ANG TUNAY NA LALAKI AY ________________

(SUBVERTING THE TOXIC MASCULINITY OF

YOUNG FILIPINO MEN AND TEEN SUBCULTURES
SIMILAR TO THOSE BRED BY
THE PASTOR HOKAGE BIBLE STUDY GROUPS)

ISIS VONNE R. MOLINTAS

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements

for the degree of Bachelor in Fine Arts
in Visual Communication
College of Fine Arts
University of the Philippines
Diliman, Quezon City
June 2019
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter Page

I. INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………………………………………………….……. 6
Background of the Study
Significance of the Study
Scope and Limitation
Statement of the Problem
Objectives of the Study

II. REVIEW OF RELATED STUDIES ….………………………………………………………………………………... 9

A. Pastor Hokage Bible Study Groups ………………….…..………………….…………………….. 9
B. Pastor Hokage Bible Study Groups, Toxic Masculinity
and Violence Against Women……………………………………………………………………… 9
Feminism, Power Relations and Sexual Objectification of Women
Hegemonic Masculinity and Toxic Masculinity
Violence against Women
VAW in the Philippine Setting
The Iceberg of Sexual Coercion
C. The Internet, Cyberspace and Online Gender-based Violence………………….….... 20
The Internet and Cyberspace
The Digital Age
Online Disinhibition Effect
Technology and Sexuality
D. Policy Environment: Laws and Enforcement…………………………………………….......30
Cybercrime
International Cybercrime Policy
Enforcement
Local Cybercrime Laws
Enforcement in the Philippines
Violence against Women
The Need for a New GBV-Specific Convention
Gender-Based Violence as a Human Rights Violation
Magna Carte of Women's Rights (R.A. 9710)
Anti-Violence against Women and Children Act (R.A. 9262)
Anti-Sexual Act of 1994 (R.A. 7877)
Anti-Photo Video Voyeurism Act of 2009 (RA 9995)
Gender-based Electronic Violence Act of 2016 (S.B. 1251)
In Cases of Children
E. Promoting Positive Masculinity………………………………………………………………………39

III. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK…………………………………………………………………………….…………..41

Patriarchy and Feminism
Socialist Feminism
Hegemonic Masculinity
Toxic Masculinity
Power, Culture, the Media and the Internet

IV. METHODOLOGY……………………………………………………………………………………………..……………46
Research Design
Sample and Sampling Procedure
Research Instrument
Data Collection Procedure
Data Analysis Procedure
V. PRESENTATION OF ANALYSIS OF DATA ……………………………………………………………………….. 53
Pastor Hokage Bible Study Groups: Description and History
Feeding Frenzies of Sexual or Sexualized Content
Hokage
Table of Pastor Hokage Bible
Pastor Hokage Subculture
Breaking the Law
Pastor Hokage Bible Study Groups Pose a Danger to Society
Pastor Hokage Bible Study Groups Encourage Violence against Women
Pastor Hokage Bible Study Groups Perpetrate Actual Violence against Women
Pastor Hokage Bible Study Culture Harms Men and Society as a Whole
PHBSGs Normalize Sexual Objectification, Sexual Harassment and Sexual Assault
PHBSGs are Illegal and Punishable under Philippine Laws
Very Stiff Penalties When Children Are Involved
A Toxic Mix of Sociological, Psychological and Technological Factors Give Spawn and Nurture
PHBSGs
Technology’s Impact on Sexuality
Sexual Mores Collide
Double Standard
Virgin-Whore Dichotomy
Dialectic Relationship between Patriarchy and Pastor Hokage Bible Study Groups
Adolescent Psychology, Physiology – Factors
Technology Enables the Rise of, and Nurtures, the Pastor Hokage Culture
Fighting Sexual Objectification, Sexual Harassment, VAW on Social Media

VI. SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS & RECOMMENDATION ……………………………………………………. 88

References………………………………………………… ………………………………………………..………………….. 92

Annexes………………………………………………………………………………………….……………………………….. 104
 ABSTRACT

In July 2017, the Filipino public was shocked by revelations of the rapid and widespread growth of “Pastor
Hokage Bible Study Groups ” (PHBSG) – groups curated by young Filipino men, using Facebook as a platform, and
formed around sharing and bonding over sexually explicit material.
PHBSGs are any of at least 80 secret online groups that first sprung up as a way to circumvent the blocking
of porn sites by Internet service providers and office IT administrators, but quickly evolved into an online social
movement-of-sorts, a full-fledged subculture, with its own language, its own codes, and its own personalities.
Group activities revolve around posting, sharing, commenting and ultimately bondi ng over sexual content.
Content ranges from slightly racy photographs to downright pornographic material, mostly shared without the
consent or even the knowledge of the subjects – all of whom are exclusively female. Some content involves
revenge porn and, at the very worse, the subjects are underage girls.
Outraged, a number of women’s groups, including a Facebook-based group called Catcalled in the
Philippines, reported these PHBSGs to the national media. This led one senator (Sen. Risa Hontiveros) to pass a
bill criminalizing the PHBSG’s activities and soon enough, many of these groups’ FB pages were closed down.
However, the movement itself simply went underground, where it continues to thrive. Members have adapted
guerrilla-like tactics, “closing shop,” disappearing from their old site, lurking, then surfacing and reconvening
under a new group, sometimes using other platforms, such as Reddit.
Does the Internet somehow promote these PHBSGs, revenge porn and other forms of toxic masculinity
among young Filipino men and teens ? Conversely, can the Internet be used to counteract these and promote an
alternative positive masculinity?
The first part of this thesis seeks to investigate the phenomenon represented by the Pastor Hokage Bible
Study Groups. Research here is exploratory, interpretative and theory-building. Analysis of the data collected
from research and interviews shows that PHBSGs are expressions or manifestations of toxic masculinity, which
encourage harmful and toxic behavior among Filipino men and male teenagers.
The second part of this thesis – as it is a Visual Communications thesis – explores how the very same media
and tools that are used to spread this form of toxic masculinity (the Internet and social media) can also be used
to promote more positive forms of masculinity. It involves the crafting of a visual communications tool that
captures young Filipino men and teens (pros pective and actual PHBSG members) in their milieu (the Internet)
where they are exposed to messages that can influence and convince them to challenge their toxic masculinity
views and replace them with views that represent a more positive masculinity.
The tool I created is an interactive design project on social media that seeks to deconstruct the idea and
expressions of toxic masculinity. The title of the project is “ANG TUNAY NA LALAKI AY __________________ _ ”.
(A REAL MAN IS ________________)
Participants or the audience in this social media project are encouraged to fill in the blanks – or to submit
suggested answers to what “real men” should be like.
The design and choice of words of the social media cards and other materials are meant to capture PHBSG
members in their milieu (mainly Facebook and Instagram). The approach chosen is that of a casual conversation
– just like the chats on the PHBSGs themselves. In this dialogue, young men are exposed to messages that are
carefully crafted to challenge their toxic masculinity views, in an oblique and less attacking way, then to replace
them with views that represent more positive forms of masculinity. This approach was chosen because studies
show that the kind of men who are attracted to PHBSGs become defensi ve when they are confronted over their
views or opinions, especially on women and sexuality.
The mix of photography and graphic design is also carefully constructed to be thought-provoking, especially
to the kind of men attracted to PHBSGs. Our profiling shows them to be men in their teens, 20s and 30s from
the socio economic classes D and E (Nielsen Admosphere). Visual communications elements include social media
cards, an online zine and comics.
Graphic designs and photos of phallic symbols are mixed with various iterations of the phrase
“Kalalaki/Kababae Mong Tao, _____________ Ka ”. These are meant to turn the tables on PHBSG members (or
prospective members) by showing them how it feels to be objectified. This tactic is an attempt to force young
Filipino men to empathize with the women they objectify, as research in the fields of psychology, criminology
and women’s studies have shown that men who hold strong toxic masculinity views often begin to change these
views when they are forced into a position of empathy with the women they usually objectify.
https://isismolintas.wixsite.com/tunaynapastorhokage?fbclid=IwAR2u5IqTYg9svpNEEFHSiHa1QgAubNS8oeNsv
lOEzHiaZlMwPIxKj2oEh2A
The design project is linked to this page: https://www.facebook.com/UsapangLalakiDYP/
This is the Facebook Page of an ongoing project by the Disgruntled Young people group, a University of the
Philippines Diliman-based organization. Usapang Lalaki is an active forum where young men and women come
together regularly to discuss gender, women’s and other social and development issues.
The two projects are therefore linked. Usapang Lalaki forums will discuss the “ANG TUNAY NA LALAKI AY
__________” Project, in effect testing its effectivity as a Visual Communications tool and improving it for use in
real life.
 I. INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Filipinos are the world’s top users of social media, spending the most amount of time both online and on social
media sites, compared to users from all other countries. On average, Filipinos spend 10 hours and two minutes
a day on the Internet on any device, and four hours and 12 minutes on social media sites. Facebook is the social
media platform Filipinos tend to use the most.
In contrast, the worldwide average for hours spent on the internet is six hours, 42 minutes. For social media
use it is two hours, 16 minutes. These statistics are from the report, Digital 2019: Global Digital Overview by We
Are Social and Hootsuite. (ABS-CBN News) (Staff)
In terms of the numbers of Internet users in 2018, the Philippines ranked 13th among all countries ranked.
(Top 20 Countries With the Highest Number of Internet Users) There are 76 million internet users in the country,
and all of them are on some form of social media. (ABS-CBN News) Social media penetration in the country is 71
percent, way above the worldwide average of 45 percent. (Staff)
Clearly, for most Filipinos, using social media has become a daily routine and an integral part of life,
especially for the young. (Hallikainen)
The Internet eases social interaction of all kinds . It also provides easy access to information, which can be a
boon, because for sure, in the Digital Age, information is power. However, cybercrime and related offenses are
leading downsides of the Internet and social media, and incidents of such crimes have been on the rise since
2013 (Rappler). According to the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG), online scams
have consistently topped the list of reported cybercrimes in the years 2013–2015. In 2016, the top cybercrimes
were online libel, identity theft, online threats – and violations of the Anti-Photo and Video Voyeurism Act of
2009, as well. (Rappler).
In 2017, in a step forward for women, the world saw the rise of the #MeToo online movement against sexual
harassment and sexual assault. (Edwards, Zacharek and Dockterman) Many people called for collective action
online. The swift spread of the hashtag #MeToo in social media served as a wake-up call to the widespread
prevalence of sexual assault and harassment, especially in the workplace. (Frye)
However, in the Philippines, 2017 also saw the rise of the so-called Pastor Hokage Bible Study Facebook
Groups. (Escobar) In July that year, the Filipino public was shocked by revelations of the rapid growth and br oad
spread of these Facebook groups , curated by Filipinos, mostly men, where members objectify and harass women
or, in some cases, even teenage girls. In these “Bible Study” pages and groups, members post different forms of
“contributions” dubbed “ambag”: these are all sexual content (nude photos or sex videos) or sexualized photos
of women – all of which had been taken and uploaded without their consent. (Mary Rose Angel C. Balasa)
Ambag can range from slightly racy celebrity photos to mainstream hardcore porn to even homemade porn
taken surreptitiously – and without the consent of the woman – using a smart phone. Sometimes, it’s just a
woman’s selfie with just a little bit of cleavage. Worse and quite often, it involves amateur porn clips, or
“scandals.” At its absolute worst, the ambag can be photos of preadolescent girls in sexually suggestive poses.
 The posts rack up thousands of likes and hundreds of comments . Evidently, these PHBS communities are
incredibly active and engaged. Also, members often invite each other to group chats, where this type of behavior
and exchange of materials – “lapagan,” as they call it – becomes even more explicit.
Another thing that’s disturbing about the pastor subculture is that it uses Facebook, an everyday platform
– highlighting the degree to which the pastor subculture is an offshoot or outgrowth of mainstream culture.
More frighteningly, the fact that these groups continue to mushroom on Facebook – and on other online
platforms – and because the boundaries of cyberspace, social media and the real, physical world are now quite
blurred, this denotes a clear and ever-present danger that this subculture, their activities and their collective
behavior becomes normalized and acceptable in “the real world” (i.e., non-virtual or everyday life).

Significance of the Study

The findings of this study contribute to the current discourse on the prevalence and expressions of toxic
masculinity among young Filipino men. They also add to the public discussion o f how the dangerous implications
of the Pastor Hokage culture for women and children – and on men, as well – should be addressed. On a much
wider scope, this study adds to the overall conversation on the rising practice of sharing sexual content online
without a woman’s consent, and on discussions on the following related topics, as well: modern sexuality,
technology and sexuality, internet pornography, online disinhibition effect, online gender-based violence,
violence against women, masculine identities, toxic masculinity and patriarchy.
As a Visual Communications thesis, this study is also a contribution to promoting gender equality, and to
encouraging positive masculinity among young Filipino men, as well. It also adds as well to creating safe spaces
for Filipino women, especially young women.

Scope and Limitations

This study focuses primarily on Pastor Hokage Bible Study groups. As defined earlier, PHBSGs are Facebook-
based groups curated by Filipino men, where members (mostly men) bond over sharing co ntent that objectifies
women or, in some cases, even teenaged girls. The study also touches on modern sexuality, technology and
sexuality, internet pornography, online disinhibition effect, online GBV, violence against women, masculine
identities, toxic masculinity and patriarchy.
The Association of Progressive Communications (APC) defines online gender-based violence as acts that are
committed, abetted or aggravated, in part or fully though the use of information and communication
technologies (ICTs). (Communications) Consequently, this research does not only investigate the manifestations
of, and factors that contribute to, the rise of the Pastor Hokage Bible Study culture and its impacts on the wider
culture. It also becomes an imperative to discuss the policy environment – or the laws and policies that apply to,
and often criminalize, the standard, routine or everyday actions of by Pastor Hokage members.

Problem Statement
Pastor Hokage Bible Study groups are expressions or manifestations of toxic masculinity that encourage harmful
and toxic behavior among Filipino youth, particularly young men and male teenagers.
 These groups reinforce everything that is negative about patriarchy, including the objectification of women
and the notion of manhood that demands the sexual domination or even humiliation of women. As such, the
spread of these groups – and more crucially, the culture it nourishes – is harmful to women and girls. And
because encouraging a narrow notion of masculinity also limits and dehumanizes men themselves, these groups
ultimately harm even the young men who become members. All in all, the proliferation of these groups harms
society as a whole.
In response to all these, the second part of this thesis involves an attempt to use the very same platforms
and internet communications tools (ICTs) used by these misogyni stic groups to subvert the toxic masculinity
they promote, and replace this with more positive forms of masculinity.

Objectives of the Study

The objectives of this study are:
1. To understand the Pastor Hokage Bible Study Group phenomenon better.
2. To contribute to the discourse on how this form of toxic masculinity is related to, and promotes, violence
against women.
3. To determine how the making and expressions of masculinities in Pastor Hokage Bible Study Groups are
complicit or resistant to the concept of hegemonic masculinity in order to identify countermeasures that
will promote an alternative, more positive masculinity in cyberspace.
4. To identify the existing international and national laws that are violated by members of Pastor Hokage Bible
Study Groups toward determining how to strengthen the enforcement of these laws or the policy
environment, if needed.
5. To craft a visual communications tool that uses Internet technologies that will capture PHBS group members
in their milieu (the Internet and social media) where they will be exposed to messages that challenge their
hegemonic masculinity and influence them to replace their views with ones that form a more positive
masculinity.
 II. REVIEW OF RELATED STUDIES

A. Pastor Hokage Bible Study Groups

Pastor Hokage Bible Study groups are any of at least 80 secret online groups that, using Facebook as a platform,
sprung up and spread rapidly in 2017 among Filipino men in their teens, 20s and 30s, most of whom belong to
the economic classes D and E.
With memberships ranging from 9,000 to two million, these groups began as a way to circumvent the
blocking of porn sites (by internet service providers and office IT administrators) (Layug) which are legal but
frowned upon in Philippines, where sexual mores are confused, inconsistent and hypocritically puritanical,
influenced by a deeply ingrained Catholic tradition. Members of these groups therefore use everyday – even
religious – language to mask their activities, which consist mainly of posting, sharing and commenting on sexual
content.
Content, which ranges from slightly racy photographs to downright pornographic materia l, can be shared
by any member. Members then bond with each other by expressing approval, mostly by commenting “Amen!”
on posted content. To be accepted as a “pastor” or a member, a new user must present an “ambag” – a
contribution of any new content. (Mary Rose Angel C. Balasa)
The term “hokage,” which is lifted from the Japanese manga and Japanese animation series Naruto, refers
to a village leader who is also the village’s strongest ninja. In the groups’ usage however, it misogynistically refers
to a man who is talented in enticing women to do his sexual bidding. (Mary Rose Angel C. Balasa)
Thus, while members from these groups may not be engaging in their illegal activiti es purposely or even
mindfully – with an awareness of sexual harassment and cybercrime laws and of breaking these – the objective
and activities of the PHBSGs were clearly misogynistic from the very start. First, members are exclusively male,
mostly in their early 20s and 30s, with a few i n their 40s. Second, the subjects of uploaded videos and photos
are exclusively women or girls. Worse, these groups have become a platform for content taken and shared
without the consent of the women in it, of revenge porn, and – according to a number of observers – even of
teenage or child pornography.
In June 2017, Facebook shut down most of the PHBSGs when the activist Facebook group Catcalled in the
Philippines reported these groups after vigilantly monitored their illicit activities. But at this point the groups
were numerous and widespread enough to comprise a social movement, and as a movement, it simply went
underground. There is enough to proof to show that these groups simply changed their names and still exist.
(Ado).

B. Pastor Hokage Bible Study Groups, Toxic Masculinity and Violence Against Women
Feminism, Power Relations, Pornography and Sexual Objectification of Women
Feminism is a range of social theories and political and social movements that collectively argue that legal and
social restrictions on women must be removed in order to bring about the equality of the sexes in all aspects of
public and private life. (Hawkesworth)
 Throughout history, feminist movements have advocated for women’s rights – the right to vote, to work, to
earn fair wages or equal pay for equal work, to own property, to receive an education, to hold public office, to
maternity leave, to enter into contracts, to have equal rights within marriage, among other rights. Feminists
have also worked to ensure access to legal abortions and to social integration, and to protect women and girls
from rape, sexual harassment and domestic violence. Changes in acceptable dress and levels of physical activity
and other activities for women are also issues tackled by feminist movements. (Echols)
Most feminists, foremost among them bell hooks, argue that men are also harmed by traditional gender
roles. Consequently, men are also bound to gain every time that women’s rights are protected, upheld and
advanced. For example, traditional male roles discourage men from crying or showing vulnerability, even when
these are normal human emotions. Correspondingly, under traditional female roles, women are discouraged
from expressing anger, even when these are also normal human emotions. By challenging these traditional
gender roles, feminists open spaces for both women and men to fully experience and express the full range of
human emotions – an alternative that is clearly more conducive to promoting the mental health of both men
and women, enabling their contributions to development and society. (hooks)
The history of the modern feminist movements in the West is comprised loosely by four “waves.” The first
wave encompassed the women’s suffrage movements of the 19th and early 20th centuries , where the women’s
right to vote was fought for. (Hume) (Doubiago) The second wave, associated with the ideas and actions of the
women’s liberation movement beginning in the 1960s, fought for legal and social equality for women. (Hume)
(Doubiago) The third wave, which began in the 1990s, was both a continuation of, and a reaction to, the
perceived failures of second-wave feminism.
Feminists of this wave challenged the second wave’s essentialist definitions of femininity, arguing that the
movement then overemphasized or worse, represented only the experiences of upper middle-class white
women. (Hume) (Doubiago) In contrast to second-generation feminists who insi sted on a unified “category of
woman,” third-wave feminists were inclined toward using personal narratives to illustrate an intersectional and
“multiperspectival” version of feminism. (Snyder)
Third-wave feminists embraced multivocality over synthesis , and action over theoretical justification. These
were responses to the end of grand narratives brought by the decline in the academe of Marxism and the rise
of post-structuralism, deconstruction and postmodernism. (Snyder)
Third-wave feminists also grew out of the “feminist sex wars” – intense debates among feminists beginning
in the 1980s over sexual issues such as pornography, prostitution and BDSM (bondage, dominance and
submission), sadomasochism, transsexual women and other related interpersonal dynamics. (Hume) (Doubiago)
(Snyder)
During this wave, feminists also debated the important psychological differences between the sexes. On
one camp were feminists who believe that there are no inherent psychological differences between the sexes
and contend that gender roles are created by social conditioning. (History and Theory Of Feminism) (A deeper
discussion of the sex wars is found in subsequent paragraphs.)
Many historians view the feminist sex wars as marking the end of the second -wave feminist era (which
began c. 1963) as well as the herald of the third wave (which began in the early 1990s). (Sebastian)
 Finally, fourth-wave feminism refers to a resurgence of interest in feminism that began around 2012,
associated with the use of social media and defined by technology. At the core of this wave, which focuses on
opposing sexual harassment and violence against women, is “incredulity that certain attitudes can still exist.”
(Grady) (Abrahams)
Some examples of fourth-wave feminist campaigns are the: Everyday Sexism Project, No More Page 3, Stop
Bild Sexism, Mattress Performance, 10 Hours of Walking in NYC as a Woman, #YesAllWomen, Free the Nipple,
One Billion Rising, the 2017 Women’s March, the 2018 Women’s March and the #MeToo movement. (Stephanie
Zacharek) (agencies) (Cochrane)
The wave metaphor, however, can be reductionist, since it wrongly suggests that each wave of feminism is
a monolith with a single unified agenda and a clear-cut timeframe. Reality is more complex: the history of
feminism is a history of different ideas in turbulent conflict. Meanwhile, each wave does not have a clear-cut
beginning and end: the second wave, for instance, overlapped with the third wave, and many of the issues
carried by both the second and third wave of feminists – issues like equal pay for equal work and the right to
reproductive health – are still valid today and still need to be fought for. (Grady, The waves of feminism, and
why people keep fighting over them, expla ined)
Feminist sexology deals with topics in sexuality such as reproductive rights, gender roles, gay and
transgender identities, lesbianism, marriage, contraception, children, pornography, sex work, sex and
respectability, and the sexual liberation movements of the 1960s and 1970s. (Ho)
Three main concepts in feminist sexology are: male power, sexual violence and women ’s control over their
own bodies. (Ho)
The feminist discourse on male power incl udes the point that society suppresses female sexual desire and
paradoxically, expects women to be always available for male sexual needs. For example, the Diagnostic and
Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) includes an entry for “female sexual dysfunction.” Feminists
point out that this follows from a limited understanding of female sexual desire that does not take into
consideration the fact that such is a function of many factors: sexual knowledge, cycles, contraception, feelings
about bodies, safety, emotions, taboo and danger, sexual communication, whole body experience, commitment,
attraction, respect, pregnancy and aging, among others. (Taylor)
The discussions on sexual violence encompass issues such as blaming assaults on victims’ clothing, alcohol
use or previous flirting behavior or sexual history. It also tackles the sexual violence faced by trans gender,
transsexual, gender-nonconforming people and black women labeled Jezebels – a stereotype first perpetuated
during the transatlantic slave trade to justify the sexual abuse, rape and exploitation of female slaves and which
persists until today. (World Health Organization)
Discussions on women’s control of their bodies includes topics such as the access to birth control, the right
to make reproductive rights choices without judgment, and the sterilization abuse of black or native women.
A woman’s right to control her own sexuality is a key issue in femini sm. Feminists argue that under
patriarchy, women have very little control over their own bodies, with female sexuality being controlled and
even defined by men. (International Women's Health Coalition)
 According to feminists, all cultures today are, in one way or another, dominated by ideologies that deny
women the right to decide how to express their sexuality. In contrast, men under patriarchy feel entitled to
define sex on their own terms. (Chapter 12. Gender, Sex, and Sexuality)
Such sexual entitlement forms part of the social construction of masculinity – and this has widespread
implications for the goal of gender equality. This social construct of masculinity that associates “maleness” with
aggression and competition is seen by feminism as problematic because it reinforces patriarchal and unequal
gender relations and encourages violence against women.
In fact, sexual violence committed by men is often rooted in this construct of male sexual entitlement, as
well as in the corresponding idea that grants women very few legitimate options to refuse sexual advances. Even
today, in many cultures, men do not believe that a woman has the right to reject a man ’s sexual advances or to
make an autonomous decision about participating in sex. (Edited by Etienne G. Krug)
In more liberal cultures, meanwhile, sexual entitlement takes the form of a general sexualization of the
whole culture. (Edited by Etienne G. Krug)
This is played out in the sexual objectification of women, with pornography and other forms of sexual
entertainment creating the fantasy that all women exist solely for men’s sexual pleasure, and that women are
readily available and desiring to engage in sex at any time, wi th any man, on a man’s terms. (Feminist
Perspectives on Objectification https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/feminism-objectification/#)
What’s worse, behavioral differences between men and women that in reality spring out of cultural and
societal beliefs are commonly misperceived as being rooted in biological differences.
The sexual issues that feminists debated intensely during the feminist “sex wars” are ideas that are central
to this thesis: pornography, sexual objectification of women, and violence against women.
Robin Morgan summarizes the view of anti -pornography feminists that pornography and violence against
women are linked in her statement, “pornography is the theory, rape is the practice.” (Morgan)
Sex-positive feminists, however, criticize these anti-porn views as a repression of sexuality and a move
toward censorship. Feminists such as Gayle Rubin slam anti -pornography feminists, claiming they “have
condemned virtually every variant of sexual expression as anti -feminist. She also argues that their view of
sexuality is dangerously close to anti -feminist, conservative sexual morality, and thus encourages feminists to
consider the political aspects of sexuality without promoting sexual repress ion. (Rubin)
Meanwhile, feminist Gail Dines notes that pornography today, exemplified by gonzo pornography, is
becoming increasingly violent and that women who perform in pornography are in reality brutalized in the
process of its production. (Dines)
What’s more, some anti-pornography feminists like Andrea Dworkin even argue that because
pornography’s theme is male dominance, it is intrinsically harmful to women and their well -being. Dworkin
further asserts that pornography is not only damaging in its production but also in its consumption. Viewers of
pornography, Dworkin maintains, will mentally internalize pornography’s misogynistic portrayal of women.
(Dworkin)
 According to a study conducted by Adult Video News in 2010, most scenes from the top 50 most rented
porn films involved the female performer appearing to be physically or verbally abused. (Saul, Lisa Ann discusses
how the demand for extreme porn can damage new performers: ‘That does break you down as a woman)
Some feminists have hypothesized that the frequent exposure to violent pornography contributes to actual
violence against women. However, studies by Neil Moshe Malamuth, a psychology professor at the University
of California in Los Angeles who has been studying sexual aggression and sexual aggressors for almost 40 years,
show that exposure to violent pornography triggers distinctly different responses in men who have coercive
tendencies than in non-aggressive men. If a man has relatively aggressive sexual inclinations resulting from
various personal and/or cultural factors, some pornographic exposure may activate and reinforce associated
coercive tendencies and behaviors. In contrast, if a man has relatively nonaggressive sexual inclinations,
pornographic exposure may activate and reinforce associated non-coercive feelings and acts. (Malamuth,
Addison and Koss)
Associations between pornography consumption a nd aggressiveness toward women could be explained by
a circular relationship between high coercive tendencies and interest in certain content in pornography. While
aggressive men are drawn to the images in pornography that reinforce and thereby increase th e likelihood of
their having a controlling, impersonal and hostile orientation to sexuality, the way relatively aggressive men
interpret and react to the same pornography differs from that of nonaggressive men.
The findings from this 2000 study are encouraging for this Visual Communications Project: findings do
suggest that for the majority of men (in the study American men), pornography exposure (even at the highest
levels of frequency assessed) is NOT associated with high levels of aggression. However, the findings show that
men who are found at the highest “predisposing” risk level for sexual aggression (which came to a little above
7% of the entire sample), and those who are very frequent porn users (about 12% of this high risk group) have
sexual aggression levels approximately four times higher than most men. (Malamuth, Addison and Koss)
In contrast, a 2016 metastudy by communications professionals Paul Wright (Indiana University), Robert S.
Tokunaga (University of Hawaii in Manoa), and Ashley Kraus (Indiana University), found that the consumption
of pornography DOES correlate with sexually aggressive behavior. The metastudy, which looked at 22 different
studies from seven countries, found that on the average, when compared to those who do not consume
pornography or consume it less frequently, people (both male and female) who consume more porn and who
do so more frequently are also more likely to hold attitudes conducive to sexual aggression – and to even engage
in actual acts of sexual aggression. However, the correlation is higher for verbal aggression, which by the US
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP) defines as “verbally coercive but not physically threatening
communication to obtain sex, and sexual harassment.” Examples of verbal coercion and harassment include
“being worn down by someone who repeatedly asked for s ex or showed they were unhappy, feeling pressured
by being lied to or being told promises that were untrue, having someone threaten to end a relationship or
spread rumors, sending unwanted sexually explicit photographs, creating a sexually hostile climate, all in person
or through the use of technology’”. (Paul J. Wright)
 Hegemonic Masculinity and Toxic Masculinity
Hegemony, according to Italian Marxist philosopher Antonio Gramsci, is about the ways in which the ruling class
establishes and maintains its domination. A pivotal concept in his Prison Notebooks and his most significant
contribution to Marxist thinking, Grams ci defines hegemony as the domination of and by the ruling class through
the manipulation of beliefs, explanations, perceptions, values, norms, etc., particularly so that the ruling class
view is the accepted cultural norm. (Gramsci, Antonio (edited and translated by Quentin Hoare and Geoffrey
Nowell Smith))
Meanwhile, male norms “stress values such as courage, inner direction, certain forms of aggression,
autonomy, mastery, technological skill, group solidarity, adventure and a considerable amount of toughness in
mind and body.” This has been suggested as early as the 1970s by urban sociologist Patricia Sexton, but it was
only in recent years that these values and their relation to male dominance was investigated. (Donaldson, What
Is Hegemonic Masculinity? ) Subsequently, the concept of hegemonic masculinity arose in the 1970s and 1980s
from the field of studies related to social inequality in political leadership and the public and private spheres,
and from debates over the “male role,” mostly by feminists discussing patriarchy and the role of men in
transforming patriarchy. (Goode) (Snodgrass)
Hegemonic masculinity, is a pattern of practice, ma intained and institutionalized by the ruling class, which
allows men’s dominance over women to continue. (Connell and Messerschmidt) It is “a question of how
particular groups of men inhabit positions of power and wealth, and how they legitimize and reproduce the
social relationships that generate their dominance.” (Donaldson, What Is Hegemonic Masculinity? )
The field of studies surrounding this concept is constantly contested so it is difficult to define, but for the
sake of avoiding ambiguity, hegemonic masculinity can be defined more easily by what it is not. (Connell and
Messerschmidt)
Hegemonic masculinity is not a fixed entity embedded in the body or personal traits of an individual.
Statistically, only a minority of men can fully enact it so it is not assumed to be normal. However, it is deemed
normative. It embodies the currently most honored way of being “a man” – think: man-as-breadwinner, man-
as-hero, knight, or someone who is physically strong, unsentimental and assertive. It requires all men to position
themselves in relation to “the ideal man.” (Connell and Messerschmidt) Hegemonic masculinity can be defined
therefore as a lived experience, as well as an economic and cultural force that is dependent on social
arrangements.
Hegemonic masculinity recognizes multiple masculinities that vary across time, culture and the individual.
However, ideologically, hegemonic masculinity legitimates the global subordination of women to men. (Connell
and Messerschmidt)
While the concept does not necessarily equate to violent behavior, (Goode) a fundamental element of
hegemonic masculinity is that women exist as potential sexual objects for men. Women provide heterosexual
men with sexual validation, and men compete with each other for this. (Donaldson, What Is Hegemonic
Masculinity? )
The social institutions or groups that are most active in reinforcing hegemonic masculinity are advertisers,
psychiatrists, filmmakers, actors, novelists, priests, journalists, politicians, designers, playwrights, musicians,
activists, academics, coaches and sportsmen. Donaldson deems them as “weavers of the fabric of hegemony ”.
(Donaldson, What Is Hegemonic Masculinity? ) For example, cultural theorist Jean Kilbourne is an ardent
investigator of advertising. In a TED talk given on May 27, 2015, she shows how advertisements insults,
dismembers and objectifies women’s bodies, how these ads affect ideas of female beauty and create an
expectation for female physical perfection, and how these reinforce the perverse idea that women are simply
objects for male sexual desire and use. (Kilbourne)
For its part, toxic masculinity, according to Connell, is a salient feature of hegemonic masculinity in the use
of “toxic practices” such as self-repression – and physical violence as well. Toxic masculinity occurs when there
is a conformity to, and normalization of, societal norms that frame cisgender men as the dominant/domineering
gender, in the process creating harmful stereotypes that incite violence and sexism across cultures. (Pease)
In short, toxic masculinity occurs when the violent, unemotional and sexually aggressive norms of
masculinity like emotional detachment, excessive levels of aggression, risk-taking, stoicism, intimidation,
violence, domination, humi liation, hyper competitiveness – the sexual objectification of women and other
predatory sexual behaviors , as well – are deemed acceptable.
Toxic masculinity dictates that the only emotion men can express is anger. This can hinder men from getting
in touch with the other things they feel/are feeling. Healthy forms of expressing emotion – like crying – are
frowned upon as aligning with traditional feminine sentiment. Thus, since “real men” are banned from showing
emotions through any other way, they are forced to show it through violence. (Salam)
Toxic masculinity leads to homophobia, sexual harassment, violence against intimate partners and even
murder, as violence becomes a channel through which to acquire control over women. (Flood)
In Sociological Images, a website founded and curated by sociologists, sociology professors Tristan Bridges
and Tara Leigh Tober proffer that American masculinity in particular depicts guns as a source of power for men.
They make the bold claim that this explains why men have been responsible for the majority of mass shootings
in the US. Bridges and Tober also point out that men are more likely to act violently when their masculinity and
male privilege are threatened. (Bridges and Tober)
James Gilligan, former director of the Center for the Study of Violence at Harvard Medical School, has
written many books on the subject of male violence and its sources. According to Gilligan, in all the serious acts
of violence he had studied, the male perpetrators were provoked by the experience of feeling shamed and
humiliated, disrespected and ridiculed. Consequently, the violent act represented the attempt to prevent or
undo that “loss of face” – no matter how severe the punishment, even if it includes death.” (Gilligan)
Psychologist Terry Real warns that when masculinity is defined on the absurd and fallacious idea that the
only way to be a man is to not acknowledge a key part of yourself (sad and vulnerable emotions and states),
then the consequences are both vicious and soul -crushing. (Holloway)
Real notes that while a depressed woman’s internalization of pain weakens her and hampers her capacity
for direct communication, a depressed man’s tendency to extrude pain “may render him psychologically
dangerous.” Because of the deeply ingrained fear of being seen as “weak,” some men drastically
overcompensate when they feel threatened. Men who don’t see themselves as masculine are more likely to
harass and act aggressively toward women and gay men. (Holloway)
 Meanwhile, the construction of masculinity is also intimately connected with the construction of male
sexual pleasure. Toxic masculinity teaches men that their identity is hinged on their ability to exert dominance
over women. Sadly, one common way for men to assert their dominance is through sexual assault and
harassment. On the more extreme end is hostile masculinity. Men who score high on the hostile masculinity
construct distrust women and enjoy dominating them, says Neil Moshe Malamuth, a psychology professor at
the University of California in Los Angeles, and an expert on sexual violence and the effects of pornography on
viewers. (Malamuth, Addison and Koss)
Such men use sex as a way of demonstrating their power over women as opposed to viewing sex as an
expression of love, or even simply as a way to give and take pleasure. Although attitudes supporting violence
against women are contemporaneous with hostile masculinity, they are frequently modeled as predictors of the
hostile masculinity concept rather than components of it. (Malamuth, Addison and Koss)
According to a number of researches , sexual aggression is brought about by a confluence of many factors.
These include personality factors like narcissism and a predisposition to psychopathy, but also situational factors
such as the loss of inhibition and moral reasoning brought by alcohol (or drug) use, a history of abus e and
victimization in childhood. Lastly, factors also include perceptions that fall smack within the domain of toxic
masculinity: Researches find that perpetrators, in comparison to non-perpetrators, harbor a greater hostility
toward women and have stronger sexual dominance motives and more traditional attitudes toward gender roles
and sexual relationships. They also tend to have a greater acceptance of rape myths. (Angela J. Jacques-Tiura)
Men who are hostile toward women are likely to frequently misperceive women’s sexual intentions because
they believe that women are disingenuous and play games to get what they want from men. (Angela J. Jacques-
Tiura)
Research conducted by Roth Lisak on convicted rapists demonstrated several key factors behind male sexual
aggression including motivational measures that indicate sexual aggressors showed more hostility toward
women, felt more betrayed and deceived by women, had stronger dominance motives for engaging in sexual
activity, felt more threatened and demeaned by women, and were more hyper -masculine in their attitudes and
interests. A negative relationship with their fathers was most associated with sexual aggressors ’ angry and
power-oriented relationships with women. (Lisak)

Violence against Women

Violence against women (VAW), also referred to as gender-based violence (GBV), has long been acknowledged
as a global health problem by the United Nations and the World Health Organization. Initially, this was because
of its impact on reproductive health of mothers, and consequently on fetal outcomes and child health, aside
from its impact on the health of women themselves. From there, it took the long and persistent struggle by the
women’s rights movement to persuade the international community to take on this broader view of VAW: that
because VAW violates, nullifies and impairs women’s enjoyment of their human rights, it is an obstacle to
achieving gender equality – and an obstacle, as well, to the attainment of global development and peace.
(Nations) (Edited by Etienne G. Krug, Sexual Violence in World report on violence and health)
 Over the past 25 years there has also been growing recognition of both the high prevalence but
underreporting of VAW. There is increased appreciation that: (1) it can affect women at any stage of their lives
and that (2) it can occur in various forms that may involve physical, psychological, sexual and/or economic abuse.
This broader understanding also recognizes VAW’s pervasiveness and its systemic nature. It also acknowledges
the fact that VAW is caused by gender inequity and in turn, perpetuates this same inequity. (WHO) (United
Nations )
Violence against women is now recognized as both a priority public health issue and a human rights issue.
It is a public health issue. The WHO, in fact, warned in June 2013 that VAW is a global health problem of
epidemic proportions. This followed the results of a study it conducted (together with the London School of
Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and the South African Medical Research Council) that showed that 35 percent of
all women experience some form of GBV in their lives, perpetrated by both intimate partners and non-partners.
The report detailed how violence impacts the physical and mental health of women and girls – with effects
ranging from broken bones to pregnancy-related complications, impaired social functioning and short- and long-
term mental problems.
For the woman who experiences it, VAW takes a huge toll. It causes long-lasting health problems and
psychological harm including homicide and suicide. (World Health Organization) The experience of sexual
violence has also been found to correlate with chronic pelvic pain, irregular bleeding, abnormal vaginal discharge,
painful menstruation, increased pre-menstrual distress and pelvic inflammatory disease. It also increases the
likelihood of sexual dysfunction among women – fear of physical intimacy, lack of desire, loss of pleasure and
difficulties attaining orgasm. A growing body of evidence also proves a causal relationship between VAW and
depression and suicide. (Randall)
The effects of VAW therefore go beyond the personal: gender-based violence reduces a woman’s autonomy
and destroys her quality of life. It affects her ability to care for herself and their families. It diminishes her
productivity and capacity to contribute to the wider society and to the processes of development. (World Health
Organization) GBV also has enormous direct and indirect costs in terms of government and community
resources for law enforcement and health and legal services used to respond to its occurrence, consequences
and prevention. (Tanis Day)
In some countries, violence against women is estimated to cost countries up to 3.7% of the GDP – more
than double what most governments spend on education. (World Bank Group - International Development)
Meanwhile, VAW and sexual violence are recognized as violations of women’s human rights, including their
rights to life, to freedom from discrimination, to integrity and security of the person, and to the highest
attainable standard of health. It is also a crucial violation of the human right to liberty and freedom from fear.
Marital rape, in particular, has been in recent decades acknowledged as a form of violence against women and
deemed contrary to the respect for human dignity. (Organization)
Because they have signed the treaties that enshrine these human rights, governments have a responsibility
to prevent, investigate and punish all forms of violence against women. (Organization)
 Some forms of violence are perpetrated by women themselves – between mothers-in-law and daughters-
in-law, between mothers and daughters, and between female same-sex partners. But overwhelmingly, men are,
the perpetrators of VAW and particularly of sexual violence against women.
Sexual violence against women (SVAW) – sexual harassment, sexual assault and rape – are the most
common forms of violence agai nst women. This also rarely occurs in isolation from other forms of violence,
especially among intimate partners.
All forms of SVAW share one characteristic: the lack of a woman’s consent. This lack of consent also includes
the times when a women is unable to physically resist or verbalize her resistance due to the fear of both the
physical consequences of sexual violence and the secondary consequences of resisting such violence. (Randall)
There is evidence that anti-VAW advocacy, lobbying and interventions to empower women help prevent
and reduce VAW. But to end VAW, the WHO says there is a need for the enactment and proper enforcement of
legislation against VAW. (Organization, “Violence against Women.”)
In 2015, the UN Statistics Division came out with its report, The World’s Women, which showed that women
across the world, regardless of income, age or education, are subject to physical, sexual, psychological and
economic violence. This report on physical and sexual violence occurring in most countries included data on
femicide, female genital mutilation, and wife beating and trafficking. However, there is no existing data on any
cyber-based violence against women. (Nations, "Violence Against Women," in The World's Women 2015)
In the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women, the UN Office of the High Commissioner
on Human Rights recognizes that violence against women is both a manifestation of histo rically unequal power
relations between men and women (which has prevented the full advancement of women), as well as one of
the crucial social mechanisms by which women are forced into a subordinate position compared with men.
(Rights)
A study conducted collaboratively by eight UN agencies in nine sites in Asia and the Pacific across six
countries among 10,178 men between the ages of 18–49 found that rape perpetration committed by men is
quite frequent in the general population in the countries studied and that the reasons given for perpetrating
rape were closely tied to concepts that fall clearly within the ambit of toxic masculinity. (Rachel Jewkes, October
2013)
Frequent reasons for rape were believing they were entitled having sex, seeking entertainment, and as a
punishment. Alcohol was a factor a third of the cases. (Rachel Jewkes, October 2013)
Associated factors included poverty, personal history of victimization (especially in childhood), low empathy,
alcohol misuse, masculinities emphasizing heterosexual performance, dominance over women, and
participation in gangs and related activities . Only 22.9% of the men who had committed rape had ever been sent
to prison for any period. (Rachel Jewkes, October 2013)
As studies conducted in South Africa also produced similar results, the UN agencies recommended that
prevention of rape should therefore introduce interventions that address c ulturally rooted male gender
socialization and power relations, childhood and adolescence, abuse in childhood and poverty. (Rachel Jewkes,
October 2013)
 The sites of the study were Bangladesh, China, Cambodia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and Sri Lanka. The
findings also showed a far higher incidence of rape in Bougainville, Papua New Guinea), a traditional patriarchal
society. Here the prevalence of non-partner, single perpetrator rape reached 26.6 percent of the respondents.
In the other countries, the prevalence ranged from 1.1% to 14·1%.
The eight agencies that funded the UN Multi -country Cross-sectional Study on Men and Violence are the
UN Development Programme, UN Population Fund, UN Women, and UN Volunteers regional join t programme
for gender-based violence prevention in Asia and the Pacific, UN Population Fund Bangladesh and China, UN
Women Cambodia and Indonesia, UN Development Programme in Papua New Guinea and Pacific Centre. The
study was also funded by governments of Australia, the United Kingdom, Norway and Sweden.

VAW in the Philippine Setting

Like all women across the world, Filipino women also experience gender-specific violence. According to the 2017
National Demographic and Health Survey conducted by the Phili ppine Statistics Authority, one in every five
Filipinas has experienced physical violence since age 15. One in every 20 Filipinas (or six percent) has experienced
sexual violence. (Philippine)
This survey of Filipinas between the ages 15 and 49 also showed that almost one in every 10 Filipinas (nine
percent) has experience controlling behavior from their husbands or partners, with around the same number
also experiencing being accused frequently of being unfaithful by their husbands or partners. (Philippine)
One fourth of Filipinas (24 percent) say they have experienced physical, sexual, or emotional violence from
their current or most recent husband/partner, with 15% experiencing such violence in the 12 months preceding
the survey. Almost a half of the women (40%) who reported violence from an intimate partner also sustained
injuries as a result of this. (Philippine) In the 12 months before the survey, 5% of all the women surveyed
experienced physical violence and 2% experienced sexual violence. (Philippine)
The trends are encouraging, however, as the surveys also show that Filipina women’s experience of physical
violence has decreased slightly over time, from 20% in 2008 and 2013 to 17% in 2017. Women’s experience of
sexual violence has also declined from 8% in 2008 to 5% in 2017.
In the Philippine setting, women’s experience of physical violence varies by wealth: 21% of women in the
lowest wealth quintile have experienced physical violence since age 15, as compared with 12% of women in the
highest wealth quintile. (Philippine)

The Iceberg of Sexual Coercion

Global health authorities caution, however, that the actua l extent of sexual violence is far greater that what
the public is aware of, apart from the fact that it is underreported. WHO has illustrated this as the Iceberg of
Sexual Coercion, which reveals a triangle from tip to base: (1) fatal sexual assault, (2) rape reported to police,
(3) rape reported in surveys, (4) rape not reported due to shame or fear of blame, (5) forced sex in marriage
and dating relationships, (6) unwanted sex agreed to as a result of pleading, blackmail, threats or trickery, and
(7) the sexual exploitation of minors. (World Health Organization)
 At the tip of this iceberg are the forms of violence which become visible and most readily quantifiable,
such as fatal sexual assault and rapes reported to the police. However, these visible crimes are only a small
proportion of all sexual violence perpetrated against women, while the most common forms of violence that
occur within marriages, dating relationships and families are the least visible. (World Health Organization)
These invisible crimes, and the silenced women who survive them, represent the vast majority of sexual
crimes committed against women. These occupy the lower levels of the iceberg which are never reported in
surveys or to the police.

