VP Robredo urges women to answer calls to leadership

Vice President Leni Robredo on Monday called on women to "answer the calls to leadership" as she cited the need for women to "band together" to continue work on gender equality.

"We need to band together to continue the work. We need as many women and allies as possible banging against the glass ceiling and creating spaces where all genders can flourish and contribute to society," Robredo said in a message marking International Women's Day.

"Because progress hinges not on the brilliance of a few, but in the sustained united effort of all. So as we honor the victories of those who came before, let us blaze new trails for others to follow. Let us answer the calls to leadership, face the trials of our time with resolve, and strive towards a fairer, kinder, more humane world, where no one is left behind."

Robredo said even in spheres where women participation has improved, "gaps in gender balance at the highest levels of leadership still need to be filled to truly create a more inclusive, holistic climate of change.

Robredo's party, Liberal Party (LP), has earlier said it is considering fielding her as its presidential candidate for the 2022 polls.

Robredo, widow of the late Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo, said she is open to run for president in 2022 but would rather return to local politics if she could have it her way.

Before getting elected vice president in 2016, Robredo was a lawmaker representing the third district of Camarines Sur.

In her message, Robredo said despite the gains in women empowerment, there is still more work to be done as she noted the rise in cases of domestic violence and the difficult access to reproductive health service. --KBK, GMA News