Only men enjoyed the right of suffrage in PH until 1937

MANILA – Many of the country’s young women voters may be interested to know that until the middle of the 1930s, only men were allowed to enjoy the right of suffrage in the Philippines.

This was because Section 1, Article V of the 1935 Constitution under the heading “Suffrage” originally provided that:

“Suffrage may be exercised by male citizens of the Philippines not otherwise disqualified by law, who are twenty-one years of age or over and are able to read and write, and who shall have resided in the Philippines for one year and in the municipality wherein they propose to vote for at least six months preceding the election.”

The same section stated that “the National Assembly shall extend the right of suffrage to women if, in a plebiscite which shall be held for that purpose within two years after the adoption of this Constitution, not less than three hundred thousand women possessing the necessary qualifications shall vote affirmatively on the question.”

It was the 1935 Charter that governed the first election for the 1935 Philippine Commonwealth Government on Sept. 17, 1935 and other polls and referenda until it was replaced by the 1973 Constitution in January 1973.

The 1973 and 1986 (1987) Constitutions lowered the voting age from 21 to 18 years.

The National Assembly passed the necessary amendment to the 1935 Charter through Commonwealth Act No. 34 on Sept. 30, 1936. It provided for the plebiscite to be held on April 30, 1937.

As a result of the amendment, Filipino women have been granted the right to vote and to be voted in office since April 30, 1937. It has so far resulted in the election of two women presidents for the country since 1986. They were former Presidents Corazon C. Aquino (Feb. 25, 1986-June 30, 1992) and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (Jan. 21, 2001-June 30, 2010).

Noted historian and author Teodoro A. Agoncillo said in his book “Philippine History” published in 1962:

“One of the most significant achievements of the (Philippine) Commonwealth Government (1935-1946) was the grant of the right to vote to women.

“Heretofore, it was considered that the women’s place was only in the home and that it was improper for them to participate in politics.

“But by virtue of the Constitutional provision, a plebiscite was held on April 30, 1937 to determine whether Filipino women wanted suffrage. There were at the time less than 600,000 women voters on the list.

“Out of this number, almost 500,000 voted in favor and only 44,000 against suffrage. As a result, the Filipino women since then have enjoyed the right to vote and run for public office.”

At present, there are hundreds of women holding elective positions in the national and local governments. They include current Vice President Leni G. Robredo.

The others are in the Senate, the House of Representatives, provincial capitols, city and municipal halls, and barangay councils nationwide.

Filipino women also have already been empowered to serve in the Judiciary and other major branches of the national government, including the Civil Service Commission, Commission on Elections and Commission on Audit.