Women of different political groups and professions were present at the March. Thirteen major groups joined forces under the banner “Martsa ng Kababaihan

A Woman’s Place is in the Struggle

Women’s Groups Statement on the occasion of International Women’s Day (IWD) 2006
International Women's Day is rooted in the centuries-old struggle of ordinary women to participate in society on an equal footing with men. In ancient Greece, Lysistrata initiated a sexual strike against men in order to end war; during the French Revolution, Parisian women calling for "liberty, equality, fraternity" marched on Versailles to demand women's suffrage. In 1909, the first National Woman’s Day was observed in the United States on 28 February. The Socialist Party of America designated March 8 in honor of the 1908 garment workers’ strike in New York, where women protested against working conditions.

In the Philippines, IWD has been a marking point for many women’s groups to look again at the courageous ‘herstory’ of our foremothers who joined the struggles for independence and women’s right to suffrage. In the 1970s at the height of the tyrannical rule of the Marcos regime, many women from all social classes joined hands to actively support the anti-dictatorship struggle. In 1983, when Ninoy Aquino was murdered by the elements of the dictatorship, thousands of women poured into the streets and bravely marched in defiance of the Martial Law regime. That women’s march proved to be a milestone in the history of the Filipino people’s reclaiming of our democratic rights.

Today March 8, 2006, women are once again defying another repressive government, that of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s. Despite the lifting of Proclamation 1017 which declared a State of National Emergency, the intimidation, harassment and curtailment of human rights continue: six legislators, among them, Representative Liza Masa, are technically under arrest for alleged rebellion and sedition, old charges that are clearly dug up to justify government’s actions. Charges have been filed against some media outfits and press freedom continues to be threatened. Activists and critics of the current administration are harassed, intimidated and even murdered. Gloria boasts that the alleged coup plots against her administration have been nipped in the bud, but declares that she would not hesitate to reinstate the State of National Emergency if she thinks that the “national interest