Senator Pia Cayetano. 蜜桃工作室 file photo
MANILA, Philippines鈥擜n international women鈥檚 conference organized by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation last week gave Sen. Pia Cayetano its Rising Star Award for her efforts in the passage of the reproductive health (RH) law in the Philippines.
Cayetano was recognized for standing up for women鈥檚 health and rights at the 3rd Women Deliver Conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, which focused on promoting women鈥檚 well-being.
鈥淪enator. Mom. Triathlete. That鈥檚 how Sen. Pia Cayetano of the Philippines describes herself on Twitter. There鈥檚 one thing missing: Hero,鈥� wrote Gabrielle Fitzgerald, director of Global Program Advocacy at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Youngest senator
Fitzgerald wrote on the website of the Gates foundation that Cayetano took on the task of pushing for the RH bill鈥攚hich had been languishing in the Philippine Congress for five years鈥攚hen she became the youngest woman senator in 2001.
Fitzgerald cited Cayetano鈥檚 sponsorship of the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act that was eventually passed in 2012.
The law 鈥渆nsures all women and men in the Philippines can freely and responsibly decide the number and spacing of their children, and have the information and means to carry out their decisions.鈥�
This is a highlight of the international Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) which is recognized by almost all countries.
鈥楢gents of death鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 a little hard to imagine, but this bill, which guarantees a pretty basic set of rights, was incredibly controversial in the Philippines. Proponents of the bill were publicly attacked and were called 鈥榓gents of death,鈥欌�� Fitzgerald wrote.
Fitzgerald interviewed Cayetano in a panel discussion during the Women Deliver conference and 鈥渢he story she told was one of resolve in the face of adversity, abiding by scientific evidence and facts, and staying positive against an onslaught of personal attacks and misinformation.鈥�
鈥淗er training as a triathlete kept her going through difficult times鈥攕he knew she had the endurance to outlast her opponents and to keep the finish line in sight,鈥� Fitzgerald said.
In the Senate, Cayetano was backed up by coauthor and senior lawmaker Miriam Defensor-Santiago. In the House of Representatives, Rep. Edcel Lagman (Albay) and Janette Garin (Iloilo),among others, fought it out with allies of the Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines who are against giving women access to modern contraceptive devices.