C. The Internet, Cyberspace and Online Gender-based Violence

The Digital Age: the Internet, the World Wide Web and Cyberspace
The last two generations of humanity – people born after 1980 – have grown up in a world that is tremendously
different from the world of their parents and grandparents. They were born into today’s Digital Age, an era
dominated by cyberspace: this non-physical, “virtual reality” created on the Internet within which they
communicate with one another, shop, conduct business, find information, play, govern institutions and
countries, and even create and nurture friendships and intimate relationships. (Benedikt) (Beal)
The twin pillars of the Digital Age, the network infrastructure called the Internet and the software
architecture layered on top of it, the World Wide Web, are now at least a generation old: (A Very Short History
Of The Internet And The Web)
1. The ARPANet was created 50 years ago, in 1969 by the U.S. government’s Advanced Research Projects
Agency (ARPA). This prototype of the Internet was originally intended as a network that would allow
users of a research computer at one university to “talk to” research computers at other universities. It
was also designed to withstand a military attack or disaster with messages that could be routed or
rerouted in more than one direction, allowing the network to continue to function even if parts of it
were destroyed in an attack or natural catastrophe. (Rouse)
2. Tim Berners-Lee circulated a proposal for “Mesh” 30 years ago, on March 1989, to his management at
CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, one of the world's largest and most respected
centers for scientific research. This was later known as the World Wide Web. (A Very Short History Of
The Internet And The Web)
Today the Internet is a public, cooperative and self-sustaining facility accessible to hundreds of mill ions of
people worldwide. The Web grants people access to billions of pages of information. Electronic mail (email) has
practically replaced the postal service for non-package written transactions. (Rouse) By June 2008, more than
10 years ago, Google’s index of the web already consisted of one-trillion unique URLs, and the number has since
skyrocketed. By December 2012, annual e-commerce sales topped $1 trillion worldwide for the first time. (A
Very Short History Of The Internet And The Web)
Together, the Internet and the Web have created a cyberspace that so far connects more than a third of the
world’s people. (Rouse)
Before it came into existence, cyberspace was only a vision to a number of science fiction writers. The term
“cyberspace” was coined by William Gibson in his sci-fi novel Neuromancer in 1984 (Beal), but 50 years before,
H.G. Wells predicted the “World Brain” in which “the whole human memory can be…made accessible to every
individual… where any student, in any part of the world, will be able to sit with his projector in his own study at
his or her own convenience to examine any book, any document, in an exact replica.” In 1964, Isaac Asimov
praised the I.B.M. Exhibit, saying “If machines are that smart today, what may not be in the works 50 years
hence?” (A Very Short History Of The Internet And The Web)
Amazingly, exploring cyberspace does not require us to travel far distances. It doesn’t even require any
physical movement other than pressing keys on a keyboard or moving a mouse. Nonetheless, a vast part of our
daily lives is lived within it. It has huge and long-ranging impacts on our real lives.
Some computer games are even designed to create a special cyberspace, one that resembles physical reality
in some ways but defies it in others. In its extreme form, virtual reality users are presented with visual, auditory,
and even tactile feedback that makes cyberspace feel real. (Benedikt)
The Internet, the Web and cyberspace have huge impacts on our mental and emotional lives. Almost half
(45%) of Internet users in 2014 between 18-29 years old who were in serious relationships said the Internet has
had an impact on their relationship. (A Very Short History Of The Internet And The Web)

Social Media
Then there’s social media. As we enter the second decade of the 21 st century, it’s hard to imagine a world
without social media.
These interactive computer-mediated technologies, which have become omnipresent in our everyday lives,
facilitate the creation and sharing of ideas, information, creative works and other forms of expression via virtual
communities and networks. (Jan H. Kietzmann)
Social media are interactive Web 2.0 Internet-based applications that have as their lifeblood user-generated
content, such as text posts or comments, digital photos or videos, and data generated through all online
interactions. (Jonathan A. Obar)
Commonly, users access these social media services via web-based technologies on desktops and laptops.
Or, alternatively, they download these services that offer soc ial media functionality to their mobile devices like
smartphones and tablets. They then engage with these electronic services, creating highly interactive platforms
through which individuals, communities and organizations can share, modify, discuss or even co-create the
content, which may be user-generated or pre-made online. (Jan H. Kietzmann)
Some common features of social media are:
- Personal user accounts
- Profile pages
- Friends, followers, groups, hashtags
- News feeds
- Personalization
- Notifications
- Information updating, saving or posting
- Like buttons and comment sections
 - Review, rating or voting systems
To date there are at least 13 types of social media: blogs, business networks, collaborative projects,
enterprise social networks, forums, microblogs, photo sharing, products/services review, social bookmarking,
social gaming, social networks, video sharing and virtual worlds. (Thomas Aichner)
Social media are very different from traditional paper-based media like magazines and newspapers and
traditional electronic media such as TV broadcasting. The main difference lies in their interactivity, with social
media operating in a “dialogic transmission system” – from many transmitters to many receivers. Social media
is also distinguished by its reach, frequency, usability, immediacy and performance. (John V. Pavlik)
The “media” in social media refers to the information being shared, whether it's a photo, a video, a link to
an article, an animated GIF, a PDF document, a simple status update. This media is the foundation upon which
social networking occurs. This networking has to do with who the audience of the social media and the
relationships built with them. Networks can include friends, relatives, colleagues, and anyone from your past,
current customers, mentors and even complete strangers. (Nations)
Because of social networks, content on social media has the potential to become “viral” – or to spread
rapidly like a virus through these social networks. Accordingly in a social media context, content or websites that
are “viral”, or which “go viral”, are those that have a greater possibility of being reshared by users to their social
network, leading to even further sharing. (Kristina Lerman)
According to the Hamburg-based multinational online statistics portals company, Statista, there are around
2.77 billion social media users around the globe in 2019, up from 2.46 bill ion in 2017. (statistica)
The worldwide average for hours spent on the Internet is six hours, 42 minutes. For social media use it is
two hours, 16 minutes. Filipinos spend almost twice that amount of time on social media, making us the world’s
top users of social media. On average, Filipinos spend 10 hours and two minutes a day on the Internet on any
device, and four hours and 12 minutes on social media sites. Facebook is the social media platform Filipinos tend
to use the most. These statistics are from the report, Digital 2019: Global Digital Overview by We Are Social and
Hootsuite. (ABS-CBN News) (Staff)
In terms of the numbers of Internet users in 2018, the Philippines r anked 13th among all countries. (Top 20
Countries With the Highest Number of Internet Users) There are 76 million internet users in the country, and all
of them are on some form of social media. (ABS-CBN News) Social media penetration in the country is at 71
percent, way above the worldwide average of 45 percent. (Staff)

Living within Social Media

Our everyday lives are saturated with social media, especially for us, the Millennials and the youth of Generation
Z. So much so that it is almost as if we live inside social media.
The men who join Pastor Hokage Bible Study Groups and similar groups are mostly Millennials or Generation
Zs on whose lives social media has a deep impact. Consider the fact that these web-based communication tools
that enable people to interact with each other by both sharing and consuming information are almost just as
old as the Millennials themselves. We are Digital Natives and social media is in the air we have breathed all their
lives.
 Sites like MySpace and LinkedIn became popular in the early 2000s, when the Millennials were school-age
children and Generation Zs were toddlers. Sites like Photobucket and Flickr facilitated online photo sharing in
the years when they were growing up. These two generations have gotten and continue to get their information
more from YouTube, which came out in 2005, than from schools, the church or any other institution.
By 2006, Facebook and Twitter both became a vailable to users across the world, and today, these sites
remain some of the most popular social networks on the Internet. Other sites like Tumblr, Spotify, Foursquare
and Pinterest have been created to fill specific social networking niches. (Hendricks)
Clearly, the teenagers of Generation Z and young Millennials have led lives steeped in social media.
(Hendricks)

Online Disinhibition Effect

Which can be a good thing. The explosion of blogs, podcasts, videos and gaming sites encourages the growth of
ideas. Social media are also used to learn about and explore things, to document memories – and to form
friendships and intimate relationships, as well. (Gwenn Schurgin O'Keeffe)
Using the Internet as a channel for interpersonal interaction, after all, is one of the main things people do
on the Internet, on a par with using it to look for information or for entertainment. (Walther) Social media is
clearly used to fulfill perceived social needs. (Kevin Barnhurst)
But the Internet is a multifaceted medium that challenges conventional concepts and theories of
interpersonal and mass communication. (Bubaš)
Accordingly, a definition of computer mediated communication (CMC) arose in 1997 to describe the process
through which people from different contexts communicate using computers or engage in processes to shape
media for various purposes. CMC involves exchanges of information in text, sound or video formats that are
transmitted and controlled by computer and telecommunication technology. (Bubaš)
In the decades the followed, various theories of CMC sharpened its definition, noting that it differs from
face-to-face communication (FtF) in at least six ways:
- In most types of CMCs, except for video, auditory and visual nonverbal communication channels are
not activated.
- Because CMCs are asynchronous, they lack nonverbal cues and have much less immediacy.
- Because there is greatly reduced message feedback in terms of both quality and quantity, there is more
uncertainty over messages and the possibility of misunderstandings increases.
- The communicator(s) can be anonymous and there isn’t always a need to provide information on body
image in CMC.
- In CMC, most information that is related to cultural and ethnic background, social status, gender
and age is often reduced, suppressed, or simply not present.
- The “social presence” of the recipient(s) of the message is reduced in CMC, enabling problematic
behaviors like disinhibition, flaming, etc. (Bubaš)
 In most cases, people communicate for one or more of the following purposes: to gain information, to learn,
to play, to persuade, to bond, to solve problems, to maintain relationships, to attain or maintain status or to
gain personal insight. CMCs are highly rated as ways to do all of these.

Deep Relationships Will Be Built, Even Online

Many communications researchers have found that no matter what the channel of communication is, people
naturally form impressions and develop relationships. Earlier theorists have theorized that the low social
presence of could lead to more business-like interaction with a lower degree of friendliness and emotional
display or more “depersonalized communications ” (Bubaš)
However in the Social Information Processing Theory (SIPT) model he developed in 1992, Joseph Walther of
Rider University’s Department of Psychology argues that interpersonal relationships ultimately develop through
computer mediated communication (CMC), and that, given an investment of time and commitment, the depth
and quality of these relationships can be the same as those developed through face-to-face communication. (C.
Thurlow)
SIPT also notes that people who start or build relationships online tend to make assumptions from the
textual messages and create impressions of the people they relate with based on these verbal cues alone, since
there is an obvious lack of nonverbal cues.
Another key factor that SIPT addresses is time – the time involved in the exchanges. Face-to-face (FtF)
interaction occurs in real time, while CMC communica tion can happen over a longer period of time. SIPT proffers
that given enough time, the same level of intimacy can be reached in CMC as it is in (FtF) interactions.

Hyperpersonal Relationships
Because CMC creates a very different communication context than (FtF) , it facilitates a creation of one or
more personal cyberidentities that may be substantially different than the real social identity of an individual.
(Bubaš)
This encourages the development of hyperpersonal communication that “exceeds [face-to-face]
interaction,” affording message senders a host of communicative advantages over traditional face-to-face
interaction. (Walther)
In hyperpersonal communication, people are able to carefully curate how they represent themselves to
others and how others interpret them. Compared to ordinary (FtF) situations, a hyperpersonal message sender
has a greater ability to strategically develop and edit self-presentation, enabling a selective and optimized
presentation of one's self to others. This CMC creates a reciprocal spiral of FtF communication. (Walther)
Several characteristics of the CMC environment can contr ibute to the experience of the high levels of
closeness and commonality that characterize hyperpersonal communication:
- Idealized perception of message producer(s)
- Optimized self-presentation
- Asynchronous channels that support the management of information about one’s self
 - Positive feedback loop(s) that al low the intensification of the relationship in an interaction with
minimal nonverbal cues.
- Subsequent interaction in the real world surroundings may cause disillusionment and disappointment
over previously idealized CMC interaction partners

Online Behavioral Disinhibition

Another important outcome of CMC is what is known as online behavioral disinhibition.
In face-to-face communication, people are restrained by many factors:
- Immediate negative feedback
- Social rules that govern interpersonal interaction
- Visible consequences of inappropriate behavior
- Possible social sanctions
In contrast, CMC grants Internet users relative anonymity and physical safety, as well as distance from the
people they are interacting with. Subsequently, they are unaware of the identities and personalities of those
there are communicating with, as well as of the negative consequences of their risky or potentially damaging
behavior. (Joinson) (Bubaš)
The outgrowth of this, according to Suler, is online behavioral disinhibition in which users on the Internet
exhibit tendencies to be less inhibited, to self-disclose or freely express themselves more frequently and
intensely than they would in face-to-face conversations. This phenomenon may either be benign or toxic. (Suler)
When it is benign, it provides avenues for self-actualization characterized by actions such as mentioning
revelations about themselves online, showing hidden emotions, and express ing unusual acts of kindness. (Suler)
Toxic manifestations involve the freer expression of anger or aggression like flaming, inappropriate self-
disclosure, or the personal use of socially doubtful material on the Internet, like pornography. (Joinson)
Flaming involves verbal expressions that can cause hurt or insult to others. Internet users often feel free to
express anger or hatred in the form of “flaming” (Bubaš)
Toxic disinhibition also involves rude language, harsh criticisms, anger, hatred, even threats. Or people visit
the dark underworld of the Internet – places of pornography, crime, and violence – territory they would never
explore in the real world. (Suler)
Suler describes the six factors that interact with each other in creating this online disinhibition effect:
dissociative anonymity, invisibility, asynchronicity, solipsistic introjection, dissociative imagination, and
minimization of authority. (Suler)
Dissociative anonymity (or “You Don't Know Me”). This is a main cause of the disinhibition effect because
when people have the chance to separate their actions online from their in-person lives and identity, they feel
less vulnerable about self-disclosing and acting out. (Suler) When what people say or do can’t be directly linked
to the rest of their lives, they don’t have to own up or be accountable for this. (Suler)
Invisibility (or “You Can't See Me”). In many online environments, especially those that are text-driven,
people cannot see each other. When people visit web sites, message boards, and even some chat rooms, other
people may not even know they are present at all. Only web masters and other users who have access to
software tools that can detect traffic through the environment can know exactly who is present in that online
environment (Suler)
In contrast to anonymity, people in some online environments may know a great deal about each other’s
identities and lives but still cannot see or hear each other. This invisibility gives people the courage to go places
and do things that they otherwise wouldn’t. This is how invisibility contributes to and amplifies the disinhibition
effect. (Suler)
Asynchronicity (or “See You Later”). Face-to-face communication provides a continuous feedback loop that
reinforces some behaviors and extinguishes others. Moment by-moment responses from others shapes our
ongoing flow of self-disclosure and behavioral expression powerfully, usually in the direction of conforming to
social norms. (Suler) But CMC is asynchronous -- people don’t interact with each other in real time. Not having
to cope with someone’s immediate reaction can also disinhibit people.
In online environments, where there are delayed feedback, people’s train of thought may progress more
steadily and quickly towards deeper expressions of benign and toxic disinhibition that breach social norms.
(Suler) Kali Munro, an online psychotherapist, aptly describes it as such: the person may be participating in an
“emotional hit and run” (K. Munro, unpublished observations, 2003).
Solipsistic introjection (or “It's All in My Head”). When people engage in computer mediated
communications, face-to-face cues are absent. The combination of that with the predominantly text format of
online communication can alter self-boundaries, making people involved in the online conversation feel that
their mind has merged with the mind of the online companion. (Suler)
First, when one does not know what the other person’s voice actually sounds like, one’s mind assigns a voice
to that person. In fact, consciously or unconsciously, a person may even assign a visual image of what he or she
thinks the person looks and behaves like. (Suler)
Then, as the introjected character becomes more elaborate and subjectively “real,” a person may start to
experience the typed-text conversation as taking place inside one’s mind, within the imagination, within one’s
intrapsychic world—not unlike authors typing out a play or novel being read. (Suler)
In real life most people carry on these kinds of intrapsychic conversations in their imagination throughout
the day. People fantasize about honestly confronting a friend about what they feel, arguing with a boss or maybe
flirting. In their imaginations, where it’s safe, people feel free to say and do things that they would not in reality.
A similar thing happens when people engage in CMC. (Suler)
Dissociative imagination (or “It's Just a Game”): Consciously or unconsciously, people may begin to feel that
one’s online persona and that of others live in a make-believe dimension, separate from the demands and
responsibilities of the real world. This dissociative ima gination happens when the opportunity to escape easily
or dissociate from what happens online combines with the psychological process of creating imaginary
characters. (Suler)
This phenomena is extremely clear in fantasy game environments in which a user consciously creates an
imaginary character, but it can also influence many dimensions of online living. Some people may begin to see
their life online as a kind of game with rules and norms that don’t apply to everyday living. I n dissociative
imagination, people may evolve an online self that is split-off but very complex. (Suler)
 Minimization of status and authority (or “We're Equals”). As the Internet was designed with no central
control, so too is there no central control in the World Wide Web and on cyberspace. As it grows with seemingly
no end to its potential for creating new environments, many netizens see themselves as innovative,
independent-minded explorers. This atmosphere, philosophy and ethic contribute to the minimizing of authority.
(Suler)

Deindividuation: Switching from Individual Identity to Group Identity

After 25 years of the Internet, we know that anonymity is an embedded feature of any form of communic ation
that uses today’s technology. (Communication). Such anonymity facilitates deindividuation, according to the
communications and social psychology theorists who developed Social Identity Model of Deindividuation Effects
(SIDE). Specifically, SIDE proffers that anonymity facilitates a switch of individual identity to a group identity –
not a loss of the individuality, as earlier theorists had proposed.
SIDE puts forward five propositions:
1. In the “others to self” anonymous condition, participants experience higher levels of identification with
the group, and subsequently achieve a higher level of group attraction than in the “self to others”
anonymous condition. (Communication).
Self-to others anonymity occurs when a person is not able to identify or make attributions about the
other members in an online group. Others -to-self anonymity happens when others in the group cannot
identify or make attributions about that individual. (Communication).
2. It’s entirely possible and even inevitable that over time in a closed environment where future
interaction is inevitable, one will know the names of one’s co-communicators, and this is sufficient to
realize the consequences of accountability. Anonymous members in CMC groups therefore begin to
feel less deindividuated (or feel less loss of self-awareness) following a decrease of social anonymity
over time. (Communication).
3. In conditions of nominal anonymity, people perceive lower accountability and are less likely to conform
to the group norms than people in groups where members are identifiable. Nominal anonymity refers
to the use of real names or group member identifiers. (Communication).
4. When the group identity is significant, participants who are both visually and nominally anonymous
would achieve the highest level of deindividuation. In contrast, participants who are both visually and
nominally identifiable would reach the l owest level of deindividuation. The deindividuation level of
participants who are either visually or nominally anonymous would fall in between. (Communication).
5. When the individual identity is more significant, participants who are both visually and nominally
anonymous should feel more individuated (or more conscious of self as an individual rather than
merged consciousness with the group) than participants who are either visually or nominally
anonymous. (Communication).
Compounding these effects of Internet technologies are other, older technologies. Nowadays the word
“technology” conjures up images of computers and high-tech gadgets, but technology actually refers only to the
collection of techniques, skills, methods and processes used in the production of goods and services. Tools,
therefore, are the simplest technologies, and some of the 20 th century-tools that are deeply relevant to our
study are contraceptive technologies.

Contraceptive Technologies Trigger Sex- Procreation Split

For the longer part of human history, sex was inseparably linked to reproduction. Without contraception, the
sexual act always leads to subsequent reproductive consequences – conception, birth or abortion, childrearing
– all of which are borne mainly by women. By separating sex from procreation, contraceptive technologies
transformed the role of sex in the lives of people. (Kikidis)
The use of assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) to achieve a pregnancy in cases where it could not be
attained, or even without a sexual act (using intrauterine insemination and in vitro fertilization) is the other side
of this split of sexuality from reproduction. (Kikidis)
But because contraceptives prevent sexually transmitted diseases as they prevent pregnancy, these
technologies have also permitted people to express their sexuality more freely. (Kikidis)

Contraceptives Enable a Freer, More “Plastic Sexuality”

Because of contraceptive technologies, most people have more sexual choices today. People can be more
spontaneous, determine the frequency of sexual intercourse, focus more on the pleasure in the “experience of”
having sex, and maybe even increase their libido/sex drive fearlessly. (Kikidis)
The use of contraceptives has also liberated women from being slaves to their biology and consequently
allowed them to choose their family situations, to work outside the home, to acquire more education, to pursue
careers and to contribute more to society. This has had a dramatic impact on modern societies in the past five
decades. The remarkable rise in women’s education, in the number of women gaining college and professional
degrees, in their increased participation in the labor market since the 1960s – all these can all be partly explained
by birth control innovations. (Ketchell)
Contraceptive technologies have also ushered in what British sociologist Anthony Giddens calls “plastic
sexuality.” “Plastic” here refers to the malleability of erotic expression that stands in contrast to “fixed sexuality”
associated with binaries of traditional sexuality that are fixed by biology and social norms: heteros exual or
homosexual, marital (legitimate) vis-à-vis extramarital (illegitimate), committed or promiscuous, normal (coital)
or perverse (anal, autoerotic, sadomasochistic). (Giddens)

Plastic Sexuality is a Feature of Life in the 21 st Century

Such “plastic sexuality” is also increasingly becoming the norm. Who in today’s world, after all, still engages in
sexual relations without some ability to make decisions that relate to birth-control technologies?
Thus, across the modern world, there is increased equality among the sexes, as well as the transformation
of gender roles and identities – all brought about by plastic sexuality. Certain forms of prejudices against women
are subsiding, including the sexual double standard in which men and women are treated differently over their
sexual lives even if they were doing more-or-less the same thing. Because of this split between sex and
reproduction, people who have non-heteronormative sexuality have also gained more acceptance. (Kikidis)
 Today, even the World Health Organization recognizes that human sexuality is a central aspect of being
human that factors into the quality of our lives. It is also a trait of our personalities that is intrinsically connected
with our self-identities and selves. There is also an increased recognition and respect for the fact that sexuality
plays a role in the self-actualization of human beings. The way we interpret our bodies and express our sexuality
has a lot to do with who we are. (World Association for Sexual Health) (World Health Organization)

Modern Technologies Reflexively Support Sexuality as Part of Self-Actualization

Meanwhile, what is known as reflexivity is a feature of modern life. Reflexivity refers to the condition of
modernity wherein “most aspects of social activity” are susceptible “to chronic revision in the light of new
information and knowledge” (Giddens)
This means that in the modern world, our sexuality and sexual identity, as part of our self-identity, is also
continuously being reflexively organized in the light of new information and knowledge. Our appearance,
demeanor and the way we handle bodily pleasure and pain is also part of our reflexive project of the self. (Kikidis)
New technologies – including the Internet and Internet technologies – which impact our everyday lives are
thus also transforming our sexualities in very profound ways. (Fisher)
First off, today sex surrounds us 24/7. For better or worse, the Internet provides a continual stream of
pornography, to millions of users daily. Almost a fifth of mobile searches and 13 percent of web searches in the
United States are for sexual content. (statista.com) Many people routinely use their cell phones for sexting.
More than half of American young adults 20-26 years old (59%) and almost half (39%) of American teens 13 -19
years old use their phones for sexting, according to The Statistics Brain Institute (The Medical Futurist)
Secondly, our new sexuality involves radical qualitative changes in the way we seek pleasure. These changes
include sex toys, sex dolls, virtual reality (VR) pornography, and new ways to seek and select partners. These
technologies have been adopted so quickly and so widely that it is easy to miss th e profound effect they have
had, and are having, on our intimate lives.
Technology has thus altered the way we engage in erotic scripts – and is also rewriting these into something
that can be called a “digisexuality.” Or what young University of the Philippines sociology researcher Jane Ado
calls “technosexuality”. (However, the more known meaning of technosexuality is a person who is in love with
himself and his urban lifestyle, as well as gadgets such as mobile phones, PDAs, computers, software, and the
web.)
New Technologies Set Off Digisexuality and a New Sexual Revolution
Digisexuality covers a variety of tech-based interactions that are already familiar to us – online porn, sexting
via Facebook, Snapchat, cybersex through Skype, dating apps like Tinder, Happn, Grindr and Bumble, notes Neil
McArthur an associate professor of philosophy at the University of Manitoba and digisexuality researcher.
McArthur believes these are first-wave sexual technologies and that the world may be on the verge of a new
sexual revolution when the second-wave sexual technologies, now in the pipeline, develop: artificially intelligent
(AI) smart toys that can even be customized with 3-D printing, toys with built in cameras, exoskeleton “hump
suits”, cyborg sensation mods and erotic mind implants, among other things. (Fisher)
Technology and Sexual Violence
 These new technologies have a dark side, though, like everything else. New media has also helped spread
and make child pornography more accessible. Technology has also contributed to normalizing sexual and
gendered violence. In fact, a new form of gender violence has also evolved – online gender-based violence.

D. Policy Environment: Laws and Enforcement

Cybercrime
As computers and the Internet have become central fixtures of our everyday modern lives , our lives online are
now as susceptible to crime as the other parts of our “real” lives. Cybercrimes are crimes that take place online
and there are many forms, ranging across a spectrum of activities. Identity theft and similar crimes that involve
breaches of personal or corporate privacy are at one end. Crimes here involve assaults on the integrity of
information held in digital depositories. They also include the use of digital information illegally obtained to
blackmail a person or a company. (avast) (TechTerms)
Midway along the spectrum are cybercrimes like fraud, digital piracy, money laundering, counterfeiting and
even trafficking in child pornography, all of which are transaction-based crimes. Included here, too, are similar
crimes that involve persons within corporations or governments who deliberately alter data for profit or political
objectives.
At the other end of the spectrum are spam, hacking and denial of service attacks against specific sites –
cybercrimes that involve attempts to disrupt the actual workings of the Internet. Also found here are acts of
cyberterrorism – where terrorists use the Internet to affect the economic and technological infrastructure of
countries. (Dennis)
Child sexual exploitation, bullying, “revenge porn,” cyber-stalking and harassment are content-related
cybercrimes. A substantial number of these content-related cybercrimes target women. India-based
cyberbullying victim counselor Debarati Halder and criminology professor K. Jaishankar (Raksha Shakti University,
Gujarat state, India), among the first to study cybercrimes from a gender perspective, define “cybercrimes
against women” as “crimes targeted against women with a motive to intentionally harm the victim
psychologically and physically, using modern telecommunication networks such as (the) Internet and mobile
phones.” (Debarati Halder)

International Cybercrime Policy

The first international resolution dealing with computer crimes was passed in 1990, at the 8 th UN Congress on
the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders in Havana, Cuba. This resolution, passed by the UN
General Assembly, called for the modernization of national criminal laws, the improvement of computer security
and the passage of measures to prevent cybercrimes. An ad hoc meeting of experts was also called to explore
how to prevent and prosecute computer-related crimes, which were, at that time, still nascent. (Dennis)
In 1996, the Council of Europe drafted the first international convention aimed to address Internet criminal
behavior. It drafted this together with government representatives from the United States, Canada and Japan.
The Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime, or the Budapest Convention, was signed by 30 states on
November 23, 2001, and came into effect in 2004. The Convention provides the legal basis for fighting
cybercrime by harmonizing cybercriminal offences qualification, creating the international policy environment
for empowering law enforcement and enabling international cooperation. (Council of Europe)
Additional protocols, covering terrorist activities and racist and xenophobic cybercrimes, which were
proposed in 2002, came into effect in 2006. Various national laws, such as the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001,
expanded the power of law enforcement to monitor and protect computer networks.
In 1997, the Group of Eight (G8), composed of the heads of the eight leading industrialized countries (the
U.S., the UK, Russia, France, Italy, Japan, Germany and Canada) followed suit and released a Ministers’
Communiqué that contains the principles and an action plan to combat cybercrime and protect data and systems
from unauthorized impairment.
The Communiqué recommends the training of all law enforcement personnel to equip them to address
cybercrime. It also directs all member countries to have a point of contact on a 24/7 basis. (Weiping Chang)
The UN GA adopted two resolutions on combating the criminal misuse of information technology, first in
2000 and then shortly in 2002. (Dr. Marco Gercke)
In 2003, the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) passed the Geneva Declaration of Principles
and the Geneva Plan of Action, which highlights the importance of fighting cybercrime and creates measures to
do so. (World Summit on the Information Society)
In 2005, the Tunis Commitment and the Tunis Agenda were adopted for the Information Society. The Tunis
Agenda underlines the importance of prosecuting cybercrime and stresses the need for effective and efficient
tools and actions to thwart cybercrime, at the national and international levels. It al so seeks to promote
international cooperation in the fight against cybercrime. (Tunis Agenda for the Information Society. (World
Summit on the Information Society)
In 2002, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) issued a Cybersecurity Strategy that outlined six
areas for cooperation among member economies: legal, information sharing, security and technical, public
awareness and training and education. The Strategy is included in the Shanghai Declaration. (The Fifth APEC
Ministerial Meeting on Telecommunications and Information Industry (TELMIN5))

Enforcement
Carrying out the fight against cybercrime in the international level are the Interpol and the the UN Office on
Drugs and Crime (UNODC). UNODC maintains the cybercrime repository, where all cybercrime laws , as well as
the lessons learned in the anti -cybercrime fight, are stored. This is kept to help coordinate technical assistance
and facilitate the continuous assessment of needs and criminal justice capabilities. The database can be accessed
here https://sherloc.unodc.org/cld/v3/cybrepo/ (UNODC United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)
The Interpol, meanwhile, coordinates transnational cybercrime investigations and operations, either on-site
or remotely, supporting the police forces of various countries.. (International Criminal Organization - INTERPOL)

The Local Cybercrime Law

The country’s principal cybercrime law, Republic Act 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 defines 12
cybercrimes and their corresponding penalties. (Congress of the Philippines)
 Five of these crimes are offenses against the confidentiality and integrity of computer data and systems and
are punishable by imprisonment of between six to 10 years, or a fine of at least P200,000.00 up to a maximum
amount commensurate to the damage incurred, or both. These are i llegal access, illegal interception, data
interference, system interference, misuse of devices. (Congress of the Philippines)
Three crimes – computer-related forgery, computer-related fraud and computer-related identity theft –
are computer-related offenses, that are punishable with imprisonment between six to 10 years or a fine of at
least P200,000.00 up to a maximum amount commensurate to the damage incurred. (Congress of the
Philippines)
Child pornography and libel are considered the content-related offenses. For child pornography, the penalty
for crimes committed through a computer system is one degree higher than that provided for in Republic Act
9775, or the Anti-Child Pornography Act of 2009. (Congress of the Philippines)
Cyber-squatting is punishable by a fine of at least P200,000.00 up to a maximum amount commensurate to
the damage incurred, or both. If it is committed against critical infrastructure, it is punishable by imprisonment
of 12–14 years or a fine of at least Php500,000.00 up to the maximum amount commensurate to the damage
incurred, or both. (Congress of the Philippines)
Controversially, individuals found guilty of cybersex face imprisonment of six years and one day to 12 years)
or a fine of at least P200,000 but not exceeding P1 million. (Congress of the Philippines)
Acts of libel, as defined in Article 355 of the Revised Penal Code, when committed through a computer
system or any other similar technical means that may be devised in the future is punishable by imprisonment of
six months to two years or a fine ranging from P40,000 to P1,200,000. (as revised by RA 10951 of 2017), or both,
in addition to the civil action which may be brought by the offended party. (Congress of the Philippines)
The Cybercrime Law also punishes the aiding and abetting of a cybercrime and attempting to commit a
cybercrime with imprisonment that is one degree lower than that of the prescribed penalty for the offense or a
fine of at least P100,000 but not exceeding P500,000, or both. (Congress of the Philippines)
Under the law, all crimes defined and penalized by the Revised Penal Code, if committed with the use of
ICTs, are punished with a penalty that is one degree higher than that provided for by the Code. Higher penalties
are given to persons who commit cybercrimes on behalf of corporations or corporations themselves (jur idical
persons). (Congress of the Philippines)
The law, which took 11 years to be enacted, also established both the Cybercrime Investigation and
Coordinating Center (CICC) tasked to draft the National Cybersecurity Plan and th e Office of Cybercrime under
the Department of Justice. (Philippine Congress)
The DOJ-OOC is the country’s main investigation, law enforcement and prosecution agency for cybercrime
and cyber-related offenses and the authority in international mutual assistance and extradition for cybercrime
and cyber-related matters. (Philippine Congress)
 Enforcement in the Philippines
Apart from the CICC and the DOJ-OOC, the other agencies tasked to enforce the cybercrime law are the
National Bureau of Investigation (NBI)-Cybercrime Division (CCD) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) -
Anti-Cybercrime Group (ACG). (Philippine Congress)
Online child abuse is the DOJ-OOC’s top priority, followed by online fraud and network security (second priority)
(Department of Justice Office of Cybercrime)
There is also an Inter-Agency Council against Child Pornography (IACACP), established in 2010 by virtue of
Republic Act No. 9775 or the Anti Child Pornography Act of 2009. The agency is headed by the Department of
Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and is composed of the following departments: justice (DOJ), labor
(DOLE), science and technology (DOST), informa tion and communications (DICT), as well as the offices of the
Ombudsman, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), the Council for the Welfare of Children
(CWC), the Philippine Center on Transnational Crime (PCTC), the Commission on Human Rights (C HR), the NBI
and the PNP.
The DOST-ICT Office also operates the Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) that serves as
coordinator for cybersecurity related activities, extends immediate assistance to the CICC and provides technical
analysis of computer security incidents.
Rule 11 of the Supreme Court’s Rules on Electronic Evidence allows the admission of electronic evidence in
the forms of audio, photographic, video and ephemeral evidence. The Rules dictate however, that these pieces
of evidence that are shown, presented or displayed to the court need to be identified, explained or
authenticated by the person who made the recording or by some other person competent to testify on the
accuracy of these evidences.
Under Section 2 of this Rule, ephemeral electronic communications needs to be proven by the testimony of
a person who was a party to the same or has personal knowledge (Supreme Court of the Philippines )

Violence against Women

The Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW Convention) is the
only human rights treaty that affirms the reproductive rights of women and targets culture and tradition as
influential forces shaping gender roles and family relations. As such, it is known as th e International Bill of Rights
of Women.
Consisting of a preamble and 30 articles, the CEDAW Convention defines what actions or issues constitute
discrimination against women and sets up an agenda that governments can take to end such discrimination.
Adopted by the UN in 1979, it took effect on September 3, 1981. (Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination Against Women)
As of February 2015, 188 State Parties have agreed to implement the provisions of the treaty and, most
importantly, take appropriate measures to end all forms of discrimination and exploitation of women.
(Philippine Commission on Women)
However, the CEDAW Convention is also limited, as it is a product of its time. When it was being elaborated
in the 1970s, violence against women, particularly in intimate relations where it is most prevalent until today,
was largely considered to be a ‘private’ matter – not an international concern, nor a human rights concern.
(International Women's Rights Action Watch Asia Pacific (IWRAW Asia Pacific))
It was only in 1982 when the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women first became
conscious of the systemic nature of violence against women, from information on VAW that came to it from
states parties’ reports and non-governmental organizations during its first decade of existence. (International
Women's Rights Action Watch Asia Pacific (IWRAW Asia Pacific))
Seven years after, in 1989, the Committee released General Recommendation 12 on VAW, in which it
identified the articles of the Convention that imposed obligations on governments to address violence against
women, and pointed out the sites of such violence as the family, the workplace and other areas of social life. It
tasked governments to provide support services, report on the laws and other measures they adopted to protect
women against violence, and compile statistical data on the incidence of VAW. It issued General
Recommendation 14 on Female Circumcision in 1990. Identifying this traditional practice as harmful to women’s
health, it recommended its eradication. (International Women's Rights Action Watch Asia Pacific (IWRAW Asia
Pacific))
Meanwhile, the UN General Assembly first took up the issue of VAW in 1985 when it passed its first
resolution on the issue requesting the Eighth UN Congress on the Prevention of Crime and Criminal Justice to
give special attention to the issue. (International Women's Rights Action Watch Asia Pacific (IWRAW Asia Pacific))
Other intergovernmental bodies followed suit. Beginning in 1986 the UN Economic and Social Council
(ECOSOC) convened a number of meetings and produced publications on VAW. In 1987 the Commission on the
Status of Women (CSW) identified VAW as an issue falling within the theme of peace, a priority UN theme. In
the years that followed, ECOSOC called on governments and NGOs to exert joint efforts to erad icate VAW and
undertake further research on the subject.
The Committee devoted part of its 1992 session in the Vienna World Conference on Human Rights to reflect
on Convention articles that related to VAW. General Recommendation 19 was a result of this. (International
Women's Rights Action Watch Asia Pacific (IWRAW Asia Pacific))

CEDAW’s General Recommendation 19

General Recommendation 19 has influenced the actions of governments significantly, as well as the approach
of courts, tribunals and national human rights institutions. It has also become an important reference point for
advocates. (International Women's Rights Action Watch Asia Pacific (IWRAW Asia Pacific))
General Recommendation 19 points out that the CEDAW Convention recognizes the following:
- Gender-based violence (GBV) or violence against women is a form of discrimination that seriously inhibits
women's ability to enjoy rights and freedoms on an equal basis with men.
- GBV impairs or nullifies women’s enjoyment of their human rights and fundamental freedoms, and this
constitutes discrimination against a women.
- Violence against women keeps women in subordinate roles and contributes to their low level of political
participation and to their lower level of education, skills and work opportunities.
- Traditional attitudes towards women as subordinate to men or stereotypical roles encourage violent
practices against women: forced marriage, dowry deaths, acid attacks and female circumcision.
- These attitudes also contribute to the propagation of pornography and the depiction of women as sexual
objects, rather than as individuals. This in turn contributes to GBV.
- Poverty and unemployment force many women, including young girls, into prostitution. The il legal status
of prostitutes makes them especially vulnerable to violence. They need the equal protection of laws against
rape and other forms of violence.
- Women’s equal rights to employment are threatened by gender -specific violence, such as sexual
harassment in the workplace.
- Rural women are at risk for GBV because of traditional attitudes that persist in many rural communities.
When they leave the rural community to seek employment in towns, girls from rural communities are at
special risk of violence and sexual exploitation.
- One of the most insidious forms of violence against women, family violence is prevalent in all societies. This
is when women, within family relationships and of all ages , are subjected to all kinds of violence – battering,
rape, other forms of sexual assault, mental and other forms of violence. Often women are forced to stay in
violent relationships because of lack of economic independence. When men revoke their family
responsibilities, this can also be a form of violence and coercion. These forms of violence put women's
health at risk and impair their ability to participate in family life and public life on a basis of equality.
(Committee on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women)
General Recommendation 19 also points out that the CEDAW Convention directs governments to take
appropriate and effective measures to overcome all forms of GBV.
CEDAW also spells out specific duties of governments to prevent, address and end violence against women,
and General Recommendation 19 enumerates these duties. These include undertaking measures, passing laws
and providing various forms of support for women who suffer from GBV. CEDAW also encourages government
to compile statistics and research and to draft reports on the extent, causes and effects of violence, and on the
effectiveness of measures to prevent and deal with violence. (Committee on the Elimination of all Forms of
Discrimination Against Women)

The Need for a New GBV-Specific Convention

In the past three decades following the passage of General Recommendation 19, the pervasiveness and varied
nature of violence against women had been documented more and more. Meanwhile, there has also been a sea
change in the appreciation of the issue, shifting from being seen as a little-discussed private matter to becoming
a regular topic on international agendas. (International Women's Rights Action Watch Asia Pacific (IWRAW Asia
Pacific))
Beginning in 2016, a growing number of women’s rights advocates began pushing for the adoption of an
international treaty that would focus solely on GBV against women, on top of and aside from the existing
provisions of the CEDAW Convention.
 The fact that GBV continues to be widespread and present in all regions and countries – this was the main
trigger for this demand. Meanwhile, new forms of violence have emerged, including cyber violence – which
covers cyberstalking, online threats of violence and revenge por n – even as longstanding forms of violence
persist and many attempts to address violence have continued to fail. Many countries still have laws as well as
cultural, customary or religious laws, practices and attitudes that are conducive to or even legitimi ze violence
against women. (International Women's Rights Action Watch Asia Pacific (IWRAW Asia Pacific))
Another impetus was that a number of regions adopted regional conventions that dealt explicitly with
violence against women and the obligations of States to combat it.
Existing international human rights law already imposes extensive and detailed obligations on governments
to address GBVAW but some advocates argued that there was a ‘normative gap’ at the international level that
would be eliminated by the adoption of a new international treaty. (International Women's Rights Action Watch
Asia Pacific (IWRAW Asia Pacific)) The debate is still ongoing today. (International Women's Rights Action Watch
Asia Pacific (IWRAW Asia Pacific))

Gender-Based Violence as a Human Rights Violation

What’s clear today, 40 years after the CEDAW Convention was passed, is that violence against women or gender -
based violence is a human rights violation.
In 1993, the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action recognized that the elimination of violence
against women in public and private life is a human rights obligation. The next year, the UN Commission on
Human Rights condemned GBV for the first time and appointed a Special Rapporteur on violence against women,
its causes and consequences. The 1995 UN World Conference on Women held in Beijing reaffirmed the
conclusions of the Vienna Conference, listing violence against women as one critical areas of concern.
On the 25 th Anniversary of its General Recommendation No. 19 in 2017, the CEDAW Committee further
elaborated international standards on GBV in its General Recommendation No. 35. In General Recommendation
No. 35, the CEDAW Committee recognized that the prohibition of GBV against women has evolved into a
principle of customary international law, binding all States.
This framing of GBV against women as a human rights violation, which began in 1993, marked an important
conceptual shift. This recognizes that women are not exposed to violence by accident, or because of an in-born
vulnerability. Instead, GBV is the result of structural, deep-rooted discrimination – which governments have an
obligation to address. This also means that preventing a nd addressing violence against women is not a charitable
act but a legal and moral obligation that requires legislative, administrative and institutional measures and
reforms, as well as the eradication of gender stereotypes which condone or perpetuate GBV and support the
structural inequality of women with men.
Under CEDAW General Recommendation No. 35, states have a duty to take positive action to prevent and
protect women from violence, to punish perpetrators and to compensate victims. This due diligence principle is
crucial as it provides the missing link between human rights obligations and acts of private persons. (United
Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner)
 In July 2010, the UN General Assembly created UN Women, the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the
Empowerment of Women dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women. One of its four
strategic priorities is to ensure that “all women and girls live lives free from all forms of violence.” As such, UN
Women partners with governments, UN agencies, civil society organizations and other institutions to work
toward ending violence by increasing awareness of its causes and consequences of violence and building the
capacity of partners to prevent and respond to violence.
UN Women also promotes the need to change the norms and behavior of men and boys towards creating
equality for women and men. UN Women provides funds to encourage investments in the most cost-effective,
long-term solutions to stop violence. (UN Women)
In May 2016, WHO also endorsed a global plan of action strengthening the role of health systems in
addressing interpersonal violence, in particular against women and girl s and against children. The plan was
endorsed by Member States during the World Health Assembly held on that day.
The global plan of action involves:
- Building the evidence base on the size and nature of violence against women in different settings
- Supporting countries' efforts to document and measure this violence and its consequences
- Improving the methods for measuring violence against women
- Strengthening research and capacity to assess interventions to address partner violence
- Undertaking interventions research to test and identify effective health sector interventions to address
violence against women
- Developing guidelines and implementation tools for strengthening the health sector response to intimate
partner and sexual violence and synthesizing evidence on what works to prevent such viol ence
Collaborating with international agencies and organizations to reduce and eliminate violence globally
through initiatives such as:
- The Sexual Violence Research Initiative
- Together for Girls
- International Federation of Obstetrician-Gynecologists (FIGO)’s Violence against Women Working
Group The UN Joint Programme on Essential Services Package for Women Subject to Violence. (World
Health Organization)

Local Laws
There are also several local laws that are relevant to addressing the Pastor Hokage Bible Study Group/s
phenomenon. These include:

The Magna Carte of Women's Rights, Republic Act 9710

Filipino human rights advocates fought for this law for decades but it was only passed in 2008.
The Magna Carta, or the bill of Fil ipino women’s rights, seeks to eliminate discrimination against them
through the recognition, protection, fulfilment and promotion of their rights, especially the rights of those
belonging to society’s marginalized sectors. It conveys a framework of women rights based directly on
international law.
Under this law, the Philippine government is commitment to uphold and follow the provisions of the
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women's (CEDAW). Consequently, its
women’s rights performance can then be reviewed periodically by the UN Human Rights Council. This law also
recognizes human rights guaranteed by the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
(ICESCR).
R.A. 9710 recognizes that Filipino men and women have equal rights but ongoing and centuries -deep
discrimination prevents women from living full lives and contributing their best to society. As all Filipinos stand
to lose from this situation, the government is duty-bound to end this inequality. (14th Congress of the
Philippines)

The Anti-Violence against Women and Children Act of 2004 or Republic Act 9262
Signed into law during the celebration of “International Women’s Day” on March 8, 2004, this law
recognizes that physical, sexual, emotional and economic violence inflicted by intimate partners against women
is a widespread human rights violation that the government is duty-bound to stop and prevent.
Consequently, R.A. 9262 penalizes all forms of abuse and violence wi thin the family and intimate
relationships. Most importantly, the Act classifies violence against women and children (VAWC) as a public crime.
RA 9262 also mandated the creation of the Inter-Agency Council on Violence against Women and Their Children
(IACVAWC).
(Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act of 2004)

The Anti-Sexual Harassment Act of 1995 or Republic Act 7877

Also known as Anti-Sexual Harassment Act of 1995, this law declares as unlawful all forms of sexual harassment
in places of work and in schools. As such, it contains clear definitions of sexual harassment
It penalizes the offender after judgment by a court of Law and also allows the punishment of any offender
under the rules and regulations of places of work and schools. (9th Congress of the Philippines)
There are several measures pending in Congress that seek to ament this law to expand the law’s scope to
include sexual harassment cases done outside training institutions. These are discusses in the Presentation of
Data Analysis. (Commission on Human Rights)

The Anti-Photo and Video Voyeurism Act of 2009 or Republic Act No. 9995
Under this law it is illegal to take, copy or reproduce, sell or distribute, publish or broadcast photos or videos of
a person /group of persons performing a sexual act or any similar activity, of the private area of a person/s – the
naked or undergarment-clad genitals or pubic area, the buttocks or female breast – without the consent of the
person/s involved, or under circumstances in which the person/s has/have can reasonably expect privacy.
This law, passed in 2009, penalizes these acts by imprisonment of three to seven years , a fine of P100,000.00
to P500,000., or both. (Anti-Photo and Video Voyeurism Act of 2009)
 The Anti-Gender Electronic Violence Act or Senate Bill No. 1251
This is still a proposed law that Sen. Risa Hontiveros filed on November 22, 2016. Now pending at the
committee level, it seeks to address the vacuum of legal remedies available for instances when sexual violence
or gender-specific violence takes place outside the context of domestic or intimate relationships. It seeks to
punish the following acts:
- Unauthorized recording, reproduction or distribution of videos showing the victim’s naked or
undergarment-clad genitals, pubic area, buttocks or breasts
- Uploading or sharing without the victim’s consent any form of media that contain/s the victim’s pictures,
voice or video with lewd, indecent, obscene or sexual content
- Harassing or threatening the victim through text messaging, obscene, misogynistic, homophobic or
indecent posts in social media sites or other cyber, electronic or multimedia means
- Cyberstalking, which includes but is not limited to the hacking of personal accounts on social
networking sites or the use of local trackers of cellular devices
- Unauthorized use of the victim’s photo, video, voice, name or any other aspect of the victim’s identity
and distributing the same in any video game, phone application, program and the like, which
deliberately exposes the victim to harassment and attack and puts or tends to put the victims in a bad
light or injure the victim’s reputation. (Gender-Based Electronic Violence Act of 2016)

E. Promoting Positive Masculinity

It’s time to stop viewing and calling domestic violence and sexual abuse as “women’s issues.” This is what
educator Jackson Kats advocates.
In a TED talk, Katz argues that “women’s issues” and gender issues are intrinsically men’s issues – and says that
viewing them as “women’s issues” is part of the problem. Kats also shows how violent behaviors are tied to
definitions of manhood.
Katz, who has led workshops about masculinity with high school and college students for over two decades
with his program Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP), contends that there is too much emphasis placed on
teaching boys and men not to engage in certain behaviors solely because they’re criminal.
Katz views this as ineffective since the guys didn’t see themselves as possible perpetrators. If he could teach
men how to spot a dangerous situation, and how to influence others not to be perpetrators, Katz believed that
sexism, rape and homophobia could actual ly start to be addressed.
Adding discussions about masculinity, Katz says, can create a different peer culture where sexism and abuse
is considered unacceptable long before someone is close to committing an act of GBV or an assault.
In MVP workshops, the facilitators lay out scenarios and ask attendees how they feel about them, and
whether they would say anything. Bystander intervention programs work the same way, helping students
identify risky situations and how they could intervene. But MVP goes deeper, and asks about sexist jokes, anti -
gay attitudes and other behaviors that perpetuate a culture where sexual violence is downplayed. (Katz)
 Eric Barthold started a program called Man Up and Open Up with a group of athletes he went to college
with, after taking gender studies classes. His programming has a core exercise drawn from Katz’ work, called
“the man box” – where people write words inside a box they consider to be attributes of a strong man, and
outside place words that are associated with a non-masculine male.
The common argument put forward by people who advocate addressing violence by addressing masculinity
is that there is a silent majority of men who do condemn sexist behavior, that don ’t prioritize sexual conquests
and are against hazing, but they fear social ramifications of speaking out.
 III. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
This investigation into Pastor Hokage Bible Study Groups as an online social phenomenon is supported by a
theoretical framework that draws on the theories of socialist feminist thinkers, especially Australian sociologist
Raewyn Connell (also known as R.W. Connell), who developed the concept of hegemonic and toxic masculinity.
The second part of this thesis, which deals with finding ways to empower young Filipino male netizens to
challenge their toxic masculinity-influenced thoughts and actions and to replace these with more positive forms
of masculinity, draws on the body of works on power and ideology by Michel Foucault and Antonio Gramsci.’s
theory of cultural hegemony, which describes how the state and ruling capitalist class – the bourgeoisie – use
cultural institutions to maintain power in capitalist societies.
The execution stage of this thesis, which involves the conceptualization and creation of a social media
campaign to promote positive masculinity among young Filipino male netizens, draws on the works of social
theorist and educator Jackson Katz who has worked for decades to address toxic masculinity in sports and
military organizations, and on works by European social thinker Frank Furedi, who writes extensively about the
Internet’s impact on culture and society.

