SunStar
SunStar File March 09, 2021 IN A world where men dominated, and quite frankly continue to dominate, women had to fight, and continue to fight, for their place.
The Philippines has come a long way before women were able to exercise their rights.
Before women were allowed to vote and take part in politics, the 1935 Constitution only allowed male Filipino citizens aged 21 or older to vote.
Hoping to ignite a suffrage movement in the country, American suffragist Carrie Chapman Catt visited the Philippines in 1912.
Concepcion Felix de Calderon, one of the earliest feminist and human rights activist in the country, and Purificacion Pura Villanueva Kalaw, the first Queen of Manila Carnival (now Miss Philippines and Binibining Pilipinas) and the founder of Asociacion Feminista Ilongga, together with many other women, created the Society for the Advancement of Women.
Former Speaker of the House
News reports have it that the question/debate surrounding the actual height of Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak, has finally been resolved. It is 8,848.86 meters or 29,032 feet, the Nepali government announced a few days ago.
We remember undertaking a flight tour of Mount Everest a few years ago when we addressed a conference in Kathmandu hosted by the current Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli, who, for several years, was our colleague in the Standing Committee of our International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP).
Climbing the world’s tallest mountain is a death-defying adventure. We remember the Filipino people rejoicing and honoring our First Philippine Mount Everest Expedition (FPMEE) which made history in 2006 by reaching Mount Everest’s summit.