Women Executives

Love, Sex, and Marriage

in the Philippine Context
Sexual Practices
and Problems
Reporter: Ronarenza C. Brecasio
 Women Executives

The modern Filipina takes charge of her own success and well-
being. Her main priorities are being financially independent and
starting a business. That’s what makes the Filipino woman of today
truly empowered. She knows what she wants, and she works hard
to achieve her goals.
The Philippines generally does well in various
international metrics of gender equality. In
terms of education, Filipino girls and women
are more likely to obtain a high school diploma,
more likely to enter college, and more likely to
graduate than their boys and male
counterpart.
In the workforce, while still accounting for a
lower proportion of the total workforce, jobs
that tend to have higher paying positions like
supervision/management, professionals,
service, and sales are more likely to be done
by women than men.
In the government, these positions include
elective and appointive positions across the
legislative, executive, and judicial branches. In
the industry, they include chief-level positions,
board memberships, and director positions.

The Filipino Women in leadership positions in

the Philippine government and industry.
 Industry Leadership  In the Philippine Stock
Exchange’s 200 highest
In the industry, they market-capitalized
include chief level companies alone, Filipino
positions, board women occupy 30 percent of
memberships, and the top executive positions,
director positions. usually as treasurers,
corporate secretaries, and
When women are in the finance managers. Philippine
labor force, they have a firms that have women as
high potential to reach chair or president are also
senior management usually in the retail, food,
positions. and pharmacy sectors
 Government Leadership
 Since the Commonwealth,
Filipino women have been
enjoying the right to suffrage and
eligibility to public offices
through the Act No. 4112,
approved by then Pres. Manuel L.
Quezon.  
 It is the Philippines who produced
the first female president in Asia –
Corazon C. Aquino. Former
President Gloria Macapagal-
Arroyo was the second and two
female vice presidents.
 In the Philippine Senate, the
number of female senators has
been elected. Since the 12th
Congress in 2001, only one
female has ever served in a
leadership position within the
Senate, namely, Loren Legarda.
In the local elective offices, such
as in the positions of governor,
mayor, barangay captain, and
lower elected positions.
 Empowered Women in the Philippines

Who are the Filipinas who embody

women empowerment in the
Philippines?

Here are some of the most outstanding,

powerful, and admirable Filipinas
creating waves in their respective fields.
She’s Socorro “Nanay Coring” Ramos, who started
almost eight decades ago what’s now known as the
biggest bookstore and school/office supplies chain in
the Philippines. Nanay Coring credits her success to
hard work, patience, and perseverance. A key lesson we
can learn from Nanay Coring? For empowered women
in the Philippines, age definitely doesn’t matter.

Josephina Almeda Cruz, more popularly known

in the fashion industry as Josie Natori, is one of
the outstanding women in the Philippines in
terms of wealth. She runs The Natori Company,
an international women’s fashion brand.
Marife Zamora, one of the top female executives
and empowered women in the Philippines. She rose
from the ranks until she became the chairperson of
Convergys Philippines, being responsible for the BPO
company’s stature as the country’s top employer.

Teresita Sy-Coson, serves as the president and

chair of the board of both SM Mart and SM
Retail, Inc.
Robina Gokongwei-Pe, is president and chief
executive officer (CEO) of Robinsons Retail
Holdings Inc. (RRHI)

Sara Zimmerman Duterte-Carpio, commonly

known as Inday Sara, is the 15th and current
vice president of the Philippines. She is the third
female vice president, come from Mindanao.
Although the Philippines still has rooms for
improvement in addressing issues concerning
women, it is by-far a great place to become a
woman.  

One of the best things that our country could

probably give is the chance to aspire and create
your own future without unfair limits.  
The Philippines could set an example to its Asian
neighbors on how to move-on from traditional
mindsets and accept that everyone deserves equal
opportunities and treatment regardless of
appearance, size, color, age and gender.
Be inspired by empowered women in the Philippines who are
making a difference as leaders, mentors, role models, and
game-changers in their respective fields.
 Love, Sex,
& Marriage
in the Philippine
Context
What is Love?
Courtship in the Philippines
Filipinos are born matchmakers. They like to
match up their friends and relatives. Blind dates
are common. Girls often have to permission from
their parents and guys are sometimes subjected
to mild interrogation by parents.

