Philippines

Human rights defenders continue to report targeted violence and harassment by the government, as well as red-tagging, or the labeling of an individual or organization as communist to discredit and provoke harassment against them. Red-tagging may cause self-censorship, particularly amongst youth activists who are most engaged online. The continued violence between the national army and rebel communist forces has posed a direct threat to the wellbeing and safety of Filipino women. At least 129 people died in 2024 as a result of fighting, and details on the progress of a peace plan between the two groups remain murky. However, women have spearheaded accountability efforts, including the Marawi Compensation Board, which provides reparations to victims of the 2017 conflict between government forces and ISIS-affiliated armed groups. While the group has reportedly resolved over 1,900 claims, it still struggles to obtain presumptive death certificates needed to resolve legal and financial complications.

Political tensions are likely to worsen following the outcome of parliamentary elections in May, in which former President Duterte was elected Mayor of Davao City despite being detained in the Hague following his arrest for war crimes. Heightened tensions risk impeding women-led peacebuilding and accountability efforts. Despite these challenges, the Philippines maintains a robust commitment to implementing Women, Peace and Security (WPS), and was the first Asian country to adopt a WPS National Action Plan. The establishment of the WPS Center of Excellence in the Office of the Presidential Advisor for Peace, Reconciliation and Unity in 2024 marked a major milestone, with the center serving as a platform for embedding and localizing the WPS Agenda. Deepening efforts to advance WPS have the potential to increasingly center women’s voices and needs across policy and peacebuilding processes.

Nearly a million people were forced to evacuate as two consecutive typhoons hit densely populated islands in the Philippines in November 2025, leaving at least 200 dead, including women and children. Repeat, destructive climate events are becoming increasingly common in the Philippines, and recent protests against alleged corruption accuse the government of fueling infrastructure gaps that heighten disaster risks for vulnerable communities. Women and girls forcibly displaced as a result of climate shocks face compounding vulnerabilities, including lack of access to healthcare and heightened risk of gender-based violence.

A newly released report finds that mining of transition minerals—specifically nickel—in the Philippines is having severe human rights, environmental, and climate impacts in regions of Mindanao that have particularly significant deposits. Those interviewed for the study—nearly half of whom were women-–report loss of livelihoods, increased food insecurity, water pollution, and attacks or intimidation against those who speak out. The Philippines is one of the most dangerous countries for environmental defenders, with women defenders facing disproportionate risks.

Parliamentary elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) were suspended again after the Supreme Court declared two of the region’s redistricting laws unconstitutional. Continued election delays impede on the right of Bangsamoro women to vote for their regional leaders, erode trust, and threaten to derail the implementation of the peace agreement and its gender provisions.

The decommissioning of rebel fighters has paused after former combatants did not receive promised benefits from the government. Pausing these efforts could reignite tensions—a threat to the civilian population, including women and girls—and deny resources to female members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). While the majority of the rebel fighters have been decommissioned, the chairman of the MILF group is deferring the last round of decommissioning until proper compensation is received.

The Department of Budget and Management, the Office of the Presidential Adviser of Peace, Reconciliation and Unity, and the Philippine Commission on Women co-hosted the second annual WPS Forum in Manila. In line with the theme of “forging collaboration and convergence for advancing women, peace and security” the conference brought together hundreds of stakeholders from government, civil society and academia to assess progress and chart a path forward for the expansion of women’s meaningful participation in peace and security efforts.

A Filipino representative has introduced a bill to construct a museum celebrating the everyday heroism of Filipina women. The museum—which would be created and run by the Philippine Commission on Women—would help fill the current gap in museums and educational curriculum regarding women, who are underrepresented in such institutions.