Gabriela Women's Party

History

GABRIELA, the alliance, was founded in April 1984 after 10,000 women marched in Manila, defying a Marcos decree against demonstrations. GABRIELA was named in honor of Gabriela Silang, a Filipina revolutionary, who led a revolt against Spain in 1763 following her husband's assassination. Amidst a backdrop of widespread social inequality and unrest, GABRIELA aimed to synthesize issues of national liberation, poverty and women's emancipation.Ty, Rey. "GABRIELA: Contributions of a third-world women’s movement to feminist theory and

practice." Midwest Research-to-Practice in Adult, Continuing, and Community Education. Missouri, University of Missouri–St. Louis (2006). The organization's founders pushed for "Third World feminism" which focused on comprehensive social transformation, rather than focusing on individual forms of oppression. GABRIELA's advocacy challenges patriarchy, alongside resisting foreign influence and neocolonialism.

In October 2024, GABRIELA fielded former Kabataan Partylist Representative Sarah Elago as their lead representative for the 2025 House sectoral elections, with pushing the legalization of abortion in the country, and did not agree with the term usage of sex workers to prostitutes.

Electoral performance

In 2003, the Gabriela Women's Party was launched with the help of GABRIELA members and other women's and people's organizations. In the 2004 election for the House of Representatives the party-list received 464,586 votes (3.6518% of the nationwide vote) and won a seat for first nominee Liza Maza. In the 2007 election, the party won two seats in the nationwide party-list vote. The Gabriela Women's Party was the only women's party to obtain a second term in Congress. On September 14, 2025, COMELEC chairperson George Garcia announced Gabriela Women's Party's Sarah Elago proclaimed as the 64th winning party-list representative on September 17, 2025 after Duterte Youth party-list disqualified.

Representatives to Congress

• 13th Congress (2004–2007) - Liza Maza
• 14th Congress (2007–2010) - Luzviminda Ilagan, Liza Maza
• 15th Congress (2010–2013) - Luzviminda Ilagan, Emerenciana de Jesus
• 16th Congress (2013–2016) - Luzviminda Ilagan, Emerenciana de Jesus
• 17th Congress (2016–2019) - Emerenciana de Jesus, Arlene Brosas
• 18th Congress (2019–2022) - Arlene Brosas
• 19th Congress (2022–2025) - Arlene Brosas
• 20th Congress (2025–present) - Sarah Elago

Programs and positions

One Billion Rising (OBR) Task Force Philippines

One Billion Rising (OBR) is a global campaign founded to end rape and sexual violence against women. Since 2013, GABRIELA have led the One Billion Rising Task Force in the Philippines and abroad where its chapters are situated.

The Philippine task force members include:

• Gabriela
• Gabriela Women's Party
• Gabriela Youth
• Kilusang Mayo Uno
• Alliance of Concerned Teachers
• Ecumenical Women's Forum
• Salinlahi Alliance for Children's Concerns
• Association for the Rights of Children in Southeast Asia
• Amihan Federation of Peasant Women
• Kadamay
• Innabuyog Gabriela
• Kabataan Partylist
• Migrante

Human trafficking

In the Philippines, GABRIELA is actively involved in awareness campaigns to prevent the trafficking of women and girls from the Philippines. Its strategies consist of seminars and information dissemination to NGOs and government agencies and awareness campaigns at the community level. In 1999, GABRIELA launched the Purple Rose Campaign against the sex trafficking of Filipino women and children. The campaign achieved a milestone with the passage of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003 with GABRIELA representative Liza Maza as the bill's co-sponsor. GABRIELA is also actively involved in the Vow to Fight Against Violence on Women and the Free Our Sisters/Free Ourselves campaign.

International chapters

GABRIELA has chapters in the United States, the Netherlands, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Italy, Germany and the United Kingdom.

Notes

References

References

1. (2023). "Party-Movement Interactions in a Contested Democracy: The Philippine Experience". Archium Ateneo.
2. (July 16, 2013). "GABRIELA - NATIONAL ALLIANCE OF FILIPINO WOMEN Southeast Asia - Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos".
3. (April 12, 2009). "House wants to ban pornographic cartoon". Congress.gov.ph.
4. "GABRIELA - National Alliance of Women's Org. in the Philip .".
5. (March 23, 2006). "Rad Geek People's Daily 2006-03-23 – Reign of Terror in the Philippines; women's movement criminalized". Radgeek.com.
6. "About – GABRIELA USA".
7. Niu, Greta Ai-Yu. (Summer 1999). "Wives, widows, and workers: Corazon Aquino, Imelda Marcos, and the Filipina "other"". NWSA Journal.
8. Arnado, Mary Janet. (2011). "Feminista: Gender, Race and Class in the Philippines". Anvil Publishing.
9. Ty, Rey. (July 2018). "GABRIELA: Contributions of a Third-World Women's Movement to Feminist Theory and Practice". Young Ambassadors of Peace in Asia.
10. Villaruel, Jauhn Etienne. (October 4, 2024). "Gabriela seeks fresh House term, bares stance on abortion, 'sex work' {{!}} ABS-CBN News".
11. [http://www.comelec.gov.ph/results/2004partylist.html Comelec] {{webarchive. link. (April 27, 2007)
12. "Liza Maza". Congress.gov.ph.
13. (2009). "The Internet and Mobile Technologies in Election Campaigns: The GABRIELA Womens Party During the 2007 Philippine Elections". Journal of Information Technology & Politics.
14. (September 14, 2025). "Comelec says Gabriela to get 64th party-list seat in House of Representatives".
15. (September 3, 2025). "Comelec OKs reso allotting 64 party-list seats in House". [[Philippine Daily Inquirer]].
16. Sampang, Dianne. (September 16, 2025). "Comelec set to proclaim Gabriela as winner of 64th party-list seat". [[Philippine Daily Inquirer]].
17. (July 16, 2013). "GABRIELA - NATIONAL ALLIANCE OF FILIPINO WOMEN Southeast Asia - Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos".
18. "Combat Trafficking: Prevention". HumanTrafficking.org.
19. Tzvetkova, Marina. (2002). "NGO Responses to Trafficking in Women". Gender & Development.
20. "THE FIGHT AGAINST VIOLENCE ON WOMEN IN THE PHILIPPINES: THE GABRIELA EXPERIENCE".
21. Beins, Agatha. (2011). "Free our sisters, free ourselves: locating U.S. feminism through feminist periodicals, 1970-1983". Rutgers University - Graduate School - New Brunswick.