A man who is interested in courting a woman has

to be discreet and friendly at first, in order not to
be seen as too presko or mayabang (aggressive or
too presumptuous).
Tuksuhan lang (just teasing) is the usual term
associated with pairing off potential couples in
Filipino culture. This is common among
teenagers and young adults. It is a way of
matching people who may have mutual
admiration or affection for each other. It may
end up in a romance or avoidance of each
other if the situation becomes embarrassing for
both individuals.
Friendly dates are often the starting point,
often with a group of other friends. Later,
couples may go out on their own, but this is
still to be done discreetly. If the couple has
decided to come out in the open about their
romance, they will tell their family and friends
as well.
A man who is unable to express his affection
to a woman (who may have the same
feelings for him) is called a torpe or simply
duwag. He needs a tulay (bridge) — anyone
who is a mutual friend of him and the girl he
loves — who then conveys to the girl his
affection for her.
If a man wants to be taken seriously by a
woman, he has to visit the latter's family and
introduce himself formally to the parents of
the girl. And if a guy wants to be acceptable to
the girl's family, he has to give pasalubong
(gifts) every time he drops by her family's
house.
In courting a Filipina, the metaphor often
used is that of playing baseball. The man is
said to reach 'first base' if the girl accepts his
proposal to go out on a date for the first time.
Thereafter, going out on several dates is like
reaching the second and third bases. A 'home-
run' is one where the girl formally accepts the
man's love, and they become magkasintahan
a term for boyfriend-girlfriend.
The traditional dalagang Pilipina is shy and
secretive about her real feelings for a suitor and
denies it even though she is really in love with
the man. Filipino women are expected to be
pakipot because it is seen as an appropriate
behavior in a courtship dance. By being pakipot,
the girl tells the man that he has to work hard
to win her love. She is also not supposed to go
out on a date with several men.
Filipino men would make
harana (serenade) the women
at night and sing songs of love
and affection. This is basically a
Spanish influence. The man is
usually accompanied by his
close friends who provide
moral support for the guy,
apart from singing with him.
During the days, the young man labors for good
impressions, courts the good graces of the girl's
parents, dropping by to offer a hand with the daily
chores–chopping wood, fetching water from the
river, helping with the tilling of the land. And
believe it or not, love letters were exchanged by
mail.
Courtship is a cherished Filipino tradition with certain
specific rules based on religious, sociocultural, and
family values. There are five widely shared rules or
“commandments” associated with courtship:

Say “yes” to the first invitation.

It is a prerequisite to have an escort, either a friend or
next of kin, on the first date (no escort is necessary for
a woman 28 years or older).
It is all right to publicly demonstrate decent affection,
such as kissing, touching, and caressing.
A young Filipina should reserve criticism after
the first date, be discreet about her feelings,
and the man must cover (pay for) all expenses.

If dating leads to marriage, one must

remember that marrying entails marrying into
the spouse’s whole family as a clan. The
majority of young men and women believe
that love, physical attraction, similar religious
beliefs, and trust are the basic essentials in
creating and maintaining a stable relationship.
Marriage
in the Philippines
Marriage in the Catholic Church, also known as holy
matrimony, is the "covenant by which a man and woman
establish between themselves a partnership of the whole
of life and which is ordered by its nature to the good of
the spouses and the procreation and education of
offspring.
Someone that is an incumbent member of the courts with
authorized jurisdiction may solemnize a marriage. This may
include a priest, minister, or other individual of a religious
affiliation. He or she must have been granted power by the
sect or church to perform marriage contracts. At least two
legal age witnesses are needed for the ceremony, the
marriage is then solemnized in an open court, church, office
or chambers of a judge.
Men are expected to marry and if a man has not married by his
late twenties, female relatives begin introducing him to potential
brides.
The median age for marriage is twenty-two. Young professionals
wait until their late twenties to marry, and engagements of five
to seven years are not uncommon. During this period, the couple
becomes established in jobs, pays for the education of younger
siblings, and acquires household items. A woman who reaches
the age of thirty-two without marrying is considered past the age
for marriage.
Marriages have traditionally been monogamous although in
some places, particularly Muslim and tribal areas, men have
had more than one wife.
In the Muslim community, the parents of a girl between
ages 14 and 16 may betroth her to an older man. A dowry is
agreed on before a formal marriage arrangement is signed.
Virginity has traditionally been valued, particularly in
the countryside.
If a young man decides he wants to marry a
particular girl, he or his parents visit the young
woman’s house and offer a gift. The traditional
marriage proposal takes the form of the
pamamanhikan or the "parental marriage proposal",
a formal way of asking the parents of the woman for
her hand.
 Requirements:
 Legal capacity of the contracting parties
who must be a male and a female, 18
years old and above without any
impediment to get married.

 Consent freely given in the presence of

the solemnizing officer.
 Authority of the solemnizing officer (only
incumbent member of the judiciary; priest,
imam, or minister of any church or religious
sect duly authorized by his church or
religious sect and registered with the civil
registrar
• Marriage law in the Philippines also
requires couples to attend a seminar
on family planning before the wedding day
in order to become responsible for family
life and parenthood. The seminar is
normally conducted at a city hall or a
municipal council.
 Some officiating ministers or churches
require the couple to present a
Certificate of No Marriage Record
(CENOMAR), on top of or together with
the marriage license and the authority of
the solemnizing officer.
Recently, however, Filipinos have started to replace
their old-fashioned social concepts with ones that
recognize that the right to remain single is as much a
personal right as the right to marry.

