Robredo: Celebration of women’s brilliance should go beyond Women’s Month

Vice President Leni Robredo on Monday said women's greatness should be celebrated beyond Women's Month, saying that she longs for a time when voters will no longer reject a candidate for public office because she's a woman.

March is National Women's Month. 

Robredo made the speech during a covenant signing with women supporters at the Gobyernong Tapat, Kababaihan Angat event held in the Leni-Kiko volunteer center in Katipunan, Quezon City.

"Sana dumating iyong oras na hindi na natin kailangan ipaalala sa mundo na mahusay ang mga kababaihan. Meron tayong isang buwan para ipaalala sa kanila ang kahusayan ng kababaihan, pero sana dumating iyong panahon na hindi na natin kailangan ipagtanggol iyong sarili natin, magbigay ng ebidensiya, na malakas rin tayo [na mga kababaihan]. Sana hindi na kailangan dumating 'yung [oras ng] eleksyon na may magsasabi na hindi ako boboto sa kanya kasi babae siya," Robredo said.

(I long for a time when we do will no longer need to remind the world that women are brilliant. We have a month to remind them of our greatness, but I long for a time when we do not need to prove that we are just as strong as the males, that no voter will choose not to vote for a candidate just because she is a woman.)

Robredo is the lone woman among the 10 candidates for president in the May elections.

"Sana hindi na kailangan dumating iyong pagkakataon na hindi sa iyo ibinigay ang trabaho dahil hindi mo [raw] kaya kasi babae ka. Sana hindi na natin kailangan ipaalala sa mundo na ang kababaihan hindi katunggali ng lalaki pero [meron tayong] isang mundo na kung saan sine-celebrate ang kahusayan nating mga babae," she added.

(I hope that it will no longer happen that you are not given a job because they think you can't do it because you're a woman. I hope we do not need to remind the world that women are not competing with men, but we should instead celebrate women's greatness.)

Robredo then said that one of the reasons she ran for the presidency is to fight for women's rights and put them on equal footing with men on opportunities to thrive.

"This is our dream and the cause we are fighting for. Pag nabigyan po tayo ng pagkakataon na mamuno sa bansa, ito ang magiging programa para sa mga kababaihan," Robredo said.

(If we are given the opportunity to lead the Philippines, this will be our program for women.)

"There is so much to celebrate [in being a woman fighting this fight], pero marami pa rin iyong wala. There is so much to celebrate because we are given the opportunity to fight for what we think is right," she added.

In closing, Robredo said that the fight for women's rights is far from over.

"Bawat araw, meron tayong laban. Hindi pa tayo panalo. Masasabi lang natin na panalo na tayo kapag naiangat natin ang buhay ng lahat. Hangga't may naiiwan, di tayo hihinto," she said.

(We cannot say we have won until there are still those in need. Until someone is left on the fringes, we won't stop.) — BM, GMA News