This is a submission from Cha Roque and Ymi Sy. Because no matter what we are wearing, what we are doing, or where we are, we get street harassed.
“Ymi rides her bike to work everyday. She was sporting her usual biking get-up (vneck shirt, cycling shorts, scarf, helmet and shades) when she got catcalled yesterday. She said it happened many times before that she lost count of the number of times. Usual lines directed to her were “Hi, Miss”, “Astig”, “Sexy” plus unsolicited sounds/whistles. She told me she had to turn around and take a different way before because the road she was passing through felt unsafe. Traffic in Manila is so bad, biking to work is a good alternative to commuting. It’s unfair that she has to take extra caution on which route to take just so she can avoid being harrased on her way to work, much so on her way home when it’s already late.” -Cha
Renee Karunungan 