“WITWIW, HI MISS!” BASTOS BA O HINDI?

: CATCALLING BETWEEN
MEN AND WOMEN IN IMUS CITY, CAVITE

Undergraduate Thesis
Submitted to the Faculty of
College of Arts and Sciences
Cavite State University
Indang, Cavite

In partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the degree
Bachelor of Science in Psychology

NICO L. BAJA
JEANOUELLA MARIE E. CRUZADA
SPENCER C. MAPUTE
May 2017
 BIOGRAPHICAL DATA

The researcher Nico L. Baja, was born on February 17, 1992 in the City of

Manila. He is the youngest son among the three progenies of Mrs. Charity Llamado Baja

and Mr. Nestor Bitad Baja who are both Visayan-natives. He is presently residing with

his family at Tropical Village, San Francisco in the City of General Trias, Cavite.

He completed his elementary and secondary education at Tropical Village

Elementary School in 2004 and Tropical Village National High School in 2008

respectively.

Presently, he is pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology at Cavite State

University and he will be graduating this upcoming May 2017. Throughout his stays at

the mentioned university, he was able to clutch an educational support through the CvSU

academic scholarship and Province of Cavite - District VI scholarship programs. He also

became a member of Psychological Association of the Philippines – Junior Affiliates

(PAPJA) in 2015.

He is looking forward to become an educator someday in the field of biological

and social sciences.

iii
 BIOGRAPHICAL DATA

Jeanouella Marie E. Cruzada was born on the 23rd day of April 1997 in Cavite

Medical Center. She is the eldest of Marites and Tomas Cruzada. The author is

commonly known as Kookim. Her younger sister is Jazmina Marie. At present, she is

residing at Hauskon Homes, Julugan, Tanza, Cavite.

She completed her pre-school years at Holy Nazarene Christian School in

Mulawin, Tanza, Cavite in 2003. From Grade I to Grade VI, she studied at the same

school where she graduated in 2009. She obtained her secondary education, also from the

same school in 2013, as the 9th honorable mentioned of the batch.

She is currently studying at Cavite State University, Indang, Cavite, taking up

Bachelor of Science in Psychology, and she will be graduating this upcoming May 2017.

During the past semesters and at present, she is entitled as an academic scholar of the

university. She became an officer of Psychology Circle, a former Business Manager and

Vice President- Internal.

The author believes in the motto: “Positive thinking leads to positive outcomes."

and in the cliché quotation, "Truth fears no questions.”

iv
 BIOGRAPHICAL DATA

The researcher Spencer C. Mapute was born in 4th day of January 1997 at Las

Pinas City. He is the youngest son of two children of Mrs. Digna Mapute and Mr. Felix

Mapute. He is presently residing at 124 San Agustin 2 Dasmarinas City, Cavite.

He acquired his elementary education at Dasmarinas II Central Elementary

School and graduated last April 2009. He continues his secondary Education at

Dasmarinas National High School and graduated on March 2013

He is presently pursuing his degree of BS Psychology at Cavite State University

and he will be graduating this upcoming May 2017.

v
 ACKNOWLEDGMENT

The researchers would like to express our very great appreciation and recognize

with deep gratitude the various assistance and encouragement extended to us by the

following individuals:

To Ms. Ana Ruth M. Andalajao, our beloved adviser, we are very appreciative of

your kind gesture for sharing your knowledge, patience, and guidance on our research. It

has helped us go through the accomplishment of this final paper;

To Ms. Eva F. Hernandez, our technical critic, for her valuable comments,

suggestions, and constructive criticisms that were vital for the development of the

manuscript;

To the members of the panel, Mrs. Ledesma, Mr. Belen and Mr. Legaspi for their

support, appraisals, guidance and encouragement for the improvement of the thesis

manuscript;

To the our classmates, Allan Alex and Faith Mercado for helping us explore Imus

City to locate the qualified participants of the study;

To other Psychology instructors, for providing us some knowledge needed in our

study. The researchers are particularly grateful for your assistance. The completion of

this research would not have been also possible if not for your enthusiasm and help;

To our classmates and friends from BS Psychology 4-4, for giving us moral

support and motivation. Your contributions will certainly not go unnoticed;

To our beloved parents and a few close friends, our deepest gratitude for the

continued support and assistance without hesitation; for the never ending moral support

and guidance; and

vi
 Foremost, to Almighty God, who made all things possible by giving them the

will, strength, patience, determination, courage and wisdom to finish this research. It

might have been a tough journey for each one of us but we were able to reach our

destination.

For everyone who has given their utmost help and sincere support, we extend our

warmest thanks to you. May God continue to bless us all.

NICO L. BAJA

JEANOUELLA MARIE E. CRUZADA

SPENCER C. MAPUTE

vii
 ABSTRACT

BAJA, NICO L; CRUZADA, JEANOUELLA MARIE E; & MAPUTE, SPENCER

C; “Witwiw, Hi Miss!” Bastos Ba O Hindi?: Catcalling Between Men and Women in
Imus City, Cavite. Undergraduate Thesis. Bachelor of Science in Psychology. Cavite
State University, Indang, Cavite. May 2017. Adviser: Ana Ruth M. Andalajao, RPm.

This research was conducted to answer the following questions: how men and

women perceive catcalling?; how men feel about doing catcalling?; how women feel

about being catcalled?; what are the means men use to catcall another person?; how

women respond to catcalling?; how men and women experience catcalling?; how the

general public perceive catcalling?; how the general public feel for the doer/s and

receiver/s of catcalling?; how the general public react towards the witnessed catcalling

incidents?

This study is a qualitative study that used Interpretative Phenomenological

Analysis as a methodology. It intended to understand the perception, feeling and behavior

of men (doer), women (receiver), and general public (observer) toward catcalling. The

researchers used purposive and snowball sampling to determine the participants. The

researchers also used semi-structured interviews as a method of gathering data.

Based on the findings, men perceived catcalling as a natural tendency. They saw

catcalling as a means to form friendship, to find a girlfriend, and to be famous. Moreover,

there is incongruence between what men’s motives and how it was perceived by others.

Men experienced pleasant and unpleasant feelings in doing catcalling. They did

catcalling in varying ways, with purpose, and even selected who to catcall. With women,

they perceived catcalling as men seeking attention, a form of objectification, a natural

tendency of men, and lastly, a disrespectful/rude act. Most of them held unpleasant

viii
feelings about being catcalled but, other pleasant feelings also arose. Women either

responded to catcalling in an active or passive way. When it came to the general public,

catcalling was construed in a positive and negative manner. Their feelings toward the

doer/s and receiver/s of catcalling ranged from pleasant to unpleasant ones. Also, upon

witnessing such catcalling incidents, they opted to respond actively or passively. The

results of the research indicates that there is incongruence among men’s motives in doing

catcalling, how it was perceived by themselves, by women, and by general public. Most

of them perceived catcalling as disrespectful/rude. However, it was found out that men

did catcalling to express their appreciation of women’s physical appearance and also to

make friendship, which opposed to the view that their catcalling behavior showed

rudeness.

ix
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

TITLE PAGE ………………………………………..…………………………. i

APPROVAL SHEET …...…...…...…...…...…...…...…...…...….....…...…....... ii

BIOGRAPHICAL DATA ……………………………..………………………. iii

ACKNOWLEDGMENT …………………………………..………………… vi

ABSTRACT ………………………………………………..…………………... viii

TABLE OF CONTENTS ………………………………..…………………….. x

LIST OF TABLES ………………………………….…………………………. xii

LIST OF APPENDIX TABLES …………………………..…………………... xiv

LIST OF APPENDICES …………………………………..…………………... xv

INTRODUCTION …………………………………….….……………………. 1

Statement of the Problem …………………………..…………………….. 3

Objectives of the Study ………………………….….……...…………….. 4

Significance of the Study .………………………………………………... 5

Time and Place of the Study …………..………………………………….. 7

Scope and Limitation of the Study …………..…………………………… 7

Theoretical Framework …...……………………………………………… 8

Definition of Terms ...…………………………………………………….. 11

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE …..……………………………….. 14

METHODOLOGY …......……………………………………………………… 89

Research Design …..……………………………………………………… 89

x
 Sources of Data …….…………………………………………………….. 90

Sampling Procedure ….…………………………………………………... 91

Participants of the Study …..……………………………………………… 92

Data Gathered .……………………………………………………… 93

Data Analysis ….…………………………………………………………. 98

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS …..…………………………………………. 102

SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS …..………... 169

Summary ….……………………………………………………………… 169

Conclusions ..……………………………………………………………. 172

Recommendations …..…………………………………………………... 178

REFERENCES …..…………………………………………………………….. 180

APPENDICES ….……………………………………………………………… 190

xi
 LIST OF TABLES

Table Page

1 Perception of men (doers) about catcalling ….......………………...……. 105

2 Men perceive catcalling as a natural tendency …...…………...………… 108

3 Men see catcalling as a means …...………………………...……………. 109

4 Incongruence between what men do and how it is perceived

by others …………………………...…...…...………...………… 112

5 Feelings of men about catcalling …...……………………………….…... 113

6 Men’s pleasant feelings about catcalling …...…....………………...…… 116

7 Men’s unpleasant feelings about catcalling …......…………………...…. 119

8 Ways and means of men for doing catcalling …...………...……………. 121

9 General catcalling practices of men …......…………………...…………. 124

10 Men do catcalling with purpose …...…………………………...……….. 126

11 Men select who to catcall …......…………………………………...……. 127

12 Perception of women (receivers) about catcalling …......…………...…... 130

13 Women perceive catcalling as men seeking attention …...…………...…. 132

14 Women perceive catcalling as objectification …...………...……………. 133

15 Women perceive catcalling as natural tendency of men ….........……….. 135

16 Most women perceive catcalling as disrespectful/rude .…..……..……… 136

17 Women’s perception of men’s reason for catcalling …......……...……… 138

18 Feelings of women about being catcalled …......………...……………… 139

19 Women’s unpleasant feelings about being catcalled …......…...………… 140

20 Women’s pleasant feeling about being catcalled …...…......………….… 143

xii
21 Responses of women to catcalling …...…...………………...…………... 144

22 Women’s active responses to catcalling ………………………..…...…... 145

23 Women’s passive responses to catcalling …...…......…………………… 148

24 Perception of the general public (observer) about catcalling ……....…… 151

25 General public’s positive perception about catcalling …...…..........……. 154

26 General public’s negative perception about catcalling …........…………. 156

27 Feelings of general public toward the doers of catcalling ……....………. 158

28 General public’s pleasant feelings toward the doers of catcalling …........ 159

29 General Public’s unpleasant feelings toward the doers

of catcalling ………………………………..…...…….......…...… 160

30 Feeling of the general public toward the receivers of catcalling ……..…. 161

31 General public’s pleasant feelings toward the receivers

of catcalling …………………………..………...……….…...….. 162

32 General public’s unpleasant feelings toward the receivers

of catcalling ….…………………………………...…….…...…... 163

33 Responses of the general public toward catcalling incidents …….…...… 164

34 General public’s active responses toward catcalling incidents ……..…... 165

35 General public’s passive responses toward catcalling incidents ……....... 166

xiii
 LIST OF APPENDIX TABLES

Appendix Page
Table

1 Pre-survey tabulation of doers ………………………………………. 263

2 Pre-survey tabulation of receivers ………………………………...… 265

3 Pre-survey tabulation of observers ………………………………….. 267

xiv
 LIST OF APPENDICES

Appendix Page

1 Thesis title proposal form ……………….…………….……………... 191

2 Approval of thesis title ………………………….…………………… 193

3 Request for oral defense ………………………..………………......... 195

4 Approved letter for conduct of thesis study ……….………………… 197

5 Interview guide …………………....…………………………………. 199

6 Certification of validation of interview guide …...…………………... 203

7 Certification from ethical research board ............................................. 207

8 Informed consent (english & filipino) …...………………...………… 209

9 Poster used in data gathering ................................................................ 214

10 Transcriptions of data ……………………......………………………. 216

11 Summary of comments and suggestions …...……………………....... 248

12 Certification from english critic …...……………………………….... 250

13 Certificate of completion …………………………...………………... 252

14 Routing slip …………………………………………………….......... 254

15 Budget estimates ……………………………......…………………… 256

16 Program of work …………………...……………………………….... 259

17 Pre-survey tabulation ………………………...……………………..... 262

18 Curriculum vitae …………………...……………………………….... 268

xv
 “WITWIW, HI MISS!” BASTOS BA O HINDI?: CATCALLING BETWEEN
MEN AND WOMEN IN IMUS CITY, CAVITE

Nico L. Baja
Jeanouella Marie E. Cruzada
Spencer C. Mapute

An undergraduate thesis manuscript submitted to the faculty of the Department of Social

Sciences and Humanities, College of Arts and Sciences, Cavite State University, Indang,
Cavite in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Bachelor of Science in
Psychology with contribution no. _______. Prepared under the supervision of Ms. Ana
Ruth M. Andalajao, RPm.

INTRODUCTION

While walking down the block, taking a jog around the neighborhood, or simply

going out with friends, receiving a comment, praise, criticism, or perhaps any form of

verbal appraisal from a stranger along the street is not an uncommon experience of the

daily lives of Filipinos, especially since they are fond in socializing with each others. The

comments that are received from unknown individuals vary depending on how people

perceive them. Sometimes, it would make people feel happy, sad, confused,

overwhelmed, or disrespected. Because of this, issues regarding harassment may arise.

People gave different opinions when President Rodrigo Duterte whistled when

asked a question by one female reporter during a press conference. This incident led the

public to debate over the appropriateness of this action. To cite, here was what Raffy

Tima, the husband of the female reporter, Mariz Umali had to say, "…catcalling anyone

in a press conference with all cameras trained on him defies logic." This referred then to

President-Elect Duterte. To the people who laughed at this behavior during the said
 2

conference, “some jokes are funny and should be laughed at… but disrespecting women

is definitely not one of them.” Tima said (Cayabyab, 2016). Mariz Umali recounted her

reaction to this, “Minaintain ko na lang yung composure ko, I tried to understand what

the situation was, and tried to get my answer…”, “iniintindi natin yan because sa mga

coverage natin sa kanya talagang sinasabi niya na ganoon talaga siya…” (Roxas, 2016).

Meanwhile, President Duterte explained, “If you are a beautiful woman at sabihin

mo, whistling is directed at the woman. And when I whistle, what am I doing, am I

suggesting sexual intercourse? Would you say that would be the meaning? That I would

like to fondle you?” (Cayabyab, 2016).

Catcalling is an act that commonly done by a male person to get the attention of a

certain person, generally an attractive female person. This can be expressed through

whistling, compliments, or in any gestural behavior (nobullying.com, 2015).

This particular example of a behavior labeled by many as catcalling is not

exclusive to public figures. It happens any day to varied kinds of people in the streets or

public places. It is now a subject of interest to take a closer look at how people perceive

the experience of catcalling since as people can see, the phenomenon may mean

differently to each person involved – the doer (who does catcalling), the receiver (a

person the catcalling is directed to), and the observer (the general public) as the witness

of the incident.

In light of the Filipino culture and values, this study would like to investigate the

discrepancy between the intentions and the perceptions that makes this catcalling a

phenomenon. Bastos ba o hindi? (Rude or not?)

 3

As stranger harassment remains understudied worldwide including this country,

there is a need to conduct this study to help the community realize how Filipino women

and men perceive catcalling, their feelings toward it, and how similar or different women

and men perceive it. Imus City, Cavite was the best locale for conducting the study,

considering that it was the most urbanized area in Cavite, having all the 97 barangays

classified as urban (Philippine Statistics Authority, 2014). In addition, trinity.edu (2011)

lined up usual indicators of rudeness with which the urbanization is one of the factors,

wherein people differently with anonymous others, living in a world of strangers can

often operate with the assumption that one will never see the victim of one’s rude

behavior again. Apart from this, Cavite State University is recently recognized as one of

the most outstanding state universities in CALABARZON for Gender and Development

implementation. The researchers’ study is inclined in gender-related issues, so it will be

relevant to the implementation of a better gender and development issues in equality and

rights.

Statement of the Problem

The purpose of this study aimed to make an in depth analysis of the lived

experiences of men and women on catcalling.

To further clarify the goals of this study, details were specified below:

1. How do men of Imus City, Cavite perceive catcalling?

2. How do men of Imus City, Cavite feel about doing catcalling?

3. What are the means men of Imus City, Cavite use to catcall another person?

4. How do women of Imus City, Cavite perceive catcalling?

5. How do women of Imus City, Cavite feel about being catcalled?

 4

6. How do women of Imus City, Cavite respond to catcalling?

7. How do men and women of Imus City, Cavite experience catcalling?

8. How does the general public of Imus City, Cavite perceive catcalling?

9. How does the general public of Imus City, Cavite feel for the doer/s and

receiver/s of catcalling?

10. How does the general public of Imus City, Cavite react towards the witnessed

catcalling incidents?

Objectives of the Study

The purpose of this study aimed to make an in depth analysis of the lived

experiences of men and women on catcalling.

Specifically, this study aimed to determine the following:

1. how men of Imus City, Cavite perceive catcalling;

2. how men of Imus City, Cavite feel about doing catcalling;

3. the means men of Imus City, Cavite use to catcall another person;

4. how women of Imus City, Cavite perceive catcalling;

5. how women of Imus City, Cavite feel about being catcalled;

6. how women of Imus City, Cavite respond to catcalling;

7. how men and women of Imus City, Cavite experience catcalling;

8. how the general public of Imus City, Cavite perceive catcalling;

9. how the general public of Imus City, Cavite feel for the doer/s and receiver/s

of catcalling; and

10. how the general public of Imus City, Cavite react towards the witnessed

catcalling incidents.
 5

Significance of the Study

Catcalling remains understudied across the globe with which the information is

only limited from news reports and personal experiences posted on blogs. Presumably,

this study serves as the baseline information about the perception and experiences of

women and men towards catcalling in the country.