Patriarchy and Feminism

All feminists, and therefore also socialist feminists, have written expansively about patriarchy either as a primary
cause of women’s oppression, or as part of an interactive system that oppresses women. Under patriarchy, men
hold primary power and dominate in political leadership, moral authority, social privilege and control of property.
Patriarchy is also associated with a set of ideas. This patriarchal ideology acts to explain and justify male
dominance and attribute it to inherent natural differences between men and women.
However, sociologists – even those who don’t identify as “feminist” – widely tend to see patriarchy as a
social product and not as an outcome of innate differences between the sexes. Sociologists note the way that
gender roles in a society affect the differences in power between men and women.
Historically, patriarchy has manifested itsel f in the economic, political, social, legal and religious
organizations over a range of different cultures. And today, even if these are not defined to be patriarchal by
their own constitutions and laws, most contemporary societies are – in practice and in reality – patriarchal.
(Lockard)
Feminist literature identifies six overl apping structures that support patriarchy:
First, the state, as women are unlikely to have formal power and representation. Second, the household,
since women are more likely to do the housework and raise the children (in general this is done for free or
without pay). Third, through violence, since women are more prone to being raped and sexually abused. Fourth,
in the area of paid work, since women are more likely to be paid less. Fifth, in the sphere of sexuality, because
women’s sexuality is more likely to be treated negatively. Sixth, in culture, as women are more misrepresented
in media and popular culture.
This paper, by virtue of its topic, touches on the structures of sexuality, violence and culture. (hooks,
Feminism is for Everybody/ Passionate Politics)
 Socialist Feminism
Socialist feminism, which arose in the U.S. during the “second wave” of feminism in the mid-1960s to the 1980s,
challenges the idea that true equality between the sexes can be achieved in a society that is built on inequality
and whose structure is fundamentally flawed – an idea that liberal feminists still hold until today. (Gordon)
However, socialist feminism is distinct from Marxist feminism in that it involves no loyalty to any of the
regimes that call themselves socialist, historically and today. (Gordon)
While Marxist feminists retain a faith that Marxist theory is adequate to understand male dominance and
all forms of domination and thus focus nearly exclusively on anti –capitalist strategies to change society, socialist
feminists conclude that capitalism is not the only root of male dominance. Believing that a new theory beyond
Marxism and Leninism was needed, socialist feminists have been working to build such a theory or body of
theories. (Gordon)
Socialist feminists are as anti -capitalist as other socialists, but do not conceive capitalism as the s ole or
always primary adversary – autonomous structures of gender, race and class all participate in creating and
supporting inequality and the exploitation of women. (Gordon)
Socialist feminists understand sexism not as epiphenomena of capitalism but as autonomous economic and
cultural structures. These structures pervade every aspect of life, and thus have to be confronted in every aspect
of life. (Gordon)
Consequently, socialist feminists have expanded the Marxist notion of exploitation to include other
relations in which some benefit from the labor of others – the household and child–rearing, for example.
Militarism and conquest, they argue, as well as environmental destruction, are propelled as much by masculinist
drives, as they are driven by the search for profit. (Gordon)
Marxism and feminism, however, have one important thing in common: they are critical ways of looking at
the world. Both rip away popular mythology and “common sense” wisdom and force people to look at
experience in a new way. Both systems of thought seek to understand the world – not in terms of static balances
or symmetries, but in terms of antagonisms. They l ead to conclusions that are disturbing but also liberating.
(Gordon)
Marxism destroys the myths about markets being able to balance themselves automatically, about the
existence of an invisible hand, and about liberal democracy being an end in itself, to reveal a system of class rule
that rests on forcible exploitation. Feminism cuts through myths about biological differences and human instinct
to expose male rule as a rule of force. Both analyses compel us to look at a fundamental injustice. (Gordon)
Following socialist feminist thinking, the men who are raised in a capitalist and patriarchal society are
unconscious of their oppressive thoughts and actions and privileged position in society because they accepted
the gender system as a “natural” and inevitable outgrowth of their sex. They had to unlearn what Marxists would
call a false consciousness. (Lockard)

Hegemonic Masculinity
Deeply embedded in patriarchy are socially constructed norms that define masculinity.
 R. W. Connell, the Australian sociologist known for her work on gender relations, recognized that there have
always been, and still are, multiple masculinities that vary across time (history), culture and even in an
individual’s life. (Connell, Maculinities (2nd ed.))
She defines hegemonic masculinity as a practice that legitimizes men’s dominant position in society, justifies
the subordination of women, and promotes other marginalized ways of being a man.
Conceptually, hegemonic masculinity proposes to explain how and why men maintain dominant social roles
over women, and other gender identities, which are perceived as “feminine” in a given society.
Connell argues that a prominent fea ture of hegemonic masculinity is the use of “toxic” practices such as
physical violence, which may serve to reinforce men’s dominance over women in many societies. (Connell,
Maculinities (2nd ed.))
Other scholars like Dr. Will iam Ming Liu, have used the term toxic masculinity to refer to stereotypically
masculine gender roles that restrict the kinds of emotions allowable for boys and men to express, including
social expectations that men seek to be dominant (the “alpha male”) and limit their emotional range primarily
to expressions of anger. (William Ming Liu)

Toxic Masculinity
Toxic masculinity occurs when these violent, unemotional and sexually aggressive norms of masculinity start to
have a harmful impact on society and the individual. Often, this occurs when men are insecure about not
adhering to this concept of the ideal man so they overcompensate by increasing their aggressive and violent
behavior to prove their masculinity. (William Ming Liu)
Toxic masculinity involves:
- Emotional detachment
- Excessive levels of aggression, risk–taking and stoicism (the belief that men don’t need help) to the
exclusion of moderation and sensitivity
- Intimidation and violence
- Domination, humiliation and hypercompetitiveness
- Sexual objectification of women
- Other predatory sexual behaviors
It is founded upon societal norms that frame cisgender men as the domineering gender, creating harmful
stereotypes that incite violence and sexism across cultures. In addition, toxic masculinity disregards non-
conforming genders, and imposes gender binarism, the belief that only two genders exist.
Toxic masculinity enforces the societal ideology that males must attain control in relationships, the
household, and in most public situations. This attitude promotes aversion towards expressing emotions that
could be deemed as feminine, for fear of emasculation. This is directly linked to the misogynistic mentality that
male qualities are superior to feminine qualities.
Many feminist thinkers, including social theorist and educator Jackson Katz identify toxic masculinity as the
main cause of rape culture that pervades society today. According to Katz and his ilk, violence stems from an
inability to show emotions through any other way, since showing sadness through healthy forms like crying is
looked down upon as aligning with traditional feminine sentiment.
Toxic masculinity also dictates that the only emotion men can express is anger, which can hinder men from
getting in touch with other things they’re feeling. (Katz, It’s The Masculinity, Stupid: A Cultural Studies Analysis
of Media, the Presidency, and Pedagogy)

Power, Culture, the Media and the Internet

As our thesis attempts to influence young Filipino men to challenge their “toxically masculine” ways of thinking
and acting, the works of French philosopher Michel Foucault and the Italian Marxist thinker Antoni Gramsci are
necessarily included in our theoretical framework.
Hegemony is the process by which dominant culture maintains its dominant position, and when we speak
of hegemony we have also to discuss power. This is why this paper ’s theoretical framework also includes the
works of Foucault and Gramsci. These two thinkers are invaluable for anyone who seeks to makes sense of the
complexities of modern forms of social life – and more so for those who seek to challenge and change these.
Both thinkers discuss power and hegemony and how these are maintained by the dominant cultur e.
For Foucault, “power is everywhere”, and power relations are embedded in social life. Life in society, literally
from the cradle to the grave, inevitably involves actions being exercised on others actions. (Foucault)
Antoni Gramsci on the other hand has a “nuanced” notion of power and believes that power operates
mostly at the level of mutual interactions of culture, economy and politics within the realm of a “hegemonic”
discourse. (Gramsci)
In devising their theories of power and ideology both Gramsci and Foucault diffuse the power relations to
the complex mechanisms of society. (Daldal)
Power in Gramscian analysis resides in ideology. Or in other words, when an indiv idual becomes conscious
of the complex social network–hegemonic forces–within – or for our purposes, when a young man realizes that
his thinking is “toxically masculine” and is harmful to others, for example – this already generates power.
In addition, once a social group is able to modify the collection of these relations and make it “common
sense,” it is already challenging a hegemonic order.
The concept of power is everywhere in Foucault’s analyses as well as in his theory. For Foucault, power is
“omnipresent.” It comes from everywhere and is produced every moment. (Foucault)
Like Gramsci, Foucault also sees power as a relation of force that only exists in action. Foucault’s main
difference from Gramsci is that the latter sa w power relations in terms of binary oppositions – the leaders vis-à-
vis or against the led, the rulers over the ruled, etc. For Foucault though, power – as well as the resistance it –
are diffused and not localized in some points. (Daldal)
Foucault is also important to our work because he has been extremely influential among feminist scholars,
especially his reflections on discipline, power, sexuality and subjectivity – all of which are particularly relevant
to feminist analysis.
 At the same time Foucault has also pointed out how discourse – or the way a subject is talked about –
defines and delimits what is possible and impossible to say about the subject. (Foucault) From this perspective,
ideology inheres in discourse and contributes to sustaining hegemony. (Foucault)
These are relevant to this thesis, as it is clear that the mass media and the Internet has the power to
promote, sustain and spread toxic masculinity – and concurrently, to subvert or challenge this and promote,
sustain and spread more positive forms of masculinity.
Meanwhile, with the explosion of wireless communication in the early 21st century, we can say that most
of the world’s people are connected. At this point in time, there’s no denying that the Internet is truly the
decisive technology of the Information Age.
The use of social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tinder has become the
cornerstone of modern communication and connection as these grant us ers a sense of belonging, and help them
define their ways of being.
Most importantly, the Internet and social media has significantly transformed the lives of young people
across the world – and continues to do so on a daily basis. The childhoods of today’s youth are significantly
mediated through the social media, mobile phones and the Internet. Peer –to–peer interaction, friendships and
even intimate relationships are increasingly conducted online or through text messaging. Thus, this paper also
includes in its theoretical framework the works of British sociologist Frank Furedi. In many of his more recent
writing, Furedi discusses concerns that the ascendancy of the electronic media represent a corrosive influence
on public life, the digitalization of childhood, and the rise of the “bedroom culture” as a product of the
confinement of children indoors and the rise of the Internet, digital technologies and social media.
 IV. METHODOLOGY

Research Design

Methods Mapping
I. What are Pastor Hokage groups? (Who, What, How)
- Quantitative data collection
• Online surveys
 Multiple choice questions
- Qualitative data (for public opinion and/or narrative research)
• Social media research
• Active interviews
I. A. How are they a manifestation of toxic masculinity?
- Cognitive interviews + purposive sampling (ex. Interview with sociology professor)
B. What is the definition of toxic masculinity?
- Literature review (pt. 2)
- Online research
II. What factors contribute to the rise of these groups?
- Literature review (pt. 3)
- Phenomenological analysis of meaning making
• Active interviews
II. Is there a specifically Filipino form of toxic masculinity?
• Active interviews
IV. What information and communications technology (ICT) methods can be used to counteract this and
promote positive masculinity?
- Literature review (pt. 5)
• Secondary Research based on data collection from ini tial research
- Artistic inquiries
• Visual Research
- Mobile methodologies
- Visual Representation
V. What are the User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX) designs that should be considered in order to
develop effective transmedia/informational campaign to promote positive masculinity?
- Artistic inquiries
• Visual Research
- Mobile methodologies
- Visual Representation
- Online research
- Evaluation of applied research
 PHASES INSTRUMENT PROCEDURE
Preparation The parameters for the sample groups
are based on the accessibility of the
researcher.
Respondents from members of Pastor
Hokage groups are contacted for
interview.
Look for experts in the topic of toxic
masculinity and Pastor Hokage culture.
Look for government cases/policies
that Pastor Hokage members violate
Interview Questions are based on the
research objectives.
Look for literature on UI/UX design and
sample works/campaigns for analysis
Phase 1 Case Studies from 5-10 respondents 1. Look for respondents from within the
possible Pastor Hokage groups
2. Contact participant to schedule an
interview
3. Prepare interview questions
appropriate to the respondent/s
situation, needs or knowledge
4. Conduct the interview
5. Analysis of data gathered from
respondent.
Phase 2 Interview with experts in the fields of: 1. After analysis of data, re-construct
- Sociologists questions to better answer
- Psychologists objectives/sub-questions of research.
- Feminists 2. Prepare interview questions
- Historians 3. Contact interviewees and schedule
- Media Studies Experts interviews
- Educators 4. Conduct the interview
5. Analysis of data
Phase 3 Case studies for UI/UX designs on
effective transmedia/informational
campaign
Phase 4 Online surveys 1. Create a survey with multiple choice
questionnaire to be able to narrow
down effective visual communication
strategies in addressing pastor
Hokage culture online
2. Invite participants online
3. Gather data
4. Analysis of data
 The first part of this thesis seeks to understand the phenomenon represented by the Pastor Hokage Bible
Study Groups and similar groups. To do achieve this, our research design is both exploratory and interpretative,
and is aimed toward theory-building.
Qualitative data was collected using a combination of three methods:
1. Secondary data gathering and analysis involved very extensive literature research. Thi s involved scouring
the Internet for all possible information on the topic and a search of academic journals. The following key
words were used:
- PHBSG
- Pastor Hokage Bible Study Groups
- PHBSG Philippines
2. Structured interview with experts from four fields -- sociology, feminism, psychology, communications – to
help build an understanding of the phenomenon from these perspectives (historical, sociological, feminist,
psychological).
3. Data on the activities of PHBSG members was also collected using interviews with experts who were able
to infiltrate these groups, mainly sociology student Jasmin Ado and member s of Catcalled in the Philippines.
Data examined included screenshots of PHBSG conversations, as well as photos and videos shared.
4. A very extensive background research was also undertaken on hegemonic masculinity, toxic masculinity,
hostile masculinity, patriarchy, feminism, sexual harassment and violence against women, visual learning
and social media. Mainly we used Google Scholar and JSTOR.
But because this is a Visual Communications thesis, the second part explored how the very same media and
tools used to spread this form of toxic masculinity can also be used to promote more positive forms of
masculinity. These tools were developed with the help and guidance of media studies experts, psychologists,
sociologists, feminists, educators as well as the help of young male member of a University of the Philippines -
based fraternity.

List of Key Interviews

1. Jasmin Ado, Sociology master’s student who infiltrated PHBSGs
2. Cidee Despi, Communications professional (Project Manager at Asia Society for Social Improvement and
Sustainable Transformation – ASSIST)
3. Prof. Jane Vinculado, Professor, UP College of Mass Communications
4. Adrienne Onday, Sociology professional, Center for Policy and Executive Development (CPED)
5. Prof. Nathalie Africa-Verceles, Director, UP Center for Women's Studies
6. Catcalled in the Philippines , the activist group that first monitored and reported PHBSGs
- Mikers Litton, Communications professional
- Kenneth Yu, Digital marketing professional
- Talia Ruiz, Psychology major
- Brenda Depasupil , photographer
7. Lovely Ramos, Gabriela (General Assembly Binding Women for Reforms, Integrity, Equality, Leadership,
and Action)
8. Gabriel Angelo Gilas, Occupational therapy student and former Pastor member (by accident)

Research Instruments
Questions for Sociologists
Part 1: Explaining the phenomenon
Have you heard of the recent phenomena called Pastor Hokage Bible Study Groups?
What sociological factors do you think contribute to the rise of these groups among Filipino men and teens?
What is toxic masculinity?
Do you think there is a specifically Filipino form of toxic masculinity as opposed to more Western or perhaps
East Asian versions?
Part 2:
Do you think the Internet contributes to the rise of these groups?
Do you think it contributes to the spread of these groups?
Part 3: Nurturing positive forms of masculinity
How can more positive forms of masculinity be promoted among young Filipino men and teens?
Can the Internet play a role in nurturing more positive forms of masculinity among young Filipino men and
teens?

Questions for Psychologists

Part 1: Explaining the phenomenon
Have you heard of the recent phenomena called Pastor Hokage Bible Study Groups?
What psychological factors do you think contribute to the rise of these groups among Filipino men and teens?
What is toxic masculinity?
Do you think there is a specifically Filipino form of toxic masculinity as opposed to more Western o r perhaps
East Asian versions?
Part 2:
Do you think the Internet contributes to the rise of these groups?
Do you think it contributes to the spread of these groups?
Part 3: Nurturing positive forms of masculinity
How can more positive forms of masculinity be promoted among young Filipino men and teens?
Can the Internet play a role in nurturing more positive forms of masculinity among young Filipino men and
teens?

Questions for Women’s Studies Experts

Part 1: Explaining the phenomenon
Have you heard of the recent phenomena called Pastor Hokage Bible Study Groups?
How can you explain this phenomenon from a feminist point of view?
Do you think there is a specifically Filipino form of toxic masculinity as opposed to more Western or perhaps
East Asian versions?
Part 2:
Do you think the Internet contributes to the rise of these groups?
Do you think it contributes to the spread of these groups?
Part 3: Nurturing positive forms of masculinity
How can more positive forms of masculinity be promoted among young Filipino men and teens?
Can the Internet play a role in nurturing more positive forms of masculinity among young Filipino men and
teens?

Questions for Media Studies Experts

Part 1: Explaining the phenomenon
Have you heard of the recent phenomena called Pastor Hokage Bible Study Groups?
How can you explain this phenomenon from a feminist point of view?
Do you think there is a specifically Filipino form of toxic masculinity as opposed to more Western or perhaps
East Asian versions?
Part 2:
Do you think the Internet contributes to the rise of these groups?
Do you think it contributes to the spread of these groups?
Part 3: Nurturing positive forms of masculinity
How can more positive forms of masculinity be promoted among young Filipino men and teens?
Can the Internet play a role in nurturing more positive forms of masculinity among young Filipino men and
teens?

Questions for Catcalled in the Philippines

Part 1: Explaining the phenomenon
Have you heard of the recent phenomena called Pastor Hokage Bible Study Groups?
How can you explain this phenomenon from a feminist point of view?
Do you think there is a specifically Filipino form of toxic masculinity as opposed to more Western or perhaps
East Asian versions?
Part 2:
Do you think the Internet contributes to the rise of these groups?
Do you think it contributes to the spread of these groups?
Part 3: Nurturing positive forms of masculinity
How can more positive forms of masculinity be promoted among young Filipino men and teens?
Can the Internet play a role in nurturing more positive forms of masculinity among young Filipino men and
teens?
 V. PRESENTATION OF DATA ANALYSIS
Pastor Hokage Bible Study Groups: Description and History
In July 2017, the Filipino public was shocked by revelations of the rapid and widespread growth of “Pastor
Hokage Bible Study groups” (PHBSGs) – social media groups that first sprung up on Facebook, curated by
young Filipino men for the main purpose of sharing sexually explicit or simply sexualized content of Filipina
women and even preteens girls.
Members of these groups are a motley crew: They come from across the country’s 146 cities and 1,488
towns, from both rural and urban areas. They have different jobs and represent all marital statuses. An initial
investigation by Miguel Escobar of Esquire Philippines magazine who was the first journalist to break the story
on these groups found that one PHBSG member was a seaman, another one was an electrician, another one
worked at “The Krusty Krab,” one was a concierge at a beach resort in Boracay, another a purchasing officer at
a small grocery in Tuguegarao, and yet another member was a sales clerk at a toy store in Robinsons Las Piñas.
(Escobar, The Dark Side of Filipino Facebook https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/notes-and-essays/the-
rise-of-pastor-culture-and-why-it-must-end-a1513-20170629-lfrm)
But all of them are young. While there are a sprinkling of middle-aged men in their 40s, most members
were Millennials and Generation Zers – Filipino men in their teens, 20s and 30s. PHBSGs is also working- class
territory: most members belong to the lower economic classes D and E. (Mary Rose Angel C. Balasa)
Like other viral phenomena on social media, the rapid spread of Pastor Hokage Bible Study groups was
phenomenal: In the middle of 2017, some of the bigger groups had memberships ranging from 9,000 to two
million. “Bible Study ni Pastor Hokage” – the largest of these groups and the original – had 2.9 million
members, while many others had members hips in the tens of thousands.
In an April 26 2017 post, the admin of “Bible Study ni Pastor Hokage” boasted (translation):
“This is how our secret group started: at first, we only have a few selected members then one day, I
woke up and we had one million members then after three months, people reported our page. That’s
when fake (Bible Study) groups came out claiming they’re the original hokage. A lot of them may have
copied us but most of them are just consisting of women posting their own photos for the sake of likes.
They seemed to forget the concept of “Bible Study of Pastor Hokage.” Long live and thank you for all
the legitimate members. Can I get an amen?” (Sarthou)

Feeding Frenzies of Sexual or Sexualized Content

These groups were created for only one purpose: for young Filipino men and male teenagers to hold sexual
“feeding frenzies” on Facebook. During such “frenzies,” members post, share, comment on and bond over
sexual and sexualized images and videos of women and even teenage girls.
The truth of the matter is that these groups have also sprung out of hypocritical social conditions: PHBSGs
were begun by young men as a way to circumvent the blocking of online porn sites by internet service
providers and office IT administrators. (Layug) Access to internet pornography is legal but frowned upon in
Philippines, where sexual mores are puritanical on one hand but confused on another, inconsistent and
hypocritical. The deeply ingrained puritanical Catholic tradition is layered upon a more sexually liberal
prehispanic culture and this is now challenged by a modern Western sexuality that is shaped and enabled by
digital technologies and demands more sexual freedoms.
While posting of sexual content or even of pornography is not wrong in and of itself, what is clearly wrong
– and even illegal – is that these content (photos and videos) were taken, uploaded and shared without the
consent and even knowledge of the subjects /victims, who are all exclusively female.
Content – which ranges from slightly racy photographs portraying women in seductive clothing or poses to
downright pornographic material – can be shared by any member. Members then bond with each other by
expressing approval, mostly by commenting “Amen!” on posted content. To be accepted as a “pastor” or a
member, a new user must present an “ambag” – a contribution of any new content. (Mary Rose Angel C.
Balasa)
Sometimes, content is comprised of pornographic material created explicitly for public consumption –
such as the Abbie Tolentino sex scandal or photos of mestiza-looking gamer-girl-next-doors Bianca Yao and
Ann Mateo. But more overwhelmingly, it is of the more personal kind: members post photos of their inti mate
partners or even videos of them having sex with their former girlfriends or wives. They take candid photos of
classmates and stolen shots of female friends, or photos of random women on the street.
Occasionally, there are women who pos t their own photos in the groups and offer sex for money (ranging
from Php5,000. to Php8,000.), according to informants who are also members, but whether these posts are
really from sex workers has not been verified. (Mary Rose Angel C. Balasa)
To show approval, members comment “amen” or “hymen” to indicate their thanks to the person who
makes the “offering.” Sometimes, members would comment “rapbeh” which is a shorter term for “sarap ng
babae” (tasty girl) to express their approval of the new content. Or approval can be expressed by saying
“approve,” “okay, “sarap” (delicious).
“Ambag” is a Filipino term which means “contribute”. To remain a group member, a “pastor” must
continuously make “ambags” of new content. Failure to do so can result in expulsion from the group. This
“ambag” rule, drawn from the computer gaming culture, means that members are encouraged – or even
pressured – to throw their own original content into the session, so they tend to post whatever they can get
their hands on using social media. Despite this rule, the drastic increase in members outweighed the number
of people being expelled.
This is why there are a lot of photos and videos – both pornographic and some simply sexualized – of
“normal”, everyday women and girls (i.e., not bold stars, actresses, famous people or porn actresses), offered
up for the “pastor’s” pleasure. In these PHBSGs, these photos and videos that objectify these unsuspecting
females are turned into social currency.
The posts rack up thousands of likes and comments – evidence that these PHBS communities are
incredibly active and engaged. Members often invite each other to group chats, where this exchange of
materials – which they call “lapagan”– becomes even more explicit.
The groups use religious terms for practical reasons – as way to prevent their discovery by Facebook,
which bans sexually explicit content aside from violent content. But the fact that groups like this – with
memberships in the hundreds of thousands and that trade in sexual content – appropriated religious terms
also indicates the deep cynicism today’s youth have for Filipino traditional Catholicism-influenced sexual
mores.
PHBSG members call themselves and each other “pastor” and “pastora”. Some groups also have a sort of
ranking system based on the gaming system that again appropriates the hierarchies in the Catholic/Christian:
pastor, aprentis, sacristan, santo papa, obispo.

Hokage
The term “Hokage” is lifted from the world-renowned Japanese manga and Japanese animation series Naruto,
which became popular at the turn of the millennium and the noughties (1998-2008), at around the time that
the majority of “pastors” were anywhere between their pre-school and pre-adolescent years.
Although the term only means village l eader in Japanese, in the anime Naruto, “Hokage” is portrayed as a
very powerful man who rules over a village, who is better than average in performing powerful spells.
“Hokage” in Naruto refers to a village leader who is also the village’s strongest ninja . As used by PHBG
members, however, it misogynistically refers to a man who is “talented” in enticing women to do his sexual
bidding. (Mary Rose Angel C. Balasa) To say you’re a hokage means that you’re quick and highly tactical –
more like an adept ninja – in terms of sexual prowess.
The term has now, in fact, become unquestionably part of Filipino Millennial-speak: taking into account
the concept of a ‘Hokage’ as a person with the ability to perform distinct and powerful spel ls, Pinoy youth now
use the term for men who are able to skillfully steal kisses/hugs/sexual touches from women or convince
women to do their sexual bidding.
The following is a listing of Pastor Hokage Bible Study Groups that were reported by Catcalled in the
Philippines, and taken down by Facebook:
Table of Pastor Hokage Bible
(Before these were taken down by Facebook after being reported)

Name Link to FB page (before taken down) Admin/s No. of

Members
1. Bible Study Of https://www.facebook.com/groups/hcelemardA Pacia Richard Royce https://www.facebook.com/lastexiled 1,600,000
Pastor Hokage
2. Mang Kanor https://www.facebook.com/groups/CuteExtremeLegends.official Madel R. Romero https://www.facebook.com/mads.romero.1 280,000
University Froilhan DM https://www.facebook.com/asdFADMthusk
CJ Naval https://www.facebook.com/sidyeynaval
Pacia Richard Royce https://www.facebook.com/lastexiled
3. Bible Study Of https://www.facebook.com/groups/peramoneykwarta Mae Caravana 60,000
Pastor Kanor https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100013344667999
Jio Hattori https://www.facebook.com/KingJio24
Froilhan DM https://www.facebook.com/asdFADMthusk
4. Bible Study Of https://www.facebook.com/BibleStudyOfPastorHokage/) 41,000
Pastor Hokage
5. BIBLE STUDY OF https://www.facebook.com/groups/233745983779502 Cris Christian Padua https://www.facebook.com/sirc.audap 16,000
PASTOR HOKAGE
v.1 (Caloocan
Chapter)
6. BSOPH OFFICIAL https://www.facebook.com/groups/1907585266165584 Cris Darryl Gal Bayani https://www.facebook.com/dbayani10 7,100
GROUP BIBLE Bullet Depano https://www.facebook.com/BulletDepano24
STUDY OF
PASTOR HOKAGE
7. BSOPH OFFICIAL https://www.facebook.com/groups/EvangeloPena Rey Geo Lofranco https://www.facebook.com/geo06.net 6,700
GROUP REBORN Evangelo Peña https://www.facebook.com/evangelo.pena.54
Bible Study of
Pastorang
Hokage

8. BIBLE STUDY NI https://www.facebook.com/groups/498771667121585 Dennis Joaquin 6,100

PASTOR ASIONG https://www.facebook.com/brownboyd.padrigo.7
 NEW HOKAGE
GROUP
9. BSOPH OFFICIAL https://www.facebook.com/groups/1440346492702248 Daryll Dave Suico Magalong 5,800
GROUP Bible https://www.facebook.com/darylldave.magalong
Study of Russel Malilin https://www.facebook.com/russel.malilin.1
Pastorang Arnel Garciano Dejito III
Hokage https://www.facebook.com/Arneldejito2
Arnel Garciano Dejito
https://www.facebook.com/ArnelGarcianoDejito
Arnel Garciano Dejito
https://www.facebook.com/KINGarnelDEJITO

10. Bible Study of https://www.facebook.com/groups/290951641354117 Jaymar Pinakamay https://www.facebook.com/jaymar257 5,000

Pastor Hokage v9
11. BSOPH LAST https://www.facebook.com/groups/1576513599046827 Mar,000Angelo Dominico 5,000
RIDE! https://www.facebook.com/markangelo.dominico.7
Nomrel Sebastian
https://www.facebook.com/EasyAkoLangToXD
12. Bible Study of https://www.facebook.com/groups/426232194376523 Koys Benjie Campado 4,600
Pastor Hokage https://www.facebook.com/benjie.campado
“official group” Trebla Maidnus Guyal
https://www.facebook.com/rastafari an.23
Tyron Jred Torres https://www.facebook.com/TJredT
Jerome Tulo https://www.facebook.com/jeromezkie0o6
13. BIBLE STUDY NI https://www.facebook.com/groups/498771667121585/ Dennis Joaquin 4,200
PASTOR ASIONG https://www.facebook.com/brownboyd.padrigo.7
NEW HOKAGE
GROUP
14. BSOPH OFFICIAL https://www.facebook.com/groups/308157942955160 4,200
GROUP
15. BIBLE STUDY OF https://www.facebook.com/groups/199311327219803 3,500
PASTOR HOKAGE
VALENZUELA
CHAPTER
16. Bible study ni https://www.facebook.com/groups/213474912486891/ Mhaku Chan https://www.facebook.com/mhaku.chan 3,200
Pastor Jessie
17. BSOPH Bible https://www.facebook.com/groups/BSOPH.Official Abel Trilles 3,100
Study Of Pastor https://www.facebook.com/AkosiAbelTrilles.Official/
Hokage Abel Trilles https://www.facebook.com/AVGT.Account
Abel Trilles
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009094108726
18. Bible Study https://www.facebook.com/groups/291357311305230 Admin: 3,000
Hokage R-Jay Cabe https://www.facebook.com/cabe.rjay
19. BIBLE STUDY OF https://www.facebook.com/groups/1223978804415296 Alivar Plaza Brzy https://www.facebook.com/alivar.plaza.1 2,700
PASTOR HOKAGE JR Plaza https://www.facebook.com/alivarplaza
LEGIT GI AN Lorenz Brzy https://www.facebook.com/gian.lorenz.52
PHILIPPINES James Carlo Camonias Carlos
https://www.facebook.com/jamescarlo.carlos
20. BSOPH V5 https://www.facebook.com/groups/1168458719946909 Ronald Erqs Delosreyes 2,600
HOKAGE https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100010388025878
21. BSOPH OFFICIAL https://www.facebook.com/groups/131946284028061 Erwin Molero https://www.facebook.com/moleroerwin 2,300
GROUP BIBLE
STUDY OF
PASTOR
22. Bible Study Of https://www.facebook.com/groups/1677499622266553 Jeniva Santos https://www.facebook.com/ashley.ventures.9 2,200
Pastor Hokage
23. Pastor Hokage https://www.facebook.com/groups/1712330432327681 Leandro McGrey https://www.facebook.com/chris.alcazar.752 2,100
(Bible study of Tumolva Francis Galamay
pastor) https://www.facebook.com/heather.soleil
Ryel Cunanan https://www.facebook.com/yelyelryel27
Angelo Mercado
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100008211185186
Kenneth Cunanan Simbulan
https://www.facebook.com/simbulanpogi
24. Bible study of https://www.facebook.com/groups/130389970865971 Mar,000Montañio 2,000
pastor hokage v1 https://www.facebook.com/mark.montanio.581

25. BSOPPH Official https://www.facebook.com/groups/255304114930539 Berwin Saril https://www.facebook.com/berwin.saril 2,000

Study (BIBLE
STORY OF
 PASTOR
&PASTORA
HOKAGE
26. Samakaba bible https://www.facebook.com/groups/271627103304020 Jenny Sanchez https://www.facebook.com/q7584759643 2,000
study of pastor Dhienz Orenciada https://www.facebook.com/dhienz09
TJ Pergoni https://www.facebook.com/william.pergoni
27. The Bible Study https://www.facebook.com/groups/1360318860681287 Vonn As Axel Calacala 2,000
Of Pastor Hokage https://www.facebook.com/vonncalacala
2.0
28. pampanga https://www.facebook.com/groups/114218229137951 Shan Villar https://www.facebook.com/abcdefghij1234 1,900
chapter bible Alvin Layva https://www.facebook.com/alvin.layva
study ni asiong Harris Orquia https://www.facebook.com/harris.orquia
TJ Lugue https://www.facebook.com/tj.lugue
Mats Oniuqa https://www.facebook.com/mhike3
29. BIBLE STUDY NI https://www.facebook.com/groups/481143832233216 Joyce De Leon https://www.facebook.com/cristine.mallari.921 1,800
PASTORTM John Macabenta Yumul
ASIONG NEW https://www.facebook.com/johnjohn2192
TESTAMENT

30. Samakaba bible https://www.facebook.com/groups/299207357184909 Justin Miguel Santos Anisco 1,700

study version 0.2 https://www.facebook.com/Anisco.justine
Alas Abakadaz https://www.facebook.com/arnie.umaga.16
Aaron Justice Padilla Agoncillo
https://www.facebook.com/aaron.j.agoncillo
Ryan Macatangay
https://www.facebook.com/ryan.macatangay.3
Albrox Delatorre
https://www.facebook.com/Albroxdelatorre02
Nathaniel Manalaysay
https://www.facebook.com/nathaniel.manalaysay.1

31. BIBLE STUDY OF https://www.facebook.com/groups/1333100996809873 Gilbert Completo 1,700

PASTOR HOKAGE https://www.facebook.com/gilbert.completo.3
JR Plaza https://www.facebook.com/alivarplaza
James Carlo Camonias Carlos
https://www.facebook.com/jamescarlo.carlos
32. Bible Study of https://www.facebook.com/groups/167311300470686 Aly Arkadata https://www.facebook.com/alysang30 1,600
Pastor Hokage lll Jomzky Mondragon
Yummy https://www.facebook.com/jenmar.mondragon
33. BSOPH BIBLE https://www.facebook.com/groups/138337850054638 XChristian B. Baluyotx https://www.facebook.com/crosscute 1,600
STUDY OF
PASTOR
HOKAGEBATAAN
CHAPTER
34. bible study of https://www.facebook.com/groups/590491631157585 Aliisa Vidad https://www.facebook.com/aliisa.vidad 1,500
pastor hokage Nhim Sy Yu https://www.facebook.com/Chuness08
Benjie Mananayaw Anxious
https://www.facebook.com/darline.javar
35. BIBLE STUDY NI https://www.facebook.com/groups/1961308564099879 1,200
PASTOR HOKAGE
18+
36. Bible study ni https://www.facebook.com/groups/293454947746067 Khen Tulaylay https://www.facebook.com/khen2914 1,100
Pastor Asiong
New Testament
37. Bible Study Ni https://www.facebook.com/groups/1549345188474324 Ashley Eran https://www.facebook.com/Ashley23040 1,000
Pastor Asiong
[Galawang
Hokage]
38. Bible Study https://www.facebook.com/groups/1436752013053296/ Neo Alvarez https://www.facebook.com/Zeravla.oen 1,000
Pastor Hokage Jherome Apuro https://www.facebook.com/Jherome.Pojii
QuezonCity
Chapter
39. Bible Study Of https://www.facebook.com/groups/1928209924080070 Enilyc Adnagam https://www.facebook.com/cyline.tababa 1,000
Pastor Hokage Akashi Seijuro
BSOPH https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100014520600292
40. Bible study ni https://www.facebook.com/groups/132614830648503 Jamela Clifford https://www.facebook.com/jamela.clifford.39 980
pastor hokage
41. BSOPH BIBLE https://www.facebook.com/groups/1454503764643689 Pedro Norte Jr. 900
STUDY OF https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100016033173713
PASTOR HOKAGE Armando Pineda
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100017814366590
42. BSOPH Bible https://www.facebook.com/groups/182903612240042 Sunny Quinn https://www.facebook.com/wagpokoya1234 880
Study Of Pastora
Daisy Syete
Pababa
43. Bible Study Of https://www.facebook.com/groups/486503058367026 Kyla Reyes https://www.facebook.com/KylaGwaps08 870
Pastor Hokage ÎDøl Jäšpër Uv https://www.facebook.com/jaskie01
Jomar Alaba https://www.facebook.com/Jomarcute143
44. BIBLE STUDY OF the new one 700
PASTOR HOKAGE https://www.facebook.com/groups/257236498080369/

45. Pastor hokage https://www.facebook.com/groups/260078074432519 700

bible study
version 5.0
46. BSOPH version 5 https://www.facebook.com/groups/225569027952258 Philip Sheng Fiesta https://www.facebook.com/philip.fiesta.9 670
reborn Bible
Study Of Pastor
Hokage
47. BSOPH 2nd https://www.facebook.com/groups/128680597709013 Delos Santos Rebustes Rogine 630
PASTOR- https://www.facebook.com/Uzzyshark
PASTORA John Henry Vitos https://www.facebook.com/Uzzyshark
Christian Legaspi
https://www.facebook.com/christian.legaspi.756

48. BSOPH bible https://www.facebook.com/groups/774232046070028 Joshua Coronel https://www.facebook.com/joshua.coronel.1 600

study of pastor Karl Raven Sausa https://www.facebook.com/popekarlxiii
HOKAGE Vince Avinante https://www.facebook.com/vince.avinante
tayuman
binangonan
chapter

49. BSOPH MAASIN https://www.facebook.com/groups/673725146144090 600

CHAPTER
50. BSOPH 2 bible https://www.facebook.com/groups/pastorbusyong19 Grazier Tomodachi 580
study of pastor https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100012023622436
hokage Gypson Salazar https://www.facebook.com/gypson.s alazar.5
Red https://www.facebook.com/red.lopez.1232
 Luke Farin https://www.facebook.com/zyrhille.farin
51. BSOPH OFFICIAL https://www.facebook.com/groups/1883194445027691 Manacpo Junric,000https://www.facebook.com/bhoxzpinya 580
GROUP Bible
Study of Pastor
Hokage

52. BIBLE STUDY OF https://www.facebook.com/groups/461545594199461 Reynana Blaza https://www.facebook.com/reynana.blaza 440

PASTOR HOKAGE Reynan Blaza
V.3 pampanga https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009298997884
chap Steve Agustin Martinez
https://www.facebook.com/SAM.martunez

