CWR | Center for Women's Resources

At least 36 women in the Philippines become victims of violence every day, with 13,211 cases recorded in 2025, according to monitoring by the Center for Women’s Resources (CWR), which warned that persistent sexism in society—including recent remarks by Quezon City 4th District Representative Bong Suntay about actress Anne Curtis—reflects a culture that continues to enable abuse against women.

CWR emphasized that these official figures likely represent only a fraction of the real situation. Data from the Philippine National Police–Women and Children Protection Center (PNP-WCPC) estimate that only one in ten cases of violence against women is reported, suggesting that the actual number of women experiencing abuse each year could reach more than 130,000.

According to CWR, underreporting persists due to victim-blaming, a culture of silence, lack of trust in authorities, and the continued impunity enjoyed by many perpetrators.

In both 2024 and 2025, domestic violence or violations of Republic Act 9262 (the Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act) remained the most common form of abuse, accounting for about 60 percent of all cases, with 9,241 incidents documented in 2024. This was followed by rape, and acts of lasciviousness and violations of Republic Act 11313 or the Safe Spaces Act.

CWR Executive Director Cham Perez said the persistence of such high numbers reflects deeper social attitudes that continue to normalize misogyny and discrimination against women.

According to CWR, violence against women is rooted not only in individual acts of abuse but also in the country’s feudal-patriarchal social structures, where women are often treated as subordinate to men and expected to conform to restrictive gender roles. These attitudes, the group said, continue to shape social norms and institutions, enabling a culture where harassment, abuse, and the objectification of women are tolerated or dismissed.

“Violence against women thrives in a society where misogyny is tolerated and normalized,” Perez said. “Sexist remarks—even from public officials—reinforce the attitudes that allow abuse to continue and discourage survivors from coming forward.”

Perez cited the recent sexist remarks made by Rep. Bong Suntay, referring to actress Anne Curtis, as an example of the kind of rhetoric that contributes to a culture that trivializes women.

CWR called on public officials to uphold respect for women in their public statements and to take an active role in challenging the culture of sexism that enables violence. Public officials should also take a stronger stand against misogyny and actively support efforts to prevent violence against women, including stricter enforcement of existing laws and stronger support services for survivors.

“Public officials have a responsibility to challenge sexism, not reinforce it,” Perez said. “Addressing violence against women requires not only laws but also leadership that promotes respect for women, accountability for perpetrators, and real support systems for survivors.”

“Ending violence against women requires more than laws—it requires leaders who take seriously their responsibility to protect women and uphold women’s dignity,” Perez added.

The Center for Women’s Resources (CWR) raises alarm over the  looming surge in oil prices and the renewed talk of “emergency powers” for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.. CWR also calls for the immediate scrapping of the excise tax and value-added tax (VAT) on fuel, which add to the burden faced by the majority of Filipino women managing household budgets on already stretched incomes.

Reports indicate that fuel prices may increase by as much as ₱10 per liter amid the escalating US-Israel war on Iran. Yet beyond global conflict, the harsh truth remains:  Filipino consumers are defenseless against oil price shocks because the 1998 Oil Deregulation Law surrendered government control to profit-driven oil corporations.  For decades, this policy has left the public at the mercy of market speculation and foreign crises.

In response to the impending oil price hikes, President Marcos Jr. is considering seeking special powers to suspend the excise tax on fuel. Proposals for limited fuel subsidies for drivers and operators to help mitigate the impacts have also surfaced. These are presented as decisive action – but they are, at best, temporary band-aid solutions. 

If President Marcos Jr. is  sincere in easing the suffering of Filipinos, he must go beyond temporary suspensions and decisively scrap the excise tax, including the value-added tax on fuel and other essential commodities. Women’s and consumer’s groups strongly opposed the excise tax on fuel when it was imposed under the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Law in 2018, precisely because it would drive up fuel prices and trigger widespread increases in the cost of basic goods. Today’s crisis proves that those warnings were valid.

Meanwhile, Senator Gatchalian, Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Finance, warns that suspending the excise tax would result in an estimated ₱300 billion in lost government revenues. But to ordinary Filipino women struggling to stretch every peso, this argument rings hollow.

Women will only be concerned about revenue losses when they see their taxes translated into accessible health care, quality education, decent housing, and social protection. Instead, they are told to tighten their belts while corruption scandals persist and basic services remain inadequate.  Why must the people absorb the shock of global conflict and corporate profiteering, while the government refuses to overhaul unjust tax and oil policies? 

Filipino women refuse to carry the heaviest burden of the economic crisis once again. We reject policies that institutionalize exploitation under the guise of fiscal responsibility.

CWR calls on all Filipinos to intensify the fight for concrete measures and long-term solutions that address the root causes of fuel and basic commodity price hikes, ensure full transparency and accountability in public spending, and repeal tax policies that unfairly burden women and other vulnerable sectors. #