Psychology aims to describe, understand, predict and control behaviors. Much

description of how men and women are involved in this phenomenon of catcalling are

already available. However, the conflicts that arise between the genders and the people

involved in catcalling call for a much deeper understanding of these behaviors. This study

hopes to be of help to establish a deeper understanding of the causes and effects of this

phenomenon. Basically, to determine what it means to each gender to catcall or be

catcalled and how the witnessed catcalling incidents appear to the general public,

especially within the cultural bound of the Filipino values.

This study will help participants to voice out their experiences about catcalling.

In this way, they will be given a chance to explain what catcalling really is, and its

positive and negative effects to the individuals doing and/or experiencing it. Under the

scientific areas of psychology, their experiences will be better understood and will be

given action by authorities and organizations if necessary.

For women, they will be given a chance to express their experiences and

reactions about catcalling, if catcalling was right or wrong for them, and their feelings

about it, and their experience after it. It can also help them to glean information in the

workings of the mind behind the catcalls they receive.

 6

It is also a chance for men to stand in equal grounds with women to be heard and

explain their side. This could give them benefit of the doubt if their behaviors are really

just an act of human nature, a misinterpreted attempt to socialize or any possible source

of motivation or intentions. They will be given a chance to express themselves why they

do catcalling, if catcalling was right or wrong for them, and their feelings about it, and its

meaning for themselves after doing it.

The observer or also identified as the general public who have witnessed

catcalling incidents shall also be empowered byexpressing their purview with catcalling.

Their feeling, reaction and perception towards the doer and the receiver of catcalling will

also be heard.

For non-government organizations, government institutions, and other sector

that raises gender awareness and equality, they can use this study as their basis for

proposing bills and campaigns for gender-related issues, specifically, catcalling and other

street harassment issues.

The study will be beneficial to the university as support to its mission of gender

quality. In return, the university can support program in leading to a much responsive and

efficiently living environment. Nevertheless, the university is recently recognized as one

of the most outstanding state universities in CALABARZON for Gender and

Development implementation. This research will be part of the continuous expansion of

knowledge, awareness, and information about gender and development issues, especially,

catcalling occurrences.
 7

For future researchers, this would serve as an additional information or data.

The results will serve as inputs to future researchers who want to engage in a much

broader scope of study on gender-related issues, specifically, catcalling.

Lastly, for the fields of psychology, this research will be a relevant contribution

by giving new information specifically related to: (a) Filipino Psychology, this study will

show what catcalling is in the Filipino context, and how Filipino men and women

differently or similarly view catcalling, particularly if it is rude or not; and to (b) Social

Psychology. This study will show how catcalling could affect the social influence,

thinking and relation of men and women toward each other.

Time and Place of the Study

The research started from the date of the proposal, October 5, 2016 and was

completed/accomplished after the successful presentation of results last April 18, 2017 at

the Psychology Laboratory, College of Arts and Sciences, Cavite State University – Main

Campus.

Scope and Limitation of the Study

The main focus of the research determined the affective, behavioral and cognitive

aspects of men, women and the general public (observer) toward catcalling living in

urban areas of Imus City, Cavite. The participants were limited to those women who

experienced catcalling, men who admitted that they did catcalling, and the general public,

considering that there were lots of supporting reports that catcalling often happened in

urban areas.
 8

The criteria for selecting women participants were the following: (a) admitted

that she experienced catcalling, (b) experienced catcalling at least twice or thrice from

the past year up to present, and (c) resided in Imus City, Cavite.

The criteria for selecting men participants were the following: (a) admitted that

he himself did catcalling, (b) catcalled women at least twice or thrice from the past year

up to present, and (c) resided in Imus City, Cavite.

Finally, the criteria for the general public were the following: (a) could be male

or female (b) had or had not experienced catcalling, (c) must had witnessed catcalling

incidents at least twice or thrice from the past year up to present, and (d) resided in Imus

City, Cavite.

To note, catcalls were only limited to verbal behaviors. Apart from this, there

were no required age, educational attainment, socio-economic status, monthly income

and religion for both men and women participants of this study.

Theoretical Framework

The following concepts about catcalling, rudeness and objectification theory will

add more background for further understanding of the study.

Catcalling. The term catcalling was derived from several explications. Catcalling

is when unsolicited attention is drawn to someone by an outside party by whistling or

making inappropriate comments in response to sexual attraction to the receiver giver's

(Inglis, 2015). It is designed to weaken the recipient's image and self-confidence by

sexualizing them, and this is more of the enforcement of gender expectations rather than

seeking sexual favors (Woo, 2015). It is considered as a form of street harassment,

making sexual comments at passersby, following them, and attempting to engage in

 9

conversation, or shouting out racial insults as they walk by. Oftentimes, these behaviors

escalate into flashing, groping, stalking or worse (Uloop, 2014). Power and control is

common among these forms, which is the obsession of the offender’s mental satisfaction

(Park, 2015).

There is neither value nor respect for the people on the receiving end of an

unacceptable behavior. Those who catcall are using such disrespecting measures to get

power and control from the behavior. In fact, the catcaller is not satisfied upon

committing the offense. He or she is satisfied once they gain psychological and

emotional control from the act (Park, 2015).

Rudeness. Bulatao (1964, as cited in Philippine Studies, 2008) defined the term

walang hiya and it is seen to be synonymous to rudeness or being bastos for Filipinos.

Being walang hiya, when seriously applied, is a term of dishonor occurring with a

certain amount of heat. It stigmatizes immoral or at least unconventional behavior when

the person violates social expectations. However, it is not applied seriously unless the

behavior in question involves rudeness and insensibility to the feelings of others. It may

have somewhat similar meaning to such expressions as having a thick skin, being

abusado, walang pakikisama, bastos, and the like. Walang hiya then means recklessness

regarding the social expectations of society, an inconsideration for the feelings of others,

an absence of sensitivity to the censures of authority or society. It is a lack of anxious

care for society’s acceptance (Bulatao, 1964, as cited in Philippine Studies, 2008).

Objectification Theory. To objectify is to make into and treat something that is

not an object as an object, which can be used, manipulated, controlled, and known

through its physical properties (Calogero, 2012). In modern yet patriarchal societies in
 10

Western countries, certain sectors are still treated as if they are citizens of inferior stature

compared to others (Magtalas & Sing, 2016). Many years after fighting for and gaining

rights that they were previously denied from exercising, women are still subjected to

practices and behavior as if they are objects owned by other people, particularly men

(Magtalas & Sing, 2016).

The same can also be observed in developing countries like the Philippines

(Magtalas & Sing, 2016). To begin, objectification theory takes a starting point that

cultural practices of sexually objectifying women are pervasive in Westernized societies,

and create multiple opportunities for the female body to be on public display (Calogero,

2012). A large body of research documented that women are targeted for sexually

objectifying treatment in their day-to-day lives more often than men are (Calogero,

2012). This theory attempts to explain the extreme and pervasive tendency to equate

women with their bodies and why this can have such negative consequences for

women’s body image and beyond (Calogero, 2012). Furthermore, objectification theory

articulates the range of ways in which sexual objectification can manifest in day-to-day

life (Calogero, 2012).

Common situations that would constitute sexual objectification include gazing or

leering at women’s bodies, sexual comments about women’s bodies, whistling or

honking the car horn at female passersby, taking photographs of women’s bodies and

body parts with a cell phone, exposure to sexualized media imagery or pornography,

sexual harassment, sexual violence, and rape (Calogero, 2012). Sexual objectification

plays out most obviously in two arenas: (1) actual interpersonal encounters - include

interactions with familiar others (e.g., family, friends, colleagues, employers, and
 11

acquaintances) or with strangers; and (2) media encounters- occur in every form: prime-

time television programs, sports programs, television commercials, cartoons and

animation, internet, music videos, music lyrics, video games, magazines and newspapers,

cell phone applications, and billboards (Calogero, 2012).

Feminist theorists have argued that sexually objectifying experiences encountered

by girls and women accumulate over time, eventually leading them to internalize the

sexual objectification, and turn it on themselves (Calogero, 2012). That is, women come

to view and treat themselves as objects to be evaluated on the basis of their appearance –

or to self-objectify (Calogero, 2012). In particular, it is the subtle practice of sexualized

gazing that women encounter as they move in and out of a variety of social contexts that

influences girls and women into adopting this evaluative gaze as their own self

perspective (Calogero, 2012).

Definition of Terms

For the clarity and better understanding of the key terms used in the study, the

following are conceptually and operationally defined.

Awareness refers to the process that occurs as a result of the interaction of

person’s nervous system (including sensory apparatuses) and its environment, whereby

this process results in a basic ability of the person to react to stimuli from the

environment (Arp, 2007). In this study, awareness refers to how men and women of

Imus City, Cavite view, experience, and understand catcalling.

Catcalling is when unsolicited attention is drawn to someone by an outside party

by whistling or making inappropriate comments in response to sexual attraction to the

receiver giver's (Inglis, 2015). A catcall happens in a limited and short amount of time,
 12

most often in just a few seconds (Eastwood, 2015). Locally, examples of catcalling

statements are “Miss, angkas ka na sa ‘kin”, “Good morning, miss ganda”, “Hatid na

kita”, “Uwi ka na? Ingat ka ha,” and “ganda mo naman.” (Mira, 2015). In this study,

catcalling refers to a male person getting the attention of a certain person, commonly

women, through whistling, compliments, or in any other verbal behaviors.

Doer, in this paper, is defined as the one who did catcalling.

Observer, in this paper, is defined as the one who witnessed incidents of

catcalling. This term is interchangeably used with general public, onlookers, and

bystanders.

Perception is the sensory experience of the world and involves both the

recognition of environmental stimuli and actions in response to these stimuli. Through

the perceptual process, people gain information about properties and elements of the

environment that are critical to their survival. Perception not only creates experience of

the world around, it allows them to act within their environment (Cherry, 2016). In this

study, perception refers to how men and women of Imus City, Cavite view catcalling,

whether if it is right or wrong.

Receiver, in this paper, is defined as to whom catcalling was directed.

Response, as stated by the Cambridge Dictionary, responses refer to something

said or done as a reaction to something that has been said or done; an answer or reaction.

It is a bodily process occurring due to the effect of some antecedent stimulus or agent. In

this study, response refers to how men did catcalling and how women responded when

catcalled.
 13

Rudeness is an act that offends people’s state of justice and violation of rule on

how people should behave in a certain manner in any situation (Porath, 2007). In this

study, rudeness refers to the violation of rule on how people should behave in a certain

manner in any situation.

Stranger harassment includes both verbal and nonverbal behavior, such as wolf-

whistles, leers, winks, grabs, pinches, catcalls, and stranger remarks. The remarks are

frequently sexual in nature and evaluative comments on one’s physical appearance or

presence in public (Bowman, 1993, as cited by Fairchild, 2008).

In this study, stranger harassment refers to verbal and nonverbal behavior that

causes distress and discomfort to the person experiencing it. This term can also be used

interchangeably with street harassment in this paper.

 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

This chapter presents studies and literature having similar and relevant

implications to the aspects of the present study. It provides the background and data for

the present research.

Catcalling

People generally recognize catcalling as making a whistle, shout, or comment of a

sexual nature to someone passing by (No Bullying, 2015). With that being said, the term

catcalling was derived into several explications, stating that it is sexual in nature.

Catcalling is when unsolicited attention is drawn to someone by an outside party by

whistling or making inappropriate comments in response to sexual attraction to the

receiver giver's (Inglis, 2015). It is considered as a form of street harassment making

sexual comments at passersby, following them and attempting to engage in conversation,

or shouting out racial insults as they walk by. Oftentimes, these behaviors escalate into

flashing, groping, stalking or worse (Uloop, 2014).

There is neither value nor respect for the people on the receiving end of an

unacceptable behavior. Those who catcall are using such disrespecting measures to get

power and control from the behavior. In fact, the catcaller is not satisfied upon

committing the offense. He or she is satisfied once they gain psychological and emotional

control from the act (Park, 2015).

Stranger harassment is an issue that mainly and directly affects women, regardless

of age, social status, religion, race, and even country where they live. It is manifested on a

daily basis through catcalls- whistles, honks, kissy noises, to name a few – made by men

to women in public places (Magtalas & Sing, 2016).

 15

It was hard to find academic written articles about catcalling. When searching for

articles in ProQuest database, there was limited articles with this particular concept to be

found. By contrast, many references were found in videos on YouTube, in blogs and in

evening papers that continuously demonstrate what women on a daily basis might

experience around the world (Eastwood, 2015). The concept of stranger harassment is

understudied, especially that most research would focus on sexual harassment. The issue,

being a prevalent act, is needed to be studied and understood in order to the guide the

victims when they encounter the issue. In the Philippine context, there is very little

literature that tackles street harassment. Many literatures in the Philippines focus on

sexual harassment (Magtalas & Sing, 2016).

Most studies on harassment, whether sexual harassment in general or even street

harassment in particular, have focused on the female perspective alone, given that they

are the victims. Very few look into the male’s perspective on street harassment. It is

important to know why the harassers/doers commit such actions (Magtalas & Sing,

2016).

Rudeness

Rudeness offends people’s sense of justice, says Porath (2007). Rudeness can be

referred as an act meeting two conditions: violating a social convention (rule instructing

how one should behave in certain situations); and if the violation were intentional, this

would indicate a lack of concern for another person’s feelings (in other words, a

willingness to cause them pain) (Westacott, 2006). For the first condition, mere violation

of a convention does not constitute rudeness. What could make these violations rude is

the possibility that they cause someone pain or discomfort. For the second circumstance,
 16

it is in conditional form (if the violation were deliberate…), capturing the fact that

rudeness need not be intentional (Westacott, 2006). Rudeness is acknowledged if only

such victim does so, for there are instances that an act of rudeness fails to be registered by

the recipient or is not treated as discourteous. Thus, being rude shows disrespecting

another individual, misbehaving, or not acknowledging one’s standard of politeness.

Bulatao (1964, as cited in Philippine Studies, 2008) defined the term walang hiya,

and is seen to be synonymous to rudeness or being bastos for Filipinos. Being walang

hiya, when seriously applied, is a term of dishonor occurring with a certain amount of

heat. It stigmatizes immoral or at least unconventional behavior, when the person violates

social expectations. However, it is not applied seriously unless the behavior in question

involves rudeness and insensibility to the feelings of others. It may have somewhat

similar meaning to such expressions as having a thick skin, being abusado, walang

pakikisama, bastos, and the like. Walang hiya then means a recklessness regarding the

social expectations of society, an inconsideration for the feelings of others, an absence of

sensitivity to the censures of authority or society. It is a lack of anxious care for society's

acceptance (Bulatao, 1964, as cited in Philippine Studies, 2008).

Rudeness can occur in various settings such as workplaces, schools, streets, and

like others. It is generally thought to be on the rise. Showing rudeness can range from not

saying thank you up to delivering threats to someone. Students act rudely to test the

instructor, to flex their own intellectual muscle, or to show off to classmates (Carnegie

Mellon University, 2016). Examples of rudeness in workplace include verbal abuse,

which can involve the making of disparaging remarks to another employee; sexual

harassment, which includes actions such as making unwelcome sexual advances or

 17

comments; and the delivery of threats, where a worker indicates he intends to cause

physical harm to another worker (Joseph, 2009). Opinion polls stated, that 79% of

Americans said that lack of respect and courtesy should be regarded as a serious national

problem, and 73% believed that people treated each other with more respect in the past

(Westacott, 2006).

There were also instances of rudeness in the Philippines. In September 2015, actor

Oyo Sotto used social media to air his grievance against a motorist for being rude on the

road, while aboard a car with a license plate used by members of the House of

Representatives. Sotto said that that he and his children were crossing the street in front

of Acacia Hotel in Alabang, Muntinlupa City when the driver of the car allegedly did not

allow them to pass. He alleged that the driver of the car wanted to hit him just because he

was waiting for his children to cross the street (Inquirer.net, 2015). In January 2016, a

passenger exposed the rudeness of a taxi driver in Metro Manila who threatened to punch

her after she refused to pay an additional fare above the metered-fare (Corrales, 2016). It

was also reported that the streets of Manila are a notorious visual commentary on the lack

of road courtesy and public rudeness (Gallardo, 2016). These were only some of the told

actions of being rude. More can be found over the net, articles, or newspapers.

Trinity University (2011) lined up usual indicators of rudeness. This included: (1)

individualism with its self-centered/self-indulgent approach to life, which has yielded an

increasingly insulated social system populated by people with decreasing abilities to

empathize with others; (2) urbanization—people acting differently with anonymous

others, living in a world of strangers can often operate with the assumption that one will

never see the victim of one’s rude behavior again; (3) capitalism and excessive
 18

competition, producing a world where one is either only a winner or loser — with the

latter fair game for putdowns —treating lower status people as if they are invisible, the

hurry up culture (coupled with growing demands for instant gratification) breeds

triggerquick impatience, rudeness gets results in a service-oriented economy and is

thereby reinforced, and the growing gap between haves and have-nots resentments

simmer; (4) parental failures— there are those who claim the fault rests here, failure to

teach children courtesy and respect for others, related to culture of individualism and to

new technologies, the solitariness of electronic play has produced diminished social skills

and abilities to read others’ feelings—as well as to check one’s own, as child’s tendency

to verbally vent feelings when in play with a machine is more likely tolerated by

permissive parents, disappearance of the family dinners (and their associated manners);

(5) the lack of standardization of manners – in a culture of cynicism, others' motives are

often understood to be self-serving; (6) declining sense of community – owing to greater

individual energies being spent on work and family, greater geographic and social

mobility, individualizing (and pacifying) technologies such as Game Boys, television, the

computer and the internet; (7) media trends featuring increasing incivilities, with public

putdowns becoming comedic; and (8) failures of religious institutions to resist the

secularizing tides of narcissistic individualism, mass media, etc. by reaffirming the moral

codes.

