Quarantined with Howie Severino' highlights how Frankie Pangilinan's #HijaAko became a safe space for sexual abuse victims

Howie Severino put Frankie Pangilinan under the spotlight to talk about her hashtag #HijaAko that turned into both a movement and a safe space for victims of sexual abuse.

Frankie was one of the special guests on 'Quarantined with Howie Severino,' a new digital show under GMA News and Public Affairs. Through the interview, the daughter of Senator Kiko Pangilinan and Mega Star Sharon Cuneta talked about what prompted her to speak out and advocate for the safety and respect for women and other people against sexual harassment.

Frankie explained her use of the hashtag saying, “I think it was just parang reclaiming po the term kasi lagi naman pong ginagamit 'yung 'hijo' or 'hija' sa mga political discussion usually, 'di ba, especially online. Mga nakakatanda sa amin po talagang sasabihin nila hija or hijo like in order to invalidate us, in order to make the points less valid, in order to make them less serious. Because it's capitalizing on the fact that a lot of people my age po, we're speaking out now, eh. Nag-iingay na po kami. We're making much more noise, I think than people expect of us.”

#HijaAko paved the way for more and wider discussions about the rape culture in the Philippines. A netizen, who also tweeted the hashtag, joined the conversation with Howie to share about her personal experience in the hopes to empower her fellow victims and enlighten other people.

Howie also invited retired UP professor, Dr. Carol Sobritchea, an anthropologist and a specialist on gender and women studies, to talk about how how the mentality on rape was influenced by the Philippines' history.

Watch the full episode here:

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