53. BSOPH OFFICIAL https://www.facebook.com/groups/434497230268840 Jerwin Lim https://www.facebook.com/biboycarin 430

GROUP Jerwin Lim II https://www.facebook.com/limzkie75
REBORNBible Axl John Manuel
Study of https://www.facebook.com/axljohn.manuel.3
Pastorang Kellin Lim Zurc https://www.facebook.com/jerwinlim06
Hokage
54. BIBLE STUDY NI https://www.facebook.com/groups/688787451310227 Joshua Dungca 400
PASTOR ASIONG https://www.facebook.com/joshua.dungca.1426
TM NEW
TESTAMENT
55. Bible Study of https://www.facebook.com/groups/228092260995683 380
Pastor Hokage
BSPHv5
56. Bible Study Of https://www.facebook.com/groups/112478899342702 Cacius N Reyes https://www.facebook.com/caciusreyes25 280
Pastor Hokage Reniel Ellana https://www.facebook.com/ellana798
VOL.XXX Marlon Mangunay https://www.facebook.com/Mrln03
Ace Reyes https://www.facebook.com/cybenace
57. BIBLE STUDY NI https://www.facebook.com/groups/1338007816264619 260
PASTOR ASIONG
58. BSOPH Palautog https://www.facebook.com/groups/1572171282829437 Båê Jåyson https://www.facebook.com/Jaysongalo0320 210
Official
59. Bible study Ni https://www.facebook.com/groups/780706635435614 Rey Irving Luna 190
pastor asiong https://www.facebook.com/reynaldo.luna.3939
new testament...
60. bible study of https://www.facebook.com/groups/1897537277182495 Skyline Pigeon https://www.facebook.com/kristella.torres 190
pastor asiong
new testament
61. pastor hokage https://www.facebook.com/groups/735306609976157 Kirarah Himaru https://www.facebook.com/kirarah.himaru 170
bible study Janenuel Canangga GalLardo
ivisanvchapter https://www.facebook.com/mrdrie.gallardo
62. BIBLE STUDY OF https://www.facebook.com/groups/1919682581644580 100
PASTOR HOKAGE
VERSION NATEN
63. BSOPH OFFICIAL https://www.facebook.com/groups/1956745324560738 Luke Farin https://www.facebook.com/zyrhille.farin 85
GROUP REBORN
64. BSOPH OFFICIAL https://www.facebook.com/groups/523522571104749 80
GROUP NEW
BORN BIBLE
STUDY PASTOR
HOKAGE

65. Bible study of https://www.facebook.com/groups/2077017795858399 Janna Alonzo https://www.facebook.com/janna.alonzo.56 80

pastor Hokage
ambag na yung
alay mo

66. Bible study https://www.facebook.com/groups/631389013715086 Ron R Salinas https://www.facebook.com/ronel.salinas .1 70

pastor hokage
67. Bible Study Of https://www.facebook.com/groups/298803263864053 Jayson De Guzman https://www.facebook.com/JDeguzman12 55
Pastor Hokage Jerome Bastian Pagal https://www.facebook.com/jpagal18
BSOPH
68. Team Hokageh https://www.facebook.com/groups/164646557404210/ Arsenio Cenas Kitkat https://www.facebook.com/arsening3 50
BSOPH
69. BSOPH BIBLE https://www.facebook.com/groups/466091653745419 40
STUDY OF
PASTOR HOKAGE
OFFICIAL GROUP
70. pastor busyong https://www.facebook.com/groups/326076987824317 30
@bsoph
71. BSOPH V3 https://www.facebook.com/groups/293461141119125 30
72. BSOPH - https://www.facebook.com/groups/617552098450113 Troi Angob https://www.facebook.com/TroinotTroy 26
SURIGAO
CHAPTER
73. BSOPH OFFICIAL https://www.facebook.com/groups/277955866001121 Richard Ballea https://www.facebook.com/richard.ballea 20
GROUP Bible
Study of pastor
hokage

74. BSOPH”Team https://www.facebook.com/groups/685786821624700 Rhon Sniper https://www.facebook.com/rhon.sniper.7 20

malibog”LAHAT
pwedi basta OK
75. bsoph official https://www.facebook.com/groups/757360101055851 Jhanel Castro https://www.facebook.com/jhanel.castro.9 20
bible study all
religion group
hokage
76. BSOPH OFFICIAL https://www.facebook.com/groups/1908068469451492 20
GROUP REBON
77. BSOPH NEW v1 https://www.facebook.com/groups/464829123858100/ 12

78. Bsoph Oficial https://www.facebook.com/groups/850173371801233 Rafael T Delarosa 10

Group BIBLE https://www.facebook.com/rafaeldelarosa66
STUDY OF
PASTOR HOKAGE
79. Bible Study of https://www.facebook.com/groups/1188013871327572 Hanna Isabella https://www.facebook.com/xaviery.bastistiana 4
Pastor Hokage
Original [Legit] II
80. Bible Study Ni https://www.facebook.com/groups/1454481761257847 4
Pastor Asiong TM
BAGONG TIPAN
 Pastor Hokage Subculture
By the time these groups gained notoriety, brought to the public’s gaze by a feature a rticle about it on the
magazine Esquire and followed up by news coverage by television journalist Ted Failon, these groups had
developed into a full -fledged subculture, with its own language, its own codes, and its own personalities and
practices. Some quirks include a seemingly universal worship of GMA-7’s Kim Domingo and a love of cars.
Like every subculture spawned in bowels of the Internet, it’s dispersed and unorganized, with no
immediately discernible origin or leader.
Some Google search terms the were used to reach the now-defunct groups are:
PASTOR HOKAGE BIBLE STUDY
pastor hokage bible study pictures
bible study of pastor hokage dot com
ambag pastor
ambag ni pastor
twitter pastor hokage
bible study of pastor hokage website
bible study of pastorhokage
bible study of pastor hokage video
pastor hukagi
kapilya ni pastor hokage
facebook pastor hokage
pastor hokage google drive
Filipino pastors
In June 2017, Facebook shut down most of these PHBSGs after the activist Facebook group Catcalled in
the Philippines vigilantly monitored and reported the activities of these groups.
But at this point the groups were numerous and widespread enough to comprise a social movement, and
as a movement, it simply went underground. There is enough to proof to show that th ese groups simply
changed their names and still exist. (Ado). Some of them have sprouted in other Internet platforms, such as
Reddit. Other pastors have resorted to private chats to carry on their sexual feeding frenzies. One person I
interviewed was given access to a Google drive that contains a database of sexual and sexualized images. (Ado)
Another former member said he simply searches for, and always finds, new “Pastor” groups online when
specific group he is in closed down. He has already done this twice. (Mary Rose Angel C. Balasa)
New groups that sprung up after the original groups were reported in July 2017 by netizens, and Catcalled in
the Philippines:

- BSOPH OFFICIAL GROUP (NEW BORN) BIBLE STUDY PASTOR HOKAGE

- BSOPH OFFICIAL GROUP (Bible Study of Pastor Hokage)
- BIBLE STUDY NI PASTOR ASIONG TM NEW TESTAMENT
- Bible Study Ni Pastor AsiongTM BAGONG TIPAN
- BSOPH (MAASIN CHAPTER)
- BSOPH OFFICIAL GROUP (Bible Study of Pastorang Hokage)
- BSOPH 2nd PASTOR-PASTORA
- BSOPH NEW v1
- BSOPH OFFICIAL GROUP REBON
- bsoph official bible study all religion group hokage
- pastor busyong @(bsoph)
- BSOPH OFFICIAL GROUP REBORN
- Bsoph Oficial Group (BIBLE STUDY OF PASTOR HOKAGE)
- PPOT ARMY 100/ X-FILES
- BSOPH OFFICIAL GROUP REBORN (Bible Study of Pastorang Hokage)
- BSOPPH Official Study(BIBLE STORY OF PASTOR &PASTORA HOKAGE)......
- Bible Study of Pastor Hokage v9. 9
- Bible Study Hokage ????????????
- BIBLE STUDY NI PASTOR ASIONG NEW HOKAGE GROUP
- Samakaba bible study version 0.2
- BIBLE STUDY NI PASTOR HOKAGE 18+
- Bible study ni Pastor Asiong New Testament 2
- BIBLE STUDY OF PASTOR HOKAGE (the new one)
- ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
- bible study of pastor hokage
- Bible Study Pastor Hokage QuezonCity Chapter
- Pastor hokage bible study version 5.0
- BIBLE STUDY NI PASTOR ASIONG NEW HOKAGE GROUP
- BIBLE STUDY OF PASTOR HOKAGE V.3 (pampanga chap)
- BIBLE STUDY OF PASTOR HOKAGE (LEGIT PHILIPPINES)????
- Bible Study of Pastor Hokage “official group”
- Bible study of pastor hokage v1
- Bible Study of Pastor Hokage lll (Yummy)
- Bible Study Of Pastor Hokage???? ( x )
- Bible study pastor hokage
- Bible Study Of Pastor Hokage(????)
- BIBLE STUDY OF PASTOR HOKAGE ????
- Bible study ni pastor hokage
- Bible Study of Pastor Hokage (BSPHv5)
- bible study ni pastor asiong new testament...
- BIBLE STUDY NI PASTORTM ASIONG NEW TESTAMENT
- BIBLE STUDY NI PASTOR ASIONG
- BSOPH OFFICIAL GROUP (Bible Study of pastor hokage
- BSOPH 2 (bible study of pastor hokage)
- The Bible Study Of Pastor Hokage 2.o
- Bible Study Of Pastor Hokage (BSOPH)
- BSOPH LAST RIDE! ????
- BSOPH BIBLE STUDY OF PASTOR HOKAGE(BATAAN CHAPTER)
- BSOPH version 5 reborn (Bible Study Of Pastor Hokage)
- BSOPH (Bible Study Of Pastora Daisy Syete Pababa)
- BSOPH OFFICIAL GROUP REBORN(Bible Study of Pastorang Hokage)
- BSOPH OFFICIAL GROUP
- BSOPH V5 HOKAGE
- Bible Study Of Pastor Hokage (BSOPH)
- BSOPH V3
- Bible study ni Pastor Jessie.
- BIBLE STUDY OF PASTOR HOKAGE (VALENZUELA CHAPTER)
- BIBLE STUDY OF PASTOR HOKAGE (VERSION NATEN)
- BSOPH OFFICIAL GROUP (BIBLE STUDY OF PASTOR HOKAGE) ?
- pastor hokage bible study (ivisanvchapter)
 - BSOPH OFFICIAL GROUP (BIBLE STUDY OF PASTOR HOKAGE)
- ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
- Bible study of pastor Hokage (ambag na yung alay mo)
- Bible Study Of Pastor Hokage VOL.XXX
- Bible Study of Pastor Hokage Original [Legit] II
- bible study of pastor asiong new testament
- BSOPH (BIBLE STUDY OF PASTOR HOKAGE)
- (BSOPH) Palautog Official ♥
- Team Hokageh BSOPH

Facebook pages that sprung up after the original groups were reported and taken down:

- Pinakamalupet na Hokage
- Lord Hokage
- Pastor Hokage
- The Official Facebook Page of Bible Study ni Pastor Hokage
- Pinay Breezy Hokage
- Galawang Hokage
- Hokage Masters Version 1
- Bible STUDy Ni PastorHokage
- Loading Hökägé. 100%
- Pastor Hokage

Twitter groups that sprung up after the original groups were reported and taken down:

- https://twitter.com/PastorHokage
- https://twitter.com/rbreezyboy117
- https://twitter.com/Stiminiw11
Websitest that sprung up after the original groups were reported and taken down:
- Rbreezy
- PastorHokage

Links that could lead to PHBSGs:

http://duterteandbato.blogspot.com/2017/06/this -woman-received-friend-requests-and.html
http://hdloads.work/file/pastor_hokage
http://piemp4.com/video/bible-study-at-pastor-hokage
http://piemp4.com/video/file/pastorhokagenet-iba-talaga-si?id=2X1FUn8cPj4
http://wapvd.co/video/pastor-hokage-bible-study-group
http://www.bhojpurivideos.info/?q=bible+study+ni+pastor+hokage\
http://www.pokeclip.com/x-pastor+hokage+bible+study
https://24hnews.info/chuyen-muc/bible-study-of-pastor-hokage.html
https://24hnews.info/chuyen-muc/bible-study-of-pastor-hokage.html
https://invidio.us/watch?v=_q7pX0s5CSg
https://kiss2anime.com/pastora-natalie-rose-velasquez-at-pastorhokage-net-videoid-C7oRV-57Pkw-
kissanime.html
https://kiss2anime.com/pastora-natalie-rose-velasquez-at-pastorhokage-net-videoid-C7oRV-57Pkw-
kissanime.html
https://maxspeed.site/category/pastor-hokage-group
https://speedwealthy.com/search/pastor-hokage-bible-study-group
https://thetv.info/Bible+Study+of+Pastor+Hokage+Facebook+group+videos
https://www.clip.fail/search?k=Bible+Study+of+Pastor+Hokage+Facebook+group
https://www.dotabuff.com/esports/teams /4984884-bible-study-of-pastor-hokage
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mH5f0f3tMeA
https://y2mate.icu/video/category/Pastor-Hokage.html
 These groups have been simply blasé, treating security issues lightly. Before they were shut down on
Facebook, they only implemented the most rudimentary of security measures: First, their Facebook group
privacy settings were generally set to ‘closed’. With these settings, people could only become members by
being invited by another member, or by requesting membership. Then, aspiring members had to answer the
security question, (P*****I**M* sino nagturo sayo dito?) But administrators didn’t take that question as a
password, and were lax with accepting members. So much so that the original group ended up with 2.8 million
members.
A number of former members we chatted with informally, as well as some interviewed by another
research group based in the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (Mary Rose Angel C. Balasa) said they
didn’t even know they were members until friends pointed it out to them.
After they were reported, a number of administrators of these groups resorted to communicating via
‘group chats’ where members could freely upload sexual content. Unlike Facebook groups, chats were more
secure. Both venues allowed the sharing of sexually explicit content, but the content posted on the Facebook
walls could be reported by other individuals and removed by Facebook due to displaying nudity content.
Breaking the Law
As discussed briefly in earlier portions of this paper, Internet pornography is a typical feature of the modern
world and it is not within the s cope of this paper – nor the inclination of this researcher – to moralize about
sexual mores. What is appalling with these groups and the subculture it spawned is not the content’s sexual
nature, after all, but the fact that these were taken, uploaded and shared without consent.
According to reports of those who left the group, revenge porn is popular among PHBSG members. During
“Bible Study” group chats, members would post nude photos or sex videos of the women or teenage girls they
once had intimate relationships with.
This was confirmed by Escobar in his feature story. He also claimed that some of the groups circulate child
pornography.
“Pag-uusapan nila kung anong gusto nilang gawin sa babae...yun talagang pinakamasama na pwede mong
gawin sa babae, sa ganung' kontexto, sasabihin nila, it doesn't matter kung bata 'yung girl,” (They would talk
about what they want to do with the girl sexually...the really worst thing they could do to her, and in that
context, they claimed, it didn’t matter if the female was a child,)” reports Koko Rodriguez of Catcalled in the
Philippines, who has been monitoring the secret groups. A 19-year old former member interviewed by PUP
researchers claimed there were photos and videos of high-school girls as young as 13 years old or 14 years old.
(Mary Rose Angel C. Balasa)
Some reports also claimed PHBSG members resorted to sextortion or blackmailing of former intimate
partners.
Two cases grabbed public attention. In the first case, Czarina Ching, now Business Development Specialist
at Asia Brewery Incorporated, reported in July 2017 that she received, out of the blue, messages from strange
men asking her how much she charged for sexual favors.
 It wasn’t until a friend told her that a photo of her was posted in one PHBSG. Apparently, someone named
Tenzen Xiao had posted the innocent woman’s photos in the group, claiming that Ching needed “help.” The
post included personal information: her age, location and described her as being “fresh.” She had a pric e tag
attached to her of Php5,000 (nearly $100 USD) for two pops. (ABS-CBN News)
In another case, the mother of a 14-year old girl filed a complaint against a PHBSG group administrator
with the National Bureau of Investigation Cybercrime Division after he had used her photo as the wall photo of
their group. (Alcaide)
A 19-year-old student from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines who became a PHBSG member
said she witnessed the posting of photos of ordinary high school students and the objectification of these girls
by the pastors. (Mary Rose Angel C. Balasa)
Thus, while PHBSG members have not and do not engage in their illegal activities purposely or even
mindfully – or with an awareness of the sexual harassment and cybercrime laws that they are violating – the
objective and activities of the PHBSGs were clearly misogynistic from the very start.

Pastor Hokage Bible Study Groups Pose a Danger to Society

And that – their innate misogyny – is precisely what makes Pastor Hokage Bible Study Groups dangerous.
Many of the “pastors” themselves repeatedly assert that they are just horsing around – just having a bit of
locker room fun. But every time they engage in their regular activities – take, upload, post, share and bond
over sexualized content – PHBSG members reinforce the sexual objectification of women. These groups are
clearly expressions and manifestations of toxic masculinity, teaching and reinforcing the beliefs that in order to
be “real men” – mga “tunay na lalaki” – men should be hypersexual and should see and use women as sexual
objects, first and foremost.
As communications professional and feminist Cidee Despi points out in the interview for this thesis, “It’s
not just an issue of men being ‘sex maniacs’ individually, on their own or “na nagiging manyak on their own”.
It’s not an issue of judging young men for having sexual feelings, for being sexual or for expressing their
sexuality. It’s important to look at the underlying power dynamics behind these activities of PHBSG members,
Ado stresses. “This is not just a bunch of men desiring women,” Despi notes. “(But) it’s a bunch of men feeling
like they have power over women.” (Despi)
Jasmin Ado, a Sociology Master’s researcher at the University of the Philippines Diliman who infiltrated
these groups points out that when they engage in their routine group activities, the men of PHBSGs clearly
wield their agency. Notes Ado: when a young man or teenager holds the camera or smartphone in his hands
and chooses to surreptitiously shoot sexual images and videos, he is clearly wielding his agency. In his mind he
knows “I am the one taking this photo; I , myself need to double-check if I have been able to take this photo or
video.” He is the one who points the camera and chooses where to point it – to the woman’s buttocks, breasts,
vagina, or whatnot. That he is the one who exercises control by holding the camera or smartphone, that he is
the one who presses the record button – these things in fact, add to his feelings of manliness. Having to be
covert about these actions also adds an element of risk – and Ado also points out that a penchant for danger
and excessive risk-taking are among the traits men are encouraged to aspire to, following the tenets of toxic
masculinity. (Ado, Interview no. 1)
Toxic masculinity also teaches a man that his identity as a man is hinged on his ability to exert dominance
over women and to use sex as a way to humiliate women. And humiliation is clearly effect of PHBSG activities.
Studies have shown that nine out of 10 victims of revenge porn suffered significant emotional distress
after the release of explicit materials with them as subjects. The distress includes anger, guilt, paranoia,
depression, or even suicide. There was also a deterioration in personal relationships and an increase in feelings
of isolation.
According to Mudasir Kamal and William Newman, American psychiatrists with the St. Louis University in
Missouri who studied the topic, many of the long-term negative consequences of revenge pornography on
victims are similar to those seen in victims of child pornography: victims are left with a lifelong battle with
feelings of humiliation, powerlessness, and attempts to preserve their integrity. Consequently, they endure
mental health effects similar to those described by victims of child pornography – depression, withdrawal, low
self-esteem and feelings of worthlessness. (Mudasir Kamal)
While the young “pastors” would never own up to wanting to inflict humiliation on women purposely, that
could still be their subconscious intent. After all, if these onli ne sexual activities were being undertaken as a
means to give-and-take sexual pleasure, then these would have been done, at the very least, with the consent
of the women involved. The mere fact that sexual content is taken, uploaded and shared without the womens'
consent – this exposes the fact that these activities are meant to demean and humiliate women.
Taken in the context of hypocritical Filipino sexual mores that are still influenced by a Catholicism that
frowns on sexuality outside marriage and procreation – plus the deep-seated sexual double standards that
condemn women for sexual expression outside marriage and procreation – then these activities clearly
constitute acts of violence against women. Taking sexual or even sexualized photos of women an d girls,
posting and sharing them in a group with thousands male members results to putting these women in a
position where they are vulnerable to sexual violence – both virtual or online and even in real life.

The “pastors” “got off” on the realization that they were doing all of these things – taking, posting and
sharing content – without the consent or even knowledge of the women, stresses freelance photographer and
nude model Brenda Depasupil, one of the administrators of Catcalled in the Philippines, the Facebook group
that vigilantly monitored and reported the PHBSGs to the Facebook administration until most of them were
taken down. (Philippines)
Even in cases where nudes or other sexual material were indeed shared by s ome women privately with
the men, who then went on the share these with their respective “Bible Study” groups – the power dynamic is
still very clear, Despi notes. (Despi) Toxic masculinity, after all, identifies women as objects to “collect”, use, or
to compete with other men for, Ado emphasizes. (Ado, Interview no. 1)

Pastor Hokage Bible Study Groups Encourage Violence against Women

Sadly, one common way for men to assert their dominance i s through sexual assault and harassment. There is
no dearth of studies showing that men who hold or adhere to toxic masculinity norms do tend to perpetrate
sexual violence ranging from sexual harassment to online gender -based violence, and even sexual assa ult and
rape. Hundreds of studies done over the past 40 years show this. (Angela J. Jacques-Tiura) (Malamuth, Addison
and Koss) (Flood) (Rachel M. Smith) (Y. S. Rachel Jewkes) (Sarah K Murnen)
So much so that the World Health Organization has included in its definition of sexual violence the fact
that it is “an aggressive act motivated by power and control” – both of which fall within the ambit of toxic
masculinity norms. (World Health Organization)
Many follow-up studies conducted by UN agencies have confirmed this link between power and control
on one hand and sexual violence on the other. One l arge study conducted in 2013 collaboratively by eight UN
agencies in nine sites across six countries in Asia and the Pacific among 10,178 men between the ages of 18 –49
had the following findings:
1. Rape committed by men is quite frequent in the general population in the countries studied. (Between
2.5% to 26.6% of men surveyed admitted to perpetrating at least one instance of rape)
2. The reasons given for perpetrating rape were closely tied to norms that fall clearly wi thin the ambit of
toxic masculinity. (E. F.-M.-c.-s. Rachel Jewkes)
Frequent reasons the men surveyed gave for perpetrating rape were:
- Believing they were entitled to having sex
- Seeking entertainment
- As a punishment
It is in this way that Pastor Hokage Bible Study Groups encourage violence against women.
According to the researchers, alcohol was a factor in a third of the cases. Associated factors included
poverty, a personal history of victimization (especially in childhood), low empathy, alcohol misus e,
participation in gangs and related activities, and masculinities emphasizing heterosexual performance and
dominance over women. (Y. S. Rachel Jewkes)

Alarmingly only a fifth (22.9% ) of the men who had committed rape had ever been sent to prison for any
period, and studies conducted in South Africa also produced similar results, both in the reasons given for rape
as well as the low levels of punishment. (Y. S. Rachel Jewkes)
As it is, the situation is already dismal: a fourth of Filipinas (24%) say they have experienced physical,
emotional or sexual violence from their current or most recent husband/partner, according to the Philippines
National Demographic and Health Survey conducted by the Phili ppine Statistics Authority in 2017. (Philippine)
The survey also shows that the experience of violence is twice more likely among women belonging to the
lowest economic quintile – or the very same economic classes that attract the largest numbers of PHBSG
members. According to the survey, while 12% of women in the highest wealth quintile have experienced
violence since age 15, 21% of women in the lowest wealth quintile have experienced physical violence since
age 15. (Philippine)
 What’s more, the actual numbers of Filipina women who suffer from sexual violence are bound to be
vastly higher, taking into consideration the Iceberg of Sexual Coercion (see Review of Related Literature,
Section B) where reported assaults belong to the tip and upper parts of the iceberg, while the vast majority of
sexual crimes that remain invisible, and the silenced women who survive them, occupy the hidden base.

Pastor Hokage Bible Study Groups Perpetrate Actual Violence against Women
What’s worse is that, through their activities, these groups already perpetrate violence against women – and
quite routinely, too.
Emotional violence is still violence, after all. Psychologists point out that for most women, the mere threat
of violence is experienced neurobiologically as actual violence. Women who experience online gender -based
violence like revenge porn or having their intimate photos and videos shared online experience the following:
- Their cortisol levels shoot up
- Their limbic system gets fired
- They lose sleep
- They lose productivity at work and school
Often, the women also experience symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) long after the
incident of online violence occurred. (Mudasir Kamal)

Pastor Hokage Bible Study Culture Harms Men and Society as a Whole
Violence against women impairs, nullifies and violates women’s enjoyment of their human rights. When
women’s rights are violated, this inhibits them from contributing fully to society and to the development
process or to peacemaking in places of conflict. Consequently, violence against women or gender -based
violence is an obstacle to the attainment of global development and peace. (Nations) (Edited by Etienne G.
Krug)

Meanwhile, even the “pastors” themselves are harmed by the toxic masculinity they engage in and promote.
While sexual objectification is the trait most openly manifested by the “pastors,” this is just one o f many traits
that, taken together, form toxic masculinity.
Aside from believing that they should be hypersexual and should use sex to dominate or humiliate women,
men who subscribe to toxic masculinity also hold the following attitudes in their belief s ystem:
1. Equating being emotional with being hysterical, thereby not expressing emotions other than anger.
2. Refusing the help they need because they think “real men” should be self-sufficient.
3. Choosing to settle disputes through violence.
4. Thinking that men should be physically tough in order to intimidate others.
5. Being afraid to show affection for other men and equating this to being sexually attracted to other men.
6. Thinking that it is embarrassing to be being mistaken for a girl or to have traits usually a ssociated with
being feminine.
 Psychologists have warned that toxic masculinity places boys and men at a higher risk for school discipline,
academic challenges and health problems like cardiovascular problems and substance abuse. (American
Psychological Association)
Toxic masculinity is also the very reason why men are overrepresented in prisons, are more likely than
women to commit violent crimes and are at greatest risk of being a victim of violent crime. (Salam, What Is Toxic
Masculinity? https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/22/us/toxic -masculinity.html)
As Richie ‘Reseda’ Edmond-Vargas points out, the pay-off for toxic masculinity is bad relationships,
loneliness, and life in prison. Edmond-Vargas is a former inmate at the Correctional Training Facility in Soledad,
California who, after going through therapy came to many realizations about how toxic masculinity affected his
life. In February 2014, Edmond-Vargas launched a program to teach inmates about toxic masculinity and how
changing their deep-seated beliefs would also help them change their lives for the better. (Nonko)
Sadly, young men and male teenagers across the world still tend to hold fast to a number of toxic
masculinity values. A 2013 Australian survey among young males between 16 –24 years found that young men
who held views consistent with toxic masculinity were more likely than other men to have poor mental health
(including feeling depressed, hopeless or s uicidal), to seek help from only a narrow range of sources, and to be
involved in binge drinking and traffic accidents. (Anita Harris)
This corresponds with a large number of other studies that show that men who endorse toxic masculinity
views are more likely than other men to have greater health risks and engage in poor behaviors. They are
more likely to consider suicide, drink excessively, take risks at work and drive dangerously. (Y. Joel Wong)

PHBSGs Normalize Sexual Objectification, Sexual Harassment and Sexual Assault

What is particularly insidious about the Pastor Hokage phenomenon is that it sprung up and spread on
Facebook – that platform that is the every Filipino’s daily go-to site. As Communications Professor Jane
Vinculado laments, dark things like searching for child pornography have seeped out of the dark web into the
everyday cyberspace. She was referring to reports that in some PHBSGs, men were looking for sexual content
of “atabs” or girls in their early teens. (Vinculado)
“Hokage’, in fact, has now become unquestionably part of Filipino Millennial-speak: taking into account
the concept of a ‘Hokage’ as a person with the ability to perform distinct and powerful spells, Pinoy youth now
use the term for men who are able to skillfully steal kisses/hugs/sexual touches from women or convince to
women to do their sexual bidding.
Clearly, when millions of young Filipino men think it is OK to share sexual content without the consent or
knowledge of women, then the sexual objectification of women and girls is normalized. The sexual dominance
and humiliation of women becomes ok. In turn, as discussed in earlier parts of this thesis, this sexual
objectification emboldens online sexual harassment. It encourages rape and incites sexual violence against
women.
 PHBSGs are Illegal and Punishable under Philippine Laws
Thankfully the activities of Pastor Hokage Bible Study Groups are illegal. Unlike a number of countri es that do
not have enough legislation to protect women from sexual harassment and sexual assault, we do have a
number of laws that punish these acts. (A study by the WORLD Policy Analysis Centre revealed that more than
one-third of the world's countries have no laws against sexual harassment at work, leaving nearly 235 million
women vulnerable.) (World Policy Analysis Center)
Under several existing Philippines laws, the routine activities of PHBSGs are considered criminal, an d are
punishable by imprisonment and the payment of steep fines. There is also a pending bill at the Senate which
seeks to punish specifically the PHBSG activities, which constitute Online Gender -Based Violence. (Read
discussion later: Senate Bill 1251, Gender-based Electronic Violence Act of 2016)
The Magna Carte of Women's Rights, Republic Act 9710
Considered the Bill of Women’s Rights, Republic Act 9710, or the Magna Carte of Women's Rights, was passed
in 2009.
Since the Magna Carte designated the Commission of Human Rights (CHR) as the Gender and
Development Ombud and tasked it to investigate and evaluate complaints that have to do with violations of
women’s rights, women and girls who feel victimized by the activities of PHBSGs can bond together to file a
group complaint with the CHR, like a class suit, and request it to investigate the PHBSGs. (14th Congress of the
Philippines) (Philippine Commission on Women)
Alternatively, since under the CHR’s Guidelines and Procedures, any concerned person or group – the
victim, relatives, non-government organizations, any government or private entity – may file a complaint for
violations of women’s rights, then advocacy groups like Catcalled in the Philippines may also do the filing of a
case with the CHR on behalf of all women victimized by the PHBSGs. (CHR Gender Ombud Guidelines)
But because the CHR is only an investigative and recommendatory body, it cannot file and adjudi cate the
cases themselves. When it receives complains of women’s rights abuses, the CHR investigates and evaluates
the complaints, then refers these to appropriate agencies, who then file criminal, administrative, civil or labor
cases. (CHR Gender Ombud Guidelines)
However, this does not mean that the CHR has no teeth in this matter: under the CHR’s guidelines, upon
receipt of a complaint, the Ombud can immediately dispatch a quick reaction team if it determines that this is
needed. It is also duty-bound to provide legal assistance and to pursue an investigation. The CHR is required to
evaluate and verify even anonymous complaints or reports, then proceed to investigate these when such an
anonymous complaints appear to have meri t. (CHR Gender Ombud Guidelines)
Aside from legal assistance with filing cases and getting much-needed protection orders, the CHR is also
obligated provide financial and other support services like medical, psychosocial, shelter and livelihood
services to complainants.
Significantly, even if a complaint is already filed under the Magna Carta, complainants can still pursue
other remedies available under other laws enacted to protect women and children, (i.e., The Special
Protection of Children Against Child Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act (Republic Act No. 7610), the
Anti-Sexual Harassment Act of 1995 (Republic Act No. 7877), and the Anti -Violence Against Women and Their
Children Act of 2004 (Republic Act No. 9262), etc.) (CHR Gender Ombud Guidelines)

The Anti-Violence against Women and Children Act of 2004, Republic Act 9262
Under Republic Act 9262 or the Anti -Violence Against Women and their Children Act of 2004, the acts of
revenge porn committed by PHBSGs members is considered sexual violence against a former intimate partner,
and is deemed a crime that is punishable by imprisonment of anywhere between six to 12 years. (12th
Congress of the Philippines)
The Anti-VAWC law does not only punish flagrant and grave sexual crimes such as sexual assault and rape
– it also includes in its definition of “sexual violence” matters such as “sexual harassment, acts of
lasciviousness, treating a woman or her child as a sex object, making demeaning and sexually suggestive
remarks.” And all of these are punishable by law. (12th Congress of the Philippines)
When a “pastor” takes intimate photos or sex videos of a girlfriend, wife, date or in timate partner – or
former intimate partner – and uploads and shares it with his PHBSG, he can be liable for "sexual violence," or
“psychological violence” or “public ridicule or humiliation” – all of which are considered acts of violence
against women. (12th Congress of the Philippines)

Because the posting of such intimate content on an online group with thousands of members may place a
woman “in fear of imminent physical harm,” this act may be found punishable by arresto mayor, or
imprisonment of up to six years. (12th Congress of the Philippines)
Meanwhile, because these acts can be construed by the law as “engaging in purposeful, knowing, or
reckless conduct, personally or through another, that alarms or causes substantial emotional or psychological
distress to the woman or her child,” courts can even choose to impose a higher punishment: prision mayor, or
imprisonment of up to 12 years. (12th Congress of the Philippines)
In addition to imprisonment, the perpetrator is also liable to pay a fine of Php100,000.00 –Php300,000.00.
This is on top of restitution for actual damages caused by the violence inflicted, which includes but is not
limited to, property damage, medical expenses, childcare expenses and loss of income. (12th Congress of the
Philippines) Victims may also claim compensatory and moral and exemplary damages. (National Commission
on the Role of Filipino Women (NCRFW), departments of justice (DOJ),interior and local government (DILG),
social welfare (DSWD), Philippine National Police, Kalakasan Foundation Inc., Women's Crisis Center, Women's
Legal Bureau)
Notably, under R.A. 9262’s Implementing Rules and Regulations, violence against women and their
children is considered a public offense. This means it is not only the victim who can file a complaint. Any
citizen – the Facebook group CatCalled in the Philippines, for instance, or any NGO having personal knowledge
of PHBSG activities – can sue the “pastors.”
Aside from police personnel, barangay officials are also deputized to arrest violators of VAW. The law also
requires the justice department to ensure that VAWC cases are disposed speedily of within 45 days. (National
Commission on the Role of Filipino Women (NCRFW), departments of justice (DOJ),interior and local
government (DILG), social welfare (DSWD), Philippine National Police, Kalakasan Foundation Inc., Women's
Crisis Center, Women's Legal Bureau)

The Anti-Photo and Video Voyeurism Act of 2009 or Republic Act No. 9995
Another law that very explicitly deals with the activities of PHBSGs is the Anti -Photo and Video Voyeurism
Act of 2009 or Republic Act No. 9995. This law criminalizes the taking, copying or reproducing, selling or
distributing, publishing or broadcasting of photos or videos of:
- A person /group of persons performing a sexual act or any similar activity
- The private area of a person/s such as the naked or undergarment clad genitals, pubic area, buttocks
or female breast
which are taken/uploaded/posted/shared without consent of the person/s involved or under
circumstances in which the person/s has/have a reasonable expectation of privacy.
These acts are punishable by imprisonment of three to seven years, a fine of P100,000.00 to P500,000.00,
or both. (14th Congress of the Philippines)

Sexual Harassment Laws

From our primary and secondary sources we know that on average, “pastors” engage mindlessly in their
routine activities – or without full awareness of the full consequences of their acts, both in terms of being
aware of the laws they are breaking or of the lives of women that they are damaging. There are, however , a
number of exceptions, many times where “pastors” do act maliciously. The men or teenagers, for instance,
who posted photos and sex videos of their ex-girlfriends or ex-wives in vengeance, or as acts of revenge porn –
these men were clearly wishing to i nflict harm on their former intimate partners.
Then there was the case of Czarina Ching who was surprised one day to find herself receiving messages
from strange men asking her how much she would charge for sexual favors. Apparently, someone named
Tenzen Xiao had posted the unsuspecting woman’s photos in the biggest Pastor Hokage Group, claiming that
Ching needed “help.” The post included personal information: her age, location and described her as being
“fresh.” She had a price tag attached to her of PHP 5,000 (nearly $100 USD) for two pops. (ABS-CBN News)
In these types of cases, the “pastors” – if identified – can be punished under the Anti -Sexual Harassment
Act of 1995 (Republic Act 7877). The original law defines sexua l harassment in the workplace and educational
institutions, and proscribes appropriate punishments, its’ Implementing Rules and Regulations, mainly
Resolution 956161 of the Civil Service Commission, reiterates the definition and even details specific acts that
constitute sexual harassment.
But as the law was passed almost 25 years ago, before the Internet and social media became as
ubiquitous as they are today, there was no recognition of online-based sexual harassment.
Thus a number of house bills that sought to remedy this – as well as other gaps – were passed in the past
years.
House Bill No. 8244 combines all those bills -- H.B. No. 508, H.B. No. 2591, H.B. No. 4822, H.B. No. 3691
and H.B. No. 5213.
 The bill seeks to expands the scope of the Anti -Sexual Harassment Law to include
- The use of ICTs and electronic devices to inflict sexual harassment
- Street harassment and harassment in public transport, and all other forms of sexual harassment that
occurs outside the work and educational environments noted by the 1995 law.
- Sexual harassment that occurs among peers, as the law only recognized and punished harassment from
persons in authority
The bill also seeks to increase the penalties to keep pace with inflation. Penalties for sexual harassment
now range from Php50,000. to Php200,000. The fine used to be Php10,000 —Php20,000.
Breach of confidentiality of sexual harassment cases is also now punishable.
House Bill No. 8244 was approved by the lower house on November 2018 and transmitted to and received
by the Senate on the same month. It is now being heard by the Senate’s labor committee (House Bill 8244:
Expanded Sexual Harassment Act)( (Senate of the Philippines/ 17th Congress)

Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, Republic Act No. 10175

In addition, realizing the fact that content-related crimes committed in Cyberspace have the potential to
magnify the scale and reach of the crime, as well as its lifespan – and consequently magnify the pain inflicted
on victims – the Cybercrime Act of 2012 has a provision that imposes a punishment of one degree higher for all
crimes under the Revised Penal Code when these had been committed with the aid of the Internet, ICTs or on
Cyberspace.
There is one controversial provision of this law that is heavily debated because of its potential to invade
the privacy of persons who are engaged in consensual sexual activity online is the section that punishes
“cybersex.”
R.A. 10175 defines cybersex as “the willful engagement, maintenance, control or operation, directly or
indirectly, of any lascivious exhibition of sexual organs or sexual activity, with the aid of a computer system, for
favor or consideration.”
Persons found guilty of cybersex face imprisonment of anywhere from six to 12 years or a fine of at least
P200,000 but not exceeding P1 million. (15th Congress of the Philippines)

Very Stiff Penalties When Children Are Involved

Childhood ends at age 18 – that is now a universally recognized definition. (United Nations General
Assembly) Also, despite cultural differences over what to expect of children and continuing debates over the
definition of childhood, there has always been a significant degree of shared understanding that childhood
implies a separated – and safe – space.
Since the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child came into effect in 1990, there has been an increasing
recognition and respect of the rights of the child to survival, development, protection and participation.
 Both the Special Protection of Children against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act (Republic Act
No. 7610) and the Anti -Child Pornography Act of 2009 (Republic Act No. 9775) translate the Convention’s
provisions into a local context meant to protect that safe space that will allow Filipino children to develop.
Under the Anti-Child Pornography Act of 2009, some of the activities of Pastor Hokage Bible Study Groups
can be construed as child pornography particularly when the content uploaded and shared online involve
subjects that are below 18 years old.
That law also provides for very steep penalties – years of imprisonment and large fines. And that can be a
blessing for the young teenage girls who become vi ctims of these PHBSGs, considering particularly reports that
there are requests of “atab” subjects or “content” that refer to child (“bata” spelled backward, or at least
teenagers of 13 or 14 years old).
These steep penalties should give cause for the young “pastors” to pause and rethink their activities. Most
of them, after all, are below 30 years old and some of them even teenagers.

Under this law, child pornography is any representation of a child engaged or involved in real or simulated:
- Sexual intercourse or lascivious act including, but not limited to, contact involving genital to genital,
oral to genital, anal to genital, or oral to anal, whether between persons of the same or opposite sex
- Bestiality
- Masturbation
- Sadistic or masochistic abuse
- Lascivious exhibition of the genitals, buttocks, breasts, pubic area and/or anus or
- Use of any object or instrument for lascivious acts (14th Congress of the Philippines)
Notably, R.A. 9775 includes a person regardless of age who is presented, depicted or portrayed as a child,
as defined in the said law (Section 3) and any computer -generated, digitally or manually crafted image or
graphics of a person who is represented as or made to appear as a child. (R.A. 9775, Section 3) (14th Congress
of the Philippines)
Here’s a table of the routine activities of Pastor Hokage Bible Study Group members and how these activities
are construed by the Anti -Child Pornography Act and punished. Take note of the very steep penalties that await
administrators of these groups.

PHBSG Activity Definition by Law Penalty

Imprisonment Fine
Term
Having nude photos or sex videos “To possess any form of child Six months Php50,000.00–
of teenage girls pornography” Php100,000.00
Looking at nude photos or sex “To willfully access any form of Six years Php200,000.00–
videos of teenage girls found in child pornography” Php300,000.00
PHBSG online
Uploading, sharing and “To conspire to commit any of the Two years and Php100,000.00–
commenting on nude photos or prohibited acts” which is defined four months Php250,000.00.
sex videos of teenage girls on by the law simply as when two or
PHBSG online more persons come to an
 agreement concerning the
commission of any of the said
prohibited acts under R.A. 9775
and decide to commit it”
“To publish, offer, transmit, sell, 20 years Php1,000,000.00–
distribute, broadcast, advertise, Php2,000,000.00
promote, export or import any
form of child pornography”
The crime of child pornography is 20 and 40 Php2,000,000.00–
deemed committed by a years Ph5,000,000.00.
syndicate if carried out by a group
of three (3) or more persons
conspiring or confederating with
one another
Administrators of PHBSGs who “To possess any form of child 14 years and Php750,000.00–
engage in selling the explicit pornography with the intent to eight months Php1,000,000.00
materials they have gathered sell, distribute, publish, or
broadcast”
(14th Congress of the Philippines)

In addition, because these crimes were committed through the use of ICTs, they are also punishable under
the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012. Under this law, child pornography is con sidered a content-related
offense and the penalty for such crimes committed through a computer system is one degree higher than that
provided for in Republic Act 9775, or the Anti -Child Pornography Act of 2009. (15th Congress of the
Philippines)
The Anti-Cybercrime Law also punishes the aiding and abetting of a cybercrime and attempting to commit
a cybercrime with imprisonment that is one degree lower than that of the prescribed penalty for the offense
or a fine of at least P100,000 but not exceeding P500,000, or both. (Congress of the Philippines) (15th
Congress of the Philippines) (Department of Justice)

Gender-based Electronic Violence Act of 2016, Senate Bill No. 1251

Finally, there is the Gender-based Electronic Violence Act of 2016, a bill passed by Senator Ana Theresia “ Risa”
Hontiveros- Baraquel, or Senate Bill No. 1251.
The proposed law defines gender-based electronic violence as such: “an offense that involves any acts or
omissions involving the use or exploitation of ephemeral data or any form of information and communications
technology (ICT) which causes or is likely to cause mental, emotional, or psychological distress or suffering to
the female victim or Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer (LGBTQ) victim, and tending to disparage the
dignity and personhood of the same on account of his or her gender, including but not limited to:
- Unauthorized recording, reproduction or distribution of videos showing the victim’s naked or
undergarment-clad genitals, public area, buttocks or breasts;
- Uploading or sharing without the consent of the victim, any form of media that contain pictures, voice or
video of the victim with lewd, indecent, obscene or sexual content:
- Harassing or threatening the victim through text messaging, obscene, misogynistic, homophobic or
indecent posts in social media sites, or other cyber, electronic or multimedia means;
- Cyber-stalking which includes, but is not limited to the hacking of personal accounts on social networking
sites, the use of location trackers on cellular devices; and
- Unauthorized use of the victim’s picture, video, voice, name or any other aspect of the victim’s identity
and distributing the same in any video game, phone application, program and the like, which delibera tely
exposes the victim to harassment and attack and puts or tends to put the victim in a bad light or injure the
victim’s reputation.

This definition exposes the activities of Pastor Hokage Bible Study Groups for what they really are:
misogynistic acts.
The proposed laws would impose a penalty of imprisonment between five and 10 years, a fine of
Php100,000.00–Php500,000.00, or both, at the discretion of the court.
Equally important, the Gender-based Electronic Violence Act of 2016 provides for what i s called a GBEV
protection order that courts can issue to:
- Prevent further acts of gender-based electronic violence from happening
- Safeguard the victim from further harm and electronic violence
- Minimize any disruption in the victim’s daily life and activities, including social media activities
The proposed law also provides for the mandatory education against gender -based electronic violence
that includes holding age-appropriate educational modules against gender-based electronic violence that
should be developed by the Department of Education (DepEd).

A Toxic Mix of Sociological, Psychological and Technological Factors Give Spawn and Nurture PHBSGs
It is not the intention of this thesis to moralize or to attack the young men and teenagers who became
members of Pastor Hokage Bible Study Groups. That these groups were able to attract hundreds of thousands
– even millions – of members indicates that there are very powerful systemic, sociological and psychological
factors that gave rise to these groups and nurtured them.
It is the belief of this researcher that the first step to countering this phenomenon is to understand these
factors.
Technology’s Impact on Sexuality
The men who join Pastor Hokage Bible Study Groups and similar groups, are mostly Millennials or Generation
Zers, males born after 1980, all of whom were born into, and grew up in, today’s Digital Age.
Throughout their lives, they were surrounded by Cyberspace – that non-physical, “virtual reality” created
on the Internet within which they communicate with one another, shop, conduct business, find information,
play, govern institutions and countries, and even create and nurture friendships and intimate relationships.
(Benedikt) (Beal)
For most of the people today (except for the most of Africa that remains unconnected), everyday lives are
saturated with social media. What more for Millennials and Gen Zers across the world? Consider that these
web-based communication tools that ena ble us to interact with each other by both sharing and consuming
information are almost just as old as the Millennials themselves. This means that these young people never
lived in a world without the Internet and social media – it’s almost as if they live inside social media, or at least
the boundaries between their lives online and their lives offline are blurred.