Some psychologists and other researchers found that rudeness does more than just

make life unpleasant. It also has an impact on one’s concentration and well-being (Clay,

2013). In three experimental studies by Porath and Erez (2007), they provided an

empirical test of how rudeness affected task performance and helpfulness. Different
 19

forms of rudeness—rudeness instigated by a direct authority figure, rudeness delivered by

a third party, and imagined rudeness— converged to produce the same effects. Results

from these studies showed that rudeness reduced performance on routine tasks as well as

on creative tasks. Porath and Erez (2007) also found that rude behavior decreased

helpfulness. Experiencing rudeness or just witnessing it increases one’s psychological

distress, negative emotions, and burnout and emotional exhaustion (Newman, 2015).

Prevalence of Catcalling

Street harassment is often dismissed by many as a trivial issue, while others are

completely unaware of its daily occurrence. However, studies have shown that it is

prevalent and harmful (Laniya, 2005 as cited by Fernández, 2016).

Spring of 2007, Stop Street Harassment (SSH) Organization asked 225

respondents: “Have you ever been harassed (such as verbal comments, honking,

whistling, kissing noises, leering/staring, groping, stalking, attempted or achieved assault)

while in a public place like the street, on public transportation, or in a store?”

Ninety-nine percent of the respondents, which included some men, said they had

been harassed at few times. Over 65% said they were harassed on at least a monthly

basis. For the second online survey, conducted across a month in fall 2008, there were

811 female respondents (916 in total).

Over 99% of the female respondents said they had experienced some forms of

street harassment (only three women said they had not). In one question, they could

indicate the types of interactions they have had with strangers in public. Here is a

sampling of their responses.

 20

Leering. Ninety-five percent of female respondents were the targets of leering or

excessive staring at least once, and more than 68% reported being a targeted 26 times or

more in their life.

Honking and whistling. Nearly 95% of female respondents were honked at one

or more times, and 40% said they were honked at as frequently as monthly. Nearly 94%

of female respondents were the target of whistling at least once, and nearly 38% said it

occurred at least monthly.

Sexist comment. Over 87% of women said they were the target of a sexist

comment, and about 45% said they had been a target of a sexist comment in public at

least 25 times in their life.

Making vulgar gestures. Nearly 82% of female respondents were the target of a

vulgar gesture at least once. About 20% said they had been a target at least 51 times.

Saying sexually explicit comments. Nearly 81% of female respondents were the

target of sexually explicit comments from an unknown man at least once. More than 41%

had been the target at least 26 times in their lives.

Kissing noises. Just over 77% of women said they were the target of kissing

noises from men, and 48% said they had been the target at least 25 times in their life.

Following. Seventy-five percent of female respondents had been followed by an

unknown stranger in public. More than 27% have been followed at least six times.

Blocking path. About 62% of women said a man purposely blocked their path at

least once, and 23% said this happened at least six times.

Other studies and scholars also found that street harassment is a global social

problem, one that has been faced by women for many decades (Kearl, 2013, as mentioned
 21

by Fernández, 2016). Recently, a nonprofit organization, which aims to generate

awareness and end gender-based street harassment, released a report of a national survey

with a sample of 2,000. In addition to conducting 10 focus groups across the United

States, the survey was internet-based, and it was conducted by a top surveying firm

(Kearl, 2014 as noted by Fernández, 2016). The sample included 1,058 men and 982

women, whose ages ranged from 18 to over 65 years. Most respondents had an annual

income of $50,000 or higher, while 38% of respondents had an annual income below

$50,000. People from different regions were surveyed, including the Northeast, Midwest,

South, and West. Ethnic diversity in the sample was low with 77% identifying as

White/non Hispanic. The majority of the respondents also identified as being

heterosexual with only 4.75% of respondents identifying as LGBTQ. In order to

supplement the national survey, Kearl (2014, as noted by Fernández, 2016), reported that

10 focus groups were conducted between August 2012 and March 2014 with diverse

samples, including Native Americans in South Dakota, queer women of color in New

York, Latinas in Florida, and men in the LGBTQ community in Washington, DC.

The survey found that 65% of all women (or two out of three women in the

United States) reported having experienced at least one type of street harassment in their

lives. The study also found that 25% of men had experienced street harassment. More

than half of the women surveyed (57%) reported experiencing verbal harassment, while

41% experienced physically aggressive harassment, including sexual touching, following,

flashing, and being forced to do something sexual. The study found differences between

income, race, and sexual orientation. Black and Hispanic respondents were more likely

than White respondents to report more verbal or physical street harassment. Forty-one
 22

percent of people of color experienced it regularly, while only 24% of White people

experienced it regularly. In addition, those who identified as LGBTQ were more likely

than respondents who identified as heterosexual to report verbal or physical street

harassment. Although there was a statistically significant difference between

heterosexual men and GBTQ men, with the latter reporting more street harassment, there

was no statistically significant difference between heterosexual women and LBTQ

women. Those with a higher income reported experiencing harassment rarely, at 55%,

compared to those with lower incomes, at 46% (Kearl, 2014, as noted by Fernández,

2016).

The study also found street harassment typically begins at a young age, with 53%

of harassed male respondents, and 51% of harassed female respondents reporting their

first incident by the age of 17. Kearl pointed out that the percentages were similar for

both genders due to the larger number of women who were harassed, but nearly three

times as many women as men reported harassment by age 17. Most respondents,

especially women, reported fear that street harassment could escalate to sexual assault or

rape. Many reported making some change to their lives, including going out in groups,

avoiding certain locations, giving up outdoor activities, quitting a job, and/or moving to a

new location. Sixty-seven percentage of women reported that the harassment happened

on a street or a sidewalk; 26% reported that it happened in a store, restaurant, movie

theater, or mall; and 20% reported that it happened in public transportation. Men were the

main perpetrators for both women and men (Kearl, 2014, as stated by Fernández, 2016).

In the same year, another nonprofit organization, Hollaback collaborated with

Cornell University conducted a survey on street harassment. The study collected data in
 23

the United States and did a cross-cultural analysis of street harassment from 42 cities

around the world. The study had 16,607 respondents. This was noted as the largest

analysis on street harassment at the time it was conducted. The researchers looked at age

at first experience, types of harassment, changes made and emotional effects. Livingston,

et al., (2015) reported that the majority of women across all countries experienced street

harassment during puberty. In addition, over 50% of women in 22 countries reported

being fondled or groped. Seventy-one percent of the respondents across all countries

reported being followed, and more than 81.5% of European women had been harassed

before the age of 17 (Livingston, et al., 2015).

There were 4,872 respondents in the United States sample, and they reported

significantly more verbal harassment in the past year than those in any other region.

Eighty-five percent of women in the United States reported experiencing first harassment

before age 17. In addition, 77% reported that they were followed by a man or group of

men in a way that made them feel unsafe during the past year. Most respondents reported

feeling angry, fearful, and anxious following actions of groping, exposure, and following

or stalking. Livingston, et al. (2015) reported groping and fondling as the harassment

most likely to lead to feelings of depression and low self-esteem. A smaller number of

women found harassment to be flattering, while few women reported no emotional

reactions to street harassment. Some behavioral changes that women reported included

choosing a different route home or to another destination (85%); avoiding a city or area

(72%); not going out at night (69%); changing what they were wearing (66%); and not

going out to a social outing or event such as bar, restaurant, or movies (54%). A

limitation of this study was that it was not a random sample since the Hollaback Site
 24

leaders were given the survey link and told that they could send the link to whomever

they wished (Livingston et al., 2015).

In addition, a study by Macmillan, Nierobisz, and Welsh (2000, as cited by

Fernández, 2016), utilized secondary data obtained from a national sample of 12,300

Canadian women 18 years of age and older. The interviews were conducted over the

telephone. This study contributed to knowledge regarding the perceptions of safety

among women, including the finding that stranger harassment reduces feelings of safety

for women when walking alone at night, using public transportation, walking alone in a

parking structure, and being home alone at night (Macmillan, et al., 2000, as mentioned

by Fernández, 2016). More than 80% of the respondents reported experiencing some

form of stranger harassment over their lifetime. Macmillan, et al., (2000) also reported

that about 30% of the respondents experienced three or more types of stranger harassment

over their lifetime.

An older study by Lenton, et al. (1999, as cited by Fernández, 2016), had a sample

size of 1,990 Canadian women between the ages of 18 and 65. The sample was selected

using random digit dialing of residential telephone numbers. It was found that 81% of

women reported having been stared at in a way that made them feel uncomfortable, 66%

received unwanted sexual comments, 28% reported that men had exposed themselves to

them, 50% had been followed on foot or vehicle, and 33% had been touched in a sexual

way (Lenton et al., 1999, as noted by Fernández, 2016). Notably, 77% reported more than

one type of harassment, while half (51%) reported that the unwanted sexual comments

were the most upsetting for them. Women with the highest family income and a

university degree were somewhat more likely than other women to report unwanted
 25

sexual comments, while unemployed women were more likely than working women to

report harassment (Lenton et al., 1999, as stated by Fernández, 2016). This study also

found that younger women reported much more harassment than older women, especially

in the form of staring or shouting unwanted sexual comments. Single women were more

likely to report harassment than married, cohabitating, or widowed women (Lenton et al.,

1999, as cited by Fernández, 2016). Most (67%) reported their immediate reaction as

feeling fearful, while 20% reported feeling angry. Other descriptions used were violated

(7.4%), repulsed (7.3%), and shocked (5.4%). Forty-six% of the respondents reported

behavioral changes, including taking along a companion when in public, avoiding certain

places, and/or staying alert (Lenton et al., 1999 as noted by Fernández, 2016).

Fairchild and Rudman (2008, as stated by Fernández, 2016) recruited 228 female

volunteers from a psychology course at a university. The sample was somewhat diverse

with 44% White, 33% Asian, 8% Latina, 7% Black, and the remaining 8% identifying as

other. The age range was between 18 and 29. Nearly all (97%) identified as heterosexual.

This study found a high prevalence of stranger harassment among female college

students, with 32% reporting catcalls, whistles, or stares once a month and 40% reporting

unwanted sexual attention once a month (Fairchild & Rudman, 2008, as cited by

Fernández, 2016). In addition, 36% of the respondents reported unwanted touching or

stroking once a month (Fairchild & Rudman, 2008, as noted by Fernández, 2016). The

authors predicted that stranger harassment would positively predict women’s self-

objectification and this prediction was supported (Fairchild & Rudman, 2008, as stated by

Fernández, 2016). However, those women who actively coped with stranger harassment

(by confronting the doer, reporting him, or talking to someone else) were less likely to
 26

self-objectify, while those who coped more passively (by letting it go, ignoring it, or not

doing anything) were more likely to report feeling self-objectified (Fairchild & Rudman,

2008, as cited by Fernández, 2016). In addition, those who coped by blaming themselves,

viewing the harassment as benign, or finding it complimentary were more likely to report

self-objectification. With the exception of perceived risk of rape, the study did not find a

positive correlation between women’s fear of victimization and voluntary restriction of

movement (Fairchild & Rudman, 2008, as noted by Fernández, 2016). Other studies have

shown that all women can be targeted regardless of their age, class, geographic location,

income, sexual orientation, and sexual identity (Kearl, 2014; Sharma & Sharma, 2014, as

cited by Fernández, 2016).

In the Philippines, the matriarchal culture that was passed down by the ancestors

has created ample space for women to influence history and current affairs. Even though

the country is one that does not shy away from strong, influential women, catcalling is

still an issue in this country (Concepcion, 2015).

A local news form Sun Star Manila (2016) mentioned that the United Nations

Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women or UN Women

commissioned a study on the safety perception and prevalence of sexual harassment in

two barangays of Quezon City, Barangays Payatas and Bagong Silangan. The study was

undertaken by the Social Weather Station (SWS) among 800 respondents in February

2016 (Sun Star, 2016).

The study revealed that three out of five women respondents experienced sexual

harassment at least, once, in their lifetime. Most of these women were between the ages

of 18-24 years old and majority of the type of sexual harassment received was verbal in
 27

nature such as wolf whistling, catcalling or lascivious language. However, 34% of the

women respondents experienced the worst forms of sexual harassment such as flashing,

public masturbation and groping. Seventy percent of sexual harassment incidences were

done by a complete stranger. One of two women did not report or do anything after the

incident of harassment, and that 20% of these women did nothing because of fear (Sun

Star, 2016).

Academic and community studies. Stop Street Harassment Organization (2014)

documented a worldwide academic and community studies about harassment. The

following samplings of 40 studies focusing on prevalence of harassment are listed in

chronological order.

Indianapolis, USA. In one of the first street harassment studies ever conducted,

Gardner interviewed 293 women in Indianapolis, Indiana, over several years in the late

1980s and early 1990s. The women were from every race, age, class, and sexual

orientation category of the general population in Indiana and the United States. Gardner

found that every single woman (100%) could cite several examples of being harassed by

unknown men in public and all but nine of the women classified those experiences as

troublesome.

Canada. Using a national sample of 12,300 Canadian women aged 18 and older

from 1994, Macmillan, et al. (2000) studied the impact of street harassment on women’s

perceived sense of safety in 2000. During their research, they found that over 80% of the

women surveyed had experienced male stranger harassment in public, and that those

experiences had a large and detrimental impact on their perceived safety in public.
 28

United States. Penn, Schoen and Berland Associates conducted a nationally

representative telephone survey of 612 adult women between June 17 and June 19, 2000.

From this survey, they found that almost all women had experienced street harassment:

87% of American women between the ages of 18-64 had been harassed by a male

stranger; and over one half of them experienced extreme harassment including being

touched, grabbed, rubbed, brushed or followed by a strange man on the street or other

public place. Shattering the myth that street harassment is an urban problem, the survey

found that women in all areas experienced it: 90% in rural areas, 88% in suburban areas,

and 87% in urban areas. Sadly, 84% of women considered changing their behavior to

avoid street harassment.

California Bay Area, USA. Nielsen (2015) conducted a study of 100 women’s and

men’s experiences with offensive speech in the California San Francisco Bay Area in the

early 2000s. She found that 100% of the 54 women she asked had been the target of

offensive or sexually-suggestive remarks at least occasionally: 19% said every day, 43%

said often, and 28% said sometimes. Notably, they were the target of such speech

significantly more often than they were of polite remarks about their appearance.

Beijing. A 2002 survey of 200 citizens in Beijing, China, showed that 70% had

been subjected to a form of sexual harassment. Most people said it occurred on public

transportation, including 58% who said it occurred on the bus.

Chicago, USA. During the summer of 2003, members of the Rogers Park Young

Women’s Action Team in Chicago surveyed 168 neighborhood girls and young women

(most of whom were African American or Latina) aged 10 to 19 about street harassment,

and interviewed 34 more in focus groups. They published their findings in a report titled
 29

“Hey Cutie, Can I Get Your Digits?”. Of their respondents, 86% had been catcalled on

the street, 36% said men harassed them daily, and 60% said they felt unsafe walking in

their neighborhoods.

Tokyo, Japan. Groping on trains, subways, and transit stations in Tokyo, Japan, is

rampant. In a 2004 survey of 632 women who travel during rush-hour in Tokyo, nearly

64% of the women in their 20s and 30s said they were groped while commuting. In 2008,

in Tokyo alone there were 2,000 reported groping cases (and it was an underreported

crime).

Pakistan. In a study of more than 200 youth in Gujranwala, Pakistan, 96% of the

girls experienced street harassment.

New York City, USA. In 2007, the Manhattan Borough President’s Office

conducted an online questionnaire about sexual harassment on the New York City

subway system with a total of 1,790 participants. Nearly two-thirds of the respondents

identified as women. Of the respondents, 63% reported being sexually harassed and one-

tenth had been sexually assaulted on the subway or at a subway station. Due to collection

methods used, the report “Hidden in Plain Sight: Sexual Harassment and Assault in the

New York City Subway System” is not statistically significant, but it suggested that a

large number of women experienced problems on the subway system.

Egypt. The Egyptian Centre for Women’s Rights surveyed 2,000 Egyptian men

and women and 109 foreign women in four governorates in the country, including Cairo

and Giza, about sexual harassment on Egyptian streets. They published their findings in

2008. Eighty-three percent of Egyptian women reported experiencing sexual harassment

on the street at least once, and nearly half of the women said they experienced it daily.
 30

Ninety-eight percent of the foreign women surveyed reported experiencing sexual

harassment while in Egypt. Wearing a veil did not appear to lessen a woman’s chances of

being harassed. About 62% of Egyptian men admitted to perpetrating harassment.

Yemen. In Yemen, the Yemen Times conducted a survey on teasing and sexual

harassment in Sana’a in 2009. Ninety percent of the 70 interviewees from Sana’a said

they had been sexually harassed in public. Seventy-two percent of the women said they

were called sexually-charged names while walking on the streets, and 20% of this group

said it happened on a regular basis. About 37% of the sample said they had experienced

physical harassment. Like those in Egypt, these survey results implied that being veiled

did not lessen the harassment, because wearing a veil in public was so common.

India. Throughout 2009, the Centre for Equity and Inclusion surveyed 630 women

of all ages and socioeconomic status in New Delhi and Old Delhi, India. Ninety-five

percent of the women said their mobility was restricted because of fear of male

harassment in public places. Another 82% said the bus was the most unsafe mode of

public transportation for them because of male harassers.

Korea. In 2010, a study of 828 salaried employees in an unnamed city in Korea

shared their experiences with harassment during their commute. Fortythree percent of the

people experienced harassment, and 79% of them were women. Around 72% of the

incidents occurred on subway cars, followed by buses at 27.3% and taxis at 1.1%. Nearly

60% said they experienced harassment between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. when most workers are

on their way to work, while 17% were between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. while returning home

from work. Only 18.2% strongly protested against the assailants, and 6.3% shouted in

anger.
 31

Tel Aviv, Israel. Eighty-three percent of women in Tel Aviv reported

experiencing street harassment in a study conducted by the Tel Aviv-Jaffa Municipality’s

committee for advancing the status of women, with help from shelters for survivors of

sexual assault and the Shatil organization. According to the survey, the group reporting

the highest incidence of harassment included women aged 22-39. The most common

forms of harassment were whistling in the street (64%) of all respondents reported

experiencing this), cars beeping horns (61%), knowing looks (45%), suggestive remarks

(40%), inappropriate proposals (22%), touching (21%) and stalking (18%). Also, 6% of

respondents reported that they were victims of sexual abuse.

