N.B. – This was published in Asian Correspondent (June 28, 6:05 p.m.) where I write a column (Philippine Fantasy).
Hiring women does not necessarily make an employer gender-sensitive. Take the case of the outgoing Macapagal-Arroyo administration. It apparently has a tendency to hire women for the wrong reasons, at least based on a recent policy pronouncement.
Despite past recommendations from some legislators that the Macapagal-Arroyo administration refrain from giving “unsolicited advice” to the incoming Aquino administration, outgoing Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Anabelle Abaya gave another one.
She said that the peace talks with rebel groups would progress better if women were included in the negotiations. “I hope that in all panels—the MILF [Moro Islamic Liberation Front] or the CPP-NPA [Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army]—[the government] will at least have two women, not one but two women, because women change the dynamics of negotiation,” Abaya said.
On the surface, there seems to be nothing wrong with the suggestion. One may even argue that it’s gender-sensitive because of “women representation” in the peace talks.
But the sexism becomes apparent as one hears Abaya’s explanation: “When people are talking about rationale, you cannot forget the emotional aspect… Although people do not want to put that on the table, the reality is people think because of what they feel. So it is the women who are more comfortable with this aspect of negotiation.”
The statement may not be directly offensive to women, but it does a disservice to gender equality because subjective actuations become gender-defined. What is the basis for arguing that a particular gender is better at controlling emotions?
If women were to be included in the peace talks, it should be based on their capacity to negotiate. Panel members should also be persuasive in a manner that is not offensive. Much as there are women who are good at controlling emotions as Abaya said, there are also men who could be equal to the task. In other words, membership in the peace negotiations cannot be based primarily on gender.
When incoming President Benigno Aquino III announced that Teresita “Ging” Deles would be his peace adviser, it was apparently based not on her being a woman. Her credentials are publicly known: She held that position under the Macapagal-Arroyo administration although she resigned in 2005.
Abaya’s sexist recommendation is no different from outgoing Press Secretary Rogelio Peyuan’s recommendation in May that incoming President Benigno Aquino III choose cabinet officials who are cute, always smiling and fragrant. “Ang mungkahi natin ay mamili ng medyo cute na mga makakasama sa kapaligiran. Nakangiti, medyo maayos ang amoy at hindi pa amoy lupa at malapit na magpaalam (loose translation: Our suggestion is that he choose the slightly cute ones to be around him. They should also be smiling, and smell quite nice and not smell as if they already have one foot in the grave,” he said.
Peyuan added that the fate of the nation depends on the President’s mood every morning. “Ito ay magiging depende hindi sa paggising ng Pangulo kundi depende sa kanyang matatanaw pag dilat ng mata at depende din sa amoy ng hininga ng makakausap niya (loose translation: It depends not on his waking up but on what he sees when he wakes up in the morning and it also depends on the smell of the breath of whoever he talks to).”
Abaya’s recommendation is obviously no different from Peyuan although the former is only sexist while the latter is so replete with logical fallacies one does not know where to start.
With such kind of mindset among officials, no wonder there are many Filipinos looking forward to the inauguration of the new President on June 30. This means that after nine years, the Macapagal-Arroyo administration comes to an end, and along with it comes an end to the stupidity of polity characterized by the mediocrity of policy.