The Women’s Month 2025 Gallery Walk in Ateneo de Davao University challenged historical erasure of women’s narratives and contributions by centering the lived experiences of women and marginalized communities, pushing for recognition and sustained activism.
In Philippine history, historical accounts have predominantly been documented by those in positions of power, often resulting in the underrepresentation of women’s voices and struggles, from the overshadowing of Filipina revolutionaries by their male counterparts to the lack of discourse on the experiences of prostituted and exploited women.
In December 2017, the Filipino comfort women statue by Jonas Roces was removed by the Department of Public Works and Highways for a supposed flood control project, but its removal just four months after its unveiling raised concerns over the suppression of women’s lived realities in history.
According to SAMAHAN Department of Campaigns and Advocacies (DCA) AdvocaSIX SOGIESC Head Jhoanna Cayanan, this year’s gallery walk was planned within the university to emphasize its role as a frontline institution in Mindanao’s activism.
“The featured women for the exhibit was selected through a localized and community-driven approach… As they [OSOV] visited different areas across the Philippines—particularly schools and local communities—they actively gathered stories from women, LGBTQ+ individuals, youth, students, and community members. This approach ensured that the exhibit remained localized, representative, and co-created with the people it aimed to uplift.”
Cayanan shared that by utilizing a Theory U framework, OSOV carefully curated stories that highlight sexual and gender-based violence, systemic inequality, and policy gaps.
Cayanan described the gallery walk as more than a collection of words and images but as a space for recognition, reflection, and action on struggles women continue to face today.
“Each generation finds itself battling the same forces of oppression under different guises. Yet, not every woman has the privilege or platform to voice her struggles. This exhibit becomes a space where muted narratives find a home, and invisible battles are acknowledged and fought.”
The gallery features stories from women, LGBTQ+ individuals, and grassroots activists, rejecting the tendency to reduce women’s rights to a singular struggle.
“True equality is intersectional… History has long been written by those who are in power. Among those who were reduced to mere footnotes are prostituted women, whose struggles are often mocked rather than understood as a consequence of systemic inequality,” Cayanan shared.
“Davao City may have been the first to pass the Women’s Development Code, yet a meaningful inclusion remains far-fetched.”
Cayanan mentioned that the initiative is also about mobilizing future generations to take up space and see activism as something they can be part of.
“It is an act of empowerment to see themselves reflected in the narratives of those who came before them. It is a reinforcement of the understanding that they are not just inheritors of generational oppression but also of that of resistance and courage. It is a testament that history is not something that happens to them passively but one that they have the power to shape.”
Organized by Our Stories, Our Voices (OSOV), a non-profit organization outside Ateneo de Davao University (AdDU), in partnership with the SAMAHAN DCA and other organizations, the exhibit highlights narratives often left out of mainstream discourse.
This year’s gallery is the latest installment of OSOV’s ongoing initiative since its pilot stage in 2023, in which the organization has been collaborating with a local, woman-led NGO in Davao, ensuring that the narratives featured come directly from those experiencing them.
The initiative was supported by the Embassy of France to the Philippines and the U.S. Embassy in the Philippines, with the U.S. Department of State continuing its funding support until 2024 to sustain the project.
The Women’s Month 2025 Gallery Walk was launched at Arrupe Hall on March 3.