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Part Two
Duty Calls
Part Two
Duty Calls
Part One
BY JOWIE MANGASER
We will not be silenced: The impact of the
#HijaAko Movement
After her exchange with Ben Tulfo, Kakie Pangilinan sprung an online movement that gave women a place to make their voices heard.
The Philippines has more than 73.91 million online users, all active on social media. In this regard, the country is not an exception to online social movements.
Such social movements seek to attain justice and demand accountability from aggressors and abusers who take advantage of their power in society. Most affected by these attacks online are women—from underaged girls to women in their 40s, these attacks have long disproportionately affected women offline.
Frankie “Kakie” Pangilinan, the eldest daughter of Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan and Sharon Cuneta, is just one out of many who have experienced this. When faced with an attempt to silence and belittle her thoughts because of her age, she clapped back.
The #HijaAko movement was a way for Filipinas to address the alarming and prevalent misogynistic narrative that is present in Philippine society. This started with an exchange of tweets between her and Ben Tulfo, a radio and TV personality that transpired in June 2020.
Pangilinan first reacted to a post from Lucban Municipal Police Station.
“Mahalin natin ang mga kababaihan at huwag niyo abusuhin ang kanilang kabaitan (Let us love women and not abuse their kindness),” read the first paragraph of the post.
However, the second paragraph of the post contradicted the message of the first.
“Kayo naman mga gherlsz, huwag kayo magsusuot ng pagkaikli-ikling damit at pag naman nabastos ay magsumbong din sa amin. Isipin niyo rin!”
Addressing women this time, the post read that they should not be wearing short or revealing clothes and report to the police when they are harassed.
Pangilinan shared her thoughts in a quote tweet from Rappler.
“STOP TEACHING GIRLS HOW TO DRESS?? TEACH PEOPLE NOT TO RAPE.”
Ben Tulfo then reacted to this the following night.
“Hija @kakiep83, a rapist or a juvenile sex offender’s desire to commit a crime will always be there. All they need is an opportunity, when to commit the crime,” Tulfo tweeted. “Sexy ladies, careful with the way you dress up! You are inviting the beast.”
Pangilinan then defended her points and responded: “Rape culture is real and a product of this precise line of thinking, where the behavior is normalized, particularly by men.
“[T]he way anyone dresses should not be deemed as [an] ‘opportunity’ to sexually assault them. [E]ver.”
And lastly, she rebukes how Tulfo addressed her. “[C]alling me hija will not belittle my point.”
Tulfo then took to his Facebook page “BITAG Live,” and reacted to Pangilinan’s tweet. He wrote and insisted that perverts and rapists cannot be reformed and stood his ground, reiterating the need for women to dress appropriately to not be harassed. Tulfo even remarked how Pangilinan’s father, Sen. Kiko Pangilinan authored the Juvenile Law.
Pangilinan also changed her twitter name to “hija” at the time, while Tulfo and #HijaAko trended on the platform. It became a social movement that empowers individuals and allows them to share their stories. In the present time, more and more victims use this safe space and social media, in general, to seek justice and accountability from their oppressors.
In the present time, more and more victims use this safe space and social media, in general, to seek justice and accountability from their oppressors.
Since Pangilinan encouraged other women to speak out, the hashtag continued to trend on Twitter as women came forward to share their own thoughts and stories. Some expressed their opinion about the issue, discussing how prevalent patriarchy and misogyny are in our society.
Even famous personalities such as Lauren Young and Janina Vela used the hashtag in their tweets.
When asked about why people turn to social media and cancel culture for justice, Dr. Joseph Velasco simply says that “Some of our institutions do not respond well to certain complaints.”
Indeed, there are proper channels and platforms where people can express their grievances and make their oppressors accountable; but not all of these institutions are able to accomplish these.
Velasco writes in his paper that cancel culture allows marginalized voices to be heard since there are no individuals or institutions in power that hinder them from speaking up.
He believes that social media has democratized discourse enabling anyone on social media to “argue their case.” Before, society had certain institutions that act as gatekeepers—ensuring that information being circulated to the public is accurate. Social media allows individuals to post what they want to say and other users can follow suit. This social movement continues to empower individuals, especially those who have undergone injustices.
The #HijaAko movement is a form of activism. It calls for the eradication of an unacceptable perception, line of thinking, and behavior. This allows the minority to have another avenue to voice out their thoughts to fight what is oppressing or harming them.
#HijaAko is only one of many instances where cancel culture is manifested in the Philippines. In this situation, it was beneficial, but is it the only solution?
Velasco is a political scientist and associate professional lecturer from the Department of Political Science and Development Studies at De La Salle University.
This further created a space where women are empowered and feel that their sentiments are valid.
People now use social media, specifically, cancel culture as a social movement — to attain justice or to raise awareness about a certain issue. It has become an avenue for people to tell their stories and for voices to be heard, as seen in the #HijaAko movement.
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Dr. Joseph Velasco explains why some people result to cancel culture.
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