At the recent International Parliamentary Union General Assembly held here, the issue of women empowerment again came to the fore. The IPU has set the impact on the quality and relevance of legislation to enshrine in national statutes the principle of equality between men and women.

Mexico has lately been showing the way towards a determined effort to empower its womenfolk. A country very much akin to the Philippines, Mexico has long been a patriarchal society that also experienced three centuries of Spanish colonial rule and whose people are predominantly Roman Catholic.

In the past ten years, Mexican women have been getting elected to high government posts and women parliamentarians have been relentless in shepherding laws that would provide equal opportunities for women at the workplace and in various pursuits such as education, the arts, sciences, business, sports, and other self-edifying activities.

Women in other countries are following suit. In India, a constituent assembly of women adopted in 2002 its own constitution, with the expressed objective of striving to attain peace and harmony in their families and the community. Indian women are also actively involved in education and in values formation on compassion, love, integrity, forgiveness, sharing, and respect for humanity and the environment.

Of course, Filipino women have been in a better position than their Mexican counterparts. Women empowerment in this country has been evident since the early part of the 20th century. It even started long before our women acquired their right to suffrage in 1937.

In Filipino folklore on creation, Malakas is equal to Maganda. And in the history of local governance, women leaders ruled provinces, such as Princess Urduja in Pangasinan and Queen Sima in Cotabato. Strong-willed Filipino women even led battles towards our nationhood, such as the heroic exploits of Gabriela Silang who led the Ilocos Revolt and Trinidad Tecson who fought 12 battles and gained the rank of Brigadier General during the Spanish era.

It is said that Filipino women are among the most liberated in the world. They hold the purse and are put on a pedestal. President Manuel L. Quezon granted their universal suffrage on September 17, 1937, and Filipino women immediately joined the December 14, 1937, elections. The first woman representative to the House of Representatives, Hon. Elisa Ochoa, won in Agusan, along with 24 others elected to various local government positions.

Today, we have had two women presidents, several women senators and congresswomen, governors, mayors, barangay chairpersons, leaders of the corporate world, and the academe.