Women in Governance

Ang mga Babae sa Pamamahala

The achievements of Filipina suffragists have paved the way for women to occupy essential positions in the government. Women in legislation championed women’s rights and gender equality. Despite evidence of women's invaluable leadership, they remain underrepresented in all branches of government.

Elisa Rosales Ochoa became the first female legislator in the Philippines in 1941. Geronima T. Pecson, a suffragist who became the first female senator in 1947, championed education in her legislative work.

Other notable and pioneer women legislators in the Senate include Pacita Madrigal Gonzales, Maria Kalaw Katigbak, Tecla San Andres Ziga (the first Filipina to top the bar), Eva Estrada-Kalaw, Magnolia Welborn-Antonino, Santanina Rasul (first Filipina Muslim senator), Leticia Ramos-Shahani, and Miriam Defensor Santiago.  

Geronima T. Pecson 

(December 19, 1896 – July 31, 1989)

Was a suffragist and the first female senator of the Philippines. As a senator, she championed education through legislation, including the Free and Compulsory Education Act of 1953

and the Vocational Education Act.

Leticia Ramos-Shahani

(30 September 1929 – 20 March 2017)

Authored the first draft of the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), chaired the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), and pushed for the establishment of the National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women (NCRFW). As a senator, Shahani authored landmark legislation such as the Strengthening the Prohibition of Discrimination Against Women in the Workplace Act and the Anti-Rape Law and Rape Victim Assistance and Protection Act.

Santanina Tillah Rasu

(14 September 1930 - )

Was the first Muslim woman senator of the Philippines, serving from 1987 to 1995. In the Senate, she authored eight laws and chaired the committees on Civil Service and Government Recognition and Women and Family Relations. She was conferred the Tandang Sora Award in 2019.

Miriam Defensor Santiago

(15 June 1945 – 29 September 2016)

Dubbed as the "Iron Lady of Asia," became the youngest presiding judge of the Regional Trial Court in Quezon City and the first Filipino and Asian from a developing country elected as a judge at the International Criminal Court (ICC). She was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award, Asia's highest honor for transformative leadership.

Tecla San Andres Ziga

(23 August 1906 – 17 August 1992)

Was the first woman to top the Philippine Bar Exams in 1930. She served in the Department of Justice before being elected to Congress in 1955 and later became a senator during the Sixth Congress. Ziga was a strong advocate for women's and children's rights and played a key role in regulating the practice of dietetics in the Philippines.