Feminism and the Women's Movement in the Philippines: Struggles, Advances, and Challenges rape is now a public crime, rather than a crime against chastity, expanded its coverage by recognizing acts such as insertion of any instrument into the genital or anal orifice of another person as“rape by sexual assault.” (National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women, 1999: 4.2.2) A companion measure to the Anti-Rape Law is Republic Act 8505 or the Rape Victim Assistance and Protection Act, which provides for psychological, legal, medical and health assistance towards rape victims, ensures the safety of victims, and mandates the training of local police, lawyers, social workers and the like on human rights, gender sensitivity and legal management of rape cases(Munez, 2004: 156). At the forefront of this legislative advocacy was a coalition of 13 women's organizations formed in 1992 and who named themselves as the Sama-samang Inisyatiba ng mga Kababaihan para sa Pagbabago ng Batas at Lipunan (SIBOL) 11 [Collective Initiative of Women for the Transformation of the Laws and Society]. After the People Power Revolution in 1986,'feminist-activists who formed SIBOL recognized the new environment for activism that gave them space to be heard and listened to'(Munez, 2004: 174). A core group composed of seasoned activists and human rights advocates like Aida F. Santos, Cecilia Hoffman, Eleanor Conda, Ana Maria “Princess” Nemenzo, Soc Reyes and Raquel Tiglao initiated the network. It took SIBOL countless debates, research and strategic planning to successfully push for the adoption of the 1997 Anti-Rape Law. In 2016, Senator Risa Hontiveros filed an Anti-Rape Bill to amend and modernize the current law on rape such as increasing the age of statutory rape, introducing aggravating circumstances(e.g., use of video or other electronic device in the commission of the crime, the status of the offender as a person of public authority, etc.) and the repeal of the'forgiveness clause' in the Revised Penal Code(Senate of the Philippines, 2017). Embracing Intersectionality: The Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender(LBT) in the Women's Movement and the Anti-Discrimination Bill Generally speaking, the feminist lens always situates the struggle of women against the backdrop of patriarchy that underlies women oppression. The latter is usually perpetrated by men and by male-dominated institutions and structures like family, church, government offices, corporations, and even civil societies. Recognition of patriarchy being at the root of women's oppression was the starting point of the growth and development of feminist groups and organizations. However, the focus on patriarchy rendered Filipino lesbians invisible as a subsector of the women's movement who were experiencing and struggling against a unique kind of oppression and discrimination. In this regard, we can see that the Filipino lesbian confronts multiple layers of oppression: They are struggling as women in a society that favors patriarchal structures of powers, while struggling as women who do not conform to heterosexual norms and expectations. The latter is thus a struggle not just against men and the structures that imposes such rules, but also against other women in the movement who prioritize the broader socioeconomic disenfranchisement of heterosexual women over the largely unnoticed struggle confronted by lesbians. Pineda(2001:137) lamented the invisibility of the lesbian narrative in the history of the women's movement in the Philippines. She argued that it was not until much later that lesbians were given space in the movement. It was only at the beginning of the nineties that lesbians were recognized as a sector in the women's movement. She rooted this seeming relegation of the lesbian struggle to the shadows of the women's movement from the latter's focus on socioeconomic inequality. This led to the 11 These include the Center for Legislative Development, GABRIELA, Institute for Social Studies and Action, KALAYAAN, Kilusan ng Manggagawang Kababaihan , Lakas Manggagawa Labor Center Women Committee, PILIPINA, Ugnayan ng Kababaihan sa Pulitika , Women's Legal Bureau, Women's Crisis Center, Women's Education, Development, Productivity and Research Organization, Women's Resource and Research Center, and WomanHealth Philippines. Two years later, three more organizations joined the network, namely, MAKALAYA, Democratic Socialist Women of the Philippines, and Kasarian Kalayaan(SARILAYA). However, the membership was reduced to nine in 1999, as seven members left the coalition due to various organizational difficulties and shifts in priorities. SIBOL drafted the bill on which the Anti-VAWC law was based, and actively lobbied for its passage(see Munez, 2004). 14