Palace to Gabriela: Celebrate victory for women's rights instead of criticizing Cory

Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda on Sunday brushed aside criticisms from the Gabriela Women’s Party, saying that instead of maligning President Benigno Aquino III and his mother former President Corazon Aquino, it should instead be mindful of the advancement of women’s rights under the current administration.

“I think, masyadong myopic ang pagtingin ng Gabriela considering that they are a women’s advocacy group, they should be celebrating what the President has signed, instead of politicizing it,” Lacierda said, in reaction to a Gabriela statement hitting Aquino for comparing his mother Cory to revolutionary heroine Gabriela Silang.

“Only someone so out of touch with reality and desperate to raise his plummeting popularity rating could think of something as incredible as likening his mother to Gabriela Silang. The difference between Gabriela and Cory Aquino is as wide as the Pacific Ocean,” the women’s group said, after Aquino compared his mother to Silang in a speech.

Aquino made the reference after he  enacted a law decriminalizing "premature marriage" — or a widow remarrying less than a year after her husband's death.

Gabriela party-list Reps. Luz Ilagan and Emmi de Jesus, were the main proponents of the measure in the House. They said "premature marriage" discriminates against women and is outdated.

Lacierda further defended Aquino’s statements, saying the president's mother contributed greatly in lifting the country from Martial Law.

“Filipino heroines that have marched through history have all shown the strength of the Filipino womanhood. Let us not take away the fact that in recent memory, President Cory Aquino has done so much for our county, and it has been acknowledged by international world leaders. So, I think Gabriela should expand its myopic vision and stop finding any nit to just criticize this administration,” Lacierda said in a radio interview aired over state-run DZRB.

“This is for women’s rights. What the President signed is an important step in removing some of the prejudices against women. Ano ang mali doon?” Lacierda added. — Patricia Denise Chiu/JDS, GMA News