men who are registered voters. Now, it’s around the same, and women still outnumber the men,” Guanzon said.
“Also, in voter turnout, there are more women who go to the polls than men. I don’t know why, but maybe the men are at work in the field, or the women are more civic conscious, and that’s a good sign,” she added.
Guanzon encouraged Filipinos to vote for the right people, especially in Congress, to ensure that laws for women’s rights and gender equality could be passed.
“If the one elected as president has nothing between his ears, we are going to be seriously at risk,” she said. “What’s important is to elect the right president.”
Guanzon retired as Comelec commissioner on Feb. 2, 2022 after serving from 2015 to 2022. She served as commissioner in the Commission on Audit from 2013 to 2015 and as mayor of Cadiz, Negros Occidental from 1986 to 1992.