Papua New Guinea. In Port Moresby, a 2011 UN scoping study in six markets

(Gerehu, Gordons, Tokarara, Malauro, Waigani and Hohola) found that 55% of women

experienced sexual violence in the market spaces the previous year.

Ecuador. A UN scoping study in 2011 found that 68% of women experienced

some form of sexual harassment and sexual violence in public spaces during the previous

year.

London, United Kingdom. In a poll conducted by the Ending Violence Against

Women (EVAW) Coalition in London, 43% of young women aged 18-34 had

experienced street harassment just during the past year alone. The total sample size was

1047 adults and the poll was conducted in early March 2012.

Poland. Hollaback Poland conducted an informal online survey of 818 people

(mostly women) in 2012. They found that 85% of female respondents had experienced

street harassment in public spaces in Poland, as had 44% of men.

 32

Croatia. Hollaback Croatia informally surveyed 500 people (mostly women)

online about street harassment in 2012. They found that 99% of women experienced

some form of street harassment in their lifetime, and 50% experienced it by age 18.

Turkey. Hollaback Istanbul/Canımız Sokakat conducted an online survey of 141

people (mostly women). They found that 93% had been street harassed, and 69%

experience street harassment at least on a monthly basis.

New York City. In partnership with Hollaback, researchers from the Worker

Institute at Cornell asked 110 New York City-based social service providers whether or

not they received reports of street harassment, and if so, how they responded to those

reports. They found that more than 86% of respondents had received reports of street

harassment from a client, constituent or consumer.

Mumbai, India. The People Foundation’s 2012 study found that 80% of women in

Mumbai had been street harassed, primarily in crowded areas like trains and railway

platforms.

Rwanda. A baseline study conducted by UN Women in Kigali in 2012 revealed

that women’s fear of sexual harassment and other forms of sexual violence limited their

participation in activities outside the home during the day and at night. Fourty-two

percent of women said they were concerned about going to educational institutions

during the day, and 55% after dark. Over half of women said they were concerned about

participating in leisure activities during the day and after dark.

France. Researchers from the National Institute of Statistics and Economics

Studies found in a 2013 study that 25% of women aged 18-29 reported being scared when

they walked on the streets. They also discovered that one in five women have suffered
 33

from verbal harassment on the street in the past year, and one in ten said they had been

kissed or caressed against their consent.

Egypt. The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of

Women published a report in 2013 showing that 99.3% of Egyptian women have

experienced some form of sexual harassment. The study indicated that “96.5% of women

in their survey said that sexual harassment came in the form of touching, which was the

most common manifestation of sexual harassment. Verbal sexual harassment had the

second-highest rate experienced by women with 95.5% of women reporting cases.”

Peru. The Paremos el Acoso Callejero group and Pontifical Catholic University

of Peru surveyed 800 women in 2013, and found that nearly 60% of women had

experienced street harassment, including more than 80% of those ages 18 – 29 years old.

Brazil. In 2013, Think Olga commissioned a survey conducted by journalist Karin

Hueck as part of their anti-street harassment campaign FiuFiu Enough. There were 7,762

participants for the opt-in survey, and 99.6 % of them said they had been harassed.

Nepal. The World Bank conducted a 2013 study in Nepal, and found that one in

three women, and one in six men feel unsafe on public transport.

Chile. The Organization Against Street Harassment (OCAC) found in its first opt-

in study in 2014 that almost 40% of Chilean women were harassed on a daily basis, while

90% of women reported having been harassed at least once in their lives.

Los Angeles, CA, USA. In 2014, a Los Angeles County Metropolitan

Transportation Authority survey of nearly 20,000 passengers asked whether they felt

unsafe during the last month while riding Metro due to “unwanted touching, exposure,

comments, or any other form of unwanted sexual behavior. About 21% of rail passengers,
 34

and 18% of bus passengers said yes. About 17% of bus riders and 13% of train riders said

they felt unsafe while waiting at bus stops or train stations” (Los Angeles County

Metropolitan Transportation Authority, 2014).

Global. YouGov conducted the largest study about harassment on public

transportation to date in 2014. They polled people in 16 major cities worldwide, and then

ranked the transit systems from safest (New York City) to least safe (Bogota). As far as

experiences of verbal harassment go, the top five worst cities were Mexico City, Delhi,

Bogota, Lima, and Jakarta, while the top five worst cities for physical harassment were

Mexico City, Bogota, Lima, Tokyo, and Delhi.

Bangladesh. The Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics and United Nations Population

Fund surveyed 12,600 women across the country in 2014, and most said they regularly

face sexual harassment in their daily lives. About 43% said public spaces were the spot

where they experienced it the most.

Saudi Arabia. Nearly 80% of women aged 18 to 48 said they had experienced

street harassment—in a study reported in Al-Monitor in 2014.

Vietnam. In 2014, a survey of 2,046 people in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City found

that 31% had been sexually harassed on public buses.

USA. A 2014 YouGov poll found that “according to a large majority of the public,

it is never appropriate (72%) to catcall. 18% say that it’s sometimes appropriate, while

2% think that it’s always appropriate. Men (22%) were only marginally more likely than

women (18%) to say that it is ‘sometimes’ or ‘always’ appropriate. Asked whether

catcalls are compliments or not, most Americans (55%) say that they constitution
 35

harassment, 24% aren’t sure while only 20% think that they are ‘compliments’”

(YouGov, 2014).

Serbia. Stop Street Harassment’s Safe Public Spaces Mentoring team in Serbia

conducted an opt-in survey of 629 youth, and found that 97% had experienced street

harassment at least once. 64% of women and 14% of men said they experience

harassment on a daily basis.

Australia. Research by The Australia Institute in 2015 of 1426 females found that

87% were verbally or physically attacked while walking down the street. Forty percent of

women feel unsafe in their own neighborhoods at night. In addition to verbal harassment,

physical street harassment was also a relatively commonplace occurrence, with 65% of

women experiencing physically threatening harassment.

France. A study released in April 2015 in France found that 100% of more than

600 women surveyed across the country had faced sexual harassment on the transit

system.

Chile. The group Observatorio Cotra el Acoso Callejero – OCAC Chile released

the results of their second study on street harassment in 2015. Among the findings of the

study, three out of four people have suffered street harassment in Chile in the last 12

months. In the case of women, the percentage reaches 85% and of men, 55%. Also, two

in five people have suffered rubbing, touching or groping in public spaces, and 23% of

women have experienced some form of serious harassment (persecution, exhibitionism,

public masturbation).

USA. In April 2015, Cornell University and Hollaback findings from an opt-in

survey conducted through their localized sites in 2014. More than 4,000 women under 40
 36

years old took it. While it is not nationally representative nor does it look at men’s

experiences or factors like race or sexual orientation, it does provide more insight into the

impact street harassment has on harassed persons.

Nicaragua. SSH’s Safe Public Spaces Mentoring team Observatorio Contra el

Acoso Callejero, Nicaragua surveyed 900 women at bus stops in the city of Managua in

2014. They released their results in May 2015.

USA. The Los Angeles transit authority found in 2015 that 19% of riders had been

harassed in the past year. “Seven percent have been fondled or groped, and 8% have been

subject to indecent exposure…passengers younger than 18 reported the highest rate of

unwanted touching of any age group” (Los Angeles Transit Authority, 2015).

Kenya. More than 50% of almost 400 women interviewed by Kenyan advocacy

group Women’s Empowerment Link (WEL) in December 2015 said they had

experienced gender-based violence, defined as physical, sexual or psychological harm,

while using public transport. “(Respondents) witnessed female passengers being stripped

naked … but the female survivors neither received any help nor reported the violation,”

WEL said in a report of the survey. Respondents said insults were the most common form

of abuse that women experience while using public transport, followed by being forced to

board vehicles against their wishes and indecent touching” (Women’s Empowerment

Link, 2015)

Kosovo. Sixty-four point one percent of women reported having experienced

sexual harassment, 32.5% of men stated that they had according to a 2016 survey

conducted by Kosovo Women’s Network. The most common form of sexual harassment
 37

reported by respondents was having someone make unwelcome sexual comments, jokes,

or gestures to or about them, including while walking down the street.

United Kingdom. End Violence Against Women Coalition commissioned

YouGov to conduct the first national poll on street harassment in 2016. Sixty four percent

of women of all ages had experienced unwanted sexual harassment in public places.

Additionally, 35% of women had experienced unwanted sexual touching. Eighty-five

percent of women aged 18-24 had faced sexual harassment in public spaces, and 45% had

experienced unwanted sexual touching.

Philippines. In February 2016, SWS surveyed people in barangays Payatas and

Bagong Silangan in Quezon City regarding sexual harassment in public spaces. Eighty-

eight percent of women aged 18 to 24 experienced sexual harassment at least once.

Across all ages, 12 to 55 and above, wolf whistling and catcalling were the most common

forms. However, 34% of women experienced the worst forms of sexual harassment:

flashing, public masturbation, and groping.

Israel. In March 2016, NA’AMAT released a survey about youth and sexual

harassment. Sixty-eight percent of girls responded that they were harassed by a man they

did not know on the street at least once, while 45% said this happened more than once.

Forty-seven percent of boys admitted that they had shouted out to a woman or girl that

they did not know on the street, and around 34% said they had done this more than once.

Street harassment is an under-researched topic, but each existing statistics show that

street harassment is a significant and prevalent problem (Stop Street Harassment, 2014).
 38

Women on Catcalling

Female as victims. Catcalling is a facet of a much broader problem (Uloop,

2014). Catcalling happens to most females at least once in their lifetime (Woo, 2015).

Women are systematically misrepresented, culturing a society that cannot even identify

the issue with half of the population feeling uncomfortable taking a stroll down the

sidewalk (Uloop, 2014).

College students, especially females, are subjected to catcalling on a regular basis.

According to an article on stopstreetharassment.org, nearly 80% of women aged 18-28

said they have experienced some form of catcalling or street harassment (Winters, 2015).

According to the Biocheminist, a blog by Bowles, 98% of women who participated in a

survey in 2008 reported they have experienced catcalling at some point in the lives

(Winters, 2015).

In 2000, a published study suggested that 80% of Canadian women had also been

harassed by a stranger (Graham, 2015). To learn more about women’s harassment

experiences, Stop Street Harassment founder conducted two informal, anonymous online

surveys about street harassment: one in 2007, and one in 2008. Between both surveys,

there were 1,141 respondents. Similar to the other studies conducted on street harassment,

nearly every female respondent had experienced street harassment at least once (Stop

Street Harassment, 2014). It was concluded that women dealt with some form of street

harassment at least once in their life. Even though street harassment is not considered a

serious offense, it affects every single woman (New School Portfolio, 2015).

For more evidences that prove females are victims of catcalling, a study was

conducted by non-profit organization Stop Street Harassment. Among 982 women and
 39

1,058 men, 57% of the women and 18% of the men said to have faced some form of

verbal harassment (Woo, 2015). In the United States, 65% of all women said they

experienced street harassment, according to a 2014 report by the organization Stop Street

Harassment. Still, it seems that many men are unaware of or unwilling to confront the

prevalence of street harassment (Zellinger, 2015).

As Ebony magazine reported last year, by age 19, nearly 90% of American

women experienced some form of street harassment. Given that so many women, in

America and abroad, were victims of gender-based violence and sexual assault, street

harassment, which induced anger, fear, and shame, can evoke significant trauma

(Meixler, 2016).

Not only do a majority of women experience street harassment, but they also often

do so as minors. One large-scale 2015 survey conducted by the organization Hollaback

and Cornell University found that 85% of U.S. women experience street harassment

before age 17, and 67% of women report experiencing it before age 14 (Zellinger, 2015).

In the Philippines, February 2016, SWS surveyed people in barangays Payatas and

Bagong Silangan in Quezon City regarding sexual harassment in public spaces. Eighty-

eight percent of women aged 18 to 24 experienced sexual harassment at least once.

Across all ages, 12 to 55 and above, wolf whistling and catcalling were the most common

forms.

The studies above prove that even not all women experience street harassment, it

is very rampant that most women do, as the surveys conducted have concluded.

Awareness of women. Awareness is always a key tool when it comes to

pioneering a solution to a problem (Woo, 2014). The first step to ending street harassment
 40

may be recognition (Ford, 2015). There is no change without awareness. Awareness is

precisely what men who engage in this practice lack (Blanco, 2014). Others could hardly

believe that catcalling was an issue at all, but it is (Concepcion, 2015 & Rebolini, 2014).

Women are not overreacting or being dramatic. Catcalling is happening, every single day

(Rebolini, 2014).

Global awareness has recently risen about the street harassment experienced by

women worldwide. Though there is little consistency in street climates towards women,

gendered harassment exists in cities considered both developed and developing. While

there are more urgent threats to women daily—from sexual violence to human trafficking

to honor killings—it is also important to become aware of the daily, seemingly

inconsequential language that normalizes gender inequality and violence (Meixler, 2016).

In a video that was also created by the anti-harassment agency Hollaback, a

woman was featured walking down the street in New York City receiving catcall after

catcall. In total, she received over one-hundred catcalls in 10 hours. This video brought

attention to the reality that many girls experience. This invisibility has traditionally made

it hard for women to identify their discomfort and express their frustration and fear of

street harassment. The creators of the Hollaback video felt the need to bring attention to a

normal occurrence for the majority of women (Ford, 2015).

Gendered street harassment is a worldwide phenomenon. In fact, a quick Google

search listed cities that were less safe for female travelers just due to harassment. In

Beirut, women were advised to always ignore catcalls and advances, as said by Chalouhi,

the Coordinator of International Students at the American University of Beirut (Meixler,

2015). Egypt and India were also cited as cities with particularly dangerous street
 41

environments for women. In India, “street harassment is an everyday reality for women,”

said Singh (2015) in The New York Times, the director of the Hollaback chapter in

Chandigarh, an international organization that addresses street harassment. “Comments,

staring, stalking, groping and much more are pretty much expected to be experienced by a

woman traveling here,” she said. Other cities deemed dangerous for women were those

along the Mediterranean Coast, in Latin America and the Caribbean, and in Eastern

Europe (Meixler, 2015).

To raise awareness about and energies against such harassment, author and

activist Kearl founded Anti-Street Harassment Week. This past spring marked the

campaign’s second year, and over 100 advocacy groups from 18 countries joined to

address this global issue. Efforts ranged from Twitter campaigns to public art to radio

shows to street theater. There were dozens of events held in New York, a city that

publicly exhibited portraits. In Yemen, the Safe Streets Campaign distributed collection

of individual’s experiences with street harassment, contacting human rights and women’s

groups, as well as journalists and politicians. In Germany, the group Pro Change handed

out soccer-style red cards against street harassment in subway stops, clubs, and pubs, sites

where women were commonly made to feel unsafe (Meixler, 2015).

These campaigns recognized that dangerous attitudes and actions towards women

were normalized through public language. The Bureau of Justice Statistics stated one in

every six American women was sexually assaulted in her lifetime. Though men were also

victims of sexual assault, according to the US Department of Justice, 91% of reported

victims of rape and assault were female. The National Institute of Justice and the Bureau

of Justice Statistics have also studied violence against collegiate women, and found that,
 42

“the percentage of completed or tempted rape victimization among women in higher

educational institutions might climb to between one-fifth and one-quarter” (National

Institute of Justice and the Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2016). Such statistics highlighted

how gender politics manifest more subtly in public places, rendering compliments and

catcalls assertions of power over women who were statistically more likely to be subject

to violence. Language that can seem in consequential in reality normalizes subjugation—

words, like attacks, allow others to impose their will on women.

Street harassment, a manifestation of global sexism only recently acknowledged

and explored, is indicative of far greater gendered violence. Such language stems from

and normalizes rape culture, and affects the psychological health within and safety of our

cities. Rape culture demands that women are sexually subservient to men, and by

asserting one’s power to regard women as sexual objects publicly, catcalling reinforces

such a culture (Meixler, 2016). Though political and journalistic discourse increasingly

addresses the public manifestations of gender inequality and violence, there is surely

more to be done. Efforts like Anti-Street Harassment Week are effective in quickly and

powerfully raising awareness, as well as creating environments that welcome can did

discourse. Hopefully more comprehensive policy and social reform lay on the horizon

(Meixler, 2016).

Exposing the true effects of catcalling on women can make doers conscious of the

difference between their intentions and the actual result of their unwelcome advances

(Ford, 2015). Awareness could also lead into a bigger discussion about the cultural

attitudes men perpetrate when they objectify women’s bodies by catcalling. Thus, by first
 43

recognizing the woman’s perspective, people can change perceptions of street harassment

and ultimately reconstruct the standards by which we valuate women (Ford, 2015).

Perception of women. Street harassment defined by Meixler (2015), “any action

or comment between strangers in public places that is disrespectful, unwelcome,

threatening and or harassing, and is motivated by gender” may be hard to identify. People

draw different lines as to when a compliment becomes a catcall, and when a catcall feels

threatening (Meixler, 2015).

Rudman (2010) studied how victims of stranger harassment perceived their doers.

She proved that men who were attractive get away with harassing people, because of their

halo effect. A good looking person is believed to be good, and therefore can be excused

for his harassing behavior. Hence, a woman who is catcalled by a good looking man is in

general more flattered than offended when he whistles after her. However, if he does not

have the looks, he will in most cases not “get away” with it, and the victim perceives the

situation as more frightening. Summarizing, a man's action can be protected because of

how he looks.

On the other hand, Fairchild and Rudman (2008) explored if women enjoy a

catcall or to be frightened by it. Because a catcall happens in such a small amount of time,

reactions are automatic. Gardner (1995, as cited by Eastwood, 2015) discussed the issue

of being sexually harassed from two different points of view; being a romanticized

traditionalist or a politicized feminist.