Sites like MySpace and LinkedIn became popular in the early 2000s, when the Millennials were school-age
children and Generation Zs were toddlers . Sites like Photobucket and Flickr facilitated online photo sharing in
the years when they were growing up. These two generations got their information more from YouTube,
which came out in 2005, than from schools, the church or any other institution.
Then, add to that the fact that Filipinos are the world’s top users of social media, spending almost twice
the worldwide average time spent on social media. The average is two hours, 16 minutes; Filipinos spend four
hours and 12 minutes on social media sites. We also spend a considerably higher amount of time on the
Internet: On average, Filipinos spend 10 hours and two minutes a day on the Internet on any device; the
worldwide average for hours spent on the Internet is six hours, 42 minutes. Facebook is the social media
platform Filipinos tend to use the most. (ABS-CBN News)
What does this mean for our young “pastors”? It means that traditional norms and values do not hold
sway over their minds. Traditional social institutions like the home, schools and church – these have less
impact on the way the youth think today, far less than the impact they had on previous generations of
youth. Meanwhile, everything on the Internet has the potential to have more influence on the youth than
traditional institutions.
Sexuality is the one aspect of their lives that has been impacted the most by the Internet, for better or
for worse. As discussed earlier in the Review of Related Literature, contraceptive technologies brought a split
between sexuality and procreation, enabling a more “plastic” sexuality that allowed sex for pleasure, a freer
expression of sexuality outside the traditional binaries that are fixed by biology and social norms: heterosexual
or homosexual, marital (legitimate) vis -à-vis extramarital (illegitimate), committed or promiscuous, normal
(coital) or perverse (anal, autoerotic, sadomasochistic). (Giddens)
As this “plastic” sexuality became a feature of the 20 th and 21 st centuries, the new Internet technologies
have also began to rapidly transform human sexualities in very profound ways. (Fisher)
What does this mean for our young “pastors”? This means that they have grown up in a very sexualized
world, for better or worse. Today sex surround them 24/7. The Internet provides a continuous stream of
pornography that is easily available.
Technology has also altered the way all people – and especially the young – engage in erotic scripts – and
is rewriting these into something that can collectively be called a “digisexuality.” Or what young UP sociology
researcher Jane Ado calls “technosexuality,” that right now involves the variety of tech -based interactions that
are already familiar to us – sexting and sex chats via Facebook, Snapchat, cybersex through Skype, looking for
hookups on apps like Tinder, Happn, Grindr and Bumble. For Millennials and Gen Zers these are all just run -of-
the-mill.
 Meanwhile, since 1994, there has been a rise in the proportion of 18 -24 old youth having sex before the
age of 18 – from just above 10 percent in 1994 to almost 24% in 2013. (University of the Philippines Population
Institute (UPPI))
As discussed earlier in the Review of Related Literature, these new technologies have set off digisexuality
and a new sexual revolution. But they also have a dark side. New media has also helped spread and make child
pornography more accessible. Technology has also contributed to normalizing sexual and gendered violence.
In fact, a new form of gender violence – online gender-based violence – has evolved across the world.

Sexual Mores Collide

Meanwhile, the “pastors” also seem to be defiantly rebelling against confusing and hypocritical sexual
mores, still deeply influenced by a specific type of Catholicism inflicted by Spanish colonizers as part of their
tools of conquest: a shaming Catholicism that shamed Filipinos for their prehispanic sexual practices,
including polygamy and the use of penile instruments.
Being under Spanish colonizers for over 300 years, it was only inevitable that the powerful Roman Catholic
Church became a primary influence on sexuality and on issues of birth control and contraception, abortion, sex
education, sexual roles of men and women and homosexuality. Among the views of the Catholic Church are
the belief that premarital sex and masturbation are immoral behaviors, that homosexuality is an abnormal
human conduct and that the only sexual behavior morally and legally acceptable and appropriate is
heterosexual intercourse within a monogamous marriage
Consequently, today there are still provisions and policies in the Philippine constitution that incongruously
endorse the view that the sexual act should happen only within the framework of married life, and married life
between a man and woman. Prostitution, pornography, nudity and extramarital sex are illegal. (Leyson) Guilt
and shame is associated with sex.

Double Standard
Spanish colonization also helped promote the Chri stian ideas of the reverence of the Virgin Mary, premarital
virginity, a wife's fidelity to her husband, and the notion of a woman's role as a "nurturing mother.”
Consequently, up to today, a majority of Filipinos still hold the belief that men should choo se to marry virgin
women and that women should keep and maintain their virginity until marriage.
On the other hand, male sexual indiscretion is routinely tolerated and even encouraged and cheered on –
note that the two most popular presidents – Joseph Estrada and Rodrigo Duterte were openly philanderers.
Filipino men are predisposed to openly and indiscreetly staring at and regarding women maliciously. All these
contradict the supposed Filipino virtues of modesty, humility and adherence to tradition but they are clearly
widespread and accepted as normal.

The truth of the matter is that the Pastor Hokage Bible Study groups have sprung out of this hypocritical
soil: PHBSGs were begun by young men as a way to circumvent the blocking of online porn sites by internet
service providers and office IT administrators. (Layug)
 As Gabriel Angelo Guilas, occupational therapist and former PHBSG member points out in our interview
with him, Filipinos are pressured to be “conservative” and this seems to contribute to the growth of PHBSGs.
Since sex education is not taught properly, since it is a taboo in our culture, young people turn to risky
sexual behaviors online and end up doing more harm than good. (Guilas)
Digital marketing professional Kenneth Yu agrees with this perspective in a group interview with Catcalled
in the Philippines. Because Filipinos are now sexually repressed – it’s taboo to speak of sexual matters, so
there’s a pushback, he says. At the same time, the parents of the Millennial and Gen Z “pastors” are often not
as tech-savvy or media literate, so they grew up without parental supervision of their digital explorations,
notes Jane Vinculado. (Vinculado)
Even Prof. Nathalie Africa-Verceles, Director of the UP Center for Women's Studies admits that the growth of
PHBSGs could be partly due to hypocrisy and religious influence in Philippine society. (Vinculado)
This could be indicated by the fact that the groups use religious terms not only for practical reasons – as
way to prevent their discovery by Facebook, which bans sexually explicit aside from violent content – but also
to express their deep-seated cynicism for the traditional Catholicism-influenced sexual mores.

Virgin-Whore Dichotomy
The virgin-whore dichotomy that exists in the Filipino psyche today also contributes to the growth of Pastor
Hokage Bible Study Groups. This was pointed out by member of the Catcalled in the Philippines in a group
interview with them for this thesis. Also known as the Madonna -whore dichotomy, it is a way of thinking that
denotes polarized perceptions of women as either“good and chaste” or as “bad and promiscuous.”
Notes Talia Ruiz, who is also a psychology major, points out: “Fi lipino women who express any sense of
sexuality or any sense of vanity and self-assurance are judged … and society wants to destroy them for it. And
while we expect our women to be chaste and virginal, we also expect our men to have “experience.” She also
said this dichotomy was manifested by common expressions such as the term “ginagamit ako ng asawa ko” (I
am being used by my husband) to refer to the act of having sex with one’s husband. This is a very misogynistic
term, she points out. (Mikers Litton)
Kenneth Yu, Digital marketing professional also lamented this dichotomy: “Women can only be one or the
other there's no midway of okay this person is smart and wholesome and intelligent and respectable, but also
has sexual needs and is a sexual being.” (Mikers Litton)
The virgin-whore dichotomy is also associated with an endorsement of patriarchy, and plays a role in the
policing women and limiting their sexual freedom. It is also associated with the toxic masculinity we’ve

discussed in various sections of this thesis.

Control over women and aggression is one of the seven pillars of toxic masculinity, after all, as well
hypersexuality, self-sufficiency, toughness, physical attractiveness, rigid gender roles, and heterosexuality and
homophobia. (Connell, Maculinities)

Dialectic Relationship between Patriarchy and Pastor Hokage Bible Study Groups
At the start of this section it was pointed out that Pastor Hokage Bible Study groups promote toxic
masculinity, the normalization of sexual objectification and violence against women. At this point we need
to point out that the relationship is not one way. In the same way that these groups promote these social
evils, these social evils already existed in society before these PHBSGs formed – in fact, these social evils
contributed to growing these groups. The relationship is mutualistic in a bad sense. Or, put in another way,
it’s a vicious cycle.

As Sociology researcher Jane Ado points out, citing French sociologist, anthropologist, philosopher and
public intellectual Anthony Bourdieu, cyberspace only replicates the social spaces or social structures outside.
(Ado, Interview no. 1) Philippine society is still very patriarchal, she says.
Communication professional and Catcalled in the Philippines administrator Mikkers Litton further notes
that the general disrespect towards women that the young “pastors” show in their routine activities – this
comes from their fathers, their uncles, their kuyas (older brothers) – all those with strong male influences.
“Kids don't like being left out and any sign of behavior that doesn't fit the bill of 'what a man should be' can
leave young men at a disadvantage. So much so that often, it can be a choice between changing their thinking
and behavior to fit in, or facing violence from other men. (Mikers Litton)
Adolescent Psychology, Physiology – Factors
It used to be thought that adolescence – the transition from chi ldhood to adulthood – ended at age 19, but
now scientists are recommending extending this period to make it last from the ages of 10 to 24. They say this
longer period fully encompasses elements of biological growth and major social role transitions, both of which
have changed in the past century.
Rather than age 10–19 years, a definition of 10–24 years corresponds more closely to adolescent growth
and popular understandings of this life phase, scientists assert, and they are supported in this by the globa l
health authorities (WHO, International Association for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Allied Professions)
and even the United Nations.
An expanded and more inclusive definition of adolescence is essential if the world’s authorities would be
able to frame developmentally appropriate laws, social policies and service systems. (Susan M. Sawyer)

In this context, it is hard to condemn the young men and teenagers who become members of Pastor
Hokage Bible Study Groups. For sure they should be encouraged to immediately stop their activities, rethink
their views on women and even be held accountable for their past acts. However, they cannot be simply
condemned.
For one, almost all of them are young – ergo, still very much flexible and capable of changing their ways of
thinking. Most of them, in fact are adolescents. Apart from internalized misogyny and toxic masculinity which
they can’t be faulted solely for absorbing those from the society around them
It is during this period when the “pastors” are discovering their selves and their sexuality. It is being part of
a community that emboldens them to intensify your toxic masculinity, says Jane Vinculado (Vinculado)
 As Gabriel Guilas, who is studying to be an occupational therapist that specializes on psychosocial and
mental health, pointed out, physiology also seems to play a role. In our interview with him he pointed out:
“Pornographic images tend to be addictive and floods the brain with the pleasure neurotransmitter
“dopamine” with just a single click from the groups or websites. The adrenaline thrill is also present since
the stimuli – the nudes/sexual videos – are a novel stimuli since they know in the back of their heads that
the involved women do not even know that they are being physically exposed. (Guilas)
Adolescents have sexual feelings and a surge of hormones that they may not be equipped to process – so
sadly, they will generally follow the adults who dictate their behavior. (Mikers Litton)
Add that all to the usual peer pressure that the young are very susceptible to. As Professor Vinculado
points out many of the pastors acted they way they did simply because they did not want to be outcasts.
(Vinculado)
As our investigation showed, one of the reasons the “pastors” gave for joining PHBSGs was
social bonding, because these groups gave them a sense of community and belonging. In one of our
discussions the men said that there was a pressure for them to be “kupal, if kupal din yung barkada (act as
assholes if their peers were acting that way). Otherwise, they faced “excommunication.”
As noted earlier, the gaming system employed by the PHBSGs pressured many of the members to post
new content and social currency and that pressure served to numb them from any feelings of conscience.
Then of course, there’s the need of every human being – whether young or not – to feel important. Each
time a “pastor” posted new content, he got validated and his social status in the group improved.
There are a number of addiction studies shed light on the addictive nature of getting Facebook ‘likes’ – at
the same time, bonding over danger can also bring about a dopamine rush.

Technology Enables the Rise of, and Nurtures, the Pastor Hokage Culture
Technology is then thrown into the mix of all these psychological, sociological and physiological factors and
everything gets magnified or turbo-charged.
At the very surface, there’s the fact that technology makes things easier and speedier. The private high-
speed information transfer allows the sending of pictures and videos in easy ways, notes Gabriel Guilas.
(Guilas)
As Communications professor Vinculado points out: yung ability to share photos, ‘yung click lang, ‘yung
technological aspect of it na pwede kang mag-click lang ‘yung picture sa phone mo tapos upload na agad. Hindi
katulad dati na walang internet, kailangan niyo na face to face pag ishe-share niyo ‘yung magazine, ‘yung mga
bastos na magazine kailangan may physical contact kayo. (Vinculado)
And then there’s the Online Disinhibition Effect that we discussed at great length in our Review of Related
Literature.
First there’s the fact that anonymity emboldens the “pastors” and makes them feel less accountable.
Anonymity increases adherence to whatever norm was primed in groups with whom participants identified (T.
Postmes)
 Then, life in cyberspace tends to disrupt the elements that support each “pastor’s” self-boundary. His
physical body and five senses no longer play as crucial a role as they do in his daily in face-to-face
relationships. What others know or don't know about him is not always clear in his PHBSG. His feelings of a
linear past, present, and future becomes more obscure as he moves back and fo rth through synchronous and
asynchronous communication.
As a result, he comes to an altered state of consciousness in cyberspace, which tends to shift or destabilize
his self-boundary. For each “pastor,” the distinction between “inner -me” and “outer-other” becomes less
clear. The “pastor” then shifts to what psychoanalytic theory calls “primary process thinking” in which
boundaries between self and other representations become more diffuse. His thinking then becomes more
subjective and emotion-centered.
Within the transitional space of the online Pastor Hokage Bible Study Group, for each “pastor” the psyches
of self and others feel like they might be overlapping. At this point he allows the hidden self to surface – the
one that has less inhibitions – because he no longer experiences it as a purely inner self. At the same time he
also senses, sometimes vaguely and sometimes distinctly, the intrusion of an “unknown other” – a “collective
PHBSG consciousness” into his private world.
And in online environments, where there are delayed feedback, people’s train of thought may progress
more quickly and steadily towards deeper expressions of toxic disinhibition that breach social norms.
(Suler)Kali Munro, an online psychotherapist, aptly describes it as such: the person may be participating in an
“emotional hit and run”

Fighting Sexual Objectification, Sexual Harassment, VAW on Social Media

As all our interviewees pointed out, Philippine society is awash with misogyny. There’s so much sexism and
anti-women sentiments, especially in enforcement agencies that have been traditionally male -dominated
like the police and the National Bureau of Investigation.
Then there is also the fact that the President of the Philippines, himself, is openly misogynist.
In addition, in the Philippine setting, the laws are not enforced and our justice system is corrupt and
broken.
As Cidee Despi points out in our interview with her: “Ang hirap talaga kung legi slation front eh, hindi
talaga ako confident diyan. Even if it’s implemented, yeah, sinong implementors niyan? Ni sexual abuse nga ‘di
natin maprotektahan yung mga babae eh, pa’no pa kaya ‘yung ganitong level na parang normalized? Paano pa
nila itatrato yun? (Despi)
And then, simply taking down the Pastor Hokage Bible Study Groups will not work. As we know, these
groups just go underground and resurface elsewhere, in another platform. The Internet is only a part of the
real world, too, after all, and taking down these groups does not eradicate the way of thinking that spawned
them in the first place.
What is needed is to address the way of thinking and this involves changing the minds of the “pastors”
themselves – making them realize that what they are doing is harmful to women, to society and even to
themselves. It’s a battle for the minds and hearts of these young men who are attracted to, or pressured
into, or addicted to a thinking that makes them join PHBSGs.
In terms of tactics, it is very clear that the battle arena is the very space that spawned these groups:
Cyberspace and social media.
There are a number of studies that show that even online disinhibition effect can be benign – can be
used for positive social change.
Shock value is important in order to grab the attention of “pastors” in an Internet where thousands of
websites vie for their attention. At the same time, care must be taken not to use shaming as a tactic, as
shaming is not effective. Humor and graphic el ements will likely do the trick.
Most importantly, it is important to include men themselves in the conversation. This must be done
from a place of empathy, says Cidee Despi.
We must clearly call out the “pastors” and hold them accountable for their ac ts in a way that is firm but
empathic. We need to create a platforms and a safe space for the men to come out and discuss this Pastor
Hokage Bible Study culture.
 VI. SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS

In July 2017, the Filipino public was shocked by news of the rapid and widespread growth of “Pastor Hokage
Bible Study Groups” (PHBSG). These groups are created for only one purpose: to host sexual feeding frenzies
on Facebook for young Filipino men and male teenagers. During such “frenzies,” members bond over sexual
and sexualized images and videos of women and even adolescent girls.
Shockingly, most of these photos or videos are taken, uploaded and shared without the consent or even
knowledge of the women or girls who are the subjects of these.
To be accepted as a “pastor”, a new member must present an “ambag.” This means he must contribute
new content for group members to scrutinize and enjoy. These can be slightly racy photographs of school -age
girls. Or it may be downright pornographic material, perhaps even videos of one’s wife as he has sex with her.
Members then bond with each other by expressing approval, mostly by commenting “Amen!” on this
“ambag.”
In the popular Japanese animation series Naruto, “Hokage” refers to the strongest ninja in a vi llage. But
for members of these PHBSGs, the term is misogynistically meant as a term of honor or a status to aspire to. It
is praise for a man who is able to entice a women to do his sexual bidding.
There are hundreds of these PHBSGs. Some of these have huge memberships that range from 9,000 to 2
million.
Outraged, some women and feminist groups reported these groups to Facebook, which promptly took
them down. But when reported, members just disappear underground, then reconvene in a new secret group,
again on Facebook or on another social media platform.

Pastor Hokage Bible Study Groups are Dangerous

PHBSGs groups are expressions and manifestations of toxic masculinity.
These groups reinforce the sexual objectification of women by young Filipino men an d male teenagers.
Their activities normalize the sharing of sexual content without the consent, even when these constitute
sexual assaults, in spirit and in the eyes of the law. The sexualization of young girls is also normalized. The
sexual domination and humiliation of women begins to seem ok.
Disturbingly, a good deal of research shows that such sexual objectification – and its normalization – can
embolden sexual harassment. It incite violence against women. It can even encourage rape.
Vicious Cycle
Toxic masculinity informs and encourages PHBSGS; PHBSGS promote toxic masculinity even more.
Toxic masculinity dictates that the only emotion men can express is anger. This can hinder men from
getting in touch with the other things they feel/are feeling. Healthy forms of expressing emotion – like crying –
are frowned upon as aligning with traditional feminine sentiment. Thus, since “real men” are banned from
showing emotions through any other way, they are forced to show it through violence. Toxic masculinity
occurs when the violent, unemotional and sexually aggressive norms of masculinity like emotional
detachment, excessive levels of aggression, reckless risk-taking, exaggerated stoicism, intimidation, violence,
domination, humiliation, hyper competitivenes s – and the sexual objectification of women and other
predatory sexual behaviors, as well – are deemed acceptable or even things to aspire to.
Studies show that toxic masculinity leads to homophobia, sexual harassment, violence against intimate
partners and even murder, as violence becomes a way to control women and others.

Toxic Masculinity Harms Men

It’s crystal clear that toxic masculinity harms women and leads to sexual harassment, violence against intimate
partners and even murder, as violence becomes a way to control women.
But toxic masculinity also harms men – even the men whose way of thinking embodies toxic masculinity
Psychologists have warned that toxic masculinity places boys and men at a higher risk for school discipline,
academic challenges and health problems like cardiovascular problems and substance abuse. Toxic masculinity
is also the very reason why men are overrepresented in prisons, are more likely than women to commit violent
crimes and are at greatest risk of being a victim of viol ent crime.
As former male convicts who have gone through therapy have noted: the pay-off for toxic masculinity is
bad relationships, loneliness and life in prison.

Our Solution
Because our research reveals that PHBSGs thrive in, and promote, toxic masculinity in an online setting,
our Visual Communications project aims to use the very same environment, media and tools to challenge toxic
masculinity and to promote more positive forms of masculinity.
Current projects – mostly “good men” or “bystander” projects from the U.S. that aim to promote positive
masculinity also show that shaming men is not an effective way to end displays of toxic masculinity. Instead,
psychologists say the most effective way is to encourage them to see the consequences of their beha vior or to
encourage them to put themselves in the shoes of the women the objectify.
Our solution to the problem is an interactive design and social media campaign project that includes a
landing page or website, social media cards, online zines and comics.

The Social Media Project: “ANG TUNAY NA LALAKI AY ___________” .

The project’s title is “Ang Tunay Na Lalaki Ay ___________”.
This project it aims to deconstruct the idea and expressions of toxic masculinity. Aimed to attract young
Filipino men and male teenagers, the audience is encouraged to fill in the blanks – or to submit suggested
answers to what “real men” should be.
The design and choice of words of the project materials are meant to capture PHBSG members in their
milieu (mainly Facebook and Instagram) where they will be exposed to messages that can influence and
convince them to challenge their toxic masculinity views and replace them with views that represent more
positive forms of masculinity.
The approach chosen is that of a casual convers ation – just like the casual conversations on the PHBSGs
themselves. But the mix of photography and graphic design is carefully constructed to be thought-provoking,
especially to the kind of men attracted to PHBSGs – profiled as men in their teens, 20s and 30s from the
classes D and E.
https://isismolintas.wixsite.com/tunaynapastorhokage?fbclid=IwAR2u5IqTYg9svpNEEFHSiHa1QgAubNS8oeNsv
lOEzHiaZlMwPIxKj2oEh2A

Search Engine Optimization

As social media is a Web 2.0 technology, we make use of what is known as search engine optimization.
SEO is the process of maximizing the number of visitors to a particular website by ensuring tha t the site
appears high on the list of results returned by a search engine.
Using SEO, we aim to increase the quality and quantity of website traffic, increase the visibility of our
website or a web page on Google “organically” – or in short, not by paying for paid advertisements.
As an Internet marketing strategy, SEO takes into consideration how search engines work, the computer
programmed algorithms which dictate search engine behavior, what people search for, the actual search terms
or keywords typed into search engines, and which search engines are preferred by targeted audiences.
When SEO is used on a website, that site will receive more visitors from a search engine and will rank
higher than other site ranks in the search engine results page (SERP).
SEO techniques involve using well -chosen titles, posting SEO-rich content and using meta tags.
As Google searches show this term to be a term commonly-searched by such young men and teen
members of PHBSGs, the phrase “Ang Tunay na Lalaki ” is used as both as our project’s title and a meta tag.
Other meta tags and terms used in the project, which are also commonly searched by men who are
attracted to PHBSGs are: “pastor,” “pastor hokage”, “hokage”, “ambag” “puta pepe” and “torjakan.”
Graphic designs and photos of phallic symbols are mixed with various iterations of the phrase
“Kalalaki/Kababae Mong Tao, _____________ Ka ”. These are meant to turn the tables on PHBSG members (or
prospective members) by showing them how it feels to be objectified. This tactic is an attempt to force these
men to empathize with the women they objectify, as research in the fields of psychology, criminology and
women’s studies have shown that men who hold strong toxic masculinity views often begin to change these
views when they are forced into a position of empathy with the women they usually objectify.
The close-up images of women in these project show their many facets – as students, as mothers, as
professionals, as entrepreneurs – all in stark contrast to their reductionist portrayal as sex objects in PHBSGs.
Our project also includes other visual materials like online zines and comics that feature musical lyrics of
songs “Pastor-Hokage-types” like to listen, such as “kay gandang babae pero lalaki pumorma,” “maganda't
maputi siya pero ba't ganon maitim ang utong” (Shanti Dope or Sean Patrick Ramos’s MAU) and
“Pinakamatigas na burat sa Pilipinas pati na sa Asia ” (Cue C’s Ang Ganda Mo)

Tie-up with Discussion Groups

The design project points to this page: https://www.facebook.com/UsapangLalakiDYP
 This is the website of an ongoing project by the Disgruntled Young people group. Usapang Lalaki is an
active forum where men and women come together regularly to discuss gender, women’s and other social and
development issues.
The two projects are therefore linked. Usapang Lalaki forums will discuss the “ANG TUNAY NA LALAKI AY
__________” Project, in effect testing its effectivity as a Visual Communications tool and improving it for
actual use.

Limitations of the Present Research

Because of the nature of these groups, data -gathering tended to be dangerous, difficult and emotionally
exhausting. It was difficult for the researcher to separate her identity as a research from my identity as a
women. It was difficult to be objective and there were many moments when this researcher felt triggered.
There were many times that this researcher felt violated, and wanted to change thesis topic. Consequently,
progress was slow and there was no time to test the solution.

Future Research
We therefor recommend that this project be turned over the University of the Philippines Center for Women’s
and Gender Studies, where it can be refined further and used as an actual tool in their ongoing campaigns to
end sexual objectification and harassment both within and without the University of the Philippines
community. This way, the social media campaign’s effectivity can be tested and honed for future use by other
women’s rights and gender rights groups.
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 ANNEXES
KEY INTERVIEWS WITH EXPERTS

Interview # 1
Name of recoding: REC20190405195529
Date: 4/5/2019
Interviewer: Isis Molintas
Interviewee:Jasmin Ado

J: Ako si Jasmin Ado, 24 years old. Nag-aaral ako ng Masters in Sociology since 2015. 2019 na ngayon, so
definitely 4th year na ako. Thesis na lang inaatupag ko and on the other side for me and my corporate
work, hubadera ako.

Pero before that, I wasn’t really into this thing before I did my research. So, my research is about
technosexuality – Filipino technosexuality. It rel ies on the intimate exchanges among individuals. So, I’ll
be answering part 1 – explaining the phenomenon. I would say na these online dating applications or
in short ODA, have improved the lives of the people especially millennials. Sila yung nakita kong
particular part ng study ko kasi sa kanila ako pinaka nakakarelate. Especially in urban communities lang
siya available yung phenomenon kasi first of all, you have to have internet, GPS, at dapat yung structure
sa isang urban society ay magkakalapit. You can’t definitely do this in a rural society dapat kasi
magkakalapit kayo. Marami silang affordabilities na binibigay like locatability and then magagamit mo
siya through the use of your smartphone, so mas madali siyang ma -access. Ayun nga madami siyang
affordances, location affordances.

It disregards yung basic social structures like in traditional dating scenes, you would have to rely on
your peers, your organizations, your university, your government kung paano ka makakakilala ng tao,
whereas with these ODA - it trespasses all of that, wala kang boundaries in terms of meeting new people
regardless kung di mo sila kasama sa isang org or what have you. So, ang dami niyang affordances sa
mga tao. And, at the same time maaccess mo siya, specially sa mga times na hindi ka free – physically
free or available – for example nasa train ka or nasa bus ka, nagcocommute ka afford mong makapag
Tinder habang naghihintay, afford mong habang naghihintay ka kahit saan makahan ap ka ng potential
date mo. So sobrang daming benefits niya sa isang lipunan na sobrang traffic – there is a lot of structural
violence going on kasi bakit ba traffic, kasi syempre di natutugunan ng estado ang pangangailangan mo,
di natutugunan ng estado ang dapat sapat na transportasyon para makapunta ka from point A to B.
Also you are overworked wala kang time para makakita ng ibang tao.

I: So, release din siya in a sense?

J: So, essential siya para sa isang 21st century na pamumuhay, whether we like it or not. So, ang dami
niyang affordances pero sa kabilang banda ang pangit niya kasi ang sinasabi ni Bourdieu na itong
espasyo na ito ay nirereplicate lang din ang mga social spaces or social structure sa labas nito. So,
nirereplicate lang niya din ang patriarkal na lipunan ng Pilipinas kung saan mak ikita dito na – kahit na
sabihin natin na mayroon tayong gender equality or what have you, meron pa din kasing ibang mga tao
na hindi inaacknowledge ang espasyo ng babae sa lipunan at madalas ay ini -iframe ang babae na
objectified siya or she is something – para siyang trophy na kailangan siyang kolektahin.

So, dito na tayo papasok sa toxic masculinity. Ano ba ang toxic masculinity? Isa itong parte ng
maskulinidad na nakikita ang babae na di niya kapantay – na ito ay isang bagay na kinokolekta, hindi
siya kinokonsider na tao at ginagamit ang mga babae upang makipagtaasan siya ng ihi sa ibang lalake –
which is toxic din.
Sa tagal tagal ko nang nireresearch ‘to, nahihirapan din ako kasi ako bilang babae tsaka bilang
researcher. Nahihirapan ako sa posisyon ko bilang babae kasi una ica-call out ko ba ito si kuya? Pero
may research ethics na kailangan mong protektahan ang mga respondents mo, so hindi lang sila subject,
pero sila ay respondents, sila ay nabubuhay na tao kailangan din ng respeto. Di dapat sila naka kahon
na respondents lang sila. So, ayun siya for part 1.

So, part 2. Do you think that the internet contributes to the rise of these groups? Oo, kasi internet
affords you to become anonymous like di pa gaano'ng strikto, di actually strikto ang internet para
malaman kung sino ka, ano'ng pagkakakilanlan mo, sinong magulang mo , san ka nagtratrabaho. May
kapangyarihan ka para di siya idisclose. So, itong mga ‘to, pwede silang mag-ugnay na itong mga lalaking
ito na pwede nila iescape ang accountability kasi at any point pwede naman nilang sabihin na hindi sila
yun, nahack lang yung phone nila, pwedeng fake account basta pwede nilang takasan itong pagkakamali
if ever may nagagawa sila. And, this perpetuates toxic masculinity.

Tama naman na patriarkal pa din ang ating lipunan andun pa rin yung notion na “ay babae kasi,” “ay
lalaki kasi,” “kasi ganyan ganyan ganyan.” Dapat di ka nagpadala ng picture na to sa kanya. Pero di mo
kasi dapat vini-villainize ang mga taong nagpapadala nito kasi ang mga nude pictures a t dick pictures ay
isang form of shared intimacy. Bakit mo ba ginawa ‘to, bakit mo pinadala ito, kasi gusto mo yung taong
ito, gusto mong maging intimate sa kanya at may value sa’yo ‘tong tao na to.

Syempre bago mo naisip na picture-an mo yung sarili mo nang ganito, tinitingnan mo muna yung value
ng tao na ‘yun, kung ano siya sa’yo. Syempre pinag-isipan mo ‘yun magmula sa kung ano'ng angle,
paano mo nilinis yung sarili mo, ano yung background ng hubad mong larawan, lahat yung pinagisipan
mo bago mo siya i padala. So, yung value na yun, sadly nagiging currency siya for self-validation nung
other person. As much as this person validates you, this person also validates himself na nakatanggap
siya ng ganito sa’yo.
 Pero, meron kasi unwritten rules na kapag nakatanggap ka ng ganito dapat iche-cherish mo siya, itatago
mo siya kasi isa itong tanda na pinagkakatiwalaan ka ng taong ito, na espesyal yung pagtingin ng taong
‘to sa’yo. Pero, ang nangyari kasi sa kabilang banda, nagiging currency siya ng self -validation sa mga
colleagues mo, sa mga peers mo, na itong babaeng ito nagpadala ng hubad na larawan sakin. Mas lalaki
ako kaysa sayo. And, there’s the term na “tangina pare sarap niyan ah,” so may ganon. So, if you want
to seek further self-validation, you would go into that. Ito ay isang esensya ng patriarka, ng toxic
masculinity, whereas kung mayroon talagang esensya ng gender equality, everything, or gender justice
kung paano mo ba dapat i -interpret ang isang bagay, hindi mo gagawin ‘yun.

I: Do you think it contributes to the spread of these groups? What other factors contribute to the spread
of these groups? Do you think there is a specific form of Filipino toxic masculinity compared to Western,
or perhaps East Asian versions? Kaya ko sinabi ito, kasi natuwa a ko na “pastor hokage” yung name. May
reason ba kung bakit may pagka-religious yung name?

J: Actually ginagawa nilang ganito yung pangalan para hindi siya kahina -hinalang pangalan, para
magmumukha siyang harmless. Kasi this is what you call a locker room talk ng mga kalalakihan. Syempre
‘di mo ila-label yung group chat na “labasan ng tite at puke” for starters, kasi alam nila na nang-gago
sila, alam nila na katarantaduhan ‘yung ginagawa nila, pero syempre, gusto nilang itago ito. ‘Yung nakita
kong chat na napasukan ko bilang researcher, pangalan niya “bistekville,” defunct na siya kasi from time
to time, lumilipat sila, nag-sasala sila ng mga members, kasi gusto nila di sila mahuhuli, kasi alam naman
nila na ilegal ‘tong ginagawa nila. Pwede sila makulong s a ginagawa nila. So, marami dito, mga pictures
na inu-upload nang walang consent ng mga babae. Iba meron, pero ‘yung madalas wala. So, minsan
nagvi-videocall, kinakantot nila, sorry for the word, kinakantot nila ‘yung babae, hindi alam ni ate. Pero
compared naman dun sa South Korea, medyo high-tech na sa South Korea.

I: Oo, iba sa South Korea kasi hidden cameras.

J: Oo, pero dito mas gusto kasi nila ‘yung nahahawakan nila ‘yung camera kasi it adds to their agency na
“ako ‘yung kumuha nito, ‘di ko na kai langan i-double check kung nakuha ko ba ‘yung litrato o hindi.” It
adds up to their manliness na sila ‘yung may hawak ng phone. Sila ‘yung nag-press ng record.
Nadidictate nila sa’n nila ihaharap ‘yung camera. Sa pwet ba ng babae. Mas may ganoon, kumpara s a
Korea na iisang ganoon na mas hidden. Gusto nila na may added risk.

J: Tapos, I won’t not really judge the exhibitionist tendencies of people kasi first and foremost it’s a kink.
Pero, yung problema kasi dito, ‘yung agency ng babae, ‘yung consent. So, ‘yun ‘yung tinatake into
account. ‘Di ko jina-judge ‘yung kung ano ba ‘yung kinks nila. I’m not kinkshaming, okay. ‘Yung problema
lang talaga kasi is hindi siya na -disclose nang maayos sa babae. So, meron doon sa chat “ay nalaman
kasi ng girl kaya ini -stop ko ‘yung video call ” “Ay sayang naman tol, next time na lang”. Tapos, parang
 walang sorry and everything. Wala, wala, walang ganun. Tapos, eto “may napicturan akong pepe ng
babae masarap ba,” tapos magcocomment sila “oo masarap.” “Eto bagong shave na puke masarap,
‘diba.” “Oo nakantot ko na ‘to, masarap siya.”

“Ang tambok ng puke niyan.” As in, talagang gano’n, gano’n ‘yung usap. Mamaya, kung kaya mong
masikmura, papakita ko sa’yo ‘yung groupchat. Kakalimutan mo na lang kung ano ‘yung pangalan nila
ha? Pero, syempre codenames codenames lang ‘yun, pero syempre kailangan pa rin protektahan ‘yung
identity nila.

So part 3, nurturing positive forms of masculinity. Number 1, you have to call out your fellow men. You
have to stop this barbarism, if you call that barbarism.
How can more positive forms of masculinity be promoted. Nurture consent. I know meron akong videos
pero may consent.

Dapat you have to respect women, you have to see women as an equal in doing these things.
Can the internet play a role in nurturing more positive forms of masculinity among young Filipino men
and teens? Oo, meron. Hindi lang dapat internet, kailangan may state intervention. Wala naman kasing
silbi yung NBI. Nagparalegal ako for a long time, na marami akong cases na nahandle n a cybercrime,
tapos ‘yung anti-voyeurism act yada yada yada. Walang nangyayari, ‘day. Last year pako nagfile ng case
for someone, ako yung paralegal. Wala pa ring nangyayari. Can media play a role in nurturing more
positive forms of masculinity among Filipino men and teens. Oo. Siguro more on infograph, researches,
tapos alam mo ‘yung mga short videos.

I: Yes, oo.

J: I know this is gonna be a long run, marami pang pag-uusapan, ganyan ganyan. Marami pang mga
usapang lalaki na kailangan i -ganyan.

I: Nakikita ko na parang biggest influence ‘yung films?

J: Films. Pero ano eh, ‘di ko masyado ma -gauge kung paano. Kasi, marami kasing lente ang isang pelikula,
you can see it another way that this other person can’t see it.

J: As teachers and media studies experts, can you suggest pedagogical methods of nurturing more
positive forms of masculinity? Ano na ito eh, I would say ‘yung feminist method of teaching.

I: Ano ‘yung feminist method of teaching?

J: Kasi, ‘pag pedagogical methods na yung pinag-uusapan, kasi education ako nung undergrad ako, so
maraming pedagogical forms ta’s one of them was the feminist. So, di ko na siya madi -discuss for now.
 Pero, you have to value yung ‘di nava -value sa ibang pedagogical forms like ‘yung maliliit na bagay,
‘yung mga nuances, ‘yung language, ‘yung mga hindi quantitative, more on the qualitative side.
Kailangan makita mo rito ‘yung boses ng mga kababaihan, boses ng mga marginalized na tao. And yeah,
intersectionality, feminism.

I: Yey, thank you. Ask muna ako ng questions, pero kain muna kayo.
J: Attack!

I: May naisip ka na ba, na parang, methods of calling out ‘yung mismong these people
J: Honestly, ‘yung nakikita ko with the given circumstances, mahirap siya. Kasi, kung ica -call out mo,
madali lang naman magpalit ng account. Tsaka, isipin mo yung mga taong ‘to, alam naman nilang maca-
call out sila. So, they have plan b, plan c, plan d whatever, so they can still continue doing this. So, if you
are not able to correct this generation, correct the next generation. ‘Yun ‘yung nakikita ko.
I: So, kasi visual communication ‘diba, so ‘yung problem ko dito is how to address ‘yung roots kumbaga,
kung bakit nag-eexist yung ganitong groups.
J: The root cause dapat. Ang root cause ay dahil patriarkal ‘yung lipunan kaya ganito.

Interview # 2
Name of recording: Interview
Date: 4/6/2019
Interviewer: Isis Molintas
Interviewee: Cidee Despi

C: Okay, I am Cidee Despi, I’m a social sciences scholar and a graduate studies student, Philippine Studies,
Development Studies, and I finished Education Arts in Los Baños. I’m currently working in the
development sector, as a project manager for an NGO.

I: Can you tell me what you know of pastor hokage culture?

C: I know of it. 2016 or 2017 siguro, medyo recently lang, may naexpose na Facebook group called pastor
hokage facebook groups, and these groups are disguised as christian bible study groups, but they
actually are dedicated to share nude photos of women and they encourage men actually to take those
photos, or ‘yung galawang hokage as they call it. They share with each other ‘yung, quote unquote,
accomplishments nila. I recall that around 2017, they were exposed at first, somebody was able to
name the groups associated with them and it was took down. Well, they were silent for a while, but
ang alam ko parang may recent ding nakita na meron pa palang remnants, right? I’m not sure, that’s
what I recall.

I: Sa field mo, papa’no mo siya mare-relate? What are the factors behind it? What causes it?
C: Okay, sa field ko. I’ll take it from a social sciences field or the humanities field na lang din. Should we
begin with the inception of the movement of pastor hokage or dun tayo sa response ng mga tao?

Kasi I feel like a lot of it has to do with the internet, has to do with social media, both on the response
side and on the inception side. When it comes to inception, we have social media, that's in its
democratized age, nakikita pa rin natin na kahit yung promised na internet na malaya, pantay-pantay,
hindi parin, kasi kaya paring ma-dominate ng kung ano lang din nangyayari sa real world na inequalities,
ecochambers na siya. In a space as free as the internet, it goes to show na oppression perpetrates
themselves across different channels, and the whole equality platform, the whole democratized
platform that the internet is, it’s not really true especially because it’s still constrained within what the
real world we live in. If the real world is sexist, then the internet easily becomes sexist.

That’s how I understand it on the incepti on side. It’s not a surprise, sadly, that things like this happen
on the internet. And then, you have the response side, where people are trying to take it down. If we
assume that the real world reflects the internet, then thoughtpiece na rin siguro natin na kapag ba na-
take down natin ‘yung internet is it going to end there? If the groups are gone in the internet, is it gonna
end there, if the world reflects the internet? That’s how I understand it from a social sciences
perspective.

C: I think it’s so interesting for us because, interesting talaga kasi sa akin ‘yung prutas no’ng social
movements that erupt that. It’s so fascinating for me that the movement have been led to the internet.
The feminist movement is on the internet. Sure, it’s of course very valid na andudun din naman ‘yung
groups na kailangan natin i -take down.

The key question there is “and then what happens?” If all of them deletes their group, and then what
happens? A lot of the prutas is so comfortable on the internet already, it’s a ha rd type nga. It shouldn’t
end there, pero ang nangyayari kasi sa atin, like nagiging hashtagging. I could relate this to the PUA
Academy thing nga na it died for a while, and then it’s back. We don’t know if it ever really died. For all
we know, they were just not on the internet that much, but they were still operating. Yun lang mas
interesting sakin na the whole internet activism thing that surrounds all of these issues especially with
the rise of the #MeToo movement, na it’s powerful, yes, but it could only represent so much, it can only
function within certain organizations.

C: It’s not limited. It’s not invalid at all. It’s very limited if it’s only on the internet, but it’s more of still
seeing these kinds of issues as a feminist issue. It’s not just an issue of men na nagiging manyak on their
own. It’s not just that, it’s an issue of a certain power dynamic that exists and we should see it that way
and there’s a question of how does feminism work and how does feminism aim to address these issues
or these dynamics. Structural ang pag atake.
 Of course kailangan pa rin natin ng small victories, kailangan pa rin nating i -call out sila, kailangan pa
rin natin na tanggalin ‘yung mga facebook groups, but we shouldn’t be contented with that, as they’re
primary victims of a certain culture that’s like that.

Hindi porket na safe na tayo sa lugar natin ay tapos na. We should still attach this issue not just with
feminist issues, but all sorts of social movement. It’s a long shot, pero that’s why it’s a big is sue and this
is not easy to solve. That’s why we still have to attach this to broader political movements. At the end
of the day, we have to understand that this is a political issue. This is not just a bunch of men desiring
women, eh, it’s a bunch of men feeling like they have power over women. Why do they feel that way,
because we breed the culture that makes them feel that way.

C: Alright, the interesting thing about this is the discrimination we feel, it transcends it all. Street
harassment, that’s everybody’s. It’s interesting for me na parang in as much as I want to be class based
as possible, may mga takot tayong marape araw araw eh, at takot akong marape araw araw kahit
privileged ako. Paano natin ide-deal with yun?

I: Nakakapanliit, your entire pagkatao is just

I: Nakakagalit

C: Its interesting din na the allies, the men na, allies din naman sila pero at the end of the day totoo rin
naman yung sinasabi nila na they can call out all they want, pero minsan kasi naa -antagonize sila or
nae-exempt lang sila sa ganoong usapan, so lalo silang hindi totally in realidad sa gender nila.

Ang hirap nga, kasi I have a younger brother who’s still in junior high but he did tell me his peers are
already starting to be like that and they’re all like 15/16. Sobrang napabayaan na sila, ‘di na sila pinalaki
ng magulang na, teen pregnancy, so pinapalaki is bata and they dont really parent him as much anymore,
medyo napapabayaan na, mahirap naman din talaga.

An older woman stepped out of a car and he goes “wow chicks!” and then I looked at him like you’re
three years old, where did you learn that? Where do we begin? It's hard din kasi to balance, we have
to celebrate little wins, but also understanding that there's a broader movement out there. Others take
it too personalized, ‘yung individualistic lang na parang real life, I feel safe, I feel okay, but other people
naman, they disregard the individual discrimination that we experience on the daily for a broader
political cause which is also sad, because again hi ndi naman pwede na araw araw tayong nagtitiis na
vulnerable tayo.
C: Ah, from a Philippine perspective. I can't find anything that's inherently Filipino from it, but when I say
inherently Filipino, I'm coming from a, like, what do I know of Filipino cul ture? I know that Filipinos,
from a psychological perspective daw, sabi ng mga iskolar, is we're matriarchal. Meaning, we honor
the women, although economically speaking, we're still copying the apelyido ng asawa, lalaki, economic,
yaman ng lalaki, pero i n general, we respect women daw according to some scholars.

And, I know we have certain concepts like kapwa or utang ng loob, yun, that's very Filipino. I can’t really
see how this kind of sexism is inherently Filipino. I don’t want to think naman na “ah pinoy kasi eh kaya
bastos.” I don’t think so. I think if you were to view it more intersectionally, these men, they're asserting
power over us, Filipinos. I'm pretty sure it's going to be a lot scary if this is worldwide, but this doesn’t
mean that this is inherently Filipino. I feel like tayo lang ‘yung biktima nila kasi tayo ‘yung kaya nilang
exert-an ng power. I don't think it's a race issue. ‘Yung masking siguro, you know, bible study group,
yung Christian thing, pero it’s more of ano nalang yun, minor variables. The sexism is definitely
worldwide.

