Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

Article (news)

Agatha Gregorio

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1773114808281HDA4a8YaMAMgWGc_cropped_processed_by_imagy.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Lawmakers including ML party-list Rep. Leila de Lima along with women’s organizations filed a bill to define and penalize violence against women in politics. Agatha Gregorio, ABS-CBN News</span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — A total of 42 members of the House authored a bill seeking to define and penalize violence against women in politics (VAWP), citing the supposed prevalence of VAWP “to silence women and stifle their voices.”</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/3/9/sarah-elago-filing-disbarment-case-vs-topacio-one-of-the-options-1219">&#x27;Nakakagigil&#x27;: Sarah Elago says filing disbarment case vs Topacio &#x27;one of the options&#x27;</a></div><p>ML party-list Representative Leila de Lima, House Deputy Speaker Paolo Ortega, Iloilo Lone District Representative Julienne Baronda, and Manila 3rd District Representative Joel Chua were among authors who were present during the filing of House Bill 8393 on Tuesday.</p><p>According to De Lima, the bill was filed for women’s month but has been in the works for months due to coordination with women’s organizations such as Bayi and EveryWoman.</p><p>“It’s generally for women’s month. Talaga pong months ago ay nakikipag-ugnayan na po sila– yung Bayi, EveryWoman, and they’ve been discussing this bill. And they presented it to us so we studied the bill. And we find it really very meaningful, also very timely, very relevant. At tingnan mo– nava-validate ng mga recent incidents ng pambabastos sa mga kapwa naming babaeng mga legislators. Alam niyo na kung ano ‘yung incident na ‘yun,” De Lima told reporters after filing the bill alongside representatives of women’s groups.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/3/6/-manyak-na-abogado-gabriela-calls-out-topacio-remark-vs-elago-1537">&#x27;Manyak na abogado&#x27;: Gabriela calls out Topacio remark vs Elago</a></div><p>De Lima mentioned Naga Mayor Leni Robredo, Senator Risa Hontiveros, and herself as victims of violence against women.</p><p>“We can mention examples like ‘Babae kasi kaya mahina,’ ‘Ma-rape ka sana,’ or ‘Ma-rape sana ang mga anak mo.’ Hindi po dapat nino-normalize or tino-tolerate ‘yung mga ganito. Isa po ako sa mga naging halimbawa. Lahat na lang ng paninira sa personal na buhay at credibility, binato at binabato pa rin sa akin hanggang ngayon. Nandiyan din mga tulad ni VP and Mayor Leni, si Sen Risa Hontiveros na biktima rin po sila ng violence against women, especially psychological violence,” De Lima said.</p><p>Chua said he believes it is time to pass a bill like this, citing the need to assess public officials based on their abilities and not their gender.</p><p>“Siguro napapanahon na dahil nakita naman po natin na marami rin naman na mga kababaihan natin ang naglingkod sa atin at nakikita naman natin talagang mahuhusay… Siguro dapat tinitingnan natin ‘yung pagsisilbi hindi base sa kanilang gender kung hindi base sa kanilang kakayahan,” Chua said.</p><p>De Lima added existing laws do not cover attacks against women in politics in particular.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>&#x27;WOMEN IN POLITICS&#x27; DEFINITION</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>The bill defines violence against women in politics as any act or omission directed at, or affecting a woman in politics, likely to result in physical, sexual, psychological, economic, institutional, or symbolic harm, including threats committed on account of gender or with the effect of undermining women’s political rights.</p><p>Also listed as “women in politics” under the bill are persons who are born female and live as female regardless of medical or legal transition who are candidates for elective public offices, those holding elective public offices, political party members and officers, party-list nominees, campaign and party staff, and women members of political movements.</p><p>“When women are pushed out of public life through fear and intimidation, democracy itself is diminished…. While existing laws address gender-based violence, they nonetheless fail to capture the political dimension of these attacks,” the bill read.</p><p>House Bill 8393 cited a 2016 Inter-Parliamentary Union global survey saying 82 percent of women parliamentarians experienced psychological violence during their term.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEOS</strong></div><div><br/><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Wz9ZCil8R1Y?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UGNNp-5sCMg?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>A total of 42 members of the House authored a bill seeking to define and penalize violence against women in politics (VAWP), citing the supposed prevalence of VAWP “to silence women and stifle their voices.”</p>

A total of 42 members of the House authored a bill seeking to define and penalize violence against women in politics (VAWP), citing the supposed prevalence of VAWP “to silence women and stifle their voices.”

42 solons author bill seeking to penalize violence against 'women in politics'

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42 solons author bill seeking to penalize violence against 'women in politics'

Agatha Gregorio,

ABS-CBN News

Published March 10, 2026 11:55 AM PHT

Read More:

House of Representatives

violence against women in politics

De Lima

Leni

Risa Hontiveros

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