The typical romanticized traditional woman Gardner (1995, as cited by Eastwood,

2015) interviewed said that she was flattered and found something quite erotic about

being catcalled. She accepted that men will give her compliments, because society is built
 44

that way. When she is dressed in an inviting way, she almost expected that she will have

someone compliment her. Her perception of compliments could include; wolfwhistles,

catcalls, leers, etc. She regarded these claims as a type of appreciation. She felt sexy,

esteemed and empowered by her beauty. The way she looked at it, was that she acted like

a lady, and he as a gentleman. A man is sees as just flirting and showing his appreciation

when claiming a woman’s attention. It is her obligation as a woman to fill his needs and

appear attractive.

In consonance with Gardner (1995, as mentioned by Eastwood, 2015), Fairchild

and Rudman (2008) found that there are some women who sometimes enjoyed the extra

attention. These women considered the whistles and leering as something flattering, even

flirting, and turned the situation around as a positive self-esteem boost. These women

were uplifted by a sudden benign event, and walked a little taller and prouder after a

catcall. However, it might be possible that these women also already had a high self-

objectification. They expected society to be this way and responded accordingly

(Fairchild & Rudman, 2008).

Correspondingly, Cortes (2015) said that it was true that some women feel

flattered by unwarranted comments from men, and positive reactions were perfectly valid

and acceptable. Many shamelessly defended the practice, arguing that women should be

happy to receive free compliments, taking it as an ego boost and a demonstration of their

womanly sway over men (Uloop, 2014).

“I must seem like someone who appreciates the catcalls that they
perceive to be the sincere compliments they are. My positive reaction to
catcalling doesn't seem so much weird. In fact, it makes sense. In a culture
holding that a woman's worth is tied up in her aesthetic qualities, men
telling me – however problematically – that I turn them on, in the twisted
 45

ways of our society, affirms me in a small way.” as delivered by

Gloudeman (2015).
“Enjoying male attention does not make you a traitor to your
gender.” says Lewak (2014).

Many women have further backed these arguments up, claimed to enjoy the

feeling that comes with being an object of longing and desire. Some even foolishly claim

that many of these so-called intrusions were little more than pleasant greetings, given to

fellow inhabitants of a city they share (Uloop, 2014).

A politicized feminist said, according to Gardner (1995; Humm, 1992) and

Gemzöe (2004), that even though a total stranger puts his hand on her behind, he can

justify the situation by simply saying that the woman is pretty. It could cloud the

harassment from being seen for what it is, with an illusion of it being romantic.

Apparently, she had to just put up with it, because he could defend himself by excusing

that it was a compliment, so she should accept it. He would always be able to dismiss his

harassment if he could make sure that he had witnesses that could hear, and confirm, him

say these beautiful words. Bear in mind, his friends could always look the other way and

deny seeing his actions, but confirming his language. Doers use their verbal language as a

shield, but their body as a weapon. Regardless of what norms society has, a politicized

feminist would never put up with it. She could come to an agreement that society looks a

certain way, but will never accept that it is the only way society has to be. She firmly

believed that without remedy or some kind of radical solution, women will continue to be

the underdog. Men, women and all in between could be feminists, and they all

fundamentally believe that all sexes should be perceived as equal from an economic,

political, and social point of views (Humm 1992; Gemzöe 2004).

 46

Some argued that catcalling is a compliment, but it actually produces intimidation

and fear as agreed by many women. According to a randomized survey conducted by The

Messenger, 93% of female students did not view catcalling as a compliment (Ford, 2015).

Although it may seem victimless as quoted by others, catcalling is not only

inappropriate, but is perpetuating gender inequality. Catcalling is typically depicted as a

man yelling "hey baby," or "looking good" to an unsuspecting woman walking down the

street (Gallegos, 2014).

In consonance with this, to some who said catcalls and such should be taken as a

compliment, Cruz (2014) said:

“But it does not feel that way, maybe because people who say this
on the street are not saying this (to brighten) up your day, but instead, to
grab an unsuspecting woman's attention for fun or to entertain their peers."
She maintained that there was "a line between a polite greeting and a
catcall. It depends on one's delivery and intention. And we can all see it if
the person is saying these things just for fun. It is never comfortable to
know that some stranger is checking you out and objectifying you in
public. What more if this person vocalizes that action?" What can women
do? Cruz said that for starters, they can go to the website
www.stopstreetharassment.org, run by nonprofit organization, Stop Street
Harassment (SSH). Here, online participants will learn more about what
the group calls a "global human rights problem." It says that gender-based
street harassment "makes public places unfriendly and even scary for
many girls, women, and LGBQT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Queer, and
Transgender/Transsexual) folks." "Catcalls, sexist comments, gender
policing, leering, flashing, groping, stalking, and sexual assault," all
methods of street harassment, "limit...access to public spaces" for people.”

Awkwardness and embarrassment comes along when catcalled as said by UH

Mānoa sophomore Bunch (2014), because the perpetrators do not know beyond the looks

of the targeted woman (Blanco, 2014). Conjointly, artist and blogger Cruz (2014) created

a digital poster that gave a "Hindi ito okay (This is not okay)" tag on behaviors that make
 47

women unsafe, nervous, and afraid (InterAksyon.com, 2014). Cruz (2014) affirmed that

many reacted to her Facebook status update of the incident, making her realize that such

harassments happened to so many people every day, and that those who harassed women

were probably unaware of how they made women feel (InterAksyon.com, 2014).

There is nothing flattering about a stranger making unsolicited remarks about

one’s physical appearance (Kocsis, 2015). Catcalling therefore determines that someone

is not worthy of basic social courtesy; someone is less human than other are (Kocsis,

2015). While the act of catcalling and street harassment has become normalized, it does

not mean it has to continue, as Woo (2015) argued. Street harassment is not normal or

appropriate by any means, and only serves to degrade and blatantly objectify human

beings therefore, women do not enjoy it. There are non-licentious and nonderogatory

ways to give someone a sense of pride and confidence (Woo, 2015). In addition,

catcalling perpetuates rape culture and gender violence (Graham, 2015). Because

catcalling objectifies and dehumanizes women (Graham, 2015), and is also disrespectful

and terrifying (Kocsis, 2015; Cortes, 2015), it helps keep alive the idea that women exist

for the sexual pleasure of men (Graham, 2015). Catcalls reduce women to objects for

visual gratification; irrespective of their individuality, intellect or income, they are

suddenly powerless to prevent or counteract a depreciation of their own worth (Young,

2015).

Moreover, catcalling is not only offensive but oppressive (Uloop, 2014). Catcalls

are also arresting because they decontextualize the language of physical attraction that

might be meaningful when exchanged between lovers (Calcagnini, 2015). Thereupon,

women are against catcalling because they want to feel safe, comfortable, and secure
 48

every day, no matter where they are and what they are wearing (Concepcion, 2015). In a

fair and equitable world, no one should live in fear and be pained more than the other

solely on the basis of gender (Tagupa, 2015).

Only the victim can decide whether he or she is being harassed. If the victim does

not perceive him- or herself as being a victim, it too cannot call the situation harassment

(Fairchild, 2010; Hearn & Parkin, 2001). The person need to know what harassment is in

order to recognize what is happening to them. If they do not know what harassment is,

they might think that what is happening to them, could be regarded as normal (Hearn &

Parkin, 2001). Though the victim could perceive herself as a victim, the doer could still

try to influence her, manipulate her to believing that nothing wrong has been done, or

even blame her, the victim herself, for what has happened. Catcalling is being perceived

differently by women, some says that it should be regarded as unwanted harassing, but

others tell it is a compliment- flattering. Perception of women towards catcalling signifies

individual differences as there is no universal view about the said issue.

None of the female informants said that catcalling is rational, nearly because it is a

disrespectful act towards women. One informant said that doer should think about their

female family members before committing the act, while another informant said that

participating in the act shows that they grew up with the notion that it is okay to

disrespect women. Some informants believed that women deserve better than being

treated in such way, and the men should feel embarrassed for participating in the act

(Magtalas & Sing, 2016).

Feelings of women. Most women in the United States reported feelings of anger,

fear, anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem after being harassed. The general
 49

assumption about compliments is that they make you feel happy and confident. The

emotions reported in responses to this survey showed that street harassment, in fact, made

women feel quite the opposite (Cortes, 2015). Not all women felt this way, but as

Hollaback said in their report, it is important to distinguish between the trend (having a

negative reaction to harassment), and the outliers (the women who have a positive

reaction) (Cortes, 2015).

Fernández (2016) reported feelings of the participants in her study who experience

street harassment. The items were conceptualized into three categories: positive, negative,

and other feelings. The most frequently reported positive feeling was fearlessness (at

51.0%), followed by calmness (at 38.8%), peacefulness (at 26.5%), flattering (at 24.5%),

and happiness (16.3%). The most frequently reported negative feeling was annoyance (at

93.9%), followed by anger (at 85.7%), concern (81.6%), restricted (77.6%), scared

(77.6%), stressed (75.5%), powerless (67.3%), ashamed (46.9%), sad (36.7%), and guilt

(at 26.5%). Fewer than half (40.8%) of the participants reported they that did not feel

anything.

A catcall is uninteresting. It reduces women’s worth to that of the appearance. In

the public context of the street, coming from the mouth of a stranger, a catcall exploits the

verbiage of intimacy and makes women feel both objectified and powerless to rebuke

their objectification (Calcagnini, 2015). Cruz (2014) told InterAksyon.com (2014):

“Every time I get catcalled, I feel singled out, objectified, and at

the back of my head, unsafe. Some would say these are compliments, but I
believe every self-respecting woman would agree that the delivery of these
statements are mostly done in a demeaning and sexually objectifying
manner with the purpose of either aggressively getting your attention or to
impress/entertain their peers.”
 50

Kvas (2014) posted in Elite Daily multitude of perplexing feelings when catcalling

happens. This comprises of feelings of confusion, anger, fear, embarrassment, and being

unsure of how to react in such circumstances.

According to Bowles (2015, as cited by Winter, 2015), harassment by strangers

makes women feel less safe and more scared than harassment by a known individual at

work or at home. Catcalling is intimidation that makes women feel unsafe (Rottman,

2015 as cited in Scholastic Inc., 2015). Another research systematically showed that

females feel unsafe in social environments, especially after dark (Gordon & Riger 1989;

Skogan & Maxfield, 1981, in Macmillan, et al. 2000, as noted by Eastwood, 2015).

Despite the fact that sexual harassment occurs both around strangers and people known

by the victim, the strangers seem to be more intimidating than an acquaintance. This

could be perhaps because strangers are perceived as less predictable. Macmillan et al.

(2000, as cited by Eastwood, 2015) proved from a survey done on Canadian young

women in 1993, that stranger harassment decreased women's feeling of being safe in

public places. Therefore, MacMillan et al. (2000) proved that public places are where

stranger harassment occurs. Because of the stranger harassment, places like parks and

public transports feel less safe for women who experience catcalls frequently.

Eastwood (2015) conducted a qualitative study about catcalling, having women as

her participants. In her study, she then asked her female participants regarding their

feelings about being catcalled. True identities of the participants were hidden using

pseudonyms, and to adhere to the ethics of confidentiality. The following verbatim were

statements from the participants:

 51

“It made me feel so vulnerable, scared, and angry. One man even
walked by me and said "hi little slut". It made me so angry but I don't
know what I can do.” -Tumblr comment.
“Before the video, I thought that catcalls were only when people
whistled at you, saying “Hi gorgeous.”. Now I understand that it is not only
whistles, it is that they walk close to you and comment your worth. You
feel like a little dog, that if they whistle you should come running after
them. That's how worthwhile you are! It like, it is so much more invading
than I first thought.” “It went from something being so innocent to
suddenly escalating so something much more.” “Before the video, I
thought that it was just something I had to put up with. Ah well, it happens.
I've got a great body, what am I gonna do? Now I'm just repelled by it all.”
– Gabriella
“When I'm whistled at, I usually just ignore it. However, when
they start talking to me, it all gets a little more personal. Like, “hey, you
don't want to talk to me? Come on, let's go home together.” then I usually
put my foot down and say I have a boyfriend. But even then I've had them
say back to me “I can't see him here now.”. I give them the response they
are after, since I tell them off. So, it is probably something like that that I
react. But when I've been catcalled I feel disgusted in my own skin. I
cannot allow my boyfriend to come and kiss me as soon as I walk through
the door. I need some space.” – Gabriella
“When I become nervous or exposed I usually laugh or chat a lot.
They manipulate whatever you say so they always will be above you.
They'll say that I'm little, cute and innocent. Either way, I will never win.
It is emotionally tough. I feel as if they pull down my personal value.” –
Rosie
“Negative, it probably means that a woman doesn't feel as if she is
worth anything.” – Gabriella

A catcall is disempowering enough in itself — for making the person targeted feel

violated, uncomfortable, or threatened. (Rebolini, 2014). The stress women may

experience after incidents of catcalling or other forms of harassment can have negative

effects on their mental health and physical well-being (Winter, 2015).

On the other hand, Inglis (2015) sent out a survey to 100 college-aged women.

These women also reported feeling embarrassed, scared, violated, annoyed and, most
 52

commonly, uncomfortable. One participant said, “I love going on long runs outside, and

catcalling happens frequently. Personally, I feel like I am faced with negative

repercussions for simply being an active female” (Inglis, 2015).

In line with this, an interesting feature of the current sample of a study by

Fairchild (2008) is that the diary gavvve a glimpse into the harassment experience and

how the participants felt about it. On a ten-point scale, the participants rated the severity

of the incidents as extremely mild (M = 2.51, SD= 2.13). The frequency reported the

emotions felt during and after the event. As the table illustrated, happiness was the most

common emotional response to a stranger harassment experience. Indeed, reports of the

positive emotions (happy, joyous, and complimented) tended to increase after the event

was over, while negative emotions (anxious, fearful, nervous, disgusted, and angry)

decreased after the event. Some women really felt flattered by unwarranted comments

from men, and positive reactions were perfectly valid and acceptable (Cortes, 2015). This

sample’s overall enjoyment of the harassing experiences may, in part, account for the lack

of relationship between harassment and fear of rape and restriction in movement;

something that is pleasant is unlikely to result in fear and restriction (Fairchild, 2008).

As Fairchild (2010, said as noted by Eastwood, 2015), people judge each other by

how they present themselves. If someone who is good looking catcalls a women, those

women are more likely to forgive them. Though, because people live in a judgmental

society, it can be supposed that victims of catcalls too feel as if they are judged by their

appearance.

Women feel degraded and looked down upon everytime they experience being

catcalled. So, the informant’s were asked if they have tried to respond at a doer for at
 53

least once. However, there was one informant who wanted to respond everytime she got

catcalled, but she lacked the courage to do so. Most women said that they will respond if

they are not alone, and if touching is already happening (Magtalas & Sing, 2016).

To some men, it might seem that catcalling is a good thing- a man openly

expressing his interest in a woman by shouting out what he believes to be a compliment.

However, women do not see it that way. It is not a compliment (Gallegos, 2014). Women

do not need to be complimented by men when they go out on the street. Women are not

so obsessed with vanity that they need men, especially strangers, to compliment them on

their outfit, their looks, or their figure (Gallegos, 2014). Generally, catcalling and male

entitlement degrades women and, unfortunately, puts them in danger (Gallegos, 2014).

Responses of women. Research of Fairchild (2008) on women’s responses to

sexual harassment suggested that the majority of women are likely to use passive,

nonassertive coping strategies. Gruber’s (1989) review of the literature found that less

than 20% of women used assertive or active coping strategies. Women typically

responded to harassment by ignoring it or attempting to avoid the harasser by reporting or

confronting the perpetrator (Fitzgerald, 1990, as cited by Fairchild, 2008).

Assertive or active responses. Assertive responses that women use against

harassers were informed by experts Langelan (1993), Taylor (2003), and Sandler (1997,

as cited by Stop Street Harassment). These include: (1) naming the behavior and stating it

is wrong. For example, saying, “Do not whistle at me, that is harassment,” or “Do not

touch my butt, that is sexual harassment.”; (2) telling the harasser exactly what you want.

For example, “move away from me,” “stop touching me,” or “go stand over there.”; (3)

asking the harasser if they would want their mother, sister, daughter, girlfriend, wife
 54

treated like they are treating you; (4) making an all-purpose anti-harassment statement,

such as: “Stop harassing women. I don’t like it. No one likes it. Show some respect.”

Speak it in a neutral but assertive tone; (5) identifying the doer: “Man in the yellow shirt,

stop touching me.” (This is especially useful if other people are nearby, like on a bus); (6)

attacking the behavior, not the person. Telling them what they are doing is not liked

(“You are standing too close”) rather than blaming them as a person (“You are such a

jerk”); (7) using the “’Miss Manners’ Approach” and ask the harasser something like, “I

beg your pardon!” or “I can’t believe you said that,” or “You must have me confused

with someone to whom you think you can speak that way,” combined with facial

expressions of shock, dismay, and disgust; (8) asking a Socratic question such as, “That’s

so interesting – can you explain why you think you can put your hand on my leg?”; (9) If

the harasser is in a car, writing down the license plate of the car. Even cannot be seen,

pretending to write it down can scare the doer into stopping. If the harassers are

aggressive or threatening, and do write down the license plate number, report them to the

police; (10) buying a notebook and write in bold letters on the cover “Street Harassment.”

Taking out the notebook when being harassed and asking the harasser to repeat himself

so one can write it down. Making a big show of asking for the date, time, checking the

place, etc. If asked why one is writing things down, one says that they are keeping a

record of harassment; and (11) telling the harasser that one is conducting a street

harassment research project or survey. Taking out a notebook and start asking the

catcallers questions such as, “How often do you do this?” or “How do you choose which

people to harass?” or “Are you more likely to do this when you are alone or when you’re
 55

with other people,” or “Do you discuss people you harass with your mother, sister, or

female friends?”

