GABRIELA's History

From GABRIELA, [2004]

Filipino women have a long struggle against oppression, foreign control and male domination. They fought for better jobs and the rights to vote and go to school. One of them led a regional revolt against Spanish colonizers. She was Gabriela Silang.

Primed by the anti-dictatorship campaign and the drive for economic and political change in the Marcos years, women's organizations established the national women's coalition, GABRIELA the General Assembly Binding Women for Reforms, Integrity, Equality, Leadership, and Action.

Starting from 42 when we organized in April 1984, we are today a center of over a hundred women organizations, institutes, desks, and programs. Our ranks include women workers, peasants, urban poor, housewives, professionals, religious and students across the country.

We believe that the freedom women seek will be brought about by the resolution of the problems of foreign domination, landlessness and political repression and in the changing of patriarchal value systems and structures in Philippine society.

We focus on issues that affect women: the effects of militarization and women's landlessness; the International Monetary Fund-World Bank and the debt crisis; denial of women's reproductive rights and gross neglect of health care for women; violence on children, wife abuse and family life; development aid; prostitution and trafficking of women.

Filipino women have a long history of struggle against foreign domination and women oppression. They fought for better jobs and the right to vote and go to school. One of them led a regional revolt against the Spanish colonizers. She was Gabriela Silang.

Primed by the anti-dictatorship struggles and the drive for significant economic and political change in the Marcos years, women from all walks of life banded together and established a national women's coalition. We called ourselves GABRIELA in honor of Gabriela Silang. It was the call of the time and Filipino women, like their predecessors in history, valiantly responded to the challenge of struggling for liberation.

From being a coalition of only 42 organizations in 1984, we are, today, a grassroots-based national alliance of 250 organizations, institutions, desks, and programs.

We believe that the freedom women seek will be brought about by the resolution of the problems of foreign domination, landlessness and political repression, and in the changing of patriarchal value systems and structures in Philippine society.

We work against issues that adversely affect women: landlessness, militarization, the foreign debt crisis and the IMF-WB impositions, GATT-WTO, anti-people development projects, the denial of women's health rights, violence against women and children, prostitution, trafficking in women and migration, and many more.

Likewise, we work to promote a positive social attitude toward women through cultural means and consciousness-raising.