Grace Nono & Ten Filipina Poets, HULAGPOS: Women's Poetry and Voices,
Arugaan Ng Kalakasan (Cradle of Strength), 1999

GRACE NONO: SINGING TO END ABUSE ON WOMEN

Manila Standard, August 1999

Note: Poets whose works are featured in Hulagpos are Maria Luisa Aguilar, Marra Pl. Lanot, Elynia Mabanglo, Dulce Marciana, Benilda Santos, Trinidad Tarrosa Subido, Guy Claudio, Lucia Gawid, Wili Agayhay, Marie Clemente, Del Quihano.

Woman artist Grace Nono, recently launched an album of songs, Hulagpos (Breaking Free), dedicated to raising awareness on the widespread problem of violence towards women in the country.
Known for her rhythmic tribal music, Grace has recorded this album to raise awareness on the unacceptable nature of violence against women. "There are too many stories of women, mothers, children, wives, and partners being abused in our country. I wanted to use the medium of music to tell the tales of our Filipino women in order to support the struggle to end such violence and abuses. I feel passionately that we need to shatter the myths and stereotypes about such abuse in order to break-out of the silence which surrounds this behavior."
Agencies and NGOs working to eliminate violence against women welcomed this album. "The launch of Hulagpos is particularly timely," commented Dazzle Rivera, executive director of Arugaan Ng Kalakasan, and co-producer of this album. "The House of Representatives is currently considering a proposed Anti-Abuse of Women in Intimate Relationships (AWIR) bill. The issue of women being abused by their partner is widespread and requires urgent recognition in the Philippines."
The proposed Anti-AWIR bill has been drafted by a consortium of Women's Organizations known as SIBOL after a lengthy period of consultation. It has been adopted in the House of Representatives by Rep. Bellaflor Angara-Castillo.
The Anti-AWIR bill recognizes that abuse of women by their partners is different from other forms of domestic violence. The damage that is done to a woman when abused by a partner, husband, lover, is immense, it's not just the physical scars but the emotional ones that matter. "If a man batters his wife or girlfriend, his action is saying that he knows best and that she is wrong,"said Rivera. "His action is an assertion of supremacy, it is a display of power in order to control. Such abuse of women is a breach of our universal human rights."
Hulagpos (Breaking Free) contains poems and prose written by female poets about experiences of violence and sexual abuse Filipino women have experienced. Some contributions are from counselors working with women who have been abused. The album provides inspiration from survivors who have found the strength to fight back, to leave their abusive situations, or just to make it through another day.

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