Non-assertive or passive responses. Women walking down the street, especially

in larger cities, are likely accustomed to some mild catcalling or comments directed

toward them from complete strangers. Most of these women ignore their hecklers

(Klimas, 2014). Moss (2015) revealed how women replied to street harassment or

catcalls. Ignoring the catcalls or attempting to avoid the perpetrators is the usual tactics.

Some of the passive reactions are "Ignore them by confidently walking fast," "Sometimes

I'm silent, sometimes I make a gross face, sometimes I flip them off," "It depends on how

physically close they are to me. If close enough to touch me, I will avoid eye contact and

walk away sometimes even saying ‘thank you’ when farther away from me,” "By

pretending they don't exist. I don't get catcallers as much as I get guys trying to come up

with stupid reasons to talk to me. Favorite response: turn away and continue with my

life," and “If I'm in a place/neighborhood I don't know, and it's nighttime, or for whatever

reason I feel threatened for real, I will ignore and keep walking.”

There is no overall best way to respond to every harasser in every circumstance,

and the harassed person is the only ones who can determine what the best way is for them

to respond any given incident so they will feel both safe and empowered. The more

informed they are about options for responding, the better they can be at making that

decision.

Most of the female informants chose to respond passively to the doers. They

tended to ignore the act and let it pass. Women put premium on safety over their

emotional satisfaction. They weare willing to allow themselves to feel degraded and
 56

demoralized, as long as they are safe. Therefore, women prioritize their physical safety

than their emotional safety (Magtalas & Sing 2016).

Catcalling experiences. Almost every woman has a story about being catcalled,

wolf whistled, or yelled at on the street by men (Crehan, 2015).

In many cities, adolescent girls are afraid to walk on their own in their own

neighborhoods because they experienced various forms of sexual harassment, such as

catcalling, stalking, whistling, touching (The Womanity Foundation, 2015).

In September 2013, a 21-year-old man pulled his car up to a 14-year-old girl in

Florida, and offered her $200 to have sex with him. When she refused, she was grabbed,

choked, tossed aside, and then run over multiple times. Luckily, she survived. This is not

an isolated incident. Throughout the country women have been stabbed, shot, and

sexually assaulted for ignoring catcalls with alarming regularity. This fact colors every

incident of street harassment (Rebolini, 2014).

In October of 2014, a 27 year-old woman in Detroit was murdered when she

refused to give her phone number to a man who catcalled her on the street (Ford, 2015).

People are staring a lot on women in Colombia. More so if a woman is a

foreigner. On occasion, there is a level of flattery to it, but most of the time it is simply

whistles, catcalls, and the bizarre feeling of a stranger’s eyes running up and down one’s

body. “When an old man passes by me in the street, I’ll often hear a breathy voice

whisper, querico… and I don’t know if I’ll ever be happy with someone’s grandfather

saying that I’m delicious.” (Baker, 2014).

“How is it a compliment?” a female high school student asked when her male

friend told her she was “taking it the wrong way.” She explained that a guy about 30
 57

years older than her called her beautiful. “I didn’t know him, and he didn’t know me,” she

said. “And it shows that the guy is only interested in my body and not interested in me on

a personal level.” (Ford, 2015).

A study that a woman conducted, wherein she walked around New York City for

10 hours (off and on) showed over 100 men had catcalled her as she ignored them.

Various situations shown in her video documentation of this behavior shows a variety of

things, including – and perhaps most creepy of the video – was a man who walked right

by her side, silently, for 10 minutes straight (nobullying.com, 2015).

There is also countless fear for women’s safety whenever they walk home and

hear a man catcalling from a dark street corner – those who have had to squeeze through a

sidewalk blocked by male bystanders who make no effort to conceal their stares, and

those who spent sleepless nights knowing a close friend was in the hospital after fighting

off a knife-wielding man with rape in his mind (Tagupa, 2015).

In the Philippines, catcalls and street harassment have long been a part of a

woman’s reality. It has become a part of women’s lives so early that it is a common

everyday thing. It is just accepted, buried, and ultimately forgotten (Carolino, 2015).

Carolino (2015) posted an article named #StopStreetHarassment: 8 Pinays Speak

Up about Catcalling in Modern Filipina Page. The post featured eight brave women

experiencing catcalls that have gone on the record to tell their tales:

Cass Dela Vega. Cass was on her way back home from her thesis mate’s dorm

when a guy in his car slowed down and opened the window. “He started calling me, ‘Hi

miss,’ ‘Uyyy babe,’ and ‘Sexy,’” she said. “I was in my PJs, by the way. I just ignored

him until he’s gone.” “It makes me cringe when people claim that it’s our fault for
 58

wearing revealing clothes. I was wearing pajamas at that time when the guy catcalled

me,” she added. Cass advised women to either shrug it off and walk away or be bold and

tell guys that they are being inapprospriate (Carolino, 2015).

Jen. Jen’s worst catcalling experience happened last year. “I was standing near

our house, talking to one of our neighbors when two strangers behind me started to

whistle,” she said. “My neighbor told me to go home, and when I asked why, he said,

‘Kanina ka pa binabastos ng mga lalaki sa likod.” Jen was about to go home when her

dad came with his motorcycle and grabbed the shirt of one of the guys. “My dad insisted

that we should make a blotter report in our Barangay Hall,” she said. “My advice for

women? Speak up and call him out. Tell him he is being disrespectful (Carolino, 2015).”

N.R. N.R. was walking her dog around 8:00 in the morning, wearing her usual

morning clothes: a shirt and a not-so-short pair of shorts. “A garbage truck suddenly

passed by. One of the garbage men saw me and said, ‘Ate, pakagat sa legs!’ I carried my

dog and went home,” she narrated. “For the ladies who think catcalling is flattering, it’s

not. Please remember that it’s wrong and rude. Guys who do that are low and don’t

deserve your attention,” she said (Carolino, 2015).

Nix. Nix has experienced street harassment many times, but there is one

experience she hates the most. “This guy started calling me with a ‘Miss, miss!’ I didn’t

turn around because I was thinking baka hindi naman ako ‘yung tinatawag niya. After

that, he started whistling and said, ‘Miss! ‘Yung naka-dress!’ Doon ako lumingon and he

said stuff bordering on sexual harassment,” she narrated. “I said, ‘Next time kuya, ‘wag

mong tatawagin ng ganu’n ang babae, nakakabastos.” Nix said it’s safer to just continue

walking as if you didn’t hear anything. “We’ll never know what might happen if you did
 59

what I did, especially if it happens at night and far from home. What if nagalit din si

kuya, eh ‘di big trouble lalo,” she said. “We are not animals. There many ways to catch

the attention of a woman you’re attracted to—but catcalling is never one of them

(Carolino, 2015).”

Rae. Catcalling is an everyday thing for Rae, no matter what she wears.

“Sometimes, meron ‘yung mga nakasakay sa jeep or sa truck nagsasabi ng ‘Hi miss,’ or

minsan pumipito,” she said. “What I do is hindi ko nalang pinapansin.” “Men should

learn how to control themselves,” she added, advising women to just don’t mind them.

“Makakahanap din sila ng katapat nila (Carolino, 2015).”

Macy. Macy and a friend of hers were going to cross a street along Buendia.

“There’s this truck loaded with a group of men. They were staring at us. When we were

already near, one shouted, ‘Hi ganda’, then each of them started to laugh and said,

‘Sungit niyo naman,’ ‘Pansinin mo naman kami’, and ‘Ngiti naman diyan,’” she narrated.

“A guy then mentioned, ‘Ang taba-taba.’” Macy advises women to ignore them always.

She added, “Dress appropriately as well. Baka naman naka-super short shorts pagkatapos

crop top pa. You can wear them covered muna, then if you’re at a place where you can

flaunt it then go.” “Minsan kasi kahit sabihin mong it’s fashionable, sa mundo ngayon

sadyang maraming bastos (Carolino, 2015).”

AJ. “I had this experience in one of the popular vacation spots in the country

where local young men think it’s appropriate to call out ‘Ate, ang ganda mo naman’ and

other similar statements to passing women,” AJ said. “While I was taken aback, I simply

ignored them.” “Catcalling has a way of making people uncomfortable in their own skin,

like our existence as women, and men in some instances, is reduced to our sexuality and
 60

physical appearances. There are better ways to flatter someone,” AJ added. “Just keep

your head up high, control yourself and don’t engage catcallers in any way (Carolino,

2015).”

Blaming women. A recent trend is to blame the wearer or the victim for

inappropriate actions toward them, which instills and even defends such behavior (Uloop,

2014). Victim-blaming occurs when the victim of a crime or abuse is held partly or

entirely responsible for the actions committed against them (Schoellkopf, 2012). In other

words, the victims are held accountable for the maltreatment they have been subjected to

(Schoellkopf, 2012).

An article by McKinney (2014) on Vox Xpress Page mentioned that after the

video of a woman walking for 10 hours in New York City and enduring more than 100

catcalls went viral, Fox News (2014) decided that they, too, should voice an opinion on

the matter. According to this Fox News panel (2014), when a young woman is harassed

on the street, it is her fault.

Locally, Cruz (2014) found that some men blamed women for dressing

provocatively. Online participants, however, pointed out that harassment happened even

to women who were conservatively attired.

“Women should be able to dress however they please and still be

respected as human beings. Our hemline is not permission for people to
talk to us rudely and in an aggressively sexual manner,” Cruz (2014) said.

An account holder (2014) in Wattpad has shared her ideas about catcalling and

victim shaming. In there, she noted that:

“Victim shaming is being blamed for something you had no

control over. When the woman vented out the situation regarding
catcalling experiences to Twitter, people began asking what she was
 61

wearing and if she was drunk. The woman was completely sober and the
dress she wore went down to her ankles, and she even had a jacket. People
started to blame her for wearing something she liked as the cause of the
catcalling. This is victim shaming.”

Moreover, Bevilacqua (2015), another blogger, has written an article Sexual

Harassment Perpetuates Victim-Blaming, And It’s Not Ok on Though Catalog Page. She

stated the following text as she regarded to victim-blaming in instances of harassment:

“Maybe it’s what you were wearing, men say. Maybe you looked
like you were asking for it. Even if it was only a word here or grab there, it
wasn’t consensual, you didn’t ask for it – and frankly, these statements
sound like textbook responses many victims have heard when they were
indirectly blamed for their sexual assault” (Bevilacqua, 2015).

In line with this, according to Canadian Women’s Foundation Blog (2013),

victim-blaming is alive and well in Canada (Dugal, 2013). In a research conducted by the

Canadian Women’s Foundation (2013), the belief that women are to blame is not

uncommon. Twenty percent of survey respondents said women may invite sexual assault

by being drunk; others blamed women for wearing short skirts or flirting (Dugal, 2013).

Men on Catcalling

Perception of men. To men, catcalling is a good thing and they think females like

it; women’s self-esteem can rise. However, not all women view it as welcomed attention

(Winters, 2015). This statement is further acknowledged by Santagati (2014), the

MANual author as he claimed in a CNN interview that getting attention and catcalls

bolster women’s self-esteem and ego; a woman loves to hear how pretty she is

(Ohlheiser, 2014).

Along the way, men recognize that if the catcaller is someone that the woman

considers attractive, the energy is accepted differently than if she has no interest for the
 62

man in question (One Gentleman’s Perspective, 2014). When these men have women

welcoming their catcalls, it can be misleading, likewise when they hear from other

women that the act is revolting (One Gentleman’s Perspective, 2014). If women do not

stand in unison on this issue, mixed signals are what these men experience (One

Gentleman’s Perspective, 2014).

Some men also view catcalling as a form of entertainment, at the expense of

women’s dignity and emotions (Magtalas & Sing, 2016). Men will call out women just to

see if they will respond – smile, a quick retort, or even walking fast as if women do not

hear what they are saying. Sometimes, men will want to show their humorous side and

will say the most outrageous things just to see if it works (Jeff, 2013).

According to the study conducted by Magtalas and Sing (2016), most of the male

informants thought that catcalling is rude and disrespectful to women, but men do it

because they see beautiful women. These men were aware of the different forms of

catcalling that women experience. They were expressive enough to confidently say that

committing such act is rude and disrespectful to women.

There is no specific time or place, where catcalling mostly occurs. It can happen

any day and anytime and anywhere. The various doers from the experiences of the

informants show that there are doers anywhere, from a public to a private setting. As

women experience catcalling, they immediately check whether they are wearing anything

that might be too attractive to men. It shows that women often blame what they wear, but

then they realize that they are not wearing anything wrong. Therefore, showing that

clothing is not a determining factor of catcalling (Magtalas & Sing, 2016).

 63

Reasons of men. Men have always been in the business of getting women’s

attention (Jeff, 2013). A man, from a traditional point of view, would also feel that it is

his obligation to recognize a woman when she has made an effort to look good. He thinks

that if he does not whistle at her, she might be disappointed. But not every time he

whistles is because he wants to jump in to bed with her. It could simply be because he

feels obligated to acknowledge her for her physical appearance (Eastwood, 2015).

According to Marcotte (2014), women live for men’s opinion, and therefore

unsolicited comments and criticisms are welcome. Part of the defenses of street

harassment as a compliment rests on the idea that women leave the house looking good

for men (Marcotte, 2014). There is the underlying assumption that everything women do

is ultimately for men’s attention and approval (Dr. NerdLove, 2014). By being visibly a

woman in a public space, the de-facto assumption is that she wants – even needs – male

attention. They say they want to make a stranger feel good but if she ignores then or –

worse – gets annoyed by it? Many of those gentlemen will get their backs up – “It’s just a

compliment! I’m trying to tell you that you’re pretty. You should say ‘thank you’!” That

reproach for not acknowledging his compliment underscores the real motivation: he

wants her attention and acknowledgement. Women’s presence out in public means that

their time and attention is now a public resource, available for anyone (Dr. NerdLove,

2014).

Gothamist (2014) tried to find out why men harass women on the street. They

interviewed New Yorkers about their experiences on catcalling and being catcalled, and

the responses offered insight into the thought processes of men who catcall women

(Bahadur, 2014). Reasons men harass a woman include: to appear macho within a group
 64

of friends, to exercise one’s right to free speech, and to express attraction. Moreover, a

catcall is a competition-fueled performance of masculinity (which is why catcallers will

often be in a group of men), a man wants to assert his power over a woman (Gomez, 2012

& Baxter, 2013), a guy wants to get any kind of attention (whether positive or negative)

from a woman he deems out of his league (or beyond his social status), or he is simply

grossly misinformed about how to communicate with the opposite sex (Gomez, 2012). A

number of men also mentioned women’s attractive clothing as a reason to single them out

(Bahadur, 2014). Similarly, catcalling is, a way to relieve boredom during a dull workday

and establish "hey we are all straight!" among guys working together- it serves as male

bonding for them (North, 2012).

Men will be vocal and public and outward with their infatuation with women.

Some do it respectfully, some are funny, and some are aggressive (Jeff, 2013). Koh (2014)

cited that it is undeniable that catcalling persists for they know other guys are doing it,

some men executing it got positive responses from women, for it builds character, for the

feeling of power, for mating, and for fun.

Logan (2013, as cited by Magtalas & Sing, 2016), explained why catcalling

happens in society, and it boils down to two – as a form of entertainment or as a way of

intimidating women to emphasize authority. Logan also pointed out that men commit the

act because it is already in their nature and that they are used to it.

Some of the female informants said that catcalling happens because men where

raised in the wrong way and without discipline. Another informant said that male do it

because they believe that it is okay. It shows that they have authority over the women.

However, most of the informants think that men do it to seek attention, and they do it out
 65

of pressure from society, especially their friend. Moreover, an informant added that men

just want to look whole in front of their friends, therefore, they participate in it.

Some of the male informants thought that the male doers feel enjoyment and fun

as they commit acts of catcalling. Another informant thinks that men commit catcalling

just to catch a women’s attention. The lone doer-informant shared that he felt excitement

when he catcalled a woman. However, he thought that the experience is only a part of the

whole adventure of going out and drinking with friends. There were informants who

believed that male catcallers feel a certain level of satisfaction once they catcalled women

(Magtalas & Sing, 2016).

Majority of the male informants believed that men will catcall any women when

they respond positively. However, one informant said that a man will not catcall a

women, especially if the reaction was not positive (Magtalas & Sing, 2016).

Male informants thought that catcalling refers to any of the following acts to sexy

and/or beautiful women: whistling, hissing, shouting (vulgar) remarks, and even winking.

Moreover, most of them think that these acts are rude (Magtalas & Sing, 2016).

There are various forms of catcalling experienced by women, but whether it is

supposed to be a complement or not, if they feel uncomfortable, they already considered

the act as harassment. It also showed how much male doers do not care what other people

think of them because they would commit anywhere they feel like doing it (Magtalas &

Sing, 2016).

It is apparent that catcalling occurs mostly whenever when are in groups. It is in

these groups wherein they commit catcalling as part of the group’s bonding (Logan, 2013

as cited by Magtalas & Sing, 2016) and with the belief that their actions constitute
 66

“harmless, fun or normal gendered interactions” with women (Aronson, 2015, as stated

by Magtalas & Sing, 2016).

Feelings of men. A majority of women have experienced street harassment like

catcalling in their daily lives, so Cosmopolitan made the issue a little more personal for

three volunteer couples. In the video, boyfriends watched footage of their girlfriends

walking in New York City as they would on a normal day — a la the Hollaback street

harassment video from 2014 (Romano, 2015). The men reacted seeing their loved one

getting unwanted attention on the street: disgust, anger and general discomfort at the

whole situation. Their girlfriends probably had the same emotions while they were

actually on the street (Romano, 2015).

On the other hand, Green (2014) from The Guardian took to the streets of London

with a hidden camera to see how unsuspecting men react when they are the targets of the

same sexist taunts, insults and catcalls that women are subjected to ever day. Most of the

men who were approached by Green (2014) were simply confused. They have probably

never been spoken to like that before, whereas it is a common occurrence for many

women. Interestingly, the construction workers did not like being catcalled at all.

However, the men who were propositioned to go home with Green after just meeting her

was amused and apparently up for it.

