![](http://media.zenfs.com/en-PH/blogs/inbox/630youtube_documentary.jpg "Screengrab from "The Filipina on Top" trailer")
Screengrab from "The Filipina on Top" trailerDubai-based Filipino lifestyle-community publication, Illustrado magazine, announced recently the online release of a new mini documentary titled "The Filipina on Top: Deconstructing Maria Clara," which revolves around the empowerment of Filipinas to overcome concerns such as sexual harassment, sexual abuse, and unwanted pregnancies.
"The Filipina on Top" is a sequel to the mini documentary released last year, "The Empowered Filipina," which also discusses Filipina sexual empowerment issues. Both films are directed by Kamil Roxas, winner of the Hayah Film Competition at the Middle East International Film Festival (MEIFF) in 2008. The film premiered during Illustrado's annual Women of Substance event held last month at the Jumeirah Emirates Towers in Dubai.
"The Filipina on Top" touches on sensitive-yet-significant issues concerning Filipinas. It addresses questions such as "Is the modern Filipina well-informed enough not to fall into bad situations? Or are they unknowingly contributing to their own problems?" Furthermore, it hopes to "create awareness on the harsh realities Filipinas face and, at the same time, provide relevant information and worthwhile advice."
Illustrado Magazine's publisher and editor-in-chief Lalaine Chu-Benitez said, "We cannot talk about women empowerment unless we talk about our issues; unless we address our problems."
The film discusses the various attitudes towards pre-marital sex and the complex conservative-modern value system of Filipinas. YouTube user illustradolife2010 who uploaded the new mini documentary commented on the topic, "It really doesn't matter whatever you choose - that's your personal decision. Bottom line is, whatever one chooses, they have to be responsible and protect themselves. The bad thing is that lots of Filipinas are getting into pre-marital sex but they are not ensuring their own safety."
Also tackled in the film is the lack of sex education in the country which contributes to the piling cases of unwanted pregnancies. According to the World Health Organization, "Seventy percent of unwanted pregnancies ends up in abortion. Official estimates in the Philippines put annual abortions at nearly half a million."
The documentary states: "This domino effect is contrasted with the omnipresent influence of the highly sexualized Philippine media and how it molds and shapes cultural attitudes, behaviors and the choices Filipinas make for themselves. Such cultivated comportment has been and still continue to be basis for stereotyping and exploitation of Filipinas in other countries."
Another prevalent concern among the Filipinas tackled by the film is sexual harassment. According to Illustrado Magazine's random survey of around 100 Filipinas aged of 20 to 50 years old based in the Middle East, 75 percent said that they have experienced "sexual harassment of some form, whether mild or serious (where sexual harassment is defined as unwanted sexual advances, request for sexual favors and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature that tends to create a hostile or offensive environment)."
Speaking on Illustrado's Women of Substance advocacy, Benitez revealed: "Last year, with the showing of the mini-documentary 'The Empowered Filipina,' we were able to call on our fellow Pinays around the world to uplift themselves despite prevalent negative stereotypes. This year, we would like to encourage them to take charge of all aspects of their life, to protect themselves and to safeguard their situation, as well as future."
"Female empowerment is not only about being independent, or landing a good job, or having a voice. Empowerment is also being able to make the right decisions for yourself. It is being able to control your own situation and to control your own future," Benitez concluded.
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