'More men backing women vs. violence'

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines – Men, usually tagged as perpetrators of violence against women, are now in the forefront of combating violence they usually were linked to.

“Times have changed and more and more men have realized there should be a stop to this,”  said Baguio advocate Roberto Ocampo of the “We Men” group joining the “One Billion Rising” Strike, Dance and Rise multi-sectoral demonstration of unity against the still ongoing abuses against women and children in the city.

“We are expecting thousands of men. Government agencies, organizations, church and laity, even uniformed personnel of the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) and police will be dancing in the streets on Feb. 14 showing we are together against violence,” Ocampo said.

“We receive two to three complaints from survivors or victims of violence a week,”  said Mila Singson, secretary general of the Gabriela Women’s Partylist whose group earlier rescued eight women from Davao who were allegedly held in a bar for sexual slavery here.

Singson said the figures do not even include government agency records.

Aside from Baguio, other key cities will be mobilizing on Valentine's Day (Feb. 14) at 3:30 p.m. to in support of the cause against women and children abuse.

“We depart from the usual March 8 International Women’s Day rites and instead start on Valentine's Day,”  Innabuyug Cordillera Women’s Alliance official Veron Malecdan said. From Valentine's Day and beyond,  women are fighting to end violence at home and violence on women bred by society,  she said. 

Although Singson admits there is a wide range of issues faced by Filipino women today,  â€œthere is a point of convergence – domestic violence— fought against.”

But Malecdan, an Igorot woman from Sagada said aside from violence in the home, there "is violence against women in society." In fact, she cited, “of the 13,000 Overseas Filipino Workers from the Cordillera, 70-80 percent are women and their situations are worsening, that includes harassments.”    Poverty in the villages, she said, forces migration of women and breeds family problems.

Despite the multitude of issues and how these are faced by women’s groups in the city, Singson said, “we come to a point of uniting against domestic violence as a start while progressing into social issues that breed these woes.”

Men have to take part in these, because “I am more of a human than a man,”  said artist Karlo Altamonte, one of the key convernors of the environmental group “Save 182 Movement” opposing the cutting of 182 trees for the expansion of a huge mall here. 

Around the country, more prominent figures now are openly supporting the “battle against violence against women” like Ocampo. The likes of national artist Ben Cabrera, a Benguet resident; Chickoy Pura, multi-awarded film maker Kidlat Tahimik, also from Baguio; Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Teodoro Casino; theater actor Leo Valdez; television host Boy Abunda; Anakpawis party-list Rep. Rafael Mariano; Fr. Joe Dizon; National artist Dr. Bien Lumbera; Movier and Television Review and Classification Board Chair Toto Villareal; film director Carlito Siguion-Reyna; and TV personality Bobby Andrews; among others.

In the city,  Catholic Bishop Carlito Cenzon; Child and Family Service Chief Executive Officer Danny Urquico;  businessman Vic Agcaoili;  Barangay Chairman Ferdi Bay-asen;  popular disc jockey Rico Gutierrez, businessman Mark Go, University of the Philippines Baguio Chancellor Raymundo Rovillos; and college teacher Art Alad-iw are among the men behind the women battling violence.

Around the country and in Baguio, more and more men are joining the cause, said Ocampo.