Bianca Gonzalez did not hesitate to respond to a netizen on Twitter who had reacted to her use of the phrase “Abante babae!” as she shared news of Filipino featherweight boxer Nesthy Petecio who had just been assured of at least a bronze medal in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
“Abante babae,” meaning to push women to progress especially in a patriarchal society, was criticized by a Twitter user who complained that women always make issues about themselves.
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“Abante Pilipinas.. kaya dini discriminate mga babae dahil puro kayo kayo rin mismo ginagawa nyong issue pagiging babae (Push Philippines… that’s why women are always being discriminated against because you yourselves make an issue of everything),” the user wrote.
Quote retweeting this reply, Bianca said, “Kapag sinabi naming ABANTE BABAE hindi ibig sabihin na babae lamang ang dapat umabante. Ilang daang taon na ang kalalakihan ang nabibigyan ng mga oportunidad kaya’t kapag may babaeng nagtatagumpay, ipinagbubunyi natin para mas marami pang kababaihan ang mapagbigyan.”
[Translation: “When we say ABANTE BABAE that doesn’t mean it’s only women who should progress. For the longest time, it’s men who are given opportunities so when a woman succeeds, we must celebrate it so that it inspires many more women.”]
“It’s this narrative of “kaya dini-discriminate ang mga babae dahil ginagawa ninyong issue ang pagiging babae” (“that’s why women are always being discriminated against because you yourselves make an issue of everything”) that keeps us from reaching true gender equality. We push for women’s empowerment precisely because TOO MANY WOMEN feel like they have no voice and are put into this box,” she continued.
“Men can be true allies by supporting, encouraging and empowering the women in their lives to do what they want and dream big dreams. Hindi yung, “eto ka lang kasi babae ka lang.” Hindi kami “babae lang.” BABAE KAMI. (It shouldn’t be “this is all you can be because you’re a woman.” We are not “just women.” WE ARE WOMEN.) ABANTE BABAE.”
Kapag sinabi naming ABANTE BABAE hindi ibig sabihin na babae lamang ang dapat umabante. Ilang daang taon na ang kalalakihan ang nabibigyan ng mga oportunidad kaya’t kapag may babaeng nagtatagumpay, ipinagbubunyi natin para mas marami pang kababaihan ang mapagbigyan. https://t.co/xqTQ8R5XIY
— Bianca Gonzalez (@iamsuperbianca) July 28, 2021
Men can be true allies by supporting, encouraging and empowering the women in their lives to do what they want and dream big dreams. Hindi yung, “eto ka lang kasi babae ka lang.” Hindi kami “babae lang.” BABAE KAMI. ABANTE BABAE.
— Bianca Gonzalez (@iamsuperbianca) July 28, 2021
(ALSO READ: Bianca Gonzalez Has This to Say to People Making Fun of Morena Skin)
Her tweets have since received more than 10K likes, nearly 2K retweets, and many comments from people agreeing with her stance and offering their own thoughts on the issue.
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