This is a press release from the Philippine Anti-Discrimination Alliance of Youth Leaders (PANTAY).
MANILA, Philippines – During the Harapan sa Diliman Senatorial Forum, senatorial candidates will gather to address the pressing concerns of women, LGBTQ+, and youth.
Forum organizers PANTAY, UP Sa Halalan, COMELEC, Philippine Political Science Association, and Sarilaya claim that the purpose of the forum is to put attention to issues that are often sidelined during elections.
“Women and gender minorities hold more than half the sky, yet are often set aside, discriminated against, and marginalized. When their voices are absent, policies fail to reflect the realities of families, communities, and future generations,” said PANTAY national convener Vince Liban.
The senatorial forum is part of PANTAY’s “Rainbow Agenda” project, in partnership with COMELEC, that seeks to position women, the LGBTQ+ community, and the youth as electoral forces.
“True democracy demands that everyone, especially minorities, have a seat at the table—not as tokens, but as equal partners in shaping a just and inclusive society,” Liban added.
The Harapan sa Diliman: A Senatorial Forum on the Equality Agenda will take place on Thursday, February 20, at 1:30 pm at the UP Diliman School of Statistics Auditorium. It will mark the first time gender and youth-related platforms were not relegated to simple for-or-against debates, but instead took center stage as the primary focus of discussion. – Rappler.com
Do you have questions for the senatorial candidates? Send it to the gender-equality chat room in the Rappler Communities app.