Catcalling: A threat to women in the Philippines

"Hi ganda."

"Hatid na kita."

"Ate, sexy ah."

"Smile naman diyan."

Catcalling is just one of the many of forms of sexual harassment. If you are a woman living in the Philippines, it is not unusual to get catcalled on a daily basis. This happens especially to those who frequently commute to go to school, go to work, and even just by merely walking the streets. Wear anything you want and once you step out of the house, there is no escape. The worst thing about catcalling in the country is that it has been going on for so long that it had already created its own culture. It became a 'normal thing' for men to do and most women just let it be.

These are some stories of the street harassments that teenage women have experienced:

"While I was walking on the street on my way to the bus station, there were some men who were calling me through "pssssttt hi teh!!!" which for me was very rude." Denise, 17

"One time I was walking on my way home when two men in a truck started to try and get my attention by repeatedly saying "hi miss" and i found it very disrespectful and annoying." Elizabeth, 18

"It was late in the afternoon, and I was wearing shorts. I remember walking on the the way home when a car passed by. A male voice shouted 'Huy sexy!' but I wasn't able to see his face. I felt so scared and exposed at that time." Gizelle, 18

A number of people has been opening up and tackling about catcalling for so many years but why does this issue continue to be underrated? Reasons might be:

1. Some men, especially those who are uneducated, are unaware of what they are doing. They probably don't even know what catcalling is and of course wouldn't know its effect on women.

2. Al, 18, thinks that men his age tend to catcall because they want to impress their ka-tropa. He had observed that they usually do this in groups for the sake of their friends to react to them.

3. According to Kaye, "It's like a domino effect." When they see others, especially men older than them, who do it whether or not it is intended as a joke, they end up doing the same actions as if these were just normal and harmless.