Disappearing voices

In a stunning and troubling outcome of the 2025 midterm elections not a single party-list dedicated to advancing the cause of women and LGBTQIA+ communities won a seat in the 20th Congress. For a country that prides itself on strong grassroots representation for the marginalized, this development is not just a political loss, but a democratic failure.

Party-list groups like Gabriela, Babae Ako, and Kababaihan have been serving as lifelines for millions of Filipinos whose voices are otherwise drowned out by entrenched interests. Gabriela, in particular, has been a beacon for women’s rights for over a generation. Its absence in Congress now is not merely symbolic, but a dangerous vacuum.

The same is true for Babae Ako and Kababaihan, which have also been working to protect the rights of women in rural communities, the informal labor sector, and poverty-stricken areas. They have fought for those who have historically been pushed to the margins of society. Their failure to secure seats in the lower chamber means more than lost influence, it makes their causes invisible.

This should set off alarms for every Filipino who believes in fair representation and inclusive governance. Without a party-list group explicitly advocating for women and LGBTQIA+ rights, key issues risk being deprioritized, delayed, or dismissed outright. These include legislative proposals on gender-based violence, sexual health education, maternal care, and — most critically — the long-stalled SOGIE Equality Bill which seeks to protect individuals from discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression.

The loss is not abstract. In the Philippines, domestic violence and abuse remain rampant. LGBTQIA+ Filipinos continue to face threats, harassment, and legal ambiguity. The disappearance of fearless advocates from Congress means fewer checks on the status quo, or none at all.

Worse, this shift may signal a deeper regression in public sentiment and political will. The 2025 elections weren’t just a missed opportunity — they revealed how fragile progress can be when support structures are eroded or ignored.

Representation matters not just for passing laws, but for affirming dignity. When no one in the legislature speaks directly to the actual realities of women and LGBTQIA+ Filipinos, it sends a chilling message: your struggles are not our priority.

This silence, however, can become a call to action.

This requires that civil society does not retreat. Advocacy groups and grassroots movements must take stock — not just of electoral losses — but of how to rebuild and reimagine their presence, and find their voices again.

The answer isn’t to give up, but to come back stronger, smarter, and more unified. This is a time to forge new and stronger coalitions, re-engage the electorate, and create bold narratives that speak to justice and hope.

The 2025 midterms may have shut the door for some. But democracy does not live in Congress alone — it lives in the streets, in communities, in every conversation about fairness and rights. And it must live loud in every effort to make the next general elections in 2028 different.

Let this temporary setback awaken a renewed urgency: to re-organize, re-educate and to continue resisting what is oppressive in the status quo. Because silence is not just disappearing and absent voices; it is complicity. And the fight for representation, justice, and equality is far from over.