I: Sa South Korea though, hidden cameras ‘yung ginagamit nila eh, but then with Filipino men, parang
mas gusto nilang nakikita sa perspective ng kapwa din nila lalaki yung pago -objectify. Different from
the hidden cameras sa South Korea, it's hidden, everyone can see.

C: Gets. If anything here is very Filipino, it's the use of social media. Data would tell us na isa tayo sa
pinaka-avid users ng social media. That's not to say that we don't have hidden ca meras. That's not too
say that men exploit women in any other way. They just really really like the internet.
I: Ano ‘yung sa tingin mong dapat na steps taken against these people? Of course there has to b e
accountability, but then, if no accountability's given, what's next? If the person uses a fake account or
claims na na-hack lang siya, what's next?

C: I don't know. I believe na may power talaga in exposing these people. The most marginalized groups
don't, they cannot really all out protest or object to their oppression because they have everything to
lose. May ganun kasing concept, eh. I would say “hey let's get out there and and really really fight
them,” but who are we fighting exactly, we don't even know.

We're fighting people who are also citizens who are more or less one of us. We're not fighting an
establishment, we're fighting people. As an individual, okay naman ang ginagawa natin that we exposed
them and then call them out for what it is. It doesn't end there. We have to remind the men ar ound us
that it’s not okay. We have to make them realize that we're people and not just objects on the internet.
‘Yun ‘yung individualized form of protest natin eh, ‘yung pagiging maingay about the kind of oppression
that we experience, ‘yung may discourse on the discrimination, I think that's one.
 If there's an opportunity to, I don't know if it's acceptable to bring it onto legislation, I'm not sure how
it's going to work, sexist din naman ang ating PNP, ang regulators natin, even our president. We don’t
wanna let the discourse die, so it’s always still important to organize women, groups to talk about these
things because the scary part is that people think this is normal, some people already think it’s normal,
that men have to do it. If our fellow women, fellow victims just doesn’t feel any urgency.

Apart from individually being loud about it, it’s also discussing and agitating people all the time,
agitating our fellow women, na parang “huy that’s not okay what’s up.” Also consentisizing our men na
if you know friends who act like this, you have to watch out sa peers mo, ganyan. Patuloy pa rin ang
panawagan natin sa talagang mas malawakang protesting. Hindi lang ‘yan and PUA Academy. Don’t let
the discourse die, I think is the most immediate call to action na kaya natin na palatable for us.

C: Ang hirap talaga kung legislation front eh, hindi talaga ako confident diyan. Even if it’s implemented,
yeah, sinong implementors niyan? Ni sexual abuse nga ‘di natin maprotektahan yung mga babae eh,
pa’no pa kaya ‘yung ganitong level na parang normalized? Paano pa nila itatrato yun? Tsaka ‘yung sheer
idea na sobrang power play na parang “uy binigyan niya ako ng suso, share ko nga ‘to sa mga tropa ko,”
ano yun, you’re just showing off that you have a girl’s tits ?

What the hell? I know some girls who I think were part of the google drive, and then they were super
traumatized whenever people talked about it on the internet. I dont know them personally, I just saw
a girl, she tweeted “sige pagpatuloy niyo lang pagti-tweet niyo tungkol sa google drive, akala niyo
naman kasi nakakatulong kayo lalo niyo lang pinapaalam sa mga tao na nage-exist ‘yun, so lalo nilang
hinahanap.” People talked about it kaya it became more viral. If I recall I think na may na -name, eh, na
isa sa mga owner, eh, pero hindi ko alam.

I: What form of justice?

C: I’ve personally tried to file a cybersecurity case and it’s more of a stalker thing na parang I was getting
threats from a man. It was anonymous based, ‘yung chat, so parang off-data ka obviously. I went to the
police about it, do’n sa head ng cybersecurity division. You know what they told me, “oh we really can’t
help you with anything unless you already have a suspect.” I need a suspect, that's why I'm going to
you! They laughed at me, right? Sabi pa sa’kin noon, ang weird, kasi sabi sa akin kawawa naman daw
ako, alam pa naman daw niya saan ako naglalakad everyday. That's obviously a threat, right? In their
language, it doesn’t say a threat. It’s a threat, it's obviously a freaking threat na parang may gano’n pa
silang, last year lang, pag-deny sa existence ng mga ganito, kasi they don’t have the technology. I
honestly don't know how, on the level of accountability, dragging them, exposing them, the PUA
Academy, they're still open, they still do that?
 I feel like one of the guys I’ve encountered in Future sa Cubao, is a PUA Academy guy, kasi ‘yun ‘yung
tricks nila ‘diba, na parang they’re trying to talk to every girl, the more, the merrier. They talked to me
na rin na sabi nila, kani na pa kita tinitingnan, eh, gusto ko kasing makipagkaibigan, so PUA Academy
‘diba? Then, this is what, last year, after all the issues around them. ‘Yung dynamic din, ngayon ko lang
na-realize na may nagpu-push saking umalis na. Sa Megamall to, ah, she was very persistent on
defending her, ayaw niya talaga, “busy ako kuya.” You know what, he stopped when she said I have a
boyfriend. It's like they only stop if they’re required to respect them. Mga PUA din, they only notice
their boundary when a man is named. Like you’re not gonna respect us until we have a boyfriend. PUA,
it’s so weird. Ayun nga, eh, as women nagiging angry feminist tayo.

I: Kahit ikaw yung talo, ikaw ‘yung mukhang tanga.

C: Right? Tapos parang tayo pa ‘yung required na i -explain lahat. Then again, I remember I have a straight
guy friend who told me that back then, he really didn’t understand the whole angriness surrounding
feminism, like when a man’s staring at you in the streets, so what? Someone tried to get to him, like
really disrespect his boundaries, he was so scared. Parang when he experienced it, he understood.

Before, I used to walk to work, along EDSA, so sobrang daming catcallers noon, and then I couldn’t even
grasp the idea that it’s an everyday thing. It's so normal like I was asked before if I’ve ever been harassed,
I had to say not really just ‘yung normal lang na mga street harassment stuff. Parang I feel safe kasi
hindi ako narape. Ang baba ng standards natin for safety right? ‘Di na ako umuuwi nang ganitong oras,
may contact na ako sa friends ko, andami naming ginagawa. We know it’s hopeless, kaya sasabihin ng
mga people is “pag-iingat lang naman yan eh, alam niyo naman yung reality eh.” Like, tingin mo talaga
wala kaming ginagawa? I have to clutch my pepper spray when I walk around at night, and I have to tell
my friends where I am, have to hold my keys na paganun. Tingin mo wala kaming ginagawa, sure ka ba
diyan? Tayo lang lagi naga-adjust.

I: Ahh, it's bothering me na. Oh yeah, I have some guy friends naman na may parang superhero complex
so what do you think about that? I feel like they have to be certain selves, savior sa problems

C: Yeah it’s really wary of men who claim they’re feminist because it’s so easy to be a softboy. I know men
who are great people but I’m just generally wary when men claim to be, like, super loud feminists kasi
it’s so easy to use that retort to get into somebody’s pants right, to get somebody's trust?

Sa Usapang Lalaki, there was a guy who asked how they explain to a girl what femin ism is. I think may
point naman tayo no’ng group noon when we realized na as long as you’re not mansplaining, as long
as the guy is not coming from a point na parang you’re explaining our oppression to us.
 ‘Yung pinaka red flag na ‘yun eh, so parang ine-explain niya pa sa atin paano yung feminism, that’s the
most red flag you’ll see, a man who seems to know these things better than we do. In terms of the
superhero complex, they’re just using this to feel more power over you, that's not cool. We have to
understand also that chivalry is sexist right? At least, the idea behind it.

That's not cool, but I think it’s gonna be circumstantial pa rin. It can depend on how well you know the
person, how much you trust each other. Sabihin na nating friends kayo and may superhero complex
talaga siya, I think at the end of the day, men are men especially straight men. They cannot fully grasp
the extent of our experiences, so we just continue talking about these things and if they still don’t budge,
na parang “dude ano'ng nangyayari, tingin mo you’re, like, saving me or whatever.”

They have to do that, because they lord over us or something. This whole thing is really a process of
unlearning. Again, we’re fighting individuals or a group, but it's not an establishment exactly that we're
fighting. These people who perpetrate that culture, they are conditioned to act that way, to feel like
the only way to value their masculinity is by sharing somebody's nudes. Again, we're fighting a culture,
a lot of this is a process of unlearning. Ayun lang, like with our friends, with each other, we have to
always talk about these things so we don’t forget.

I: How do we nurture more positive forms of masculinity? Para kasing right now ang nakikita kong answer
ay it starts at a young age, paano yung generation natin?

C: Senior high school, so much work to do. I had some students who said “miss some guy here, ano, may
nanliligaw sa kanyang babae,” ‘yun lang ‘yung story, sobrang shaken na sila. Okay lang naman ‘yun. I'm
really sure it starts with the family, but its also school right? It’s really school din, eh, right? My brother’s
in high school, they used to divide our CLE class by gender, as in isang computer for men. Sure, we could
say na stop muna yung gender roles, but when it comes to family tapos teenager na ‘yung mga anak,
medyo mahirap ‘yun, eh, ano'ng gagawin natin, si nanay paghahanapin natin ng trabaho, after ten years
na walang trabaho ie-expect natin na siya yung magiging economically independent tapos si tatay, gets?
Kasi, it's not just about raising the child to be a feminist, but it’s also about letting parents unlearn the
gender roles. Its not even just about the kid, its about the parents na rin, right? I'm a little hopeless na
rin about this also, na makakakita tayo ng utopic world in this generation. Not in this lifetime, I think,
na magiging egalitarian lahat.

I: Proceed na tayo sa question na “can the internet have a role for more positive masculinity?”

C: It has. ‘Yung mga feminist movement nga, sure nasa internet siya, pero we also acknowledge na nasa
internet siya nagform outright. I had former students before who would really want to learn about
feminism and they go on the internet.
 The problem that we have right now is the internet we have right now is very scattered or very very
limited. I had a student before who would tell me that she wanted to learn more about feminism, so
she looked it up and where do students learn, they go to youtube. All she got were white feminists and
she couldn’t identify that there are other types, so there’s that lack of information, but also scattered
information.

The internet is so noisy, it’s so easy to get it wrong, so don’t contribute to the noise. If you can help
optimize the visibility of this portion that matters, when you do that through your platform, I think
that’s enough. At the end of the day, algorithm ang internet ‘diba. The most talked about topics go on
top, we talk about these things, and then we use the dynamics of the internet to work for us and not
so much against us. Talk about it parin.

C: Banking the thought, “coming from a place of unlearning.” It’s more of engaging them, ‘di naman ‘yung
parang, napagusapan nga natin before na, “this is how you should treat girls.” If you don’t understand
why, it’s not personal to them.

We always have to come from a place of empathy, and then we start unwrapping them from there. Like
before, I like engaging the students in dialogues, Marcos Martial Law naman yung topic noon, so what
we did was like Mythbusters, we s tarted with what they know, we wrote it down, and then we talked
about what’s true tofacts.

We also did a session where i made them read a long reading i gave them like two weeks to read it.
They sat in a circle and i made them talk on it. They were graded according to the substance of the
reflection paper that they made. Its not even about knowing stuff from the reading but its also about
the facts. We also did a section where I made them read a long reading, I gave them like two weeks to
read it. They sat in a circle and then I made them talk about it. They were graded according to the
substance that they were able to contribute to the conversation. It’s not even about knowing stuff in
the real thing, it’s about being able to ask more questions, nanggagaling sa kanila. Hindi lang
memorization.
Of course pedagogical approaches on toxic masculinity is really tied sa whole “how you understand the
education system.” Right now it’s not something you memorize. Our oppression or the marginalization
we experience is not some textbook material. It’s the real world, so let them see it, I guess. Also, we
can understand that the whole ssexism that we have right now is cultural and it’s historical. Meaning,
hindi ganito dati, kaya kaya nating ibalik o baguhin. That’s been very important to me, at least.

Interview # 3
Name of recording: Voice 13
Date: 4/1/2019
Interviewer: Isis Molintas
Interviewee: Prof. Jane Vinculado and Anika________

J: *types online disinhibition in search engine*

So, ang alam ko lang na that one is psychology, so perhaps when you look into this you will be able to
be led to other studies na similar ‘yung nature kasi halimbawa —. Mahaba ‘yung argument na yan.

I: Thank you for this.

J: So, I have this article, maybe we can go from there, then look at similar researches that has the same
keyword when you go to Jstor, you can probably look at online, what others have written.

I: What the research has been focused on is toxic masculinity, so hindi lang talaga ‘yung online. Pinag-
usapan din na one of the reasons why guys do this is dun sila nagkakaroon din ng social bonding. I was
able to hold a discussion with groups of guys, tapos one of them said na, in exact words, na they felt
there was a pressure for them to be kupal, if kupal din yung barkada, otherwise mae-excommunicate
sila.

J: Yeah. This is Anika. Binigay ko sa kanya, you remember ‘yung sa online ‘yung visual effect, we had this,
siya ‘yung parang, because hindi ko sila kilala, they kind of ano, ta’s siya daw sa toxic masculin ity ang
nabasa niya is about para silang it’s a sense of belonging, pero hindi ba kailangan heirarchical? Pag
pastor concept ‘di kaya para silang heirarchical, o para lang silang equal footing silang lahat? Walang
nagmo-moderate sa kanila na ito ang dapat nilang gawin?

A: Parang sense of community, nakakahanap sila ng mga tao na the same way paano magisip sa kanila
kaya nila ginagawa ‘yung ganoon. Nacu-cultivate ‘yung idea na okay lang ‘yun kasi ‘di naman ako mag-
isa na nagi-isip na ganoon tapos -.

J: Isis, lagay mo yung email mo, so I can forward you the article

A: So, para siyang herd concept. So ‘yun ‘yung tinatanong, saang take or point of view mo gustong i -take
yun. Kung toxic masculinity siya, I think it's a good direction

I: Viscomm po ako, so ang gusto po samin ay may output po kami. Ang habol ko po ay magkaroon ng basis
or inputs from different fields, para the person reading it, siya na ‘yung magform ng conclusions on his
own. Ang una kong gusto is macounter, pero that would be more problematic kasi walang blueprint on
how to exactly counter, to change this behavior of these people na mali talaga.
A: Pag media perspective siya, dapat kung sino man yung interviewhin niya ay titignan yung mediums,
platform Bakit ba sila in-afford no’ng platform na ‘yun na makapagcreate noong community at dahil
mediated siya, ano ba ‘yung ‘di na-provide noon na na-provide ngayon kaya ngayon mas stronger ‘yung
presence nila in the society.

I: Must be anonymity siguro?

A: Oo, yun, anonymity, yung ability to share photos, ‘yung click lang, ‘yung technological aspect of it na
pwede kang mag-click lang ‘yung picture sa phone mo tapos upload na agad. Hindi katulad dati na
walang internet, kailangan niyo na face to face pag ishe-share niyo ‘yung magazine, ‘yung mga bastos
na magazine kailangan may physical contact kayo.

J: Tama ka dun, ‘yung anonymity niya

A: Tapos ano pa ba?

I: Siguro ‘yung pinaka-important dito is wala talagang maho-hold accountable pag ganitong bagay.

A: It’s true.

J: Tsaka alam mo ‘yung The Mark at The Julius Ceasar, na ano, ‘yung pinatay si Julius Ceasar ‘diba lahat
sila marami sila, not one person can be said na siya ‘yung pumatay kasi lahat sila community na pinatay
‘yung person na ‘yun, so pwede rin kasi ‘yun sa argument na dito because community sila, nababawasan
‘yung sense nila ng responsibility nila dun sa situation.

A: Ayun ‘yung perspectives, so ‘yung io-output mo, is it visual?

I: Visual po, series of perspectives para ma -narrow down.

J: Sa amin sa media, kasi mediated siya, ‘yung platform niya which is Facebook, bakit niya ia-allow ‘yung
community to thrive, ‘yung gano’ng klase ring perspective. ‘Yung socialization element niya is na -
convert niya into, social parin, pero ang na -strengthen, ‘yung thoughts nila toward negative na direction.
‘Yung platform, na-provide pa rin naman niya ‘yung supposedly objective ng platform, pero na -utilize
na siya towards a different direction.

A: Tsaka, mas madaling makahanap ng members, so sila parang nakikita nila na may sense of validation,
so ine-emulate nila ‘yung iniisip mo, edi magfo-follow ka na, tapos eventually mas mapapalalim na ‘yung
 relationship mo with that group. Halimbawa sa bahay niyo, pinapagalitan ka ng nanay mo kasi bastos
ka o kaya ng girlfriend mo, pero doon, la hat kayo gano’n kayo magsalita o magisip kaya okay lang.

Mas nae-embolden ka na magisip that way kung nung umpisa rarely or light lang, iniisip mo lang “ah
pag malaki yung boobs maganda,” pero dahil nakikita mo paano din nakikita no’ng iba ‘yung babae
halimbawa, nae’embolden ka na ‘yung pagtingin itawid mo nalang toward a more physical na gagawin
tulad ng halimbawa ng hokage moves, so para pa siyang naging challenge sino bang pinakamagaling
gumawa ng moves na ‘yun. Tsaka syempre, sa labas it seems harmles s kasi ‘diba meron ding mga babae
na ‘yung gumagawa na bigla nalang hahalikan ‘yung someone or something pero okay lang kasi parang
lahat kayo parte kayo nung fun, pero internally nagbe-brew na siya ng something na mas sinister kesa
doon sa fun na facade niya. Ayon, hanggang out of control na siya na hindi nalang conceptual yung
pangha-harass tsaka yung pangmamaliit sa mga babae kundi nagiging actions.

J: Yung virtual ay nae-embolden ka to make it actual tapos, to report pa, so nagmi -mix ‘yung virtual sa
actual, nagiging cycle siya, tapos kung ano pa yung nagpalakas ng loob mo tsaka nagiging parang credits
siya na pagka-sinubmit mo na siya, tumataas din ‘yung parang social currency mo sa grupo. Dahil dun,
yung small fry doon na maliliit din sila na members do’n, para tumaas din ‘yung kanilang status within
the organization, siya din gagawin din niya ‘yung ginawa ng prior. Instead of kayo na calling out each
other, sinasabi na mali ‘yung ginagawa, lalo pang nase-strengthen ‘yung pagtingin mo na dahil pare
pareho kayo magisip, walang element of society na nagsasabing mali ‘yung ginagawa ninyo, lalong
magse-strengthen ‘yung bond, dynamics niyo sa isa’t-isa kasi similar minded kayo at ‘yung pangalawa
nagiging matapang towards the direction, kasi nava -validate ‘yung actions mo rather than napu-punish
‘yung action mo.

So, tama nga ‘yung sinasabi na sa bahay bawal yung kabastusan, sa school, dito, ano ka pa, status
symbol, nababago ‘yung societal dynamics, ‘yung norms na sinusundan ninyo as a group ‘diba. Pati ‘yun
iba ang rules, iba ‘yung laws, iba ‘yung currency. Currency mo dito, picture ng hubad na na -ano mo,
mga girlfriend mo ayun, mga sinilipan mo, o pinicturean mo na binastos mo. Doon pasok siya, pag
bastos ka, mas validated pa ‘yung presence mo. Ang mas mahirap ay ‘yung hindi mo na nadi -distinguish
‘yung real at ‘yung virtual dahil kung sa’yo ay sobrang gustong gusto mo ‘yung space mo do’n ka nalang
nage-exist at ayaw mo na ring i -acknowledge ‘yung existence ng world outside na magsasabing mali
‘yung ginagawa mo.

A: ‘Yung validation mo in the form of likes, shares, and comments ‘diba tulad ng “ah ang galing mo.”

I: “Hymen” ‘yung dapat irespond.

A: Instead of “amen.”
I: Actually may kausap po ako na gano’n ‘yung MA niya ta’s she’s part of the groupchats, as in umiiyak
talaga siya, but it’s not ethical to call these people out, they’re part of her research, pero sobrang
stressed na siya.

A: So ikaw, halimbawa nagpo-post ka lang sa Facebook, sabihin mo isa ka lang na normal na tao,
pinakamaramimg likes mo na is 10 tapos pagdating sa grupo na ‘yun, ito lang naman ‘yung ginawa mo,
thousands, tapos meron pang shina -share pa tapos ‘yung mga comments pa. Naga -add ‘yun sa
machismo, alam mo ‘yung concept of machismo anyway ‘diba na parang pagbibilang lang ng ba bae.

I: Speaking po of machismo, do you think this is specifically a Filipino form of machismo or exists in other
countries, platforms?

J: Alam kong meron din siya sa ibang platform, I’m sure in some way na -exist siya. Kahit naman ‘yung mga
organizations like ‘yung child porn nao’organize nila ‘yung sarili nila sa Facebook. Machismo in the
Philippines, meron din siguro tayong sariling brand of machismo. If you look at it from that perspective,
kailangan tingnan mo rin siya na there is masculinity in a l ot of things.

Here in the Philippines perhaps, we have a variant of machismo that is this combination. For example
kasama ‘yung itsura, status, pera, gano’ng mga bagay do’n sa element of machismo. Halimbawa ‘yung
iba, sinasabi na hindi naman sila gano’n kagwapo and ‘di sila ‘yung tipong magugustuhan ng mga girl,
‘di sila ‘yung konsepto ng macho, mapapayat naman sila, ganyan tapos, so dito rin sila maghahanap ng
kanilang validation kasi tinotolerate if they don’t get it outside di gaya niyo.

Parang ‘yun, sa stereotype na nanonood ng porn na mapayat, ‘yung nerdy sila, so dito mababasag mo,
kasi physically they don’t naman show ‘diba, they don’t have to be eyeballed na ‘pag nakita sa labas,
‘di ka naman tatanungin kung totoong macho.
Ito virtual machismo where ‘yung currency nila ay iba na nakikita na rin sila as this kind of macho.
Definitely ang Filipino machismo is different culturally from the versions of masculinity sa other country
pero may core pa rin ‘yan na ano ba yung konsepto ng machismo sa ibang bansa na nakakalalaki. ‘Yung
“nakakalalaki ka ah,” ibig sabihin ay na-question ‘yung status niya bilang lalaki lang, ‘di necessary about
anything else. Definitely, I don’t think it’s an excuse, eh, pero each culture will have a version of
machismo na magiging applicable sa mga situation na katulad nito, so bakit kailangan anonymous kung
macho ka naman kung mindset mo ay nage-embody ka ng qualities of being macho ‘pag lumakad ka sa
daan bakit devalued ka, if you can carry your machismo, kasi ikaw ‘yung hind i papansinin kasi hindi nga
looker ‘di maganda ang katawan, ‘di rin marami ang pera. Marami kasing ina -associate na rules sa
pagiging macho.
A: Identity nga ng tao na sa reality niya, di niya nakikita na mava -validate siya pero online, mas makukuha
niya ‘yung pleasure ng validation ng mas maraming tao. Syempre meron ding iba na feeling nila para
siyang game na sila ‘yung pinakamagaling, in essence, pataasan sila ng level of pagiging hokage, eh,
‘diba dapat nga iisa lang ang hokage.

I: May ideas po ba kayo media-wise, how to promote more positive forms of masculinity, “ako lalaki ako,
pero hindi ibig sabihin mambabastos ako.”

A: Ako, naniniwala pa rin talaga ako na sa family nagsa -start ‘yung pagtuturo ng tamang masculinity, pero
alam natin na hindi rin lahat ng parents natin mayrong maayos na sense of gender sensitivity nila tsaka
dahil minsan masyadong repressed halimbawa yung mga bata hindi, halimbawa takot na takot matuto
ng kung ano ano sa TV o kaya sa internet kaya pinipigil, tapos after a while, dahil sa pagpipigil na ‘yun,
masyado silang nagse-seek ano ba ang meron diyan kaya mas hindi sila naprotektahan against it kasi
sinabik sila.

J: Pinigilan, pinagsasabihan, pero walang guidance na ‘yung next phase ng engagement.

A: Pag sila-sila na, ‘pag lumabas ng bahay, ‘pag pumunta sa bahay ng kaklase, doon naa -access na nila
lahat ‘yun at ‘di nila kayang i -process dahil ‘di sila tinuruan ng mga magulang nila, pinigilan lang sila.

J: Palaging ‘di ina-acknowledge ‘yung presence ng mga bagay na ‘yun, so since unacknowledged siya, hindi
rin, ayaw nating pagusapan ‘yan, instead na iprocess ng isang batang nag-grow up and finding their own
masculinity, space and gender, finding their own identities, hindi lang napa -process.

J: Hindi nila napa-process kasi I remember merong bata sa bahay namin na binata na rin, pero no’ng first
year, mayroon siyang tinanong, sabi niya “is bading a bad word,” so as a young boy, parang ‘di niya
naiintindihan why people say a word na para siyang demeaning. Tapos in -explain ko sa kanya what it
means na “ah itong word na ‘to, avoid mong gagamitin ‘yang word na ‘yan kasi it’s a derogatory term,
especially when said a certain way.” Ganito siya ‘pag sinabing “ah bading,” in terms of a description,
okay lang, pero kung sinabing “uyy bading,” that means mayroon kang ini -imply na hindi maganda, kaya
siguro tinatanong mo bakit negative ‘yung word, pero ‘di mo naiintindihan sa sarili mo, so in a lot of
families in the Philippines na medyo ayaw nila i -confront na ‘yun ‘yung mga reali ties ng buhay natin, in
essence, instead na i -process nung bata yung concerns and confusions niya, napa -process nga siya
somewhere else in a different way.

A: On the other hand naman, mayroon ding mga families, lalo na siguro sa mga low income, na sobra
naman nilang exposed do’n sa acts, so nakakalat lang ‘yung porn magazines, tapos nanonood ‘yung
parents mismo ng porn sa vicinity ng mga bata, iba namang extreme ‘yun ng pagtuturo sa mga bata ng
 konsepto ng masculinity. Kung ano'ng nakikita nila sa parents nila, gano’n din ‘yung pag-form sa isip
nila lalo na dahil di sila gina-guide na “oh ito papanoorin natin pero ganito siya.”

I: O ine-explain.

J: Volatile kasi talaga ‘yung, especially pag bata, ‘yung formative years, creation niya ng pagtingin sa sarili,
sa ibang tao, tapos minsan ay napaka -confusing ng mga signals na nakukuha niya everywhere.
Nagtanong siya, wala namang sumasagot sa kanya. Sometimes kahit na napaka -welcoming ng space na
ito for the questions, lalo kung nagsisimula ka palang i -find ‘yung self mo in relation to these things,
sexuality, parang “ah ganito ‘yung way kasi ang saya saya naman” tapos magkakabarkadahan pa sila,
‘diba ‘yun din ‘yung mangyayari instead na supposedly may self-policing dapat na nangyayari do’n sa
dynamics natin sa ganito kahit maging curious ka kasi, at a certain point, mandidiri ka do’n sa nangyayari
dapat ‘diba, eh, pero kung wala kang gano’ng klase ring awareness na these are the things na “ang saya
naman na ganito ang reaction nila sa akin, pag naglagay ako ng ganito sikat ako,” edi nabago rin ‘yung
supposedly dynamics mo sa pag-build ng sexuality.

Isa pa siyang negative na lalo do’n sa naghahanap pa ng sarili, so lalo naman na pwede nating i -embrace
our differences, yes as genders diba, tinatanggap din naman ‘yung kanya kanyang dynamics that
emanate from that, pero ‘yung matututunan mo isang side lang. Kung ganito ‘yung environment, lalong
magiging negative ‘yung pagtingin mo, in essence kino-confuse ka naman. ‘Yung media literacy ‘yung
gusto sana namin na isa sa mga bagay, kung minsan kasi ina -assume natin, nasa TV naman, sinabi lang
naman ng MTRCB ‘yun pero do’n ‘yung kailangan tabihan ‘yung bata na pagka gano’n ‘diba, tapos pag
nagtatanong parang naiinis na ‘yung magulang, “ano ka ba naman ang dami mong sina sabi.”

A: “Nagluluto ako dito.”

J: They don’t really allow their children, “‘di, matalinong mga bata ‘yan” so ‘yung peers, minsan kahit
gaano raw kaganda ‘yung pagpapalaki mo, minsan do’n sa peers dynamic, eh, nababago din, kasi hindi
mo rin alam ano yung pinaguusapan nila. Ito, peers ‘to eh, o virtual peers, noh, feeling mo kakapareho
kami magisip nito. Ayun at tsaka kasi ‘yung genuine processing nila ng kabastusan nila, eh, na parang
ayun nga, dahil sa mundo na hindi nga sila ina-allow ng mundo na i -process ‘yung parang “ay bastos
kang bata ka, ayaw kitang kausapin,” ‘diba dito nagagawa nila yun.

A: Sa media literacy, hindi lang dun sa mga lalaki na ‘yun na bastos, kundi lahat no’ng nando’n sa
community para rin nababantayan din, parang we counter c heck each other, halimbawa, ‘yung kaibigan
mo “o ano na naman ‘yang pinagtitingnan mong mga,” tapos you can.

I: Call them out.

A: Oo call them out, educate them, “ano ka ba ganyan ganyan.” Hindi porke nakita mo sa internet, tama
diba. Ganun din do’n s a parenting. Hindi lang ‘yung anak ‘yung dapat maging media literate, kundi pati
‘yung parents, paano ba nila iha -handle ‘yung pagbabantay or pagaalaga dun sa bata in terms dun sa
media usage.

Marami ngayon kasi na Youtube parent, panood lang sila ng Youtube para pwede silang gumawa ng
ibang mga bagay. ‘Yung mga bata, kahit di pa sila marunong magbasa, manonood lang sila ng mga video
tapos hindi nila nare-realize, ‘di nila alam yung dahilan kung bakit ginagawa nila ‘yun. Ito, ‘pag kin -lick
mo ito, ano'ng ibig sabihin noon. Alam lang nila na pupunta sila sa next video. Kung ‘di ka marunong
magbasa, meron ka talagang tendency na mapupunta ka do’n sa mas dangerous na content at hindi mo
alam din kung ano'ng magiging epekto no’n sa mga bata.

J: Kung may community insight, in essence, na nae-establish nitong rules na ito, nage-establish ng
dynamics na naga-allow na mag-proliferate at tsaka ma-ferment itong ganitong ugali, there has to be a
counter in the community as well, na nagtutulungan din naman kasi napa ka-taboo na topic ang sex.
Which is why din, ang machismo is mahirap iprocess, kasi that’s always just been about sex and there’s
a very complicated relationship between respect, gender, sex.

I: Consent.

J: ‘Diba ‘yung idea ng identity, relationships, diba? Andaming bagay, eh, na magkakadikit diyan, eh, pero
they really don’t process it that way, parang, in essence, we get to college, so parang, so it’s been, kanya
kanya na tayo. Buti if we get to the literary crowd, then we get to process it properly, pero kung hindi,
eh, ‘di in this case pero there’s always been a community outside of the virtual world where the person,
whether young or old, kasi everybody can change naman, na kailangan din nilang magka -space din na
magkakaroon sila ng more enlightenment. Minsan kasi nagkaka-enlightenment lang pagka naging
personal ang mga bagay, kunwari binabastos yung mga trans diyan, only to find out ‘yung palang
kapatid mo naging trans, so magiiba ngayon ‘yung pagtingin mo do’n sa dati mong dynamics do’n sa
mga tao na pinagmumura mo, ‘yung mga trans, mga tao ‘to, hindi, mahal ko siya wala namang problema
sa kanya bakit ganun. Minsan kapag ganito, napaka -detached nila doon sa mga problema.

I: Maybe there’s a better way.

J: Oo, lalong magiging tough for men, eh, di ne-detach nila mga sarili nila, “lakas namang makalalaki nito,”
on the other hand pwede pa nilang gawin ‘yun dahil dito sa ganitong communities, ang ginagawa nila
ay pag meron na silang nakita in the real world, tapos pwede nang imanifest yung machismo nil a.
I: Very interesting kasi gumawa kami ng group of young people na gagawa ng Usapang Lalaki monthly on
mga topics like how to call out, end sexual harassment, and basic crash course lang sa feminism. Nagi -
invite kami ng guys pero most of the time ‘yung guys na pumupunta sa discussion, these are guys na
medyo emancipated or in a relationship na, so di namin nai -invite talaga ‘yung mga guys who really
need it, there’s really a need to widen it.

J: Yes, ang mahirap pa, ang gusto nila they won’t go there they think they have no problem.

I: Or they will think they’re being attacked

J: ‘Yun ngang meninist, ‘yung concept na ‘yung feeling nila sila ‘yung ina -attack, sila ‘yung kawawa. Ano
ba ‘tong mga feminist na ‘to, pinapahirapan lang ‘yung buhay natin. Ayun, maganda naman ‘yung moves
na ‘yun, and we think gano’n naman ‘yung dapat na mangyari. We combat it by providing other
communities, even online, kasi minsan they can be anonymous talaga, eh, noh? ‘Yung mga concerns
mo, ayaw mo namang iharap na may nakatingin sayong babae habang sinasabi mo ‘yun, pero ‘pag
nagusap kayo because of the online disinhibition, parang nawawalan ka ng ano bang gusto mong
malaman, sige sabihin mo.

It also takes them to accept na gusto rin naman nilang matuto, ‘pag umabot na s a point na normal
naman na wala nang problems, mas masaya pa nga ito eh, at itong mga babaeng nagco -call out minsan
nga mahirap talaga kahit babae ‘diba, so nabibigyan din itong mga lalaki ng excuses, eh, kailangan na
natin sila talagang ie-mancipate from that perception. That’s a beautiful topic, especially kung ang
manifestation ay maganda siguro may makakita at makarealize na members na ng grupo na iyon
magkaroon talaga sila ng some form of-

A: Sino ‘yung mga ini -invite niyo?

I: Usually same people from our same groups, a-add ko po kayo sa Facebook page if you want.

A: Sige.

I: Ay oo, actually may nagpuntang frat ba do’n, isa, tapos ang sinabi niya it's a series of events daw
throughout his life that made him think that way, so no’ng bata siya, everytime na may mangyayari sa
kanya na emotional na event, sasabihin niya sa brother niya, ang matic na sasabihin sa kanya ng brother
niya, suntukin mo, awayin mo, then high school, gano’n pa din pagdating ng college sama siyang frat,
everytime may mangyayari, like sasahihin lang sa kanya na may kasama kang, “uy nakita ko yung
girlfriend mo may kasamang upsilonian ops nabanatan ‘yan,” ‘yung automatic solution is violence na
 kaagad kasi in violence pwede mong i -express ‘yung anger, ‘yung sadness, that’s wha t he explained
tapos everyone was like “ahhhh.”

J: Oo nga, we really have to get in their heads as well.

I: Why does it have to be violence?

J: Kumbaga, bakit ang manifestation is violence, not reconciliation or not understanding. Maganda ‘yung
life story mode na ‘yun, totoo naman talaga, it never really starts with one incident. Mayroong book, I
don’t know if it’s going to help, lumang book na ‘to, ang title niya ay Towards Feminist Consciousness.
Sinasabi ng mga feminists doon, ‘yung mga way popular feminists, na when did they find out na they
were feminist and they just told the story. It’s actually one of those good things na when did you find
out that you’re a misogynist or something like that. Ang ano lang talaga doon is to tell the story of when
you found out na hindi ako pwedeng nagpapaapi, kailan ko nalaman na ganyan, minsan ang arguments
nga na sinasabi niya is dahil inaapi siya kaya niya na -realize na ‘di siya pwedeng apihin do’n niya na -
realize na feminist siya. May isa na “because I have been raised by feminists,” it’s actually very very
varied stories. ‘Yung sinabi mong kwento na ‘yun, marami pa sigurado siyang iba iba pang threads na
na-build na ito.

I: Kasi the focus has always been on women.

J: Tama, they have to learn also from their own losses, kasi ‘yung machismo, it’s negative for women as
well as for men. Kasi men, they cannot also express themselves. May ine-expect din sa kanila that they
have to also follow a certain kind of way. And then, pagka naging ganito sila ay automatic ay inere-
relate na siya sa pagiging bakla which is another issue, again, na parang bakit, may problema ba tayo,
bakit bakla agad ang tingin at kung bakla, problema ba yun? ‘Yung range of things that has to be
discussed in terms of gender dynamics ‘diba. ‘Yun siya, it’s really, I know na maybe hindi na ‘yun kasama
sa realm pero if you’re working on it, look at it also, maybe it’s what we really need to hear from the
men, when is the point when you get into becoming part of the pastor culture.

A: ‘Yung sasabihin ko lang kasi, ‘yung platform, you have to see it in a way that this platform, pinanganak
niya ‘yung mga #Metoo Movement, ‘yung mga Women Empowerment Movement, and yet kaya niya
ring magpanganak ng mga ganitong Pastor Hokage, ‘yung mga PUA Academy, ibig sabihin, ‘yung
platform, it fosters any kind of ideology na pwede mong i -develop or i-cultivate doon, hindi siya
pumapabor kung mayroon man, ‘di ko alam how, pero ‘di niya pinapaboran ‘yung isa lang. If it can be
used for the positive, it can also be used for the negative, mas magaling gumawa ‘yung mga negative
na bagay kaysa sa mga mabubuting bagay kaya nagth-thrive sila na minsan ‘di na natin nakikita, kasi
 the platform also allows for ‘yung ecochambers ‘diba ‘yung sila sila lang nando’n sila. They can do it in
private, kahit public space siya in reality.

I: Given na rin talaga na mayroon paring negative?

J: Anything naman, tingin ko, kaya mong ma -manipulate siya to be negative as long as ang motivation mo
is negative, ‘diba you can convert any of these platforms towards something that, so kailangan talagang
mabago mo ‘yung hindi ‘yung platform, eh, ‘yung structures that bring out that kind of effect.

A: Parang ‘yung sa media, ‘yung kinwento mo, ‘yung lahat ng kabastusan na sinasabi niya sa grup o niyo,
ginagawa niya rin, this is parang ranking official in the Philippines tapos ginagawa rin niya ‘yung
ginagawa namin, so nagiging validation siya.

J: Lalo sa mga batang building of an identity palang, tapos ‘yung inaano niya, medyo bastos siya, ta pos
‘yung family sinasabing negative pero ‘yung ano, hindi, and people are making excuses for the person
diyan siya magkakaroon din ng dissonance do’n sa messages na matatanggap din niya, sabi sa’yo sa
school dapat mabuting tao, ganyan ganyan andami mo ring mga counter messaging na natatanggap sa
outside.
Anything else we can help you with?

This is a very courageous thing and in the right direction.

Interview # 4
Name of recording: REC2018121383611
Date: 12/13/2019
Interviewer: Isis Molintas
Interviewee: Adrienne Onday

I: Nakita mo ‘yung questions na sinend ko?

A: Yeah.

I: Mayroon bang gusto mo i -change? Kasi mayroon din ako for sociologists.

A: Oh, okay, sige, teka.

I: For educators ata ‘yung sinend ko sa inyo.

A: Oo nga, for educators yata siya. Okay na ‘to. Actually, sobrang timely nga ‘yung questions about toxic
masculinity. Specially since, ‘yun nga, nagsusulat nga ,yung friends ko ng things sa blog namin.
I: Ano'ng blog ito?

A: Ah, ‘yung friendshipanarchywordpress.com, ‘yun. Parang ‘yun nga ‘yung sa toxic masculinity, sobrang
dami kong nade-develop na ideas because of it. kasi bina-bounce back ko do’n sa friends ko ‘yung ideas.
Specially, ang ganda nga kasi nabanggit ‘yung difference ng Western or East Asian sa Filipino toxic
masculinity.

I: Oo, lagi ko naririnig ‘yung “macho-pyudal” dito pero ano ‘yung difference niya sa –

A: Kaumay. Nagreklamo kami ni Sir Paeng diyan, eh.

I: Oo, bakit?

A: Alam mo ‘yung nangyari kay Richard? Ayon, nagka -issue si Richard Kahulugan, tumakbo si ya sa Saligan
a year ago as CSSP Chair yata or something. Ayon, tapos basta parang, may nag-out sa Twitter sa kanya
na hinarass siya ni Richard. Si Richard pa naman, good friends kami, as in nagra -rant ako sa kanya no’ng
time na nangyari yung Upsilon ta’s everytime na may sobrang sexist, na kunyari, siya ‘yung una kong
sinasabihan, ang masaklap pa, ang nag-send sa akin ng thread sa Twitter, si Sir Paeng. Tapos sabi niya,
kasi nasa Cebu kami nito, no’ng vacation namin ng boyfriend ko, sabi niya “Ady, sorry istorbohin kita
saglit ah, pero gago pala ‘tong si Richard, ayun ,yung sinabi ni sir tapos naka-link ‘yung Twitter tapos
ako, parang “holy shit” tapos naka-screenshot ‘yung mga sinabi ni Richard na he was really trying to
explain himself and apologize at the same time do’n sa victim niya, pero ‘diba, if you hurt someone kasi,

I: Don’t explain yourself.

A: Parang walang explanation na hinihingi. Parang it actually makes you look worse if you're trying to dig
yourself out of it, when you're trying to apol ogize na parang those are two different conversations
altogether. Tapos parang naagit ako kasi nga akala ko parang “shet Richard pinagkatiwalaan kita,”
sobrang unsafe tsaka anlaking betrayal no’ng feeling.

I: Did you confront him?

A: Kinonfront ko siya, chinat ko siya about it, sabi ko “okay Richard, so nakita ko to, si Sir Paeng nagsend.
Ang gusto ko lang sabihin, bakit? Kasi ang laki nga ng kataksilan na nararamdaman ko after I learned
about it,” parang nag-try siyang mag-explain na parang basically ‘yung kung ano'ng explanation na
binigay niya do’n sa girl at sa iba’t iba pang girls na nasaktan niya, gano’n ‘yung binibigay niya.

I: Ano'ng explanation niya?

A: Ayun nga’ parang, “burgis pa kasi ako no’n magisip no’ng ginawa ko ‘yun. Pyudal pa’ko noo n.” Ganun
ganun tapos parang girl, tangina walang kinalaman ‘yung class.

I: That's not an excuse.

A: Hindi ito, especially now na… I mean, kahit na mayroong kinalaman yung class ‘diba, parang mahiya ka
naman ng konti na ‘yan lang ang capability, extent ng analysis na kaya mong ibigay. Nando’n na talaga
siya sa pit ng alam mo ‘yung typical na intense talaga natdem na parang lahat nalang ng analysis
kailangan MLM yung leaning niya, tapos ‘di na makatanggap na ibang klaseng analysis.

I: Aray, oo madaming ganyan sa UP.

A: ‘Diba, so parang ako naman, bilang syempre mas socio tapos doon pa ako sa feminist perspective talaga
na leaning, tapos nag-anarchist socio pa kami kay Sir Paeng na ine-explain nga ni Sir na parang ‘di naman
kasi, as the reds claim it, na class lang talaga, or kapitalismo lang talaga ‘yung naging ugat ng lahat ng
inequalities, kasi even before, mababa na ‘yung trato at tingin sa babae, na mayroon na other forms of
heirarchy already, tapos parang kinwento ko kay Sir Paeng gano’n ‘yung exp lanation ni Richard, tapos
sabi niya tangina parang agit na agit siya nung araw na ‘yun tapos gusto raw niya bigla mag-post about,
like, how limited, sobrang kitid no’ng pagiisip na mayroong heirarchy lagi na parang may iba’t ibang
form ng heirarchy pero may tinatrato ‘yung ibang tao na mas importante na dapat lutasin para malutas
‘yung iba. Hindi naman kasi sila branched from the same root, eh, it's kind of, autonomous silang forms
of heirarchy. Ta’s ayung nga, buwisit na buwisit si Sir Paeng noon. Talagan g first time kong makitang
magalit nang ganoon si Sir tapos malala pa, kasi Socio major pa, student niya pa.

I: Parang “how did you become my student?”

A: Oo, tapos parang...

I: “Wala ba akong naituro sa’yo?”

A: Oo ‘diba, parang si Sir Paeng pa ‘yun, ha, siya pa ‘yung nagi -inculcate sa lahat ng tao, siya ‘yung nagbe-
befriend sa students niya. Kaya sobrang gulat ako na sa’kin siya nagra -rant na galit siya kay Richard, na
parang “holy shit anlala talaga ng effect.” Tapos, pati si Sir Herbie din daw naagit, eh, thesis advisee
niya si Richard. Sila yata ‘yung nag-push kay Jo no’ng misogyny talk na mandatory for majors, parang
sila yata ‘yung nag-email noon.

I: So, ano'ng nangyari kay Richard, may case ba siya or ano'ng meron?
A: Apparently, ‘yung victim ng harassment pinigilan siya ng STAND na magfile ng case.

I: Huh, why?

A: Kasi, ano, tatakbo or tumatakbo si Richard.

I: Ito ‘yung last year? Ito ‘yung lalaki ‘yung victim ba?

A: Ay hindi hindi, si Edmer ‘yun. Iba pa ‘yun, so medyo problema tic ang naging slate ng STAND noon.
Sinupress ng STAND, syempre ayaw nilang madumihan ‘yung reputation ng mems nila, tapos ang
sinasabi kasi ni Richard, nage-explain siya na may minete out na na punishment para sa kanya. Na sabi
niya, na-acknowledge ko talaga na kulang ‘yung punishment na ‘yun, pero ‘yun talaga ‘yung kaso and
everything, so akala ko sa OASH nangyari tapos nalaman ko kay Sir Paeng na ni -repress pala ‘yung kaso,
‘di pinag-file ng complaint ‘yung victim sa OASH kasi pinigilan siya ng STAND. Ang nag-mete out ng
punishment, Saligan, tsaka STAND.

