“Ngunit ang hirap ko

At hirap niya

Ang lalim ng pinagkaiba

Walang wala dun sa kanya

Ingat sa pananalita”

- Bullet Dumas, Kawawantin/The Quarantine Song

Trying to survive in the middle of a pandemic for the past two years taught me so much about myself. Granted, the circumstances were odd, but I learned nonetheless. It was more than just making banana bread, whipped coffee, and online shopping, among others. The highlight of which is changing the way I view myself and my body. To put it simply, I learned to accept my body the way it is.

All my self-loathing stemmed from having a negative body image. I thought that because I didn’t have the ideal body type, I was less of a person and even less of a woman. As if to rub salt on an already festering wound, one of the country’s top cosmetic surgeons came out with a highly insensitive ad they called the “#PandemicEffect.” It featured a woman whose physical appearance changed drastically - like weight gain, acne, and unwanted hair - as the news became even more and more devastating. “Tough times call for beautiful measures,” they said. What a way to bank on people’s insecurities.

Then I realized that my issues were nothing compared to what other women faced during lockdown. It was easy to tune out the voice screaming at me when my introverted self was having the time of her life in isolation. Case in point: in our living room, my family and I spent our evenings watching chick-flicks and eating potato chips. Somewhere else in the country, a woman was stuck at home with her abuser - terrified for her life and with nowhere to go.

In a snap, home became the most dangerous place to be for abused women and children. Despite the decreased number of incidents of gender-based violence throughout the first month of lockdown, the figures could have meant anything but favorable. It either hinted at a decline in the rampancy of abuse or that the victims were unable to report to the authorities due to strict quarantine measures. At the end of the day, living in lockdown was the perfect breeding ground for an abuser to perpetuate violence.

On the flip side, there have been trailblazing changes for women in the country even in the midst of COVID-19. Last year, the Supreme Court strengthened its advocacy for the use of gender-fair language in the Judiciary with the promulgation of Memorandum Order No. 90-2021. Another milestone is the passage of Republic Act No. 11596, which prohibits the practice of child marriage. The said law will undoubtedly provide protection to young girls against unwanted marriage, teenage pregnancy, and the vicious cycle of abuse.

As we celebrate another year of making change work for women, let us keep in mind that our call for genuine change is in solidarity with those who need it most – for those yet to be free from the chains of violence and abuse. May we instill upon ourselves that our pursuit towards gender equality and women empowerment is a collective effort – one that involves the whole nation, not just for and from women. That change begins with us and our commitment to let women get involved in the narrative. Only when a society is free from prejudice will we finally move towards equitable development and ensure a better quality of life for all.