Angara tops women’s survey

Team PNoy senatorial candidate Edgardo “Sonny” Angara emerged as the top choice of the readers of a best-selling women’s magazine based on its survey of winnable candidates in the May 13 elections.
“It is so flattering to win the hearts of Filipinas. I’m very thankful for their support. This goes to show that our efforts to promote women empowerment and gender equality are paying off,” he said.
Angara, who gained 33 percent of the online votes, topped the survey conducted by cosmo.ph, the online edition of Cosmopolitan Philippines magazine, from February 19 to March 11 with over 300 women respondents.
The lawmaker from Aurora is the principal author of the Magna Carta of Women, a comprehensive women’s human rights law that seeks to eliminate discrimination against women by recognizing, protecting, fulfilling and promoting the rights of Filipino women.
On top of his advocacies for gender equality, Angara was recently dubbed, “A New Pinoy Heart Throb” because his boyish, good looks were said to have helped captivate the imagination and support of voters on the campaign trail.
Completing cosmo.ph list of seven senatoriables were Chiz Escudero (31%), Risa Hontiveros (19%), Teddy Casino (6%), Alan Peter Cayetano (5%), Loren Legarda (3%) and Jack Enrile (3%).
“Our purple-tinged hearts soared when these seven politicians voted yes on the Reproductive Health (RH) Bill,” said Cosmopolitan in the article “Who Gets Your Vote?” in its April 2013 issue.
Aside from supporting the controversial RH Bill, Angara’s other pro-women bills include House Bill 421 or the Act Expanding The Prohibited Acts Of Discrimination Against Women On Account Of Sex, and House Bill 620 or the Women’s Higher Education Act, which seeks to provide higher educational opportunities for women by establishing a women’s higher education scholarship fund.
“It is my goal to purge from the Filipino culture the myth of a weaker gender. We must realize the indispensable role of Filipino women in nation building. I can assure you that I will continue to fight for the rights, protection and equal opportunities of women,” Angara said.