MANILA, Philippines 鈥� Different women鈥檚 rights advocate groups have called on abused spouses to come out and seek accountability from their husbands, just like how the former wives of two Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) officials did in a Commission on Appointments (CA) hearing.
Gabriela Youth, Gabriela party-list, and other groups have thanked the two women for speaking out against senior AFP officials听鈥� including one whose promotion听was being discussed at the CA.
Gabriela secretary general Clarice Palce said during a protest movement in Quezon City that they are willing to extend support to women who would come out to report abuse they suffered.
鈥淕abriela firmly supports brave women who have stepped forward and testified against the violence inflicted by their military spouses.听 Military officials who shamelessly abuse women and children must be held accountable immediately,鈥� Palce said.
鈥淲e call on all victims of abuse to speak out against the violence perpetrated by the military or any armed state forces. Gabriela extends its support to all women committed to advocating for justice and an end to such abuse,鈥� she added.
According to Gabriela Youth spokesperson Shaye Ganal, it is important for the AFP officials鈥� wives to speak out as it gives other women courage to rise against their abusive husbands 鈥� especially those from the military.
鈥淛ust recently the country witnessed a wave of brave women coming forward to share their harrowing experiences of abuse at the hands of their military husbands.听 Women like [them] shed light on the dark reality of domestic violence perpetrated by men in power,鈥� Ganal said.
鈥淚n a society where patriarchy plays a big role to often silence victims, we applaud these women for their courage in speaking out. Their voices deserve to be heard, especially as these stories demand justice,鈥� she added.
Last March 12, in a briefing before the CA hearing started, a woman went to the Senate with her daughter to block the promotion of his husband, a military colonel set to be promoted into a brigadier general or a one-star rank official.
Eventually, the official was bypassed by the CA, leaving him without his star rank.
READ: CA bypasses AFP official鈥檚 promotion after wife鈥檚 testimony听
The Army official accused of extramarital relations and domestic abuse however denied child abuse allegations, noting that while he had an affair, it was only after he filed for annulment of their marriage.
Military spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla meanwhile said the AFP 鈥渢akes very seriously all allegations and complaints of misconduct, moreso complaints involving violence against women and children鈥�.
READ: Bypassed AFP official denies wife鈥檚 allegations听
Days after the colonel鈥檚 promotion was deferred, another woman showed up at the Senate 鈥� this time, the ex-wife of a retired three-star general 鈥� to attest that some of the wives of military men really go through abuse.
The woman said she is not out to block someone鈥檚 appointment at the CA, rather, she just wants to show that many wives have suffered from their military husbands.
READ: Another woman speaks up about 鈥榓buse鈥� by military husband听
Palce echoed the two women鈥檚 sentiments, saying that women sometimes find it hard to speak as their husbands are in a place of power.
鈥淐ases of abuse like these are not foreign among spouses of military officials in the country.听 Many VAW (violence against women) victims find it difficult to speak out for fear of retribution from their perpetrators or by society, especially when those who have committed violence against them are powerful and uniformed men,鈥� Palce claimed.