Eight senatorial candidates in the 2025 midterm elections showed up to share their views on women, LGBTIQ+, and youth issues in 鈥淗arapan sa Diliman: A Senatorial Forum on the Equality Agenda鈥� at the UP Diliman School of Statistics Auditorium on February 20.
The forum, attended mostly by students and teachers from higher education institutions in Metro Manila, served as a venue for candidates with smaller campaign machineries to articulate their platforms on gender-based issues on education, health, labor, and economics, and to give voters a glimpse at the kind of legislation they are proposing so as to reform present national policies. The candidates who responded to the organizers鈥� invitation were: labor sector leaders, Leody de Guzman (Partido Lakas ng Masa) and Atty. Sonny Matula (Workers and Peasants Party); an animal and human welfare advocate, Norman Marquez (independent); an urban poor advocate, Jose Olivar (independent); a reform advocate, Atty. Ernesto Arellano (Katipunan ng Kamalayang Kayumanggi); a teacher and PWD advocate, Atty. Angelo De Alban (independent); an anti-crime crusader, Atty. Arnel Escobar (Partido Maharlika); and an environmentalist, Roy Cabonegro (Democratic Party of the Philippines).
The eight candidates were also asked to share their views on marriage and divorce, and fighting corruption and political dynasties, and on their plans for promoting diversity, equity and inclusion in schools and workplaces.
Cabonegro, who has more than 25 years of experience in development work as an environmental activist, said that they are running against political dynasties and traditional politics. In response to a question on the delivery of gender-based health services, he emphasized that government should ensure that adequate health care, particularly for HIV and AIDS cases, is available to the people and that this should not be dependent on foreign support. On the issue of providing more protection against online exploitation, cyberbullying and misinformation, he said parents and guardians should be enabled to monitor their child鈥檚 online activities; while internet services providers should also have a more pro-active role in preventing such abuses.
Escobal, a graduate of the Philippine Military Academy and a retired police general, said he offers good governance and anti-corruption platforms. He added that he favors free education, supports cooperatives, and the expansion of coverage of the country鈥檚 universal health care policies. He also said the laws on violence against women and children (VAWC) should be expanded to include LGBTIQ+ relationships.
Arellano, known as a lawyer for urban poor and informal settler families, said government should focus on creating employment opportunities through industrialization and higher wages. He said he supports incentivizing companies that will promote diversity, equity and inclusion policies. On the issue of enacting a divorce law, he expressed support for it.
Olivar said he advocates integrated development of the urban poor, farmers, and workers. He said workers should be regularized so that they can form or join unions. On the issue of delivery of health services, he said the country鈥檚 health care system should be strengthened, and health care professionals should be given higher salaries so that they will not look for jobs abroad. On the issue of legislating civil unions for LGBTIQ+ couples, he said that he is not against such partnerships but would also not favor marriage, in general.
De Alban, who highlighted that independent leaders should serve with integrity as inspiration for the youth, said he will prioritize in the Senate the needs of persons with disabilities (PWD) and children with special needs. He added that the Family Code should be amended and the courts should be given adequate support as the judiciary is a co-equal branch of government. On the issue of discrimination in workplaces and schools, he emphasized the need for comprehensive policies to create safe spaces and promote gender-fair languages. He also proposed legislating more support for mental health services and 鈥渞ight to care鈥� for LGBTIQ+ couples.
Marquez, who said he will stand up for the oppressed, supported the creation of education policies which aim to increase awareness to protect women, LGBTIQ+, and youth. He added that parents and teachers鈥� associations (PTAs) should be mandated to have appropriate trainings as well as adequate facilities (such as comfort rooms) as priorities. On the issue of violence against women and children (VAWC), he expressed the need for more protection against cybercrimes and for enabling free legal assistance for victims through their respective school or barangay. On the issue of education reforms, he added that: teachers鈥� salaries should be increased; K-12 policies, revised; more schools and equipment, provided; and scholarships and free education, expanded for low-income students.
Matula, Chairperson of the Nagkaisa Labor Federation, said he is focusing on: legislating decent wages for workers; institutionalizing scholarship for children of workers and peasants; promoting industrialization; and ending the country鈥檚 contractualization policy. On the issue of divorce, he said the country already has policies for annulment and that these can be liberalized to render the marriage null and void.
De Guzman, also a known labor leader, highlighted the need to defend workers鈥� rights to form unions, to legislate the end of contractualization as a policy, as well as to end political dynasties, and to impose taxation for the ultra-wealthy or create a 鈥渨ealth tax鈥� policy. He also supported the call for increasing awareness of the mental health and other needs of PWDs, and the need for adequate facilities for them.
Solidarity messages for the event were delivered by: Sejal Tiwari, Second Secretary (Political) of the Embassy of Canada to the Philippines; Myrna Jimenez, Secretary General of Sarilaya; Professor Maria Ela L. Atienza, representing UP sa Halalan and the Department of Political Science in UP Diliman; and Vince Liban, National Convener of PANTAY. Media personalities, Angela Lagunzad-Castro and Jervi Li (also known as KaladKaren), served as forum moderators.
The forum was co-organized by PANTAY, UP sa Halalan, COMELEC, the Philippine Political Science Association, and Sarilaya, as an initiative 鈥渢o mainstream gender and youth issues as electoral concerns and position gender minorities as electoral forces.鈥�
