Our declaration of principles

We, members of the Gabriela Women’s Party, in the spirit of the Filipina’s unbroken legacy of political participation – from the Babaylan of pre-Hispanic times to the Gabriela Silang of today; committed to uphold the interest of the broad masses of Filipino women and their families; dedicated to advancing the rights and promoting the well-being of women, especially of the more marginalized and under-represented; determined to encourage, develop and harness women’s full potential, leadership and collective creativity, hereby declare that:

1. Women have the right to a society where all forms of discrimination and violence against women have been banished;
2. Women have the right equal to men to the land they work on; as well as the right to full and gainful employment and living wages;
3. Women have the right to participate freely in all aspects of political debates, action, and decision-making processes in the family, the community and the nation at large; as well as the right to fair and non-sexist representation in all social, political, economic and cultural spheres;
4. Women have the right to fight for basic health care and services for all, especially reproductive and maternal health care;
5. Women have the right to a marriage founded on mutual consent and respect, with equality and dignity, and to adequate support for the rearing and caring of children;
6. Women have the right to fight for children’s basic needs like proper care, nutrition, health, safety and play, protection from abuse and exploitation; access to a national, scientific and mass education which is non-sexist as well;
7. Women have the right to advocate for lesbian and gay rights and to insist that society not discriminate on the basis of sexual preference;
8. Women have the right to assert and protect their country’s sovereignty and national patrimony;
9. Women have the right to a foreign policy that is independent and beneficial to our economy and security as a nation;
10. Women have the right to a government that is truly democratic and representative of the majority.