So, parang frat lang na may internal justice thing silang nagaganap. Tapos malaman laman mo na todo
speak out sila sa sobrang dugas daw, sobrang sama raw ng ugali ng mga frat kasi parang ‘di nila hino-
hold accountable ‘yung members nila, pero samantalang sila rin gano’n din pala ‘yung ginagawa nila.

I: Pot calling the kettle black.

A: Oo nga, exactly, eh, parang ‘diba gano’n din nga ‘yung nangyari kay Edmer, sobrang public stunt talaga
siya and everything. Isa pa ‘yun, socio major din ‘yun, at natataon pa na pula sila, so parang na -
combination. Eto naman nakapagsampa ‘yung victim sa OASH.

I: Pero ‘di natuloy?

A: Ayun parang nagkaroon ng punishment na sobrang minor lang yata tapos hindi dinisclose ng Saligan sa
slate nila na may issue si Edmer before, pero dapat alam ng mga tao ‘yun, kasi maaapektuhan yung rep
ng buong party sa ginawa ng isang mem. Tas ayun naging circus siya online. Nakausap ko ‘yung victim
kasi friend siya ng friend ko, sabi nga, na ang sabi no’ng friend niya sa akin, parang sinasabi ngayon ng
STAND na “tina-try naman po namin na makipagusap sa victim kaya lang ayaw niya,” na as if kasalanan
pa no’ng victim na ayaw niyang makipagusap tapos parang sabi no’ng friend na nagkaroon ng time na
‘di raw tina-try before ng STAND na mag-make up for it kahit na until lumabas siya in public.
 Sa socio din, ‘yung nag-trash talk kay Ash na taga Upsilon, socio din. Parang sabi ko kay Sir Paeng na
dapat gawing fundamental, first year palang, tinuturo na sa socio ‘yung feminist shit talaga, para
maiwasan ‘yung mga gano’n. Sorry, nasidetrack na.

I: So, alam mo na ‘yung pastor hokage bible study groups, nakita mo na ‘yung “lapagan,” ‘yung terms
nila?

A: Oo, not all of the terms, pero I've seen some of them, I think.

I: Hanggang ngayon, nage-exist parin sila diba?

A: Yeah, ‘di lang gano’n ka highkey kasi nagka -crackdown on them before.

I: Ayun, what sociological factors do you think contributed to the rise of these groups in Filipino men and
teens?

A: Unang una talaga ‘yung sa cultural talaga siya eh noh. ‘Yung mga nakikita mo sa immediate family,
friends, sa kalsada, you tend to emulate it at walang malakas na solid na narrative or explanation or
values sa Filipinos at present na kayang laba nan ‘yung ganung klase ng kabastusan, kasi ayun nga, uso
parin dito ‘yung excuse na “eh lalaki kasi.” Mayroon din kasi kaming naging kaibigan na taga gender
studies siya tapos nagfa-facilitate siya ng usapan sa feminism at kahit may respeto sa babae na na ka-
instill sa lalaki, ang explanation do’n ay may respeto ako, kasi may nanay ako, may ate ako. Hindi ‘yung
nirerespeto ko siya, dahil babae siya. Unang una talaga ‘yung naririnig ng lalaki sa immediate
environment nila, mae-emulate nila kung ‘di talaga naka-instill ‘yung value of respect, as we have now,
na ‘di naman talaga lahat.

I: ‘Yung messages kasi na ini -instill ngayon ay based on fear, eh, and Catholic/Christian values.

A: Especially, andami pang Catholic schools na enshrined ang Catholic values . Not just sa education, pati
do’n sa environment na parang the fact that we have gender -segregated schools. It doesn’t mean na
necessarily masama siya.

‘Pag kasi may dineprive ng experience with another kind of person, they'll treat that person as an other,
kasi hindi nila alam kung ano'ng klase ng tao siya, paano ba ‘yung pakikitungo? Ako kasi, galing sa all
girls school, tapos sobrang hindi ko talaga ma -gets, every time na mayroong bibisita na boys sa school.
Kahit ano'ng age before 40, lahat niyan tatakbo sa bintana, sisilip tapos ako “ngayon lang ba kayo
nakakita ng lalaki sa labas ng bahay, wala ba kayong tatay wala ba kayong kuya, mga kaibigang lalaki?
 Don't you have any other interactions in life with guys?” ‘yung parang hayok kumbaga na makipag-
interact, tends to build up to a point na di na siya nata -trato bilang tao, nagiging napu-put on a pedestal
siya. Doesn’t always mean you treat them with high respect, minsan nao-objectify, kasi hindi na tao
‘yung pananaw mo sa kanya.

Sa culture, sa education, kahit sa poli tics and media. Sa both drafts ng federalism, walang section on
gender and women. Nalaman ko lang no’ng nag-attend ako ng forum ng UN women. Sila pa ‘yung
nangailangan mag-hire ng Filipino researcher to study the federalism draft with r elation to gender and
women ta’s do’n niya nalaman na walang anything for equal wage, protection against state violence,
representation, protection against verbal, and all forms of harassment, so parang in all those individual
aspects, kung mahina ‘yung pagpapahalaga mo sa babae, knowing our government, kung mahina ang
implementation niya nang may batas, lalong mas mahina ‘pag walang batas. How do you expect respect
of women and other genders to be enshrined in society when you don’t have actualities na tin a-try
talagang i-reinforce siya.

I guess in all aspects of Filipino society, talagang nakakapag-contribute siya sa disrespect which is
unfortunate, kasi if you’ve studied naman Filipino history, mataas naman ‘yun role, stature, ng babae
no’ng una. They’re given relatively high positions in society and ‘yung mga babaylan natin babae, and
they have a specific kind of power that men don’t have.

Sa precolonial Filipinos merong divorce, pati yung pagdadalaga ay sine-celebrate. Parang ang laki niyang
contrast ng lived reality of the past sa lived reality of the present. Siguro possible nga, na mayroong
colonial factors din, na pwedeng social, educational, political, cultural, historical, lahat ng branches
talaga, wala. It just so happens na dahil nga nage-exist siya in the past, parang in the recent times na
ganito ‘yung pagtrato sa babae, nagiging snake eating its own tail kasi ganito ‘yung napapasa mong
values sa mga batang generation. It’s nice na mas napaguusapan at nabi -bring to attention siya
especially with the help of social media and the ability of people to disclose their experiences online.

I: ‘Yun nga- naalala kita no’ng talk, ‘yung question mo ‘yung what do we do?

A: Hindi siya pwedeng discussion na nakukulong lang online, it’s not a discussion that only women should
be having. Women know what they experience na eh. It’s really more important to bring it to a more
public and social sphere kasi kung online lang nga siya paguusapaan, mananatiling online lang din ‘yung
efforts kahit ano pang ordinansa ang ipatupad, kung ‘di naman nagiging mas abot kamay, pang araw
araw ‘yung changes, ‘di siya magiging solid na fundamental change.

I: What do you suggest doing, where do we start?

A: Sakin siguro, parang nabanggit nga nila Sir Jerry no’ng talk, na it starts at home, eh, na parang it’s kind
of interesting now, to see ‘yung accounts ng parents, na pinapalaking feminist at tsaka may konsepto
ng consent ‘yung mga anak nila, whether lalaki or babae, lalo na sa lipunan natin na mababa ang
pagtingin sa mga bata. Nakakaumay at nakakapagod, it’s such a big disrespect to the youth, na parang
wala silang capability na matuto at magbago.

‘Yung mga bata, they follow by example sa nakikita nila. Dahil sa baba ng tingin ng mga tao sa kabataan
sa lipunan, ang hirap mag-incorporate ng gusto nating change kung ii -impose natin ‘yung initiative sa
elders. May tendency talaga na sarado na ‘yung isip nila. It’s really up to us to take that step forward.
Tayo na ‘yung nakakaalam’ eh, tayo na ‘yung natuto. Kung di mo siya kayang i-advocate sa bahay palang,
how are you going to level it up on the playing field na political, judicial changes. ‘Diba, hirap na hirap
na nga tayo sa mga logical at madaling ipasang batas sa lipunan, ‘yung wala pa rin tayong maayos na
pag-enforce ng batas on the respect of indigenous lands ganon. Kung nasa micro ka lang na scale, ‘di
natin siya magawa, paano natin siya ia-advocate sa much more macro change? For me talaga, kahit
hindi necessarily sa bahay or sa family, just when you interact with friends, how you call them out, well
not ‘yung callout na Twitter callout, but like pansinin mo ‘yung sinasabi nila na ‘pag may sinabi silang
mali diba?

I: Everytime na sasabihing gano’n, sasabihin nila bitter ka.

A: Oo, tsaka totally iba ‘yung callout ng Twitter sa callout na dapat gamitin kasi parang ‘yung aawayin mo
lang siya for the sake na aawayin mo lang siya instead na ‘yung callout na parang sinasabi ko ay tatapikin
mo siya at sasabihing “tol, hindi maganda yung sinasabi mo,” you have to arrest the thought, with action
happening.

Kasi, stopping it physically kumbaga is also stopping the train of thought altogether. And when you talk
to them about why we shouldn’t be saying these things, why we shouldn’t be talking about these things,
you’ll really discuss it in a way na ‘di ka nagiging condescending sa kausap mo, kasi ‘yung mga napansin
ko sa guy friends ko nga, ‘pag may nasabing gano’n ‘yung guy friends nila, they wait for it to be a more
private environment before nilang awatin kasi ayaw nila ng confrontation, maging killjoy. Everyone
naman doesn’t want to be a killjoy, but that’s what happens kasi when men take kunwari uhm ‘yung
mga rape jokes. Pagka jokes siya, at ‘di ka natawa, killjoy ka.

They tend to address after na, pero for me, especia lly kailangan kasi, habang nangyayari palang,
pinipigilan na. Sa akin kasi, important na di binibigay ‘yung responsibility na maging kalmado all the
time sa mga babae, kasi well -deserved na magalit ‘yung mga babae when they hear this, kasi antagal
tagal nang nire-repress ang mga babae sexually, and with their emotions, na ‘di ka pwedeng magalit
kasi bitch ka, pagka ‘yung bossy ka, masama ‘yung tingin sayo.
 If you know what you want ‘diba or if you know what you don’t want, parang sala sa init, sala sa lamig.
You can't win if you’re a woman in society talaga, so for me, however, a woman reacts to that situation
will be judged but its time to alleviate those reactions, kasi 'yung babae na 'yung naagrabyado, tapos
siya pa yung sasabihan mong kumalma eh di tangina mo wag mokong pakalmahin, i deserve to be angry.

Even in our friend groups lang sana, especially sa mga lalaki, kasi mga lalaki talaga sabihin natin, sila
talaga 'yung mga mas nakaka-experience ng conversations na tina-try nating pigilan, as femini sts or as
progressive people. Kasi, 'yung kultura naman ng locker room talk, at ng “boys will be boys,” na para sa
mga lalaki lang, ay nakukulong siya sa kultura at unfortunately hindi lahat ng babae ay “g” sa gano'ng
klase ng conversations. Men have to step up and take that responsibility as well. Mahirap na sigurong
pagsabihan ang tatay o lolo. Sa circles na kaya mong impluwensyahan, basically, if you can influence it
to change for the better, then you might as well use your circle of influence. Para saan pa na alam mo
'yung tama, pero wala ka namang ginagawa.

I: Okay. Do you think there is a specifically Filipino form of toxic masculinity as opposed to more wes tern,
or perhaps Asian cultures.

A: That's a really good question kasi actually 'yan din 'yung one of the things I was planning on discussing
sa magiging next ko na blog post, the Upsilon thing. Magpo-post kami ulit mamayang gabi.

Nabanggit ko nga sa friends ko kasi na, kasi wala silang frat sa Ateneo eh. They don't know that kind of
culture. Maybe they know it, but it wears a different mask kumbaga, sabi niya para pala silang extremist
groups 'yung mga fraternities kasi parang walang tolerance for anything that's different from them.
'Yung being punished within your ingroups, it’s a very extr emist kind of dynamic.

Nakwento ko rin siya do'n sa isa pa naming friend, na 'yung toxic masculinity in the Philippines, very
western yung model niya and at the same time different because we're colonial. May nabasa akong
article on why to abolish frats altogether after a hazing case in the US. Napansin ko na similar sila in
form kahit na iba rin talaga 'yung klase ng fraternities doon and here. Fraternities kasi doon ay parang
'yung bro culture, drinking, partying, mas liberal in the sense of frat parties, gano'n 'yung image talaga.
Pero 'yung dito, mas political at 'yung capital nga talaga, influence siya na it's very apparent, people
know that it's there, and people are so scared of calling it out. The difference also is the difference of
fraternities and brotherhoods altogether, parang sa katipuneros gano'n, kasi if you look at it, 'yung
westerners, the way that they bond is caused primarily of their privilege and their wealth, gender, skin
color. Kaya ang weird, parang 'yung bad na frat culture ay predominantly white in the US. Dito, as
people of color, iba 'yung dynamic no'n cause we're colonized, na parang meron kang aspeto na pinasa
sa'yo ng mga colonizers mo, 'yung intensely macho, 'yung pagiging privileged ng mga tao na kasali sa
frat, but you also put in the factor na mayroong history in a struggle, na iba tayo sa toxic masculinity ng
ibang maputi or even East Asians.

There was a very apparent struggle that we had to go through. So, 'yung brotherhood nagiging
justifiable siya, kasi kinailangan natin 'yung isa't isa, para makalaban tayo, para makibaka.

Sabi ko sa friend ko, na 'yung brotherhood na 'yun sa atin, colonial men are linked by their struggle in
their daily lives, eh, historically and now, na parang 'yung brotherhood ay organic dahil
pangangailangan siyang umasa sa isa't isa. 'Yung whole no man is an island sort of thing, it's very
inherent in the existence of struggle, and fraternities, on the other hand, don't have that, kasi sobrang
inorganic ng relationships nila, they're not bonded for anything, but the fact na mayaman sila, privileged
sila. You combine those two in Filipinos, which makes it more complicated, kaya siguro ang weird din
ng intensity ng hazing dito, kasi 'yung idea siguro na pahirapan ka muna bago mo ma -prove na loyal ka,
must be what's taking the face of an organic struggle in real life.

Although, very abstract pa siya for me, it's a theory that I'm developing palang. It's what I see, kasi iba
talaga 'yung konteksto ng mga puti sa atin sa Pilipinas. I don't disavow the fact that men in colonial
countries are still violent on their hetero ability, but I'm saying that brotherhoods are different because
of the struggle they went through.
Kahit na progressive kasi kayo, 'diba, may other things na nagaganap, mayroong deli neations ng kami
at ng kayo. Mayroon at mayroong papalit, at 'di rin masamang magkaroon ng differences, but we
enforce those differences with boundaries kasi, na parang hindi tayo magkakaintindihan ever kasi
magkaiba tayo, 'yun 'yung mali.

We have to learn how to accept the diversity without letting it divide us. Hindi naman ibig sabihin ng
diversity na magkakaaway agad, eh, diba? Ang western context ng fraternities ay wala silang concept
at all ng struggle sa fraternities, kasi they're in positions of pr ivilege since the dawn of time. Lalaki sila,
wala silang struggle with gender, wala silang struggle with race, tapos mayaman pa sila, wala silang
struggle with economy. Different talaga 'yung idea ng fraternities doon at dito in the sense na 'yung
colonized factor ay wala doon. Dahil Filipinos tayo, iba 'yung level ng privilege na mayroon sila doon sa
mayroon tayo dito. Nakikita natin 'yung sa lonsi leaks, na sobrang racist nila kay Bright, na parang tina -
try nilang i-emulate 'yung behaviors ng fraternities of the west, but it's so different, because of the
context that we fight within.

'Di ko naman made-deny na may padrino system sa west, at dito, 'yung padrino system is the only way
to survive kumbaga, if you want to succeed, parang gano'n 'yung idea dito, kaya mas intense at mas
masaklap 'yung idea ng toxic masculinity and fraternities for us, kasi you'd think that these people have
a common struggle, who'd use that to bond and relate in a good organic relationship with others, but
 they still highlight their difference from others, so they can say na ay 'di ako ganyan, 'di ako poor, 'di
ako “classic woke ass non-upsilonian” na type. There is a big difference primarily because of context
and colonialism.

I: Focus tayo sa nurturing more positive forms of masculinity, so how would you suggest, aside from
calling out mismo as guys, may other methods or ways ka bang naiisip?

A: Hindi lang sa masculinity, pero pati na rin sa idea of heteropatriarchy in general, na i -normalize 'yung
pagdamdam at pag-express ng emotions na it's so bad, kasi kahit sa babae, nakikita siya na nakakahiya
'pag nakita na umiyak ka bilang babae, there's still this stigma.

I: At stigma on mental health in general.

A: Specially, ang lakas ng stigma with men, 'di sila pwedeng magpa kita ng emotions sa other guys. Parang
weak ka, 'di ka tunay na lalaki, bakla ka, sasabihin nila ganun. Super fucking stupid, kasi you're just
expressing emotions and everybody has that 'diba. Refreshing for me to be in my political community
now, kasi everyone is free with expressing their emotions, specially 'yung boyfriend ko. I've seen him
openly and publicly feel kilig, kasi one of our friends just recently got together, tapos parang siya oh my
gosh, gumagano'n siya, sobrang adorbs kasi, tapos I've seen him cry like a number of times din when
he talks about things he's troubled with.

Emphasizing emotions other than anger, siguro, kasi mas normal 'yung pagexpress ng anger, eh, it's a
consequence nga rin kasi nire-repress mo 'yung ibang emotions mo, so pagka nagalit ka, 'yun 'yung
pumuputok, 'yun 'yung sumasabog, kasi hindi mo kayang pigilan for long 'yung galit, eh, kaya to be able
to normalize or to create an environment that makes, not only men, but also women, and all other
genders feel safe when expressing themselves, na 'di sila sasabihan 'pag nag-express sila ng emotions
nila na “'wag kang ganyan kasi nasa public ka,” o kaya sasabihin na “sa bahay ka nalang maglabas ng
emotions mo,” na parang palagi nalang siyang dapat ginagawang private, 'diba, na emotions are signals
and if you're feeling a certain way, it's important to express that, kasi aside from the fact na nire-repress
mo siya, other people won’t be able to accomodate the change, kumbaga.

For men talaga, I feel like mas kawawa sila emotionally, compared to women, in the sense na buong
buhay nila, hindi sila pinapayagan mag-express to other people. It's important to create that safe space
rin to make them feel na 'di sila huhusgahan, pagtatawanan, mamasamain, when they express
emotions, cause it's normal. To normalize emotional reactions is important in creating a more positive
environment for both men and women. Aside from that, 'yung kultura ng pag-gender sa minor things
based on gender roles na ipinapasa sa objects, mas maganda ngayon kasi mas malaya na 'yung mga tao
 na makapagsuot ng mga gusto nilang suotin. Especially sa isang guy from La Salle or Ateneo na
nagpapalda siya, ang gangbaiting.

As a woman, ang lala sa feeling na pagtitinginan ka pag may ginawa or sinuot kang different or
nonconforming. When you start to own it or say that I don't care, it becomes better, kasi you can just
do what you want. Create an environment that allows diversity and self expression. I've heard some
progressive people talk like doing what you want is something that has to be highly politicised or
ideologized diba. Just making individuals feel like they won't be judged for their choices lang, for as long
as those choices aren't parang being a fucking nazi or being someone supportive of war. As long as they
are decisions that will make you feel free and will not harm others is okay. 'Yun 'yung proof na no man
is an island talaga, na you're so conscious what other people will say, do, if you do this or that, it's proof
na even without socialization, honestly, sobrang halaga na maramdaman mong tinatanggap ka nang
hindi ka nila itutulak palayo dahil lang iba ka sa kanila.

Be more consensual of your actions and words, or comments na “oh that's gay,” diba. Homophobic
language talaga in the context of it being used negatively 'diba, but if you're really committed to making
the world better, you start with yourself, with how you interact with other people. Sabi nga sa figurative
politics, we build the kind of future that we want now. Wala kang pagmumulan kung sa future at sa
future mo siya aabangan. Kung alam mo na, na ikaw 'yung may kayang gawin, kasalanan na, na hindi ka
gumalaw. Not acting on it is just as bad as being on the other side. Kaya important for me to walk the
talk. I'm still suffering from internalized misogyny, it's hard to unlearn it 'pag batang bata ka palang 'yun
na 'yung nakikita mo sa media. If you're aware, kahit sabihin mo na “wait lang hindi ko dapat iniisip 'to,
kasi 'di siya maganda, kasi I have to respect that individual.” You have to arrest nga the thought even
with yourself. That's how to condition yourself to not react to things that aren't negative at all.
Kailangan tayo, as individuals, 'yung magsimula, kasi kung hindi natin gagawin, and we're going to
expect the change to come from other people lagi, or be imposed upon us, maghihintay at maghihintay
ka lang, hindi siya mangayayari. It's not going to be the kind of change you really want. Hindi mo vinoice
out 'yung gusto mong mangyari.

I: Sige, so ako naman 'yung magke-kwento. Tapos na 'yung delibs ko, pero hinahanapan na ako ng output,
at 'yung sinabi nilang comments is like since 'yung focus ko ay 'yung pastor hokage bible study groups
talaga, ang sabi ko na output ko was like a visual campaign targeted at young boys that make them
challenge 'yung views nila, pero ayun nga di ko alam where to start, di ko rin alam what to say. May
nag-suggest na pwedeng four part documentary from different perspectives kasama na rin sila. Tapos,
may nag-suggest din na gumawa ako ng Facebook group na “ang tunay na pastor hokage,” tapos puro
positive stuff, pero hindi ko alam ano'ng sasabihin, so if ever may ideas ka lang din lalo na sa targeting
these young boys din.
A: Yeah, actually may sina-start kami ng political community ko, especially kaming mga babae na mayroon
kaming Usapang Lalaki na efforts, and we're planning to make it a permanent agenda. Naghahanap
kami ng ibang tao na willing mag-effort or tumulong doon para gawin siyang permanent and regular
conversation. Ang idea kasi namin sa Usapang Lalaki, at kaya siya tinawag na Usapang Lalaki, ay
originally cause we wanted men to attend them and it's going to be a safe space for them to talk about
things that they've done or seen other people do that they don't feel comfortable with, or that they
want to change. Safe space siya, it's not gonna be a place of judgement, it's just a place for them to be
able to ask ano 'yung pwede kong gawin, ano 'yung pwede kong maisip.

For young boys, feeling ko mas visual and interactive talaga 'yung approach kasi 'di pa sila nasa edad na
kaya lang makinig nang makinig sa nagsasalita. Siguro in the form of storybooks, 'yung mga gawa na
parang interactive museums, basically activities na parang ganun.
I: May nakita ako na parang ang ginawa, actually more western si ya, magdo-drawing ka ng box, tapos
ilalagay mo sa box 'yung all the things that you think are masculine tapos isusulat mo sa labas 'yung all
the things that you think are not masculine tapos isa isa dinissect nila as a group.

A: Actually maganda rin 'yun, it's a really formidable idea na rin na gawin siyang interactive conversation
that people can have. Especially for young boys, something visual and fun to do, kasi hyper sila,
madaling malingat 'yung attention nila. Hirap niya talagang turuan kasi 'di si ya makikinig sa'yo ganun.

I: Tapos, ang hirap din kung preachy 'yung tone mo siguro?

A: Oo, mahirap lalo, kasi as a feminist, may pinsan akong 11 years old na tinuturuan ko. Mayroon kami
'yung parang pinsan from California na bumisita tapos actually progressive sila na family, na tinuturuan
sila ng bodily autonomy, na you can say no if you want to say no. I was trying to teach her other things,
tapos sabi nung pinsan kong lalaki na parang mayroon siyang derisive na tono, tapos sabi niya, “eh,
pa'no ba 'yan, si Ate Ayen, ginagawa na niyang parang siya si Tala.” Parang sinabi niya “ano ba 'yan,
magiging sjw na 'yang bata na 'yan dahil sayo.”

Sobrang agit ako at parang ang bastos no'ng bata, kasi ginagano'n niya, lalaki talaga. It can feel like a
failure when there's someone in your immediate circle na hindi mo natatalk some sense into. I feel like
it's something that will really hit them, their emotions, and their daily experience. Siguro isang example
'yung mga ginawa nila na hinusgahan sila ng other friends nila for doing, sinabihan silang bakla or hindi
'yan panglalaki, na parang like maybe, people who like watching rom coms or mga batang gusto ng
manika, pero sabi ng magulang nila hindi siya pwede.

Kailangan tamaan mo sila sa personal experiences nila kasi through personal experience sila matututo,
kasi alam nila 'yung mararamdaman. Kahit ano'ng i -enforce nating idea kasi na nasa education lang 'yan
 diba, parang kahit gaano natin i-assume na logical at rational ang mga tao, feelings and emotions are
still the most easily impacted aspects of humanity.

I feel like 'yun 'yung mas totoo kasi masyado din nating ine-enshrine 'yung logic and rationality and
science in a way na 'pag 'di ka logical, 'pag 'di ka rational, 'pag inuuna mo 'yung feelings mo, hi ndi ka
matalinong tao, bobo ka, kasi mas pinapaigting mo 'yung damdamin kaysa ulo. It's important to
understand also, that feelings and emotions are just another way of thinking, making sense of the world,
because theyre extensions of your senses. To educa te young boys, and people in general would mean
also to affect 'yung emotions nila, kasi people will always do things that will make them feel better,
kaysa will make them feel worse, 'diba? For me, big thing na mag-focus sa emotional, masyado na siyang
naback burner for too long. That's why sobrang stunted siguro ng lipunan natin ngayon. Laging sinasabi
na hindi pwedeng maging emotional kahit na sobrang emotional talaga nating mga tao. Para sigurong
sa play theater, I think a play theater would be a good thing for young children to take part in kasi it's
fun.

I: What about kung hindi children, 20-30 year olds?

A: Ahh pag 20-30 siguro, pwede mo parin siyang gawing interactive eh, to make them do activities that
will put them in positions na malalapit 'yung experience nila sa bagay na gusto mong tamaan, baguhin.

I: Do you think magwo-work kung sa social media 'yung activity?

A: Depende siguro sa approach. Well, sa social media, I feel like what works best is 'yung shock factor.
Unfortunately, kaya ako nabubuwang na rin sa internet, ginagawa ko na thinkspace ko 'yung facebook
ko, kasi parang wala namang pake 'yung mga tao kung ano'ng i -post ko kung 'di siya shocking o
nakakatawa, eh, diba? It's either shocking or humorous dapat.

I: Oo, kasi maso-scroll up lang kung ano.

A: Naaalala ko 'yung ginawa no'ng Martial Law Anniversary three years ago, 'yung mga young adults na
nakaupo na nagkkwento about martial law, na nagsasabi na, “oo actually malakas 'yung ekonomiya
noon, tapos 'yung kausap pala nila was a martial law victim.” Kung ganun na mas video 'yung approach,
pero maikli, baka mas maging investing kumbaga.

I: 'Di ko alam, pero for some reason, umano sa isip ko 'yung “there's really no tongue twister” 'yung
filipino bakit why brainwashed?

A: Actually 'yun din 'yung una namin idea no'ng ginawa namin 'yung Usapang Lalaki.
I: San ko makikita 'yung Usapang Lalaki?

A: Wala pa kaming Facebook page, kasi sine-settle palang namin 'yung logistics. Maguusap palang kami
actually, paguwi ng friend ko from Thailand.

I: Pwede mo ba akong isama?

A: Oo, go! Game na, kahit sino pwedeng sumama doon, basta willing lang magcommit. Sabi ko nga kay Sir
Paeng, gusto ko ngang gawing permanent at regular kahit monthly 'yung conversations and it's in an
open and public space, na people can feel safe, and they can leave anytime they want. If it's a
conversation they want to have, they can be there. I'll contact you when we settle the details. 'Yung
initial naming idea for talks kasi is group of guys talaga na pupunta .

I: Madami akong friends na guys na marami rin talaga silang questions minsan.

A: Maganda sigurong magkaroon nga tayo ng gano'ng meeting for guys. Ang una kong naisip parang safe
space na akala nila okay lang, kahit na hindi talaga. It's not the kind of thing kasi that will make them
feel antagonistic or victimized, so sige naisip ko we'll make it an open space where they can ask
questions. Actually marami nang sa UP na gustong sumama. Yung first run namin hindi accesible 'yung
venue kasi nakaasa kami sa friends na willing magprovide ng space for us. Naisip namin sa food park sa
maginhawa muna kami mag gano'n.

I: Baka masyadong maingay?

A: For me kasi, the very fact na someone opens a space where people can ask questions without being
judged, thats already important.

I: May friends ako na guys na takot mag-ask ng questions. Si Pagbu, he was asking me the other ano na
takot siya na magsabi ng kahit ano'ng derivative baka may magalit daw sa kanyang feminist, tapos sabi
ko 'di naman lahat ng feminist galit sa lalaki, natatakot lang din siya.

A: Actually 'yung nga 'yung ironic din for me, even for a lot of people who project themselves as
progressive are actually super closed off to the idea na.

I: Altering themselves?
A: Oo, tsaka 'yung parang hindi sila makapag-tolerate no'ng idea na baka may mali din sila. Kahit sa
Babaylan may gano'n din. Naging issue siya before, si Vince Liban, 'yung former Head Babaylan yata,
tapos nag-tweet siya na sabi niya 'di naman daw derogatory yung term na paminta c ause its gay lingo.

I: Pero 'yung roots niya were derogatory din, 'diba?

A: Oo, kasi when you say paminta, you're basically saying na it's a gay guy who doesn't look gay, trying to
pass for a straight. Is there a specific right way of being gay ba? Par ang “gurl, head ka ng babaylan?”

Interview # 5
Name of recording: Voice 14
Date: 4/4/2019
Interviewer: Isis Molintas
Interviewee: Prof. Nathalie Africa-Verceles

I: Can I start po by asking your name and position?

N: Okay, my name is Nathalie Africa-Verceles. I’m the Director of the UP Women’s and Gender studies.

I: Okay, have you heard po of the phenomenon called “Pastor Hokage Bible Study” groups?

N: I didn't even know it was a bible study group. I only remember the name pastor hokage. Pastor ba s iya
talaga?

I: Ay no, not really. Hindi po sila pastor. To give a short explanation po, groups po sila para hindi po
mahanap kaagad sa Facebook algorithm or 'di po ma -report.

N: Before, I was able to search it as pastor hokage but now, how do you sear ch for them?

I: They changed their names, and mas underground na 'yung groups nila.

N: In Facebook pa rin?
I: FB and Twitter na rin po.

N: Are you able to search them?

I: Opo, mayroon pa rin silang sites na nage-exist like manyak.info

N: Sila rin 'yun?

I: Opo.

N: But, how do you know it’s them?

I: Same groups lang din po 'yung nagci -circulate na - kasi I interviewed rin po 'yung sa Catcalled in the
Philippines - same groups lang, same owners.

N: So, sila rin 'yun. Ok. Sige, I have heard. That was a couple of months ago. When they were still - there
was an expose about them. I even saw that I had friends who were part of the group.

I: Ohh, did you call them out po ba?

N: Um, no. I was shocked there. Kasi, sometimes, because people are a dded to certain groups without
their knowledge, right? So, I’m not sure if they are active participants pala - I just, I just whatever.

I: But mano-notify pa rin po kayo, eh.

N: Ah, okay. So, ayun. So, yeah, I have heard. How can I explain this phenomenon? That’s your next
question.
I: Opo.

N: Okay what is this phenomenon. It’s a social media - it’s open to the public ba? It’s public.

I: It used to be public, pero now.

N: Are we talking about the public side, or the private side, now that it’s pr ivate?

I: It’s more private na.

N: Okay, so when we’re talking about the phenomenon, we’re talking about it as a private thing.

N: Is it a chat group?

I: Sometimes it’s group chat po. So, it’s a private thing that happens on a public platform po.

N: Okay, I’ll just say that this bible, quote unquote 'yan 'diba, this bible study group is a perfect example
of how social media can be detrimental to women. Ako, I always say that social media platforms are,
well, except for Facebook, kasi nga Facebook also manipulates its users by tracking their preferences
using these very complicated algorithms. So for a while, I used to think that social media platforms were
 neutral, but have you heard about how Facebook actually manipulates and uses, also without ou r
knowledge, our data and preferences to influence what comes out in our news feed? And, I realized,
it’s not really a neutral platform. I don't know about the others, do they do the same- in Twitter? Let’s
assume na lang na - so social media then is something that we should be very wary about, because
apart from what the owners do in order to maximise their profits, we may expect that, because it’s also
a business. It can also be used by individuals to reproduce and perpetuate toxic masculinity.

I: Actually the scary thing about this is 'yung pag-send po ng photos ng mga babae, dati ano po siya , dark
web or child pornography

N: Ha? In pastor? May children? Ano pa? Ano pa 'yung talagang mga distasteful - children.

I: Oo. They also have a language na for it. Kaya nga pastor hokage para hindi mahanap sa Facebook 'yung
groups nila, para matakpan.

N: Have you seen, have you been inside that group?

I: Mayroon po akong kilala who has been inside. May resibo po siya, pero hindi po kasi ethical sa research
niya na i-report yung mga-

N: Pero, inaano niya, scrini-screenshot niya?

I: Scrini-screenshot niya.

N: And there are children? Naked?

I: Yes. Naghahanap po sila ng - “atabs” po yung term nila.

N: Are they Filipino users or?

I: Filipino users din po. Kaya po tumataas 'yung demand for child pornography din, dahil po sa existence
po nito sa social media.

N: Girls or boys?

I: Boys, mostly din. Mas tumataas na po 'yung demand for boy child pornography.

N: Where?
I: Sa Facebook groups, lalo na po sa Twitter ngayon na nagkaroon po ng bagong movement do'n.

N: Sorry, I’m so shocked, eh, it’s boys, not even girls. How young?

I: Mga 9 po, younger than 9 din.

N: So gays?

I: Hindi po.

N: No, gay 'yung mga men na interested in these young boys?

I: Not really po. It doesn't really matter kung ano 'yung gender.

N: But they’re pedophiles?

I: Yes pedophilia nga din po talaga.

N: Okay.

I: Dati po kasi 'yung mga ganitong bagay, nasa dark web po talaga sila. You really have to access the d ark
web. Ngayon, it’s very easy to get these things. And 'yung scary thing about that is if it's so close to our
real life, it can also affect 'yung actions ng mga taong 'to in real life

N: Yeah, just like the lonsi leaks.

I: Opo 'yung lonsi leaks.

N: If they were able to talk like that privately, what are they like in real life? And, these are people moving
around our campus?

I: Opo, UP students nga din po 'to. Who would have thought?

N: Yeah. 'Di ka naman magre-resort to that kind of behavior a nd language 'diba? Okay, from a feminist
POV, well, it affirms that there is still patriarchy, it’s still patriarchy essentially, 'diba, it’s still the systemic
structure of male dominance and female subordination. Because it’s only men who are members of
these group. Are there women?
I: No.

N: See, so it’s still men thinking that they’re privileged in terms of exercising their right over women and
now even children and even young boys. That’s also patriarchal behaviour because it’s extreme sense
of dominance over everyone. Because under patriarchy, it’s obviously men who have the highest status.
So, from a feminist perspective, that’s really the explanation. It’s still unequal gender relations. Wherein
men have extreme power over everyone who are not men. Kasi nga may mga bata. Walang girls?

I: May girls din po.

N: So that’s the explanation

I: 'Yung next question ko po, is there a specific form of Filipino toxic masculinity as opposed to more
Western or East Asian versions.

N: You know there should be, kasi we always look at masculinity and femininity as not just what it means
to be a man and a woman in a certain society - it’s very context specific. So, we cannot assume that the
masculinity exercised by these men in these groups mirror exactly the masculinity found in other
countries. Particularly, you are saying Western or East Asian. I dont know, I can't do an inter -regional
or inter-country xxx but obviously, our contexts are very different. I mean, it's similar in some ways pag
third world country, but also different in other ways.

Kasi, like we’re supposed to be a very very religious country, 'diba, and you wonder if it’s a reaction also.
Kasi, I am surprised that children are including in this group page, 'diba, because we know already ab out
pedophiles from other countries, so that was a bit of a surprise for me. Kasi, it’s awful that we already
demean our women, so I was thinking na, “okay, maybe that’s something that we really need to deal
xxx lang,” but to hear that we also have young girls and boys - baka mayroon din copycat na ginagaya
lang din nila. Kasi obvious in the age of globalization, cultural globalization in particular, they are
exposed to the same things, kasi we don't know which other platforms these men participate in. So,
they could also be mimicking what they see online elsewhere. But, I’m trying to imagine in what ways
that toxic masculinity can be different because it’s Filipino.

N: I dont know kasi I have to do a textual reading, 'diba, I have to look at the photos. Because I have not
really browsed the site, I can’t tell you what kind of toxic masculinity is being manifested, so I can't tell
you how it may be because we’re Filipino. So, can you give me an idea of what you see?

I: Ah, alam niyo po ba 'yung pick up a rtists academy?

N: Yeah I know that. 'Yung PUA.

I: May pagka-ganun din po 'yung pastor hokage, parehas lang din po nagiging platform to share 'yung
mga ganitong photos. Tsaka napapansin ko po is because hindi nila, actually 'yung sa toxic masculinity,
they think that they’re less of a human being or a male guy kasi 'di sila nakakakuha or nakaka -attract
ng girls, so there’s this pressure for them to be more of a guy. You’re more of a guy if you contribute
more photos lalo na 'pag madami kang following, mas nakakadagdag po sa –

N: So, ibig sabihin madami kang conquests? So, it’s like you have a lot of medals.

I: Yes.

N: I don't know if it's very Filipino. Kasi, men naman everywhere, there are men everywhere who have a
hard time finding partners and also they see women as people to conquer and then they conquer and
then they brag about it, 'diba? So, it’s also about trying to establish your credibility as a man. Kasi, the
likes is also a measure of how successful you are, 'diba in picking up women. Xxxx Yeah, so they talk
about also what they do to women diba?

N: Kasi the question is do I think that there is a specific Filipino form. So, my answer there would be,
without having seen the content in many ways it would be similar toxic masculinity that we see in other
countries but I’d be interested also in knowing and I'm sure there are distinctly Filipino ways in which
we can see that it’s toxic masculinity that is very Filipino.

N: Pero, again, I need to add that because of homogenization of cul tures, because of cultural globalization,
we have this also, a merging already of toxic masculinity kasi they mimic na lang each other.

I: Do you think the internet contributes to the rise and spread of these groups?

N: Yes, because they’ve provided these spaces where they can come together, all these perverts, these
lowlives - wala na akong maisip na adjectives, these despicable sub-human scum of the earth, okay. I
could use my thesaurus. So yeah, because without the internet, they would have to be ph ysically
together and find ways to come together that’s not easy.

I: Yeah and they know that it’s wrong so they have to hide it.

N: Oo, you have to hide it and also i think you won’t be as brave if you are doing it face to face. 'Diba, kasi
parang ang bababuy niyong tao pag harap harapan kayo, parang 'di ba kayo nandidiri sa isa’t isa, but
 when you’re online, there’s also a sense of anonymity- even if they know your name. Still. It’s like
cybersex- I’ve met people who participate in cyber sex work, and they feel that even if there’s
interaction, because it’s done online they still feel that they’re detached, they’re not in that act, diba.
So, parang ganyan din. 'Diba, you feel like you’re somehow insulated from being in actual contact with
the people you do these nefarious disgusting things with.

I: Actually, we have laws, 'diba po, that prohibit- anti photo and video voyeurism act.

N: Oo, pero 'di pa siya strong enough kasi wala pa 'yung anti -cybercrime- mayroon, there’s another series
on Hontiveros’s file.

I: Yung gbev?

N: Oo, ayun. That I would think protect women because you’re not allowed to upload.
Obviously, the photos, at least most of the photos uploaded there, most of them have no consent.

I: most of them have no consent, oo. Pero, 'yung problem po dito is you can’t only bring one perpetrator
to court, eh, kasi it’s an entire community talaga and at the same time most of these are fake accounts
and you can’t really track these people.

N: See, that’s what the internet also facilitates, you can create a fake persona and get away with it and
actually derive some pleasure by living through that fake persona, 'diba, para siyang avatar? It’s not
them, so it’s their dark side? I don't even know if they see it as a dark side.

I: The fact na tinago po nila, it means subconsciously alam nilang mali.

N: Oo, nahihiya sila. So, 'di ko alam kung sa other countries nagtatago din ba 'yun. 'Diba, the Filipinos are
so fixated on “hiya?”

I: Oo, yes, so maybe it’s a Filipino thing.

N: 'Diba. It’s very Filipino, parang we’re always so concerned of what other people will think of us.

I: Specially if someone proves you wrong, you have to fight back because napahiya ka diba?

N: And that’s very toxic masculinity related ha, parang you don’t want to accept that you were wrong.
More man than women do it diba. Kasi women, it’s easy for us to say sorry, 'diba. Pero, 'pag lalaki kasi,
 part of male dominance 'yan, 'diba. Maybe you should look into that, is that how they relate to each
other online?

I: Not sure po, pero I'll look into that.

N: That’s what I’m trying to drive at when I say there might be culturally specific behaviors that derive
from our context as Filipinos. Or pwede din utang na loob.

I: So, pag nag-post ako, may utang na loob ka din sakin?

N: Diba? Kasi it’s the motivation we should be looking at, kasi if we look at the manifestation pare pareho
naman mga gago mga unggok 'yan diba, pero ano 'yung motivation baka do'n nag-iiba. Baka cultural
'yung impetus. So, look at that. You have to look at what they say and examine motivations.

I: Okay. 'Yung nakita ko, ang hirap po talaga i -bring all these people accountable, so we should make a
community that changes 'yung thinking behind this.

N: Oh my god. That’s related to our larger problem of patriarchy, right? So, this is just one manifestation.
What is the problem- it’s patriarchy- everything boils down to patriarchy - sexual harassment, all forms
of violence against women boils down to patriarchy. So, if you want to change or transform o ur society
into one that does not breed that kind of behavior, you have to eliminate patriarchy, which is, as you
know, easier said than done. Kasi, ang dami dami nating batas, Magna Carta of Women, Anti -Rape Law,
Anti Violence against Women and Children, it’s not implemented well enough, there’s always that gap
between the existence of the law and its effective implementation. Then, you problematize why is it
not implemented. Because, there are still people who implement the law who are still patriarchal.

I: The president.

N: Oo, imagine that’s the highest leader of the land. And also there’s a general lack of understanding about
patriarchy. Na it’s wrong. To treat a disease, is not to give aspirin, 'diba. It will alleviate the symptoms.
You can always report, it will shut down for a while. It’s treating the symptoms, what we should do
really is to cure the illness. And, we know naman what the source is, eh. That’s why, here in the center,
ang tiyaga namin mag-training diba? Talagang we go around. We don’t naman assume that everybody
will believe the things we say, pero what’s important is raising awareness. Because, there are still
people who will be surprised because they don’t understand.

I: Ang kailangan po talaga dito ay education?

N: Hindi formal. It’s really about consciousness-raising talaga. As a center director, I also want to influence
communities including men- men are not our enemies. We need more men!

I: Okay, so I’ll ask you na po on nurturing more positive forms of masculinity. How can we influence men
na it’s okay to be weak, to cry?

N: Many many ways. We should start when they’re very very very young. So, what we should be doing is
raising awareness among young parents. Kasi, I don't think it’s too early. Kahit bagong panganak, 'diba,
when you see a baby, it’s so important na for people to identify whether it's a boy or a girl.

I: Yes, using the colors of pink or blue.

N: And even people, kunwari, may baby na naka neutral or white. “Ay babae o lalaki” that’s the first thing
that comes to mind, so can you imagine how gender is so wired into our brains as something that’s so
essential that we need to identify a newborn on the basis of his or her sex agad agad, 'diba. We should
start very early, because even the way babies are handled are different daw, parang if it’s a baby boy
we can be rougher. Even the toys we use. And, the way we talk to them. Can you imagine?

Baby pa lang 'to, nai -imbibe na niya, tapos 'pag girls, we’re more soothing and we’re more gentle with
it, 'pag boys, we feel that we can be rougher. Imagine that you’re a baby pa lang, you’re already being
exposed to this kind of world. That’s why start way before they become young Filipino teens and men.
Start when they’re born. You can’t naman teach them, you have to teach als o the people who are
handling and raising them, the parents. Kasi we also work with early childcare and development
teachers, because they go to school early na, 'diba? We make sure the teachers have a training module
na, so if they go to school, if they’re not learning it in the house.

At least in school, it’s being reinforced by teachers. They’re learning that gender doesn’t really matter.
Basta start young. Let’s go to the mga matatanda, I don't believe in the saying that “you can’t teach an
old dog new tricks,” kasi if you believe that, you just wait for older generations to die and they still can
cause damage. 'Diba kahit matanda na, kahit lolo na nangra -rape pa din 'diba. So, 'di dapat pagsukuan
ang mga matatanda, so we need to always be optimistic, na we can still influence people to change
their behaviours. Both men and women, kasi it’s not just the men, pati din 'yung babae. And, sometimes
the women also reproduce it because they bought into it. Even women are the ones who blame other
women and who excuse the toxic masculinity as something normal.

