Executive Summary Women make up more than half of the electorate in the Philippines but hold only 24 per cent of elected posts, among which a significant portion are from family dynasties. Despite a strong legal architecture geared toward gender mainstreaming and decentralization(e.g., the Magna Carta of Women and the Local Government Code, both republic acts), Philippine governance remains elite-driven and centralized, producing gendered exclusion and coercive local politics as power remains concentrated in a top–down, dynastic and patriarchal structure. Women in governance continue to be structurally sidelined because representation without redistribution of power cannot produce equitable and just outcomes. Effective governance requires centering gender equality in all its processes so that the structural and intersectional roots of inequity become visible and actionable. The 2028 national elections present a critical opportunity for the country to prioritize a gender-transformative agenda. A key argument of this paper is that vulnerability must be centered in governance processes. Vulnerability is not merely a condition of precarity; it is also a political resource that surfaces lived knowledge, sharpens policy priorities and illuminates the intersecting burdens borne by those at the margins. When governance acknowledges vulnerability, it creates space for power-to(the capacity of individuals and communities to shape outcomes) and power-with(the collective strength that emerges from solidarity, cooperation and mutual recognition). These forms of power are essential to dismantling the dominance of power-over (relational capacity to constrain or dominate others) that characterizes current institutions and political culture. This paper proposes a feminist governance framework that overcomes tokenism by shifting who decides, who benefits and who evaluates across the policy cycle. It advances two mutually reinforcing principles of Upward Agenda Setting and Horizontal Accountability that work in tandem to redistribute power. Upward Agenda Setting relocates decision making from elite centers to communities, treating participation as civic labor and embedding lived vulnerabilities as primary policy inputs. In conjunction, Horizontal Accountability spreads evaluative authority laterally across citizens, civil society organizations(CSOs), and Local Government Units so that performance is judged by tangible impacts—reduced unpaid care, safer services, equitable access—rather than procedural compliance. Together, these principles can reshape the relationship between the state and people, transforming governance from a hierarchical, elite-centered system into a collaborative practice of care, co-responsibility and equitable decision making. Key Systemic Challenges The predominant strategy of a“mix-and-stir” approach to gender in governance—or expecting gender justice to be achieved through the superficial inclusion of women’s representation—paralyzes the progress made by the Philippines on gender equality. Gender policy is implemented as procedural checklists rather than as mechanisms for transforming the power relations between the state and citizens that reproduce inequality. Gender and Development(GAD) systems often function as compliance requirements rather than as transformative tools, with misallocated funds and inadequate tracking of actual benefits for vulnerable sectors. Agenda setting remains highly centralized, as unclear divisions of responsibility between national agencies and local governments undermine genuine devolution. Participatory mechanisms intended to democratize local planning tend to become formalistic and controlled by local elites, limiting meaningful involvement of women, persons with disabilities, and Indigenous communities. In many areas, the securitization of development has shrunk civic spaces and exposed grassroots women leaders to harassment, further discouraging participation. These challenges are exacerbated by fiscal opacity and cultural norms that devalue women’s leadership, normalize gender-based violence, and keep unpaid care work invisible within policy frameworks. Case Studies: Emerging Models of Gender­Just Governance Despite the systemic constraints discussed above, examples from across the country demonstrate the viability of a governance model grounded in Upward Agenda Setting and Horizontal Accountability. In Sta. Catalina, Negros Oriental, the Indigenous and rural women’s federation KABILIN has reshaped local ordinances and GAD programs through co-governance with the municipal government, including family-centered gender training and agricultural policies that institutionalize women’s roles as Claiming Power and Reshaping Governance: A Feminist Framework for the Philippines 5