Various women’s groups and progressives demand food for people, not profit during two protests in front of the Department of Agriculture in Quezon City on October 15, 2025.

National federation of peasant women Amihan said their protest “symbolizes the collective fight of the Filipino rural and peasant women “against Marcos systemic-wide corruption.”

The APMDD- and Oriang-led protest in the Philippines is part of Asia-wide actions on Rural Women’s Day, joining other women in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Indonesia.

According to APMDD: “Asia is a chronically food-insecure and climate-vulnerable region, and food insecurity affects more women than men everywhere in the world. This year in the Philippines, agricultural losses from Tropical Cyclones Crising, Dante, and Emong amounted to 2.34 billion PHP, depleting the country’s food supply and raising food prices. Over 75,000 farmers and 72,000 hectares of farmland were affected, with the rice sector accounting for half the losses.”

APMDD further said “as climate disasters deplete the world’s food supply, women are rising up to demand that their governments ensure women farmers’ access to food, land, water, seeds, and resources.” 

They also demanded governments to protect women and communities from climate impacts, and recognize the role of women food producers in policies and programs for food systems.

Photos by Guia Mistades and Jimmy A Domingo