Because of the Western influence on women’s

liberation, to be a single older woman is no longer
considered a social disgrace or the result of any
personal inadequacy.
Generally, in the Christian community, the courts do not
consider pregnancy a valid motive to grant permission for
the marriage of a minor.
Legislation has also abolished the possibility of reparatory
marriage; in the past a person accused of rape or forceful
abduction could avoid punishment by marrying the victim.
Marriage between couples of the same sex is currently not
possible under the laws of the Philippines because,
according to the Filipino Family Code, both family and
marriage are considered as heterosexual units. The legal
concept of a family in the Philippines does not incorporate
homosexual relationships.
Divorce is illegal, but annulment is available for the dissolution of a
marriage. Reasons for annulment include physical incapacity, physical
violence, or pressure to change one's religious or political beliefs.
“With the strong influence of the Catholic faith, divorce is illegal in
the Philippines and church leaders intend to keep it that way. For
someone that has been married previously, the individual must
present a death certificate of the previous spouse or legal
documentation of a nullity or annulment.
 SEX
Sexual Practice and
Problems
What is Sex?
There are provisions and policies in
the constitution of the Philippines which
promulgates that the sexual act should
happen only within the framework
of married life between a man and woman,
because this personal human expression is
solidly connected to the family unit and to
society as a whole.
As a predominantly Christian country, the
Philippines considers that the only sexual
behavior morally and legally acceptable and
appropriate is heterosexual intercourse within
a monogamous marriage, with the exception
of polygamous marriage as practiced by some
Filipino minority groups and by Muslim
communities.
The following forms of sexual behavior are still
considered illegal in the country: prostitution,
pornography (nudity), premarital and extramarital
sex, cohabitation, homosexuality, and other variant
sexual behavior.
A very conservative interpretation of Catholic
decrees about sexuality and marriage have been
inscribed in the minds of the Filipino people, in a
way that has proven difficult to alter or delete.
Outstanding among these are the Church’s views
on the social roles of males and females, its
insistence that any form of masturbation or
premarital intercourse is sinful. The Church also
places great emphasis on virginity as a
prerequisite for matrimony, citing the example of
the Virgin Mary.
Dr. Jose Florante J. Leyson wrote in the Encyclopedia
of Sexuality: Virginity is no longer a universally
expected prerequisite for the marriage covenant. 

 Today, sexual attitudes are more liberal and

accepting of radical changes in sexuality and love
because of the influences of the media and global
communications. 
The majority of the Filipino urban population today is
clearly Westernized, but still very conservative in its
public and legal sexual values. 

The majority of urban youth knows about

contraceptives and can acquire these from
pharmacies or from friends without problems.
Despite the guilt and shame associated with sex,
middle- and upper-class urban youth often
engage in sexual contacts with girlfriends,
household maids, and even prostitutes.

For the youths of the poverty belts around the

big cities, the situation is compounded by the
lack of money and self-control. Even if they
would prefer to use a contraceptive, they cannot
afford them and there are no places where they
can get them free. 
“It is becoming increasingly clear that first premarital
sexual activities are initiated at an earlier age,
especially for those in metropolitan areas, where the
basic family structure often disintegrates because of
a lack of parental supervision, with both parents
working or the father absent and perhaps working
overseas. Young males pursuing college and
graduate studies in the city are often detached from
parental supervision and frequently succumb to the
lure of metropolitan temptations, go-go bars, and
adult entertainment houses.
In a few cases, youths in smaller communities who
impregnate their girlfriends may be forced to
marry them or make an amicable financial
arrangement with parental approval. The woman
usually keeps the child in her parents’ home
instead of giving it up for adoption. In the Muslim
communities, premarital sex is absolutely
prohibited. But young girls, ages 14 to 16, can be
betrothed through the usual (parental) marriage
arrangement, mainly to affluent and much older
bridegrooms.
“A majority of women complained of the brief
duration of foreplay and premature
ejaculation. It is difficult to gather data on
female orgasm because of religious repression
and personal shyness. It is believed that
Filipinas’ sexual satisfaction is based on
cultural and religious grounds. The husband’s
satisfaction is primary and the wife’s orgasm
clearly secondary. 
“According to the Asia-Pacific PE Prevalence
and Attitude Study, the 2013 Asia-Pacific
Sexual Behaviors and Satisfaction Survey,
revealed that 91 percent of Filipino men “find
it highly important that they sexually satisfy
their partners” and that they “want to make
their partner feel happy, loved, and satisfied.”
Dr. Jose Florante J. Leyson wrote in the
Encyclopedia of Sexuality: “Most of the causes
of legal separation involve extramarital
affairs. Adultery or extramarital sex is
vehemently condemned by the Catholic Church
and is socially detested.
A wife commits adultery simply by having sexual
relations with a man who is not her husband,
regardless of the circumstances. The provisions
of the Penal Code on female adultery and male
concubinage are glaring examples, not only of
the inequality between the sexes, but also of
the inequity between erring spouses.
The law provides a maximum penalty of
four years imprisonment for the erring
husband. A wife found guilty of adultery, on
the other hand, may be imprisoned for a
maximum period of six years.