That’s why kahit matanda trabahuin natin yan. And, 'yung mga nasa gitna, itong mga ginagawa natin.
Magka discussions sa community and outside. May multiplier effect na 'yan. It’s essentially not giving
up on raising awareness, that’s the most we can do right now. And also if there are legislation that are
 pending, we can support our senators. Marami namang ways. The internet can play a role, if we utilize
the platform for good, rather than for bad. That’s what I try to do, kaya nga accept ako nang accept ng
friend, because I feel that it’s an advocacy. And also, I believe in the power of social media as a force
for good.

So, we can harness the potential of social media to also raise awareness, to deliver the messages that
will act as countervailing force to all these toxic misogynist sexist statements, photos. I think we can
and also, we can create safe spaces for women to find comfort in each other, to support each other.
Those who don't want to go on social media talking about their feelings, 'diba, and they want to stay
anonymous, but they want to articulate what they’re feeling, they can do it also sana in groups without
revealing their names and their identities. Parang turn it against the men.

N: You reduce women to bodies, kasi if you looked at that person as somebody who had dignity, as
someone equal to you, would you do that ?

Interview # 6

Via Facebook Messenger group chat

Date: 4/10/2019
Interviewer: Isis Molintas
Interviewees:
Mikers Litton
Kenneth Yu
Talia Ruiz
Brenda Depasupil

M: Hi everyone, this is @Isis Molintas, she will be interviewing us roundtable style here on chat
I: Hello everyone! Thank you Mikers for the group chat. Siguro I can start with i ntroducing my thesis
research?

I: My topic is focused on Pastor Hokage Bible Study Groups and how it's mainly caused by toxic
masculinity among Filipino men and teens. In the course po of my research, I've found that there is
almost little to none baseline reports on online GBV against women and LGBTQ. And while we have
 laws that protect us from these like Anti -cybercrime, anti photo and video voyeurism act and the recent
Anti-gender based electronic violence bill filed by Sen. Risa Hontivers, medyo mahirap po yung
implementation including helping the victims of these crimes. And this is a topic that is in dire need of
discourse among us online too.

K: Hallo! hmm. okay, I follow. go on?

I: But because I'm a visual communication major from fine arts, I am more focused on find ing visual
solutions to the problem of pastor hokage bible study groups. From here on po, I'd like to hear what
you think about the phenomenon and also what you can propose po na solutions to these.

Will be asking na po yung questions!

K: OK! Sige.

I: Yey! okay so first question po would be:

What is your name, field of interest of line of work?

For record purposes lang din po so I can include sa thesis.

[MOLINTAS-ISIS_Research Questions.docx] these are the questions I will be asking po pero I will b e
sending them din po one by one thru this group chat

K: Kenneth Yu. Multiple fields of interest, I guess -- but I am obsessed with doing stuff that has some kind
of social good element. Line of work is Startup / Software. I'm business lead on Sakay.ph

B: Brenda Depasupil, writer (among many other things. LOL.)

K: Also, wait. To get Talia on this also, maybe we can do Telegram instead?

I: Ay sure I'm on telegram din

B: I don't have Telegram. 😞

K: oh. okay. hmm.

I: I'll follow up na lang po with Ms. Talia when she's available?

K: That works! Sige anyway, okay you can go on with the other questions in the meantime

I: Okay thank you!

I: Have you heard of the recent phenomena called Pastor Hokage Bible Study Groups? How can you
explain this phenomenon from the perspective of your expertise?

K: Yes, I've definitely heard of it. As for how i'd explain it-- this is unfortunately one of those bad elements
that is present in the internet.

Guys get together online and compile / share porn. It's not too bad when the porn is consensually made
for public consumption (even though there are piracy issues at play)
but the Hokage version is particularly bad, because it involves unwilling participants who didn't consent
to having those pictures taken, or to having those pictures shared publicly

I: Yes, when I read po the article by Esquirre mag during June 2017 - I also read that there also exists child
pornography in these groups - may I confirm po if this is true?

K: Yeah. unfortunately, it's present in at least s ome of the groups. sometimes it's explicitly referred to as
“atabs” or “bata”. though that also sometimes applies to people just above 18, or generally young-
looking

I: Is there an average age or demographic these perpetrators are in? For example from wha t socio-
economic class or does this trespass all classes and even educational attainment?

K: Hard to say, because there's so much anonymity online din eh

I'm pretty sure there's a range of educational attainment harder to determine socio-economic class so
I'm coordinating with some other groups to collect into on the behavior of the Holy Grail / pastor
Hokage groups and the goal is to compile enough data to be useful to an NBI investigation so there are
some things that I am holding back, information-wise because its better if the details we've found aren't
super public

B: Friends, will back-read in a bit. Just getting ready to go out in a bit.

K: Since if the targets know they're being tracked, they may change strategy
I: I understand din po na it's important to protect the data of these people who participate in the groups.

K: So yes I apologize, but I will need to hold back / be nonspecific for some questions. yun lang.

I: That's okay po, I understand.

K: Anyway. Re socio-economic class. i think some of the general behavior implies that they're maybe cd
range but almost certainly they have audiences in class B. di lang siguro main admin / operator

I: What I noticed lang po is after the recent reports on Pastor hokage bible study groups, while most of
these groups have gone into hiding - they still exist and continue to do these acts right? Almost similar
to pick up artists academy.

K: Yeah it’s still going on. I think the names have changed na. Currently what I'm seeing is people referring
to the file collections as “holy grail” usually in google drives so they distribute a link to a google drive
that has all these organized folders of various women. A lot of the time it has their full names and a
screenshot of their Facebook profile

I: Can the owner of these google drive links be traceable?

K: I'd... like to know. Unfortunately I haven't been able to do much research into that just yet offhand if
you can get google to cooperate, or get the authorities to look into it, it might be possible but from
what I've seen the accounts used to make them are dummy accounts

I: I see so none of these people will be held accountable.

K: Well. Not yet.

I: Next question po would be: Do you think the Internet contributes to the rise and spread of these
groups? What other factors contribute to the rise of these groups?
Do you think there is a specifically Filipino form of toxic masculinity as opposed to more Western or
perhaps other Asian versions?

K: Yeah, the internet definitely contributes. Internet makes all forms of communication easier. So even
bad types of communication behavior become easier also.

Another contributing factor is just technology in general. Like these types of nonconsensual porn
distribution weren't really that much of a thing before, becaus e only actual professional actresses /
photographers were able to take the pictures or video
K: Now, cameras are in every phone, and sending pictures has become a normal part of interaction
between people. It makes sense that it applies to private interac tions also so there's just a lot more
material out there in the world that could become targeted
This is, of course, not the fault of the people taking the pics, if it was with consent. Only of the people
leaking and resharing them.

K: As for specifically Filipino toxic masculinity, I'm not sure like... somehow, I suspect that the Filipino
version just runs along the same lines as what you'd find in other countries . Like its possible that the
specific names and group types are different maybe the focus on the use of Facebook, for example.
Seems more common in the Philippine setting because of the “free FB/data” thing so people just go to
FB to look for everything they'd get from the internet, including porn
But in another country, the “revenge porn” would be found elsewhere like that case with the celebrity
photo leak. That showed up on individual sites iirc or on places like reddit or 4chan, etc.

I: I see, so then it doesn't matter the race or even the platform as long as it's accessible and anonymous.
May I confirm po ba na most of the members of Pastor Hokage Bible Study Groups are male?

K: From what I can tell, yeah

Mostly male for sure tho there seem to be female members also thats a good callout, i think. Anonymity
and accessibility.
This is just my personal guesses ah
I mean for this next item but
I get the feeling that for nonconsensual / revenge porn specifically
people seem to imagine that the women in the pictures are people they know or could know?

T: Talia Ruiz. Geekery, equality and secularism. IT professional.

T: Yes, I’ve heard of it. I feel like it’s the worst mix of anonymity, being kunsintidor, and perversion. It’s for
this reason that we cannot pinpoint things like demographics and interviewing people in the groups is
so hard. We saw this a bit in the pick up artist communities in the 2000s, but the internet had blown up
the scale. It’s worsened by a patriarchal and misogynistic society that absolves these people of the
crime and harm they’re doing.

K: Like “oh i know what her FB is, she's just one step away from me” or whatever it is –

I: Hi po!
K: Not like an actress-- actors and actresses seem, in peoples' minds, to be explicitly separate but yeah
that thing Talia said is really sharp
specifically, like society KEEPS ON MAKING EXCUSES for this type of behavior

I: Hmm. Yes I agree with that din po and maybe it doesn't just end there- I would like to think din that the
people who engage in this sort of behavior believe that they can get away or be excused from this
because an entire community of their fellow friends have enabled them and support them for this

K: Its constantly “well why did she take/send those pictures in the first place”
yeah exactly that its always on the women to “be careful” and “be on guard” because “boys will be
boys” even with people who are theoretically liberal they're like “I hate rapists also but... come on,
women, you can't say that you're not even slightly at fault, you shouldn't have taken those pics ” there's
a /lot/ of those kinds of opinions floating a round

I: Then this is an issue of addressing the roots of patriarchy and misogyny -- which is easier said than done
right?

K: Definitely tho I don't think anyone is under the illusion that solving the problem will be in any way quick
or easy

I: Specially if mismo from our government we have people in positions of power who are misogynists and
get away with acts of rape or harassment

I: Hmm okay po-- may I ask rin po your opinions on how more positive forms of masculinity can be
promoted among young Fil ipino men and teens?

M: Will catch up so sorry

I: It's okay po!

K: Yeah. The fact that the problem's all the way in government is disturbing. Tho to be fair, Duterte isn't
the first one. There's been that general tone going on in the gov't for a while now, I think --

T: I think the internet makes the worst of us more accessible. People used to hide their perversion but
nowadays, they don’t so it’s encouraged amongst other people because they get validated.

T: I feel like toxic masculinity here is celebrated by the culture and by the politics, so it’s worsened, but
really everyone has access to validation for bad behavior as it is.
K: As for opinions on how more positive forms of masculinity
I have some thoughts but I genuinely don't know if they make sense
Like it disturbs me that we have such an explosion of superhero fandom / fan culture
but so little equivalent improvement in morals
Like... fuckin-A, my entire moral code was built out of all the superhero comics and cartoons and stuff
I was a fan of
its super basic diba-- protect people, don't be the bad guy, user whatever power you have for good
Thats super basic, and I sometimes imagine that people could be appealed to in that way
but its already a big deal in hollywood and you still have the tox icity, so maybe it needs to be something
else or something sharper

T: They're like “I hate rapists also but... come on, women, you can't say that you're not even slightly at
fault, you shouldn't have taken those pics THIS. Feminism is still lacking here and women are some of
the worst and most damaging misogynists. Their misogyny reinforces and validates misogyny in men

I: Okay for context po for that question-- I've read po na sending these photos and videos of women via
groups all boils down to the desi re for validation and that these photos have become currency for self-
validation among men- na mas nakakalalake pa kung may ganito kang photos. But then it's also because
there's the expectation to be more manly- in a lot of senses including to not cry etc. Kaya yun po yung
background ng question about nurturing positive forms of masculinity.

K: Okay. Okay I follow.

I'm not sure that's the ONLY reason like I think a lot of the push is just lust

T: I appreciate that, say, for intellect and scholarly sipag, women are accepted as achievers here. I think
women in completely chaste intellectual contexts are treated better here, but the moment you talk
about sexual freedom, everyone loses their minds

K: Its just -- well, I'd like to find something new to masturbate to tonight, lets go look for holy grail drive
shit

K: I appreciate that, say, for intellect and scholarly sipag, women are accepted as achievers here. I think
women in completely chaste intellectual contexts are treated better here, but the moment yo u talk
about sexual freedom, everyone loses their minds
yeah actually. I feel like this is a contributing factor also. Like people are pretty repr essed about sex and
sexuality. Even guys eh like on one hand, there IS the expectation that guys are always horny and its a
point of pride na parang yeah boys will be boys etc . etc.
I: I agree with this. We're still very much attuned to the thought that women should be passive sex objects
and not people with emotions and needs etc.

K: But if you think about it, that's a broad brush also

T: Women who express any sense of sexuality or any sense of vanity and self-assurance are judged like
society wants to destroy them for it.

T: Yeah! Urban poor women still say “ginamit ako ng asawa ko” to talk about sex

K: Like you don't really hear guys talking healthily about sex either? its always OH HUH YEAH IM A MANLY
MAN THIS IS WHAT I DO
K: Very general like the presence of sexuality is just a signifier of strength like you don't really hear guys
talking healthily about sex either?

T: Yeah, yun yung flip side. Low libido men are also oppressed and looked down on

K: And not an actual need that should be addressed by people. I think that's part of the reason people
take to these weirder sources of sexual stimulation

T: Like there are such set roles of pure women vs horny men that any deviation is severely punished

I: Yes! to summarize we expect our women to be chaste and virginal - we also expect our men to have
“experience”

K: Yeah
T: Anlabo right : ))

M: Mikers Litton, writer...

M: For me, I think its fair to say that thee are regional variants to toxic masculinity. Personally, I grew up
exposed to the more toxic elements of masculinity... I think it's really something that's ingrained in
young boys from a very early age.

So that disrespect towards women comes from their fathers, their uncles, their kuyas - anyone with a
strong male influences. Kids don't like being left out and any sign of behaviour that doesn't fit the bill
 of 'what a man should be' is can leave young men at a disadvantage to where they either change their
thinking and behavior to fit in, or they face violence from other men...

Filipino toxic masculinity is a combination of so many different things that people just don't have the
capacity to process... It's not to say that attitudes aren't changing. But it's only just started.

I had a classmate in college who beat up a guy because he was the boyfriend of a girl he thought was
cute. These boys are programmed to behave this way at a young age.

K: Or actually to go past that pa like... you have that virgin-whore dichotomy thing that you hear about
sometimes. Women can only be one or the other there's no midway of okay this person is smart and
wholesome and intelligent and respectable, but also has sexual needs and is a sexual being.

T: True

M: As a transgender person, I have such a bone to pick with Filipino toxic masculinity because it puts good
people through hell if they don't conform.

Sorry if I'm going a different way with the convo, I only jus t caught up and wanted to share my views.

T: Hahaha I went through the same thing.

I: Okay, so would you guys suggest that in order to address these problems - we have to focus on
reorienting the youth and the children? Do you believe that people from our generation and older will
still be able to unlearn?

I: It's alright hehe!

M: I think, education, proper education towards sex, gender, and decency should be done at a young age.

B: I personally think it would be better to focus on the younger generations. Haha!

T: YES. I think a lot of it is education primarily in terms of compassion and empathy.

B: We have to start them young. Even willing allies who are older, from my observation, have a hard time
learning if they are so used to the culture of toxic masculinity.
K: Full agreement. But I think even older generations can be taught also.
Like I think I had a lot of the more toxic masculine tendencies growing up, because I went to an all boys
school
Like I still have violence responses built in

I: May I ask if you have any ideas on addressing the older generations
K: But i didn’t have too much trouble unlearning that, through exposure to other people and their stories
Like I think I had a lot of the more toxic masculine tendencies growing up, becaus e I went to an all boys
school

I: I would agree din there. Growing up has been a process of unlearning din for lalo na sa internalized
misogyny

K: Like some people can be changed over just by letting stories be heard

B: If we want to address the older generations, we really have to be firm about our beliefs and boundaries.
Don't give them a pass for being sexist even if they're older.

K: Some won’t. Some are like really hard set in their ways, and people like that need to be challenged
directly

I: Therefore we need to provide more platforms and safe spaces for people to come out and discuss these
gender oppressions and experiences?

K: Like some people won’t be changed, but if you argue against them, other people who are listening may
be convinced in the process

B: Sure, they'll be offended, but repetition will make them learn.

K: Therefore- we need to provide more platforms and safe spaces for people to come out and discuss these
gender oppressions and experiences? Yeah I could say so. That makes s ense

I: May I ask if you guys think that the people who participate in these group chats can also change for
the better? If so, how or what has to be done or changed?

M: The real problem you have there are communities or people in positions of power who are unwilling to
have those conversations out of fear over what it will do to their reputation.
 Good example. I worked as a pre-school teacher before. Kids have sexual feelings to an extent and they
are not equipped to process what's going on with themselves, so they follow the adults who dictate
their future behavior.

One school I worked for was in Chinatown and belonged to a woman who was very respected in her
community. There was an incident of a little boy inappropriately touching other classmates. His teacher
wanted to address it through a PTA between the parents. The owner of the school didn't want that
because she was worried about how it would make her look, and not how it would affect her students
as they got older.

I worked for another pre-school, this time in Makati. The head mistress has a degree in education from
UCLA. We had incidents of kids who would openly masturbate. They didn't know what they were doing.
So to address that, the headmistress had an entire day that was devoted to sexual education on a very
very basic level that covered everything from consent to privacy to childbirth. And she taught the lesson
as if it wasn't a big deal.

So I share these stories because they're are completely different ways most people in power respond
to sexual education.

B: Read somewhere that misogyny is, above all, trying to fit in with the other men in the community and
getting their approval. It would be a big help if a lot more men called these people out instead of simply
staying silent.

I: The real problem you have there are communities or people in positions of power who are unwilling to
have those conversations out of fear over what it will do to their reputation….
To summarize- create more discourse, safe spaces too including proper education for the youth on sex
ed and consent + be firm on older generations + create public awareness that informs people that
sexuality is nothing to be ashamed of

K: May I ask if you guys think that the people who participate in these group chats can also change for the
better? If so, how or what has to be done or changed?
Yes. But I think the strongest would be negative reinforcement, at least to begin with
Like I honestly want to see someone get hardcore arrested for this shit
Especially an admin or ringleader
Make sure it’s a real shit-show for him, very public, and time in jail
That’ll be a wake up call. At least I’d hope
I: I read somewhere that misogyny is, above all, trying to fit in with the other men in the community and
getting their approval. It would be a big help if a lot more men called these people out instead of simply
staying silent.

Yes! Because after all it's also men who are affected and made stunted by societal expectations!
Women's issues are after all gender issues.

M: It's like what's going on in Korea right now, with all the hidden camera nonconsensual videos being
made and the distribution among all those pop stars.

I: Like I honestly want to see someone get hardcore arrested for this shit
Regarding this, may I ask your ideas on what form of justice is suitable for these perpetrators? Especially
since our government takes a long time to process cases such as this

K: Definitely jail time

Distribution of these kinds of materials is already an existing offense

B: I think we also really need to make it a point to actively destigmatize the taking of photos and videos
for personal use. Speaking as someone who also does nude modeling. One of the thoughts I had when
I decided to do nude modeling was, “If I do nude modeling, I'll be one step closer to being immune to
the shame of having my nudes leaked by a vengeful partner because, what can he leak? I openly display
my nudes!”

K: I read somewhere that misogyny is, above all, trying to fit in with the other men in the community and
getting their approval. It would be a big help if a lot more men called these people out instead of simply
staying silent. This too. I think men need to speak up

M: I think some men, have no idea how to process these things or movements like #Metoo. So you also
have men at a strange position, I feel... Because you have men who are just blunt and manly, but don't
do shady shit like this. And then, you also have men who do... I'm still trying to articulate where this is
going, but I've talked to different guys, decent men mind you who raise strong and independent
daughters, who have no idea how to process it... So men,in general, I think are angry and confused.

Granted, there are sexist dicks out there... But many don't see that a lot of it is directed to sexist dicks
or men who will get sex through any disgusting means.

K: Also it’s like... I think onenpossible push is to talk about how there are fully consensual types of porn
that can be accessed
M: Totally agree with @Brenda Depasupil because the moment you destigmatize the naked form and how
natural it is, you start to really shift the back power and give people authority over their own bodies.

K: Like the jury’s still out on whether porn itself is inherently bad (I don’t think it is). But DEFINITELY there
are multiple types of porn available that are infinitely less bad than pastor hokage bullshit. Because
these women did it with consent, and got paid, and went through the necessary confirmations that
they’re of legal age, and on.

Like why even bother with thes e grainy images that have so much moral damage implied. Just go get
something that someonenwillingly created for public consumption.

I: Thank you for this-- gave me ideas on what my thesis output possible would be hahaha

B: Afaik, there are pervs who get off on the idea that the material was taken and posted without consent.
Sadly.

M: There are so many amazing choices that people have no idea is out there, made by people who love
and enjoy their bodies.
One thing I don't get is how people can enjoy something, anything made without the proper consent.
And this including more BDSM-oriented genres... To want that level of discomfort, I dunno... It takes
away from how beautiful and gratiffying of an experience sex can be.

K: Afaik, there are pervs who get off on the idea that the material was taken and posted without consent.
Sadly. Now that I think about it, aren’t there also tons of porn models who actually simulate this. Like
it’s just pics on Snapchat or simulated scenarios
I: To summarize- we need to include men in the conversation and have them as allies in calling out
perpetrators and misogynists

K: Where “nonconsensual” kuno but not actually

B: Now that I think about it, aren’t there also tons of porn models who actually simulate this. Like it’s just
pics on Snapchat or simulated scenarios Also, Fake Taxi. LOL.

K: To summarize- we need to include men in the conversation and have them as allies in calling out
perpetrators and misogynists Yeah. And to be both aggressive and friendly in approach. Like seek
punishment for the worst offenders but also seek dialogue and discuss alternatives for the less severe
cases. Especially for the people who just patronize but don’t spread or organize
I: It's also about addressing violence against women in porn I think. i read that 90% of porn features some
form of violence against women. Would like to clarify na im not porn shaming or kink shaming but if
those are the messages constantly being shown- one way or the other it would also affect real life.

M: It's about really finding the right tone to approach men. Most men will agree, this stuff is wrong. Some
of them just seem jaded. The idea is to eventually show them that hile its understandable to feel the
way they do, they can play such a huge role in shaping the future of men to be so much better than the
ones who proceeded them.

K: Yeah that’s one of the things that I worry about also. Like that’s why I said “the jury is still out” Because
while consensual porn is definitely better than hokage shit, there ma y be some other industrywide
issues that need to be addressed as well .

B: I would have to agree. We don't have to get rid of “violent” porn entirely, but we do need to educate
people on consent.

K: Yeah! Like I think there’s an entire separate conversation that could go on here, but it would be another
rabbit hole to dive down

M: YES! I mean, I think the great thing about BDSM is that it enables people to explore power dynamics
that they're comfortable with... Any situation can be simulated by two consensual adults away from
the outside world and can be incredibly beautiful.
I do sometimes wonder though is the inclination to want these sexual positions are centuries old, or if
just men and women adjusting and finding some semblance of comfort in spite o f the sexual violence
in the world today... The idea that you're taking back power and comfort through a simulated act... But
I also do believe that people are people and different that anyone can have a taste for just about
anything. The important thing i s how they express it and who its expressed to.

B: I do agree that porn can affect the behavior of the consumers in a context where we don't have proper
sex ed and open and honest conversations about sex, but I would have to say that porn is largely a
reflection of our culture.

K: It's about really finding the right tone to approach men. Most men will agree, this stuff is wrong. Some
of them just seem jaded. The idea is to eventually show them that While its understandable to feel the
way they do, they can play such a huge role in shaping the future of men to be so much better than the
ones who proceeded them.
I think this feeds a bit into what I was saying about superheroes din
 Like sometimes I think Oi, you spent an entire lifetime idolizing these chara cters who protect and weak
and fight injustice
How bout you do start doing that yourself, too?
Protect the weak, sorry

M: Yes, it's like people don't absorb what they're consuming.

It's sad though because now we're at an age where we are learning that some of these so-called heroes
were really monsters themselves

I: Definitely. It starts with the individual specially to we all have to constantly guard and call out ourselves
over things that may be harmful to other people- including calling out our immediate friends for these
things

I: Thank you guys for all your inputs and thoughts!! Took me a while to address my thesis because I was
worried with thoughts of what if it turns out “preachy” or that I make a mistake with the tone or the
handling. But im glad that there are people out there who would really like to talk and pave the way for
solutions regarding this!!

Plug ko lang din na im part of a group that holds monthly conversations regarding gender, gender
oppressions and also basic crash courses on feminism and toxic masculinity. Our goal is to hold
discourses on these and invited men to be part of the conversation!

K: Okok! Hopefully that was helpful!

what's the name of the group? Sounds good!
would love to promote your events on th CITP page also!

I: https: //web.facebook.com/UsapangLalakiDYP/
^ this is the group page! We're also having a discussion on april 27 sa center for womens and gender
studies sa UP on relationships and gender!

My net is slow right now. I might have to go offline soon but thank you for all your insights!! Would like
to update you guys din about what I find regarding my thesis topic and also about the output

B: Where do you usually hold your monthly discussions? Maybe I can drop by sometime if it's just in UP!
K: ah! There we go!
B: Liked!
K: liked!
I: THANK YOU SO MUCH GUYS!!!
Interview # 7
Via Facebook Messenger group chat
Date: 4/11/2019
Interviewer: Isis Molintas
Interviewee: Lovely Ramos

L: Hi! Just let me know

I: Hello!! I'm in transit lang po pero we can sta rt na rin po [MOLINTAS-ISIS_Research Questions.docx]
These are the questions I'll be asking po. We can start po with introductions! What is your name, field
of interest of line of work?

L: Okay, so I'm Lovely Ramos. Social Media Manager in an advertising agency, and the current
secretary general of Gabriela Network of Professionals. So actually, these two may either be
contradicting or in harmony (especially for the creation of feminist campaigns).

I: My topic is focused on Pastor hokage bible study groups and how it's mainly caused by toxic masculinity
among Filipino men and teens. In the course po of my research, I've found that there is almost little to
none baseline reports on online gender-based violence against women and LGBTQ. And while we have
laws that protect us from these like Anti -Cybercrime, Anti Photo and Video Voyeurism Act and the
Recent Anti-Gender Based Electronic Violence Bill filed by Sen. Risa Hontivers, medyo mahirap po yung
implementation including helping the victims of these crimes . And this is a topic that is in dire need of
discourse among us online too.

I: May I ask po how so

L: Sa ahensya kasi, ang ultimate goal minsan ay gawing komersyal ang mga bagay. This is especially hard
on my case, that's why as much as possible I don't like managing female brands that commodify
feminism. But because of social media skills and analytics too, we get to know that behaviour of
different audiences, the trigger factors behind each digital phenomenon, etc. We also get to use the
ideation skills with campaigns that should be put out there:how to combat abuse, how to bring together
women from all walks of life. Gabriela Network of Professionals' page,for example, maximises the
capacity to communicate calls via social media posts.

Kaya, tahi dun sa Pastor Hokage posts, yes we're aware of that. And there’s no other way to put this,
but simply a violation on the rights of all its victims. It is definitely harassment in all aspects – physically,
online, mentally, emotionally. More so, it is an evident demonstration of patriarchy – the notion that
men control women, and that they have superiority in manipulating these cases. Iyong pagturing sa
katawan ng babae bilang kalakal ay ‘di lang din patriyarkal, kundi burgis -dekadenteng pananaw.
I: I see po then that while detrimental siya it's still necessary and that advertising can be used to maximize
calls for the greater good.

L: I think mas necessary yung social media campaigns – hindi yung advertising. Hehe

I: Okie okie thank you for clarifying

I: Ang mahirap po dito ay liban sa pag-implement ng laws for violence against women, di lang po kasi nag-
iisang tao yung dadalhin sa korte kundi isang buong lipunan o komunidad na nagenable ng ganitong
behavior at thinking
Lalo na po sa case ng pastor hokages i f fake account or untraceable

L: Totoo ito. Ang mahirap lalo rin kasi rito ay napakahirap mag-file ng kaso sa NBI. Hindi enough na
naabuso ka kahit DAPAT GANUN. Of course, being laws, they need physical evidences.

I: May experiences na po ba kayo o alam tungkol sa what happens sa pagfifile ng cases pag nagsesend ng
pics without consent?

L: Marami nang dumudulog. At masesend lamang nila ay s creenshots. They started filing complaints sa
NBI but didn't push through because it is really time-consuming, energy and even money-draining. It's
sad. Kaya ang kailangan ng mga ito ay patuloy na suporta.

I: Given po na time consuming at madaming kakulangan yung NBI dito, may ideya po ba kayo kung
papaanong mahohold accountable ang mga nagpaparticipate sa pastor hoka ge groups?

L: Sa ngayon talaga, kailangan nilang malaman na maaari silang maparusahan. That's why we're holding
Violence against Women orientation – doon nila malalaman ang mga batas na sumusuporta sa
karapatan ng kababaihan. Strength in numbers, kumbaga. Doon din sa mga training na ganon, may mga
umaattend na kalalakihan and that's a good sign.

I: Ah kumbaga din po magcreate po ng channels for discourse sa men para magraise po ng awareness.
Pero palagay niyo po kanino po mas magiging effective ang mga mensaheng ito – for example po age
range. And para po mas maging specific if gagawan po ng socmed campaign, how do you think po we
should do this and what needs to be changed po.

I: Mag-create ng channels na mag-reraise ng awareness ng kababaihan at biktima ng abuso. kasi madalas

feeling nila helpless sila or minsan di nila alam mismo na abuse na iyon. better to focus on the resistance
groups. I think sa Soc Med the key is really to speak the language of the audience. Pinaka -engaged
 digitally ang 18-25 years old. But I am not in favor of campaigns na medyo intimidating - like yung pag-
explain ng batas, dapat maiintindihan siya ng lahat.

I: Regarding this po, I recognize po yung importance of addressing yung victims and women in general
pero palagay niyo po ba this method alleviates the symptoms lang and not the roots which is yung
patriarchal system? Should we also develop ways po of communicating with men?

L: Both ways siya. Because not all victims and women know what patriarchy is all about, too. And agree
with the ways on how to communicate with men. Pero minsan mas maganda na personal silang
umaattend ng talks. Iba minsan ang register of info sa kanila kapag digital lang

I: Noted on this po. Therefore as well as social media campaigns, kailangan din po ng spaces o organizing
among men din po. Moving forward po sa 2nd question

Do you think the Internet contributes to the rise and spread of these groups? What other factors
contribute to the ri se of these groups? Atsaka po: Do you think there is a specifically Filipino form of
toxic masculinity as opposed to more Western or perhaps other Asian versions?

L: Yes, definitely. The internet makes everything accessible, easily connected. Pero aside from that, lack
of awareness talaga yung primary reason behind this behavior. Lack of awareness na mali ang ganitong
sistema, dahil feeling nila hindi ito inclusive.

Okay coming from the question kung anong factors. Factor din talaga minsan na state figure na
nagdedemonstrate mismo ng toxic masculinity. Totoong nangyayari lalo na sa mga kabataan yung “Si
President nga nag-jojoke about rape” or kahit ibang politicians, this kind of influence has a damaging
effect to the rest of the population.

So, addressing patriarchy should really come from resistance and not just enl ightenment. Enlight to
resist, ganun.

When it comes to toxic masculinity, this one applies to all culture naman. patriarchy and GBV (na ang
babae ay pambahay lang) has long been part of different cultures and history.
Kaya mas apt na tawagin itong social struggle. Collective struggle shared by women across the globe.

I: Hi Lovely, sorry naghanap ako ng place to connect sa internet. Salamat dito sa insights mo. I would have
to agree with you dun sa damaging effect ni Pres. Du30 sa youth-- specially if people in positions of
power can get away with misogynistic and rapist remarks what more pa sa pangkaraniwang tao.
 Kaya din siguro I would like to bring this up na while patriarchy and GBV exists on a worldwide scale--
there might be contextual differences for example yung Filipino culture of utang na loob. Just would
like to hear your thoughts on this if you have noticed anything that makes us distinctly Filipino sa
pageexpress ng toxic masculinity?
In light of this, do you have any ideas how more positive forms of masculinity can be promoted among
Filipino men and teens?

L: Siguro yung sa Pinas ay yung familial ties kaya rampant ang statutory rape. Bukod sa utang na loob, ay
pinakamalala siguro sa kultura ang pagkahiya ('wag mong ipahiya ang pamilya natin). Maraming biktima
ang 'di nakakalabas ng bahay, o di nailalahad ang istorya nila, dahil magulang nila mismo ang 'di
naniniwala o pinipilit silang itago na lamang ito kesa pag-chismisan sa isang komunidad.

Doon lumalala ang toxic masculinity.

I: Regarding this po, detrimental din po talaga sa victims yung thinking upheld by the status quo na ang
babae ay dapat maging “virginal, chaste, pure”.

L: Hmm, medyo complicated for me yung positive forms of masculinity. Kasi the best way na mag-improve
sila is to know that everyone's equal, and should be equally treated with respect. They can identify to
be masculine or not, but the bottomline is, immersion and orientation sa abuse ang pwedeng way for
them to get enlightened and hopefully transformed.

I: This is interesting po. Bale po one of the reasons din kung bakit toxic masculinity ang ineexpress ng mga
kalalakihan ay dahil din society expects them to be more manly or have qualities associated with being
manly. That's why in turn this emotionally stunts them from expressing any forms of weakness or
softness- for example po yung saying na “kalalaki mong tao umiiyak ka”. I agree with you on this na
there needs to be a wide scale immersion and orientations for people to be aware via social media
campaigns so that there is a clear line for most people where consent and/or abuse begins. What are
your thoughts po on how do we encourage our men to be more articulate and expressive of other
emotions other than anger or violence?

L: Education talaga, e. Like ano ba yung effects ng negative behavior sa psychological well -being, hindi
lang ng mga babae, kundi ng kapwa nila lalaki, or mga bata. And I think, their understanding on human
rights ang dapat palawakin.

It's more than just being smart and responsible, but more importantly empathic and participative. May
mga lalaki rin na, based on experience, ay anti -sexual harassment pero pro-Duterte. Mahirap ito, kasi
ibig sabihin selective at limited ang perspective nila. Once you orient them about the different forms of
 sexual harassment, including state-perpetrated forces, then dun nila naiisip na oo nga 'no, I should also
despise the president's sexist remarks, I should also stand in solidarity with those women and children
abused by military forces, especially in the remote a reas. They need to understand too the struggle of
women. For them kasi halimbawa, tatanungin nila bakit walang International Men's Day. Well kahit
meron naman, mahalaga na mainintindihan nila na ang rights nila ay easily served for them to just feast
on. And history and laws prove it. Us, women on the other hand, always have to fight for them.

Siguro, dito factor na lalawak ang pang-unawa nila kung bakit dapat may respeto sa pakikitungo sa mga
kababaihan.

I: Tama po kayo dito. Malaki po talaga ang dapat role ng education sa pagturo ng sex education, consent,
abuse, and stat-perpetrated abuse. Pwede ko po ba malaman if nag pro-provide kayo ng orientations
or educational discussions sa mga kababaihan o kalalakihan lalo na sa youth sector at ano po ba yung
outline o tinuturo po dito?

L: Ang struggle lang while doing these things ay yung palala nang palala na impunity - Hindi
napaparusahan ng pamahalaan, sa pamamagitan ng mga ahensya nito, ang mga maysala sa pang -
aabuso sa kababaihan.

Gabriela Network of Professionals has a series of Violence against Women orientation this year.
Patungo na kami sa second leg nito sa April 27 with emphasis on Expanded Maternity Leave (since
palapit sa Labor Day). You can join one! But our outline mainly is pagtatanong muna kun g ano ang mga
common misconceptions (e.g.,nare-rape ang babae dahil maiksi ang damit). Tapos hihintayin naman
ang response nila kung tama o mali. Eventually, dun na ituturo ang iba't ibang klase ng abuso, ang mga
kaakibat na batas na pumuprotekta sa kababa ihan, kung paano maghabla ng kaso, etc. Sa huli,
tatanungin muli ang mga misconceptions na nasabi nung una, at doon madalas ay naitatama na ang
perspektibo nila. Matapos ang mga programa, ay inaanyayahan silang gumawa ng proyekto kung paano
malalabanan ang abuso sa iba't-ibang komunidad.

Meron din syempre educational discussions kung paano mas mareresolba ang mas malalim na isyu sa
lipunan - patriyarka, pasismo, kahirapan, at militarismo (kung saan madalas ay marami ring naaabuso
sa komunidad).

I: Ay willing po ako makilahok sa isang orientation pero di po ako free sa April 27. Invite niyo lang din po
ako dahil madami din po akong kakilala na gusto sumama sa ganito!
Totoo din po talaga na kailangan ng informal education outside of school para sa mga tao o kahit para
sa mga hindi nakakapasok sa paaralan.
L: Ang good struggle actually namin ay laging landslide sa attendees ang mga ito, minsan mahirap
pagkasyahin sa venue dahil kelangan din syempre ng resources (e wala naman tayong pork barrel
CHAROT) Kung mas marami nang pwedeng mag-orient tungkol sa VAWC ay mas mainam. Kaya iyon ang
target sa bawat orientation

I: Wow! I can testify to that po na on the lighter side of things po, mas madaming nagiging interested sa
social issues at sa rights ng women lalo na coming from my generation – kailangan lang din talaga ng
soc med campaigns, community organizing and volunteer work para mag-enlight to resist with
emphasis on empathy and participation and also to raise awareness po (sina -summarize ko lang po
insights niyo) Naisagot na po lahat ng mga tanong hehe. Maraming salamat sa oras niyo po Ms. Lovely,
marami po akong natutunan naiintindihan ko mula rito lagi't lagi magkatali ang paglaban sa pangaabuso
sa kababaihan sa pangmalawakan paglaban sa state-sponsored abuse, patriarka, at mismo ang sistema
ng kapitalismo. Kung may mga tanong po ako maari po ba ako magchat po muli sa inyo?

L: Tumpak. Go lang! I’m just a chat away. And always happy to help. Salamat din!

Interview # 8
Via Facebook Messenger group chat
Date: 4/12/2019
Interviewer: Isis Molintas
Interviewee: Gabriel Angelo Guilas

G: Guilas,Gabriel Angelo S. Occupational Therapy

Psychosocial and Mental Health Specialty
Part 1
The Pastor Hokage Bible Groups are all over the internet. Even websites that that have the same aims are not
even regulated properly. Their agenda are posting and sending pictures and videos of women,without consent,
in order for other people to see. Some of them seem to post as a form of blackmail or “revenge” porn if the
person does not do what he/she wants. Other just do it as a way to impress other men.

I think it is a subtle form of toxic narcissicism. People who can gather a lot of collection of nudes get admiration
from other men and viewed to be as a “chic magnet.”

Physiology also seems to play a role. Pornographic images tend to be addictive and floods the brain with the
pleasure neurotransmitter “dopamine” with just a single click from the groups or websites. The adrenaline thrill
is also present since the stimuli (nudes/sexual videos) are a novel stimuli since they know in the back of their
heads that the involved women do not even know that they are being physically exposed.
People also are psychologically wired to be attached to something/someone in order for him/her to find
meaning: may it be books, a person, hobby, profession, drugs, gambling or pornography. If a person does not
find a way to cope in healthy way which may be due to: trauma, difficulty in forming satisfying relationships,
social isolation or lack of attention he may bond with something unhealthy like drugs, vices or non-consensual
pornography. Some people even makes a collection of nude pictures/videos and some men even sell the
pictures/videos to other men as a form of business and gets money and “admiration” points from other men.

Toxic Masculinity is a form of misogyny that involves objectifying women and viewing them as a “trophy/reward”
instead of viewing them as a person. This invol ves power play games and makingmisogynistic comments like
“Natira ko na yan pre” “ Easy to get yan dali bumigay”.”May nudes ako ni X” Men who can coerce women into
sending nudes garner admiration from other men and views those men as a superior when it comes to the sexual
hierarchy. Cheating is also a form of toxic masculinity. Men seem to get admiration (views them as having kore
reproductive power/potential) to hide and acquire women without being caught. Toxic -minded men promote
this behavior and gets away easily especially when their friends support them and they have distorted fucked-
up core beliefs about women.(eg. : Women are trophies. Women exist to pleasure men. Women dress that way
because they want “it.”)

Filipinos tend to get passive and considers the topic taboo even if the phenomenon is very prevalen t in the
society and nees intervention.Victim blaming is also very common in our culture.

I: Hi Gab thank you for this. It’s very insightful on the psychological part's end. I didn't realize not until
you articulated it na it gives an adrenaline thrill

G: Part II
The internet plays a big role when it comes to the epidemic of toxic masculinity. The private high-speed
information transfer allows the sending of pictures and videos in easy ways. The sad part is the government is
not doing anything to solve the issue and even celebrities who had their private images/videos spread all over
the internet cannot even totally take them down. Filipinos also tend to resurface scandal issues in their
comments. Filipinos are pressured to be “conservative” and this seems to contribute to the issue. Since sex
education is not taught properly, since it is a taboo in our culture, people tend to do risky sexual behaviors and
end up doing more harm than good.

I: Feel ko nga malaking factor din ung lack of insight. Akala ka si ng iba kapag nagview/nagsend ka ng mga
non-consensual nudes sa ibang tao wala naman magiging effect dun sa nasa picture. Pero the truth is
karamihan ng mga nadadawit sa scandals lalo na pag nalaman nung tao is nagkakaroon ng mental
health issues. Parang nawalan sila ng sense of dignity tas ung iba sa kanila nagiging suicidal.
Analaking issue neto no kaso di pinguusapan objectively kasi “nakakahiya” or parang ibla-blame pa ung tao
“kasalanan nia eh sia nagsend nun”

I: Of course! This has dire effects sa victim, lalo na in a country that slut shames anyone who expresses
anything sexual

I: Sa USA lam ko parang may special division ung FBI na nagtatake down ng revenge porn
websites/scandal groups e. Sila din ung nanghuhuli sa mga pedophiles. Dito parang wala man ung
cybercrime law. Wala man nagreregulate dito sadly.
I: I think it boils down to people thinking na this is not a serious crime. I've talked to people who've tried
to file cybersecurity cases tapos laging ang tanong sa kanila ay “bakit mo kasi sinend?” o “wala ka naman
hard evidence na siya yun”

G: Malalala talaga dito. May kakilala nga ako gnawa pang business ung nudes eh. Pinagkakakitaan ung
mga babaeng mga nasa picture ng di nila alam pero we should start considering these acts as criminal
acts - violation in all senses physically, emotionally, mentally sa kababaihan o sa kung sino man nasa
photos

I: Personally kilala mo?

G: Personally ko kakilala. Pero nagstop na ata nung nsa manila daw sia dun daw marami. Tas andami daw
customers. Sa UST ito ha The Pontifical and Royal University of Sto. Tomas. Uso din ung trading eh. Uy
may kwento ako. Alam mo ung kwento ni Marcotect?

I: Hindi, ano yun? Magkano daw kita niya for nudes. Pwede ko ba siya makausap.

G: May nareport nun eh. Gagawin nia i brabrainwash nia ung mga underaged women(mga 16 to 17 yrs
old) na magpopost daw for modelling photos. So ayun mageend up magpopost ung mga babae na
nakahubad gnun. Tas ipopost nia sa forums ung mga nakokolekta niyang photos. Yung mga
nabrabrainwash niya mayayaman ung iba like mga La Sallista ganun. Di ko alam magkano kita nung
kakilala ko eh.. Pero nung nsa UST daw sia dun daw talaga marami

G: Part III
A) Positive forms of masculinity can be promoted by giving proper sexual education to the youth. This is
the time that we become more open about these topics and discuss the impact of non-consensual
pornography to the mental health of those involved. Right Feminism (not misandry) should also be
promoted. Monitoring and regulation of criminal activity in the internet can also help a lot in stopping
the spreading of scandals and non-consensual porn.
B) The internet can play a role in promoting positive masculinity among men. Infographics with simple
information can help in advocating the dignity and protection of women's rights. Groups can also be
formed and forums/live video calls can be facitated wherein teenagers/college students can share
openly about sexuality. (Tulad nung UsapangLalaki na nakwento ni mon de 🙂 feel ko un tlga ung kulang
dito eh,walang outlet ung mga tao na mapagsasabihan nila when it comes to problems regarding
sexuality)
C) Being an occupational therapist, we promote engagement in occupations(occupations are everyday
activities that are important to us and gives meaning in our everday lives). I think dedicating oneself in
more productive acitivities(termed as sublimation in psychiatry) instead of engaging in drugs/non -
consensual pornography can help in coping properly.Cognitive restructuring(changing toxic core beliefs
about women) can also help in eliminating toxic masculinity.
I: Yung nareport- did this stop him from doing this? Search ko na lang din. Also sa kakilala mo, have you
talked to him about this recently - is he aware na mali yun?
I: THIS! Salamat dito. Will quote you on this. So we also need to encourage safe spaces
G: Alam ko nagstop sia nung nareport na. Pinahuli ata sia ng NBI.Yung kakilala ko nagstop na. Nung asa
UST siya dun siya magbebenta kaso nung bumalik na siya ng Pampanga para dito magaral di na
Wala tlgang open space na pwede magusap ung mga tao about sexuality without judgement. Nageend
up nakukuha nilang info mula sa friends/barkada toxic sexuality tas akala nila tama,mali pala.
I: Oo kailangan talaga magcreate ng discourse and lalo na fr ur field! wala kami psych majors sa discourse
would like to hear ur opinions and Mon's too!