Scholastica was an Italian Christian hermit and the sister of Benedict of Nursia. She is traditionally regarded as the foundress of the Benedictine nuns.
Maria Corazon "Cory" Sumulong Cojuangco-Aquino was a Filipino politician who served as the eleventh president of the Philippines from 1986 to 1992. She was the most prominent figure of the 1986 People Power Revolution, which ended the two-decade rule of President Ferdinand Marcos and led to the establishment of the current democratic Fifth Philippine Republic.
Benigno Simeon Aquino III, also known as Noynoy Aquino and colloquially as PNoy, was a Filipino politician who served as the 15th President of the Philippines from 2010 to 2016. The son of assassinated politician Benigno Aquino Jr. and 11th President of the Philippines Corazon Aquino, he was a fourth-generation politician as part of the Aquino family of Tarlac.
Benedictine College is a private Benedictine liberal arts college in Atchison, Kansas, United States. It was established in 1971 by the merger of St. Benedict's College for men and Mount St. Scholastica College for women. It is located on bluffs overlooking the Missouri River, northwest of Kansas City, Missouri. Benedictine is one of a number of U.S. Benedictine colleges and is sponsored by St. Benedict's Abbey and Mount St. Scholastica Monastery. The abbey has a current population of 53 monks, while the Mount monastery numbers 147 community members. The college has built its core values around four "pillars" — Catholic, Benedictine, Liberal Arts, Residential — which support the Benedictine College mission to educate men and women in a community of faith and scholarship.
Miriam Palma Defensor-Santiago was a Filipino scholar, academic, lawyer, judge, author, and stateswoman who served in all three branches of the Philippine government: judicial, executive, and legislative. Defensor Santiago was named one of The 100 Most Powerful Women in the World in 1997 by The Australian. She was known for being a long-serving Senator of the Republic of the Philippines, an elected judge of the International Criminal Court, and the sole female recipient of the Philippines' highest national honor, the Quezon Service Cross.
Joan Daugherty Chittister,, is an American Benedictine nun, theologian, author, and speaker. She has served as Benedictine prioress and Benedictine federation president, president of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, and co-chair of the Global Peace Initiative of Women.
Saint Scholastica's College, also referred to by its acronym SSC or colloquially St. Scho is a private Catholic basic and higher education institution for women founded and managed by the Congregation of the Missionary Benedictine Sisters of Tutzing in a 3.66 hectares (36,600 m2) lot in Malate, Manila. It was established in 1906 initially offering elementary academic programs. It started admitting high school students in 1907 and opened its collegiate department in 1920. It pioneered in formal music education in the Philippines, opening a Conservatory of Music in 1907.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people (LGBT) in the Philippines face some legal challenges not faced by non-LGBT people, with numerous anti-discrimination legislations, bills and laws that are struggling to be passed on a national level to protect LGBT rights nationwide, with some parts of the country only existing on a local government level. LGBT individuals in the Philippines are often faced with disadvantages and difficulties in acquiring equal rights within the country. They also have a higher rate of suicide and suicide ideation compared to their heterosexual counterparts.
Ana Theresia Navarro Hontiveros-Baraquel is a Filipino politician, community leader, and journalist serving as a Senator since 2016. She previously served as a party-list representative for Akbayan from 2004 to 2010.
Paolo Benigno "Bam" Aguirre Aquino IV is a Filipino politician and social entrepreneur who served as a Senator of the Philippines from 2013 to 2019. He is a member of the prominent Aquino family in the Philippines.
Arlene "Kaka" J. Bag-ao is a Filipino human rights lawyer and agrarian reform advocate who served as Governor of the Dinagat Islands from 2019 to 2022. Bag-ao additionally served as the representative for the lone district of the Dinagat Islands from 2013 until 2019. She has been dubbed as the 'Dragon Slayer' after consecutively defeating two of the most prominent members of the influential Ecleo political dynasty of the Dinagat Islands.
Pope Francis made a pastoral and state visit to the Philippines from January 15 to 19, 2015. He was the third pontiff to visit the Philippines after Paul VI in 1970 and John Paul II in 1981 and 1995, and officially the first papal visit in the 21st century and 3rd millennium after the title was originally scheduled for World Meeting of Families in 2003 but postponed due to John Paul II was unable to attend because of the progression of his Parkinson's disease. Besides Manila, Francis visited Tacloban and Palo, Leyte, to encourage the victims of Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) and Typhoon Hagupit (Ruby). The Filipinos nicknamed Francis Lolo Kiko as a term of endearment, which he commended. Around 6–7 million attended Francis' final Papal Mass at Luneta, surpassing the crowd at World Youth Day 1995 in the same venue and making it the largest papal crowd in history. The theme of Francis' 2015 visit was "Mercy and Compassion".
The position of the Philippines on women's rights is relatively developed compared to many other nations. Over the past century, noticeable developments have been made which have led to greater endorsement and protection of these rights. The progression towards gender equality came about through women's movements, increased numbers of women political representatives, increased numbers of educated women, greater specificity on women's issues instituted under legislation, and the focused application of those laws. In recent years, the Filipino government has addressed the rights of women under a multitude of legislative schemes including workplace discrimination, domestic violence, sexual harassment and human trafficking.
Geraldine Batista Roman is a Filipino journalist and politician serving as the Representative of Bataan's 1st district since 2016. She is the first transgender person elected to the Congress of the Philippines.
The Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity ExpressionEquality Bill, also known as the Anti-Discrimination Bill (ADB), is a series of House and Senate bills that were introduced in the 17th, 18th, and 19th Congress of the Philippines, which aims to set into law measures to prevent various economic and public accommodation-related acts of discrimination against people based on their sexual orientation, gender identity, or expression. The first anti-discrimination bill based on SOGIE was first introduced in the 14th Congress of the Philippines, and has since been refiled continuously up to the present Congress.
Rey Joseph "RJ" Pengson Nieto, known also by his alias Thinking Pinoy, is a Filipino blogger and opinion columnist. He writes an op-ed column for the Manila Bulletin and also owns a blog site, where he publishes his opinions on Filipino politics. A well-known and vocal supporter of Rodrigo Duterte, he has drawn controversies and faced legal proceedings for allegations of libel and spreading disinformation, as well as his counter-criticisms against he and the administration's critics.
Jose "Joe" Pacturayan Dizon was a Filipino priest and activist who fought against the dictatorship of then President Ferdinand Marcos.
Amanda Limgenco Tan, RGS, commonly known as Mary Christine Tan, was a Filipino missionary, nun, and activist, who was known to be one of the key figures who was against the human rights abuses during the Martial law era. She headed the Association of Major Religious Superiors of Women (AMRSP) from 1973 to 1976, a group of religious sisters who not only vocalized their disdain against the Martial Law dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos, but also managed to help Filipinos who are suffering from poverty. She, along with eight other religious sisters are known as the Bantayog sisters - honored for living a life resisting against the regime of Ferdinand Marcos by having their names were immortalized on the Wall of Remembrance.
Arlene D. Brosas is a Filipina educator, child rights activist, and politician. She is a member of the Philippine House of Representatives for the 19th Congress and was part of the 18th Congress under the Gabriela Women's Party-list group.
Bahaghari is the national democratic organization of LGBT+ Filipinos advocating for LGBT+ rights in the country.