Meanwhile, Bonner (2015) created a virtual realty experience that puts users in the

shoes of a woman being catcalled. She named it Compliment (Velez, 2015). Users wear

an Oculus Rift, a device that her subjects used to immerse themselves in a virtual New

York neighborhood similar to her own, to feel like they are walking through the streets.

As they did, they encountered men who shouted typical catcall-like phrases at them as
 67

they walked by and even approached them. Bonner deliberately made the height of the

person wearing the Oculus Rift smaller, so they had to look up and feel vulnerable the

way many women smaller than their harassers do (Velez, 2015).

Bonner (2015) told A Plus (as cited by Velez, 2015) that participants were unable

to respond to the harassment except to walk away, as in the real world with concern for

safety, and were forced to constantly hear and navigate unwanted attention. Bonner

(2015) then had both men and women participate in the immersive experience and their

reactions lined up with what Bonner felt in her everyday life. "It feels uncomfortable,"

one man who used Compliment uttered. "Walking in the digital world, I had to crane my

neck to see these people... I felt threatened. And that's something I never could have

experienced.” said by another male participant (Velez, 2015).

Observers (Bystanders) on Catcalling

Bystanders. A bystander is a person present in a situation but not directly

involved; a chance spectator/onlooker (Your Self Series, 2012). To explicate more,

Women’s Freedom Center (2012) defined bystanders as someone who sees a situation but

may or may not know what to do, may think others will act or may be afraid to do

something. A bystander refers to anyone who plays some role in the act of harassment,

abuse, or violence – but is neither the doer nor the victim. They are someone who is

present, and thus potentially in a position to discourage, prevent, or interrupt an incident.

Responses of bystanders. Upon witnessing catcalling incidents, the onlookers can

opt if he/she will intervene to the situation or just let it be. There can be influences on why

one will actively or passively react to the incident. Alongside, Division of Student Life

(2011) mentioned that bystanders’ responses matter to the person(s) who is or may be
 68

harmed in the situation and it matters to the person(s) doing the harm. If one person does

something to another that contravenes community norms or values, and a bystander

ignores it, then the person doing the harm may think such behavior is actually acceptable.

If no one speaks up in some way, the harmed person may think that nothing can be done,

that no-one cares and that s/he will just have to live with such behavior.

Active responses of bystanders. While anyone can be a bystander, an active

bystander recognizes a problem with the spotted situation and decides to intervene in a

way that feels safe and appropriate for him or her (Women’s Freedom Center, 2012). In

agreement to Ancona et al., (2004, as stated in an article by University of Tennessee,

2017), an active bystander or observer is a person who takes steps that can make a

difference. First, an active bystander assesses a situation to determine what kind of help, if

any might be appropriate. Second, an active bystander evaluates options and chooses a

strategy for responding.

Stop Street Harassment (2010) shared some stories submitted to their blog (2009)

where bystanders did something:

“Upon noticing young men “eve teasing” a young woman walking

by herself from the university bookstore in Delhi, India, Prakeet and his
friend described how they took non-confrontational action. “We hurriedly
went to the girl, passing by the boys, and started walking by her sides. At
first she didn’t notice, perhaps because she was busy in figuring out how
to get out of the mess she was in. Soon she noticed the halt in lewd
remarks and two fellows walking along her sides and joking about their
school life. The boys following her were still following us. I think it was
instincts more than understanding that the girl realized that we were there
just to help.I passed a smile to her and she returned it back. Within no time
we reached Metro Station. Not saying much she thanked us for our help.
We parted our ways. She went off to catch a bus while we took the Metro.
This was the first time I ever took such a step and perhaps the first time I
ever saw eve-teasing and dared to intervene before it could turn ugly.”
 69

“CJ in Walsall, UK, wrote: “I have been walking to work with a

friend and she has been shouted at, verbally harassed, had drivers slow
down whilst passing her and, when in my car, other drivers make rude
gestures and shout at her…The worst behavior has been from the
contractors working on the roadworks outside our office. After reading
some of this website last night, I went over to the workmen, whilst they
were staring and letching at my friend and told them to stop as it was
threatening and unwelcome. I then went back into the office, called the
company involved and reported the complaint to the director and backed it
up with an email. I have received an email response stating that they
would investigate my complaint and proceed with disciplinary action
where appropriate. My friend was scared and didn’t feel able to say
anything to the contractors; I asked her if it was OK for me to speak up for
her and she said yes. We wait to see if their behavior changes…”
“A young woman was on a metro train and a couple of teenagers
started to tell her in explicit and profane language what they wanted to do
to her. I told them they needed to leave her alone …They did and moved
on. I was happy to see that a couple of other men surrounding us on the
train told me that they had my back should things have gone violent.”
“A woman was being leered at out of a car as she crossed the street
(in front of the car). I was walking just behind her…My intervention was
rather quiet – I interposed by body between her and the car, falling
somewhat behind her as we neared the other side, in order to stay between
her and the men.”
“On public trains if I see a man staring down a woman and she
seems scared I have locked eyes with him and started a conversation with
a woman so she won’t seem alone. My intervening has more so been
making my presence as a third party known.”

Passive responses of bystanders. There are many barriers that keep people from

preventing and intervening in street harassment and other incidents as often as they could

(Stop Street Harassment, 2010). Throwing passive responses in regard to an incident

could be derived from a range of different feelings: from a sense of powerlessness, fear

for one's physical safety, social pressures within one's group or community, or tolerance

or support for the doers' actions (Holocaust Encyclopedia, 2016).

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Other reasons for doing nothing may be because the a person is unsure if the

behavior is unwelcome, does not want to assume the person cannot take care of

themselves, does not know what to do, and/or fears the perpetrator will turn on them (Stop

Street Harassment, 2010). Alongside, Bryant-Smith (2016) claimed that it must be

acknowledged that humans are programmed to escape potentially unsafe situations. When

persons witnessed unusual or potentially threatening behavior in others, extreme caution

was exercised. A strong automatic unwillingness to intervene stems from a desire to avoid

harm. Moreover, if there are several other people around, the bystander effect can happen

(Stop Street Harassment, 2010). As stated by Bryant-Smith (2016), the bystander effect is

the phenomenon that when a person needs help or is in danger, most bystanders are

reluctant to intervene and simply stand by without assisting. In fact, the more observers

there are, the less the chance of any one person intervening because of the diffusion of

responsibility. (i.e. someone else will intervene). At such critical situations, intervention is

much more likely if only one person is present.

Men as bystanders. Stop Street Harassment (2010) cited that they had a survey

dated 2009 which indicated that most of the male (82%) said they would be willing to

intervene when they see someone harassing a woman, 17% said they had intervened once,

and 46% said they had intervened more than once. Their tips include:

“I’ve found that distractions and indirect interventions help best.

Asking for directions, asking for the time, or other innocuous questions
can often be enough of a distraction for a harasser to go away and move
on, without causing a big scene or putting anyone in physical danger.”
“I do not address the man/group harassing the female. I simply
offer my presence.”
“You don’t have to be loud and physically confrontational. You
can simply distract harasser by saying “waddup” or you can just stay in
open view so it won’t escalate to a rape scenario.”
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“Where possible, intervene by giving control to the target of the

harassment (e.g. “is he bothering you?” or “are you okay?”).”
“Just do the right thing. I think there are times when a harasser
may be intimidating even to other males, but you have to find the
intestinal fortitude to stand up for women in these situations. Otherwise,
it’s as if we are giving the harassers tacit approval to continue their
behaviors.”
“Go in fast and loud and willing to do just about anything.”
“Be aware of the situation, know what your advantage is, and if
confronting a group situation, make sure you are interacting with the
leader, and have contacted the police.”
“Don’t turn a blind eye, confront them even if it’s awkward, even
if it’s not socially acceptable, do it anyways…Remember that many
women are not in the situation where they are safe speaking up for
themselves.”

Women as bystanders. Springer website (2010) indicated that Chaudoir and

Quinn (2010) examined women’s reactions to overhearing a catcall remark and, in

particular, how observing a specific sexist incident impacts women’s feelings and

attitudes towards men. They asked 114 undergraduate female students to watch a video

and imagine themselves as bystanders to a situation where a man made either a sexist

catcall remark (“Hey Kelly, your boobs look great in that shirt!”) at another woman or

simply greeted her (“Hey Kelly, what’s up?”). The researchers then asked the students to

rate their anxiety, depression and hostility levels, their anger and fear towards men, how

prejudiced they thought the comment was, their desire to move against or away from men

in general, as well as how strongly they felt about their gender identity as a result of

witnessing the sexist remark.

The analyses of Chaudoir and Quinn’s (2010) study as stated in Springer (2010),

showed that women were more likely to think about themselves in terms of their gender

group identity, and as a result, feel greater anger and motivation to take direct action
 72

towards men. In other words, they experienced emotions and motivations in line with how

the situation may help or harm women as a whole, rather than how it might affect them

personally as individuals.

Consequences of Catcalling

Though Eastwood (2015) found a (limited) collection of articles about previous

studies done on stranger harassment. It was still not quite grasping the concept of what

exactly happens in the process of catcalls. To understand what happens when a person is

suppressed and overpowered, the five master suppression techniques developed by Ås

(1979, as cited by Eastwood, 2015) could explain the mechanism through which an

individual or group dominate one single person. Ås (1979) is a Norwegian social

psychologist who received a variety of awards for her feminist work. After many years of

working on the five suppression techniques, she finally presented them as the following:

made invisible, ridiculing, withholding information, double punishment, and the

imposition of guilt and shame. These suppression techniques are used by both men and

women to take power from another individual.

Made invisible. It is when people do not pay attention or give credit for what

others are doing; when one’s actions are overlooked and deliberately do not get the

attentions they deserve. It could also be ostracism and that people do not respond when

one tries to get other’s attention. Often, one may become forgotten, run over and

overlooked. As the victims, one feels that it is irrelevant and does not need to be right

there (Ås, 1979, as cited by Eastwood, 2015).

Ridiculing. It is when a person tries to get a message across or something that one

wants to share and is greeted by laughter and mockery. One feels as if there is no point to
 73

share any longer, because that person knows that it is not worth being embarrassed and

laughed at. One can be seen as hypersensitive and hence not to be taken seriously (Ås,

1979, as cited by Eastwood, 2015).

Withholding information. It is when one feels as if all the others know what is

happening, and oneself have no idea. For example, there are secret codes that every

Tuesday your friends wear a pink shirt, and one showed up with a purple one, because

she was not allowed to share the information (Ås, 1979, as cited by Eastwood, 2015).

Double punishment. It is when one metaphorically becomes split in two because

one cannot meet opposed expectations. Whatever a person does, there will always be

people who will be disappointed in that person (Ås, 1979, as cited by Eastwood, 2015).

Penalty of guilt and shame. These are results of double punishment and

ridiculing. Shame and guilt washes over and a person know that one "should" have done

what others expected, but cannot fix it (Ås, 1979 as cited by Eastwood, 2015).

Subsequently, the work of Fitzgerald, et al. (1997, as stated by Fairchild, 2008)

also investigated the outcomes of sexual harassment. In their model of the antecedents

and consequences of sexual harassment, Fitzgerald, et al. (1995, as mentioned by

Fairchild, 2008) proposed that sexual harassment results in decreased job satisfaction and

physical well-being. In addition, tests of their model suggested that sexual harassment has

a negative impact on psychological outcomes; women who experienced low, moderate,

and high levels of sexual harassment showed more negative psychological outcomes than

women who experienced no sexual harassment (Schneider, et al., 1997 as cited by

Fairchild, 2008). Furthermore, Schneider, et al. (1997, as noted by Fairchild, 2008) found
 74

that experiencing harassment has negative outcomes for women even if they do not label

the events as sexual harassment.

This finding was also supported by research that investigated the outcomes of self-

labeling (Magley, et al., 1999, as quoted by Fairchild, 2008); specifically, the researchers

found no differences in negative outcomes between women who labeled their experiences

sexual harassment and women who did not label them as such. Thus, sexual harassment

negatively impacts women’s psychological well-being whether the harassment is mild or

severe, labeled or not labeled. Unfortunately, while the sexual harassment research

indicates negative psychological outcomes for women, it is unclear whether decreased

psychological wellbeing refers to depression, anxiety, or some other mental health

disorders. For example, Magley et al. (1999, as mentioned by Fairchild, 2008) used the

Mental Health Index to assess psychological wellbeing. The Mental Health Index

includes measures of depression, anxiety, and positive affect. However, the researchers

used different variations of the index in their different samples, and did not separate

depression and anxiety (combined as psychological distress). Moreover, no research on

sexual harassment has examined self-objectification as a consequence, which has been

linked to depression (e.g., Harrison & Frederickson, 2003; Tiggemann & Kuring, 2004)

and thus, may account for some of the negative psychological outcomes. Additionally,

sexual harassment research has not explored potentially significant consequences such as

women’s increased fear of rape or voluntarily restricting of their movements. The present

research on stranger harassment was designed to address these gaps in the harassment

literature relating to self-objectification, fear of rape, and restriction of movement.

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Objectification. Sexual objectification is a clear component of both sexual

harassment and stranger harassment. In both cases, women are treated as objects to be

looked at and touched, and not as intelligent human beings. The main tenet of

objectification theory (Frederickson & Roberts, 1997, as mentioned by Fairchild, 2008) is

that the human body is not merely a biological system, but that “bodies exist within social

and cultural contexts, and hence are also constructed through socio-cultural practices and

discourses (p. 174). In American culture, women’s bodies are constantly and consistently

regarded as sexual objects through pornography, the mass media, and advertising. The

unwanted sexual attention experienced in both sexual harassment and stranger harassment

is another example of women being regarded as sexual objects. Despite the diversity of

mechanisms through which sexual objectification can occur (e.g., pornography,

advertising, and stranger harassment), “the common thread running through all forms of

sexual objectification is the experience of being treated as a body (or collection of body

parts) valued predominantly for its use to (or consumption by) others” (Frederickson &

Roberts, 1997, p. 174 as cited by Fairchild, 2008). Conjointly, Laniya, (2005, as cited by

Fernández, 2016) stated that an unwanted sexual comment reinforces the objectification

of the female body and “accentuates the perpetual male gaze that allows a man to view a

woman and forces a woman to view herself as object rather than subject”

Objectification theory, as proposed by Frederickson and Roberts (1997) as quoted

by Fairchild (2008), provided a framework for understanding the psychological

experience of sexual objectification. They argued that this experience is uniquely female

and can lead to mental health problems. For Frederickson and Roberts (1997) as cited by

Fairchild (2008), the consequences of objectification arose when the woman begins to
 76

objectify herself (i.e., self-objectify). Repeated exposure to sexual objectification

increases the likelihood that women will objectify themselves. This leads women to

regard themselves as mere sex objects, to experience body shame, and to chronically

monitor their external appearance (Frederickson & Roberts, 1997 as noted by Fairchild,

2008).

Prior research showed that self-objectification is positively correlated with

negative outcomes, including depression and disordered eating (e.g. Tiggemann & Slater,

2001; Slater & Tiggemann, 2002; Harrison & Frederickson, 2003; Greenleaf, 2005;

Muehlenkamp & Saris-Baglama, 2002; Tiggemann & Kuring, 2004; Muehlenkamp,

Swanson, & Brausch, 2005, as cited by Fairchild, 2008).

In another research, it was hypothesized that women who experience greater

amounts of stranger harassment will be more likely to self-objectify. As such, it is a first

attempt to test unwanted sexual attention (in the form of stranger harassment) as a

predictor of self-objectification. While it has not been tested empirically, the link between

sexual harassment and objectification has been theorized by Franke (1997, as noted by

Fairchild, 2008): “…the sexual aspect of sexual harassment does all the hegemonic work

and has the effect and purpose of sexualizing women workers by reducing their humanity

generally, and their status as workers specifically, to objects of male sexual pleasure” (p.

715).

Fear of rape and restriction of movement. Limited work on stranger harassment

(MacMillan et al., 2000) suggested that it may increase women’s fear of rape (i.e. distrust

of men) and, increase their willingness to limit their freedom of movement (i.e. being

driven from the public sphere, e.g., Hickman & Muehlenhard, 1997; Swim et al., 1998;
 77

Lenton, et al., 1999, as mentioned by Fairchild, 2008). Laniya as cited by Fernández

(2016), added that women fear rape, a fear which is justified due to the harassment, rape

statistics, and rape testing, which is defined as “a process a rapist uses to determine how

much a woman may resist by physically fighting her attacker” (p. 7).

In a seminal work, Bowman (1993, as cited by Fernández, 2016), stated that the

fear of rape is not unrealistic because “as many as one in three women in our society have

been victims of rape or attempted rape at some time in their lives” (p. 536). It is important

to note that research mentioned that street harassment may not only cause a fear of rape

among women, but also can act as a trigger for women who have survived a sexual

assault (Laniya, 2005; Ramakrishnan, 2011; Tran, 2015, as cited by Fernández, 2016).

Research on the fear of rape among women suggested that women are more

fearful of stranger rape than acquaintance rape, even though most women recognize that

stranger rape is much less prevalent than acquaintance rape (Hickman & Muehlenhard,

1997, as cited by Fairchild, 2008). Research on sex differences in perception of danger

and fear of victimization, such as murder or robbery, consistently illustrated that women

are more fearful than men, although men are much more likely to be victims of crime

than women (Ferraro, 1996; Harris and Miller, 2000 as cited by Fairchild, 2008).

Ferraro’s (1996, as stated by Fairchild, 2008), shadow of sexual assault hypothesis

suggested that women are more fearful overall because the fear of rape permeates their

fear of other victimizations. Because, for women, rape is a potential outcome of any face-

to-face victimization, it may be a primary source of anxiety. Ferraro (1996, as cited by

Fairchild, 2008) found that women’s fear of rape predicted their fear of other personal

crimes (e.g. murder, burglary). Fisher and Sloan (2003, as mentioned by Fairchild, 2008)
 78

replicated Ferraro’s (1996) work, finding that the fear of rape did indeed shadow other

fears of victimization for women.

