ShoutOut Pinas and Pelikulove held HERSTORY LIVE! Kampanya para sa Pagsulong ng Lakambini Bill on September 30 via Zoom, bringing together Akbayan Partylist representative Rep. Dadah Kiram Ismula, historian and educator Natasha Kintanar, women youth leader Lalaine Mengge, and actress and advocate Elora Españo for a digital press launch of the Lakambini Bill Petition Campaign under the theme “FROM THE BALLOT IN 1937 TO OUR CLASSROOMS TODAY.”
The event linked the legacy of Philippine women’s suffrage to the campaign to institutionalize the study of Filipino women heroes in public and private school curricula. It took 30 long years for Philippine women to have won the right to vote. Finally, on September 30, 1936, marking its 90th anniversary this year, the Commonwealth Act No. 34 was approved, which provided for the women’s suffrage plebiscite held on April 30, 1937 that paved the way for Philippine women's suffrage to be passed into law. Today, the Lakambini Bill Petition Campaign strives to no longer take the same decades and generations just for our Filipina heroes to be honored as they deserve.
The Lakambini Bill refers to measures seeking to strengthen the teaching of Filipino women’s contributions to Philippine history. Senate Bill No. 2120, or the Lakambini Act of 2026, filed by Senator Risa Hontiveros on May 6, 2026, seeks to institutionalize the study of Filipino women heroes in educational curricula. House Bill No. 5332, or the Lakambini Act of 2025, is principally authored by Rep. Dadah Kiram Ismula.
Rep. Ismula called for broader legislative and grassroots support, urging students, schools, and advocates to engage their district representatives and submit position papers to the Secretariats of the House Committees on Higher and Technical Education and Basic Education.
“Kinakailangan po natin ng tulong ng bawat estudyante na katukin ang inyong mga district representatives, or mga kakilalang representatives, na suportahan po yung bill na ito,” Ismula said. She also highlighted the role of student journalists in keeping historical conversations alive. “Kasaysayan ay hindi lang isinusulat ng mga politiko... isinusulat ito sa araw-araw ng mga tulad ninyong tagapangalaga ng katotohanan,” she said.
The discussion also examined why the histories of Filipina women remain important in contemporary society. Kintanar emphasized the importance of historical representation in helping young Filipinas see themselves as part of the country’s story. “How can a young girl build dreams, make it in life, if the stories na naririnig lang niya ay tungkol lang sa kalalakihan?” she said. She further connected historical education to critical thinking and civic awareness. “So history is our ultimate shield against deceit and manipulation,” she said. “When we know history, and especially her story, we can spot repeating patterns of political propaganda, contextualize current events beyond shallow headlines, and ask the most critical question: Who is telling this story, and what do they gain from us believing it?”
For Mengge, a youth leader of Oriang Women's Movement who is an initiator of the petition, the Lakambini Bill can help challenge the portrayal of women as mere supporting figures in Philippine history. “Mahuhubog yung ating mga kabataan na yung katapangan ay walang kasarian,” said Mengge.
As an actress and advocate who played young Oriang in Lakambini: Gregoria de Jesus, Españo highlighted the role of film and theater in making history more accessible and human. The film, produced by Pelikulove, was nominated for Best Documentary at the 49th Gawad ng Urian Awards, with Españo also receiving a Best Supporting Actress nomination for her portrayal. “Hindi siya parang memorize dead dates tulad ng sinabi ni Nat. Mas nagiging tao siya. Mas nagiging tunay sila sa paningin natin. Mas napupukaw yung damdamin natin,” she said, adding that seeing the experiences of historical figures can inspire audiences to ask, “Ay, ito yung mga ginawa nila noon, baka meron tayong magawa ngayon.”
Her portrayal of young Oriang also formed part of a wider cultural revival around Gregoria “Oriang” de Jesus, the Lakambini of the Katipunan, whose story has become a focal point for conversations about how Filipina women are remembered beyond their relationships to male historical figures. Alongside other cultural works marking Oriang’s 150th birth anniversary, the film helped extend the conversation from the arts to education and legislation.
A Q&A followed with students, campus journalists, writers, and advocates from across the country, focusing on women’s representation in history and the role of education in shaping historical memory.
The Lakambini Bill Petition Campaign was launched on National Heroes Day, August 31, 2026, calling on supporters to encourage lawmakers to advance the proposed legislation and bring greater attention to Filipino women’s histories in classrooms and communities.
Through HERSTORY LIVE!, the campaign brought together legislative, historical, youth, and artistic perspectives in a continuing national conversation on women’s place in Philippine history.
FROM THE BALLOT IN 1937 TO OUR CLASSROOMS TODAY.
Mga Komento
Mag-post ng isang Komento