Just as how Filipino people under threat of colonial powers needed to unify as one nation to defend themselves - and how when those colonial powers have retreated, the arduous and ongoing task of dissent and finding common ground among Filipino people themselves begun - so too does the women empowerment movement have progressed to the point where women can now voice dissent amongst themselves and work towards a more truthful definition of what an empowered woman is.
Though no group or movement is ever monolithic, a common principle - upon which all larger points are subsequently built - needs to be determined. To me, no common principle can ever hold a free, diverse, and democratic people other than the enduring principles of fairness and the truth. These principles are reflected not by mere loyalty to a bloc and avoiding dissent, but by ensuring that there is space for all to enage in a free, open, and reasonable exchange of ideas. The heavy task of a truly democratic communication among any group people is, ultimately, done not in pursuit not of any self-serving gain, but in order to advance our collective welfare as human beings, especially that of the most vulnerable among us.
