A woman’s song of liberation

Two articles—one from The Guardian, a newspaper published in the United Kingdom, and the other appearing in the local edition of Esquire magazine—highlight the role that women have played as about the only visible and prominent opposition figures against the increasingly despotic (and erratic) presidency of Rodrigo Duterte.

Right now, writes Tom Smith in The Guardian, “the strongman only faces internal opposition from two political figures—both are women, and both are well placed and well equipped to combat the macho autocrat.” He was referring to Vice President Leni Robredo, who only recently was ousted (by text message from an underling) from the Duterte Cabinet, and Sen. Leila de Lima, who, says Smith, “for the past six months has faced a tirade of misogynist abuse and a smear campaign that is only worth repeating in order to bring shame on Duterte and his acolytes.”

The other article, written by Christine Lao, focuses on the “pattern of behavior that demeans women to undermine their presence in the public realm and ultimately, exclude them from it.” She observes that much of the President’s anger, ire and disdain has been focused on the Vice President and the senator. And with the brazen misogyny displayed by the President and the silent, if not complicit, agreement of his supporters, Lao points out that “to be a woman and occupy public office is to have one’s body parts ogled at by the other men in the room, or be dismissed as a joke. To be a woman in public service is to risk having one’s private life being trotted out and discussed salaciously if you say something out of line. The message is: put up or shut up.”

The mystery as well as the tragedy is that many of Mr. Duterte’s supporters are women, too, and among the first to laugh and seemingly enjoy his tirades against their kind. It is a mystery and a puzzlement, the answers to which we can only address to the heavens.

We have my good friend, Jurgette Honculada, to thank for “A Psalm of Freedom,” which she used as part of the ritual for the welcoming rites of new members of our women’s group Pilipina.

The psalm was written by Miriam Therese Winter, a Medical Mission sister (MMS), who is the author of 15 books, and the composer of 15 recordings including “Joy is Like the Rain,” a best-selling album. “A Psalm of Freedom” speaks of, for and to all women, but especially Filipino women, in these times of challenge and uncertainty. It is a prayer for freedom, a song of liberation:

Liberate us, Free Spirit,/from all that holds us captive within us,/Call us into freedom

Freedom to be/and become and belong;

Freedom to stand/and admit we were wrong;

Freedom to see/and to say what we know;

Freedom to fail/and freedom to grow;

Freedom to feel/and be grateful for feeling;

Freedom to heal/and to help with our healing;

Freedom to laugh/and freedom to cry;

And perhaps above all,/the freedom to try.

Free us, Liberating Spirit/from all that holds us captive around us/

Give to us our freedom;

Freedom from systems that do not include us;

Freedom from structures that do not support us;

Freedom from practices meant to enslave us;

Freedom from rules that exist to deny us;

Freedom from values that only destroy us;

Freedom from people who refuse to affirm us;

Freedom from guilt around us and within us;

Freedom from fear and its power to deter us;

Empower us, Spirit Power/for a prophetic use of our freedom;

Freedom for freeing women to be;

Freedom for setting all people free;

Freedom for finding the best way to pray;

And for coming to God in our own unique way;

Freedom for making courageous decisions;

Freedom for assuring the climate is free

For you to be you/and for me to be me;

Come spirit of Freedom;/Come, set us free.