This cruel, chaotic world needs strong women leaders

The hands that rock the cradles rule the world. The wars in Ukraine, Israel, the terrorist insurgencies in Algeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Congo, the civil war in Ethiopia and the drug war in Colombia, internal troubles in Laos and Myanmar, the constant China incursions in the West Philippine Sea, and the longest running repressions in North Korea, all these can be mitigated, if not stopped when strong women take over the mantles of leadership.

Israel would have been in better hands if it was Golda Meir, the fourth and the only woman prime minister of that war-torn country who should have been in-charge of the current war against Hamas. Golda was born to Jewish parents in Kiev, which is now the capital of war-torn Ukraine. She grew up in Milwaukee after her parents migrated to America. She was a teacher and a leader of the Labor Zionist Movement then she and her husband migrated to Palestine in 1921. She was a signatory to the Israeli Declaration of Independence in 1948. She was elected to the Knesset and served as Labor minister in 1948 and then foreign minister in 1956. In 1969, she became prime minister, the first female head of government not only of Israel but of the entire Middle East, the fourth elected head of state in the whole world.

The first woman to have been democratically elected as prime minister in the whole world was Sirimavu Bandaranaike of Sri Lanka in 1960. But the now-nonexistent country of Tuvan elected the first woman head of state, Khertek Anchimaa-Toka in 1940. The first woman to have served as president was Isabel Peron of Argentina. She was the one who was supposed to sing that famous "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina". But she was not elected, only installed after her husband Juan Peron was ousted from dictatorship. The first elected woman president was Vigdis Finnbogadottir of Iceland. She remained in office for 16 years by reelection, making her the longest-serving non-hereditary head of state in the whole world in all history.

The first democratically-elected woman prime minister of a Muslim country was Benazir Bhutto of Pakistan in 1988. But our Cory Aquino was already installed in office in 1986 not through elections but by peoples' revolution. Bhutto was the first of the only two female heads of government who gave birth while serving in office, the other being Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand. The longest tenured female non-hereditary head of government was Sheik Hassina of Bangladesh for a combined total of 19 years and counting. She is still in office now. Of course, among the non-elected, the longest-serving female monarch was Queen Elizabeth II for 70 years and 214 days. Indira Gandhi Indira Gandhi was the third prime minister of India serving from 1966 to 1977 and then again in 1980 until her assassination in 1984.

Other strong female world leaders include Margaret Thatcher who served as UK's prime minister from 1979 to 1990, Chandrika Kumaratunga who served as prime minister of Sri Lanka for more than 11 years. President Mary McAleese of Ireland served from 1997 to 2011 or for 14 years. New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark served for nine years. Finland's President Tarja Halonen served 12 years. Megawati Sukarnoputri was president of Indonesia for more than three years. Julia Gillard of Australia served as prime minister for three years. Yingluck Shinawatra served as prime minister of Thailand for three years. Aung San Suu Kyi was de facto head of government of Myanmar for almost five years before she was detained again by her enemies. Theresa May was prime minister of the UK only for three years. Angela Merkel was the longest-serving female chancellor of Germany from 2005 to 2021.

For me the strongest women who ever lived in the Philippines were Gabriela Silang Teodora Alonso, Melchora Aquino, Geronima Pecson, Tecla Ziga, Maria Kalaw Katigbak, Eva Estrada Kalaw, Miriam Defensor Santiago, Haydee Yorac, Cecilia Munoz Palma, Ameurfina Melencio Herrera, Corazon Aquino, Leni Robredo, Gina Lopez, Gwendolyn Garcia, and Maria Ressa. You have your choices, I have my own and we should respect each other's judgment.

The world is cruel, chaotic, and crazy. We need strong women to clean up the mess that we, men, have brought about. Let the women take over, to lead the world and push men to sit back and relax. I tell you, we will have a cleaner, more orderly, and happier world.