Feminism and the Women's Movement in the Philippines: Struggles, Advances, and Challenges seats in the Senate and the House of Representatives held by the former. However, women lag behind in local government elective positions, occupying not more from 20%-25%. In the civil service, the gap narrows in the bureaucracy, as the Philippine Commission on Women reported that 42% of third-level(senior executive) positions in the government are occupied by women(Firmalo-Fabic, 2016). In the judiciary, on the other hand, President Benigno Simeon Aquino III appointed the first woman Chief Justice of the Supreme Court(Maria Lourdes Sereno), the first woman Ombudsman 7 (Conchita Carpio-Morales), and the first woman presiding Justice of the Sandiganbayan 8 (Amparo Cabotaje-Tang) during his term of office in 2010-2016. It must be emphasized that the election of women generally conformed to constraints posed by dynastic and patronage politics that characterize the Philippine system. Almost all women who occupied the highest positions in government – from the two women presidents to several prominent women legislators – either came from political families or were associated with prominent politicians by marriage. Although these women tended to favor conservative policies, several made their mark as champions of pro-women legislation, often working diligently with their progressive counterparts in order to advance critical advocacies. In the Philippine Congress, for instance, the first Reproductive Health Bill was filed and defended in the House of Representatives by upper-class women legislators from political dynasties in the provinces such as Bella Angara-Castillo, Lualhati Antonino and Malou Acosta, along with progressive women legislators such as Loretta Ann“Etta” Rosales and Ana Theresia“Risa” Hontiveros of the Akbayan Party. Fast-forward to the memorable 2016 elections, when strong women legislators emerged as fierce leaders of the opposition against the controversial Duterte administration. Leading the charge were elected Senator and former Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, elected Senator Risa Hontiveros and elected Vice-President and former congressional representative, Maria Leonor“Leni” Gerona Robredo. Despite low-handed attacks through character assassinations and trumped-up charges, these women persevere to make progressive women's voices heard against misogynistic and vindictive tactics and rhetoric that characterize the governance style of the current administration. Women in political parties and in the grassroots More than a decade after the EDSA People Power Revolution, the efforts of activists to push for electoral reforms resulted in the passage of Republic Act 7941 or the Party-list Law of 1998, a landmark legislation that allocated 20% of the total number of seats in the House of Representatives to'marginalized and underrepresented sectors, organizations and parties'. Despite the law's limitations, the party-list system enabled women's organizations to represent their constituencies in Congress. PILIPINA and GABRIELA created their respective party-list organizations, Abanse! Pinay and Gabriela Women's Party(Elumbre, 2010: 219). Abanse! Pinay had two congressional terms and was successful in passing key legislations such as the Solo Parent Act of 2000, and the Anti-Violence Against Women and Children Law. Abanse! Pinay was also allied with the democratic left party founded in 1997, the Akbayan. When Abanse! Pinay failed to win in the 2004 elections, Akbayan continued the task of mainstreaming of gender in policymaking. Akbayan's platform on women's issues led to its sponsorship of important bills like the Reproductive Health Bill, Magna Carta of Women, and Gender Balance Bill. Likewise, Akbayan remained to be the only political party in the country to impose a gender quota on the party's leadership, assemblies, chapters, and congressional nominations (Elumbre, 2010: 219). At the grassroots, women's organizations and NGOs mainstreamed gender issues in community organizing to ensure active participation of women in local government units and communities. Community-based NGOs and peoples' organizations played significant roles that enabled empowerment for women in the communities and articulate their interests in various levels of decision making. Significantly in conflict-ridden areas in Mindanao, the Alternative Center for Organizational Reforms and Development or ACORD serve as best 7 The Ombudsman is responsible for investigating government officials who are subject of criminal or administrative complaints. 8 The Sandiganbayan is the specialized court that prosecutes erring government/pubic officials. 9