Similarly, Harris and Miller (2000, as cited by Fairchild, 2008), discovered that

women, compared with men, are consistently more fearful of ambiguously dangerous

situations involving men. They suggested that women’s higher fear of victimization may

stem from daily experiences of minor victimizations, which are likely to be ignored

because of their non-criminal nature. They specifically posited that the experience of

“stares, whistles, condescending behavior, being interrupted when speaking, and

harassment at work” socializes women to be more fearful and more perceptive of danger

(Harris & Miller, 2000 as cited by Fairchild, 2008).

Finally, the fear of rape literature suggested that women typically alter their

behaviors by limiting how, when, and where they travel to protect themselves from rape

(Hickman & Muehlenhard, 1997; Krahe, 2005; Warr, 1985, as mentioned by Fairchild,

2008). By avoiding walking alone at night or in specific places (e.g., parking garages;

Hickman & Muehlenhard, 1997), women voluntarily restrict their freedom to move about

in the world. Similarly, Swim, Cohen, and Hyers (1998) noted that women’s tendency to

avoid sites of sexual harassment restricts their freedom of movement. One of the societal

consequences of stranger harassment is that it makes the public world “uncomfortable,

hostile, and frightening for women” (Bowman, 1993, p. 539, as cited by Fairchild, 2008).

Street harassers not only cause emotional distress but can also cause physical

harm to women. As street harassment involves anything from leering to grabbing, from

following to masturbating, these actions can have a negative effect on one’s mental health

(Kearl, 2014; Ramakrishnan, 2011; Tran, 2015, as cited by Fernández, 2016). To argue
 79

that this issue is a compliment, flattering, trivial, or insignificant would be to ignore the

massive hostility and abuse that some women endure on a daily basis, as confirmed by

both older and more recent research (Bowman, 1993; Kearl, 2014; Tran, 2015, as cited by

Fernández, 2016). Research did show that although not all women find street harassment

a concern, many are disturbed by it (Fairchild, 2008, 2010; Grossman, 2008, as cited by

Fernández, 2016). Street harassment serves as a daily reminder for many women of their

subordinate status in society. It is an intentional assault on women’s mental and physical

health, as well as their personal space and privacy. It reinforces the objectification of the

female body in a patriarchal society.

Laniya (2005, as cited by Fernández (2016) argued that street harassment is not

trivial and is an assault on a woman’s psychic, emotional, and intellectual sensibilities. In

addition, women may fear physical harm as studies have shown that a woman who

confronts her harasser or acknowledges him faces the risk of angering him and having the

violence escalates (Laniya, 2005 as cited by Fernández, 2016). This fear is consistent

with real events as Laniya referenced two incidents that occurred in the early 2000s. One

of them involved a man who pushed a woman onto the subway tracks because she

rebuffed his advances. Street harassment also harms women’s autonomy as it invades a

woman’s sense of privacy due to being perceived by men as an accessible (Laniya, 2005

as cited by Fernández, 2016). Laniya argued that street harassment also lessens women’s

economic opportunities and violates their social rights. When women are perceived as

accessible in public spaces, this limits their liberty and mobility and thus some job

opportunities (Laniya, 2015, as cited by Fernández, 2016).

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Ramakrishnan (2011, as cited by Fernández, 2016) stated that women who are

harassed face psychological injuries, fear, physical harm, and verbal harassment. These

psychological and physical harms include anxiety, stress, emotional distress, depression,

and a lack of motivation. As women face possible street harassment any time they step

outside, they may in turn feel restricted in terms of their liberty to move around public

areas and many avoid certain places in order to avoid being harassed (Ramakrishnan,

2011, as cited by Fernández, 2016). Historically, women of color have been perceived as

sexual objects. Thus, they often experience harassment more frequently as they are

perceived as more sexually available than other women (Ramakrishnan, 2011, as cited by

Fernández, 2016). In addition, queer women experience a different form of harassment as

“they are punished for being women and assumed to be what they are not – heterosexual”

(Ramakrishnan, 2011, p. 320, as cited by Fernández, 2016). As noted, as women’s

privilege decreases, violence increases. It is important to remain aware of historical

implications and intersectionality when speaking of women of color or queer women.

Ramakrishnan referenced a 2003 incident of a Black adolescent girl who rebuffed two

men’s advances by telling them she was a lesbian. The two men proceeded to get out of

their car, physically assaulted her, and fatally stabbed the young girl (Ramakrishnan,

2011, as cited by Fernández, 2016).

Tran (2015, as cited by Fernández, 2016) discussed the emotional and physical

harms of street harassment. He included a range of physical reactions: increased muscle

tension, cessation of breathing, numbness, nausea, pounding heart, and trembling (Tran,

2015 as cited by Fernández, 2016). Thus, street harassment can also cause emotional

harm, including feelings of anger, frustration, and humiliation but Tran stated that a
 81

woman’s efforts to mask these feelings could result in further emotional distress and

feelings of powerlessness. Similar to previous research, Tran (2015, as cited by

Fernández, 2016) also discussed the fear of rape and the phenomenon of rape testing.

Moreover, women are justified in their fear of physical retribution, such as being

raped, groped, or attacked by an overzealous harasser. Street harassment acts a “salient

warning of the omnipresent threat of sexual violation” (Laniya, 2005, p. 7, as cited by

Fernández, 2016). Finally, aside from the harms mentioned previously, street harassment

can be life threatening. Tran’s (2015) research also made reference to two incidents that

occurred in 2014, the first being a story of a Detroit woman, a mother of three, who was

killed for rebuffing a man’s advances and the second being a woman in Queens who had

her throat slashed for rebuffing a man’s advances. This fear may further cause women to

restrict their mobility in public spaces (Fernández, 2016). Nonetheless, it is clear that

street harassers often physically, psychologically, and sexually harm targets (Fernández,

2016).

Urban Area

An urban area is the region surrounding a city. Most inhabitants of urban areas

have nonagricultural jobs. Urban areas are very developed, meaning there is a density of

human structures such as houses, commercial buildings, roads, bridges, and railways

(National Geographic, 2016).

According to UN Women, there are reports that women in urban areas,

particularly in developing countries, have twice the chances to experience violence

(Tagupa, 2015). Moreover, news and blogs are affirming that such incidences are

happening in urban areas. Specifically, Imus City, Cavite will be the best locale for
 82

conducting the study, considering that it the most urbanized area in Cavite yielding all the

97 barangays being classified as urban (Philippine Statistics Authority, 2014).

Furthermore, trinity.edu (2011) lined up usual indicators of rudeness with which the

urbanization is one of the factors, wherein people differently with anonymous others,

living in a world of strangers can often operate with the assumption that one will never

see the victim of one’s rude behavior again.

Worldwide Actions

Artists and activists also brought attention to the issue either through art or

performance, by showcasing the seriousness and negativity it has on women. By

addressing the issue through an artistic approach, it spreads awareness and potentially

changes minds about the possible damage of catcalling. The problem is best solved

through early education, spreading awareness, and knowing your rights (innovateus.net,

2015).

On the other hand, the following actions are taken by different countries.

Argentina. Argentine lawmakers are drafting legislation that would criminalize

street harassment, meaning men could soon be fined for catcalling. Argentina’s proposed

law would protect women from both physical and verbal street harassment. Although it

still has a long way to go, it is encouraging to see countries implementing laws that can

help women feel safer. The country is triggering not only a decrease in violence against

women in Argentina, but stirs a movement around the world (Ferreira, 2015).

Bahamas. Advocates wrote chalk messages like, "Street harassment is NOT a

compliment," on sidewalks (Aquino, 2014).

 83

Bangladesh. A place where "sexual abuse is not openly discussed," said Stop

Street Harassment (SSH) Organization, female leaders marched in the streets (Aquino,

2014). The country considers eve teasing (another word for street harassment) as a

serious crime under their law (Crouch, 2009; Sharma & Sharma, 2014, as noted by

Fernández, 2016).

Bosnia and Herzegovina. Educators conducted workshops for high school

students on street harassment and violence (Aquino, 2014).

Canada. Bowling games were held using pins bearing labels such as the

patriarchy and rape culture so that players could smash them away (Aquino, 2014).

Chile and Colombia. Self-defense demonstrations were held (Aquino, 2014).

The Chilean parliament has anti-sexual harassment bill that focuses specifically on public

spaces (Crouch, 2009; Sharma & Sharma, 2014, as noted by Fernández, 2016).

Egypt. Volunteers went around a neighborhood and talked about street

harassment to people aged seven to 50, getting the latter to express zero tolerance toward

the issue. They even had people share their own experiences of street harassment

(Aquino, 2014).

France. In 2012, France passed a bill that made sexual harassment a criminal

offense. Violators face up to two years in jail for harassing a woman, and can receive a

fine of up to 30,000 Euros (close to $37,000) (Ferreira, 2015).

Fiji Islands. An online survey was conducted, and the data generated is to be used

to advocate for safer public spaces (Aquino, 2014).

Iceland. According to the World Economic Forum, Iceland is one of the most

female-friendly countries on the planet. Dubbed as feminist’s paradise, Iceland has a list
 84

of laws aimed to protect women from sex crimes. In 2009, Iceland criminalized the

purchase of sex, making prostitution illegal. They also banned strip clubs the following

year in efforts to prioritize gender equality (Ferreira, 2015).

India. Women wrote down their experiences of street harassment and shared these

online. According to Stop Street Harassment (SSH) Organization, many were thankful for

the opportunity and felt lighter at being able to speak about it. Others felt better upon

seeing the testimonies because they learned that they were not alone. People also used the

Safetipin application to indicate safe and unsafe areas they pass by (Aquino, 2014). In

India victims of street harassment can seek recourse through the Indian Penal Code,

which can sentence a man found guilty to a maximum jail sentence of threemonths

(Crouch, 2009; Sharma & Sharma, 2014 as noted by Fernández, 2016).

Kenya. A discussion on street harassment revealed that even boys were targets.

The group of mostly male street children said that they had been approached for sex,

called names for being homeless, and chased away from public areas, according to Stop

Street Harassment (SSH) Organization (Aquino, 2014).

Nepal. A street protest was held to demand the government "to repair and

maintain street lights... to make (the) city safer” (Aquino, 2014).

Nicaragua. Law 779 also known as “La Ley,” was passed in June 2012 that

included sections regarding catcalling that benefit everyone, even visitors to the country.

Because so many people are aware of the law, all a woman has to say is, “la ley” to get a

catcaller to back off. It is meant to protect women from all sorts of public harassment

(Ferreira, 2015).
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Peru. Men who hiss or whistle at women in Lima, Peru can spend 12 years behind

bars. The new law, passed in March 2015 was implemented after a catcalling harassment

video, Silbale a tumadre (Catcall your Mother) went viral (Ferreira, 2015).

Philippines. Quezon City government has passed an ordinance to reduce

catcalling and other forms of street-level sexual harassment against women (The

Philippine Star, 2016). In its Gender and Development ordinance, people caught making

disparaging remarks or stalking women around the city would be fined from P1,000 to

P5,000, and jailed from one day to one year (The Philippine Star, 2016).

The United Nations Women, an organization established in 2010, developed the

Safe Cities Program which is a worldwide campaign to stop street harassment in public

places. Last December 2015, the campaigned stepped foot in the Philippines, calling it the

Safe Cities Metro Manila Program (UN Women, 2015, as cited by Magtalas & Sing,

2016).

The UN Women Safe Cities Metro Manila Program partnered with the Social

Weather Station (SWS) to formulate a baseline study on the street harassment

experiences of the women of Quezon City. It was found that catcalling was seen as the

most common form of sexual harassment that women face in their daily lives (SWS,

2016).

Quezon City, one of the most populous cities in the Philippines, was the first

target of the program, wherein UN Women teaches 4Rs to women: Realize, Respond,

Report, and Reform Program (UN Women, 2015, as cited by Magtalas & Sing, 2016).

In April 2016, the organization was able to reach their fourth R of their campaign,

which is to reform the culture of Quezon City, when the city government passed an
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ordinance that will reduce the street harassment cases in the city. The ordinance said that

anyone who commits the act of street harassment will have to pay a fine, or worse, go to

jail (The Philippine Star).

This is the first ongoing campaign of the UN Women Safe Cities Metro Manila

Program, and they hope to continue to put an end to street harassment in the Philippines

(Magtalas & Sing, 2016).

Street harassment has been a social issue that has not been addressed by many of

the countries in the world, such as the Philippines (Magtalas & Sing, 2016).

Saudi Arabia. The Shoura Council drafted a new law stating that men who harass

women in public will be fined and publicly defamed (Crouch, 2009; Sharma & Sharma,

2014 as noted by Fernández, 2016).

Synthesis

As revealed in the literatures gathered, catcalling is prevalent among the globe.

Several academic and community studies were conducted to bring evidence to its

occurrence. These show that catcalling mostly happens in urban areas. However,

established written works lack locally. The phenomenon is just being featured in news

and blogs. Globally, mass of surveys indicated that women in different ages are being the

most identified victims of catcalling and other forms of street or stranger harassment in

different countries.

Catcalling is differently perceived by women. Some considers it flattering, but

others note that it is frightening and harassing. Feelings of women toward catcalling

entail being degraded, objectified, angry, stressed, and some other negative emotions.

However, other women feel happy, flattered, confident, and empowered by being
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catcalled. When in an instance of being catcalled at streets, women posit assertive and

non-assertive responses toward it. Women may actively combat against it or just

passively ignore such behaviors. Catcalling experiences of women range from verbal to

nonverbal actions of men. To include, women as victims are also held responsible for the

maltreatment they have been subjected to.

On the contrary, literary texts involving men on catcalling is scarce. Meaning,

there are few writings about men and catcalling. It only reported males as being

perpetrators of catcalling and different harassments taking place. Men of different ages

are also being involved in this matter. There is lack of writings about how men perceive

and feel in doing catcalls. Thus, reasons of men in doing it include: to appear macho

within a group of friends as male bonding, to assert his power over women, to exercise

one’s right to free speech, to relieve boredom, and to simply express attraction, or to give

compliments.

Consequences of catcalling and other forms of harassment compose of emotional,

physical and psychological effects toward a person. Aside from men who do catcalling

and women who receives catcalls, bystanders or the general public also plays an

important role on how catcalling seemed to appear in society. A bystander refers to

anyone who plays some role in the act of harassment, abuse, or violence – but is neither

the perpetrator nor the victim. They are the ones who witnesses catcalling incidents.

Worldwide actions against the occurrences of harassment including catcalling are

being exercised. Moreover, in some countries, such acts are being criminalized; making it

illegal- laws are being passed to impede it. Movements such as Hollaback and Stop Street

Harassment are making their way to raise the awareness of people regarding harassments
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including catcalling. Their advocates both envision that such acts shall not be tolerated. It

must be acted upon, to be dismissed or even controlled.

As stated in different literatures, men and women have contradictory and similarity

(at times) of perceptions and feelings about the catcalling issue. To associate the related

literatures, it is evident that there is lack on researches about catcalling in the Philippines,

so it will be essential if the study will be conducted. It will take into bigger picture the

unique experiences of women being catcalled, and rationale of men behind their actions.

Furthermore, perceptions and feelings of both men and women regarding catcalling will

be strived. The researchers will recognize if catcalling is being positively or negatively

perceived, and that goes well for their feelings also. Differences and similarities of those

perceptions and feelings will also be noted.

 METHODOLOGY

This chapter contains the discussion of the research methods and procedures that

were used by the researchers, which includes the research design, sampling procedure,

participants of the study, data gathered, and the data analysis.

Research Design

The researchers used a qualitative research design for it was the appropriate

approach to deeply analyze the lived experiences of men and women on catcalling. It

uses languages, rather than numbers, and an interpretative, naturalistic approach.

Qualitative research embraces the concept of intersubjectivity usually understood to refer

how people may agree or construct meaning: perhaps to a shared understanding, emotion,

feeling, or perception of a situation, in order to interpret the social world they inhabit

(Nerlich, 2004, as cited by Taguibalos, 2016). Denzin and Lincoln (2000) defined

qualitative researchers as people who usually work in the real world of lived experience,

often in a natural setting, rather than a laboratory based experimental approach. The

qualitative researchers try to make sense of social phenomena and the meanings people

bring to them (Taguibalos, 2016).

There are several advantages of using a qualitative method of research as cited by

Occupy Theory (2014). These include: (1) issues and subjects covered can be evaluated

in depth and in detail; (2) interviews are not limited to particular questions, and can be

redirected or guided by researchers in real time; (3) the data in qualitative research

depends on human experience, and this is more compelling and powerful than data

gathered through quantitative research; and (4) researchers collect data in a genuine effort

of plugging data to bigger picture.

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Specifically, interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was also used to

know the meaning of particular experiences, events, and states hold by the participants. In

this study, perceptions, feelings, and responses of men and women on catcalling were

recognized. Along with these, their lived experiences regarding catcalling were given

sense to understand how these experiences affected their lives. Interpretative

phenomenological analysis (IPA) study is a dynamic process with the active role of the

researcher who influences the extent to which they get access to the participant’s

experiences. Through interpretative activity, they make sense of the subject’s personal

world (Smith & Osborn, 2008, as cited by Taguibalos, 2016). The researchers in an

interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) study will attempt to understand what it is

like to stand in the shoes of their participants, and make meaning comprehensible by

translating it (Taguibalos, 2016).

In other words, interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) researchers try to

understand what a catcalling experience is like from the participant’s perspective. At the

same time, they try to formulate critical questions referring to the material.

Sources of Data

The primary sources that the researchers used in this study were the pre-surveys,

interview guide, observations, and remarkably, the audio recorded/video recorded

interview with the participants to obtain necessary information from the participants that

were used to support the study’s objectives.

On the other hand, the secondary sources utilized in the study were books,

scholarly journal, published papers, research reviews and other electronic published

articles such as, published PDF and articles posted from e-Libraries and various
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websites. Most importantly, the data obtained from secondary sources certainly

reinforced the research’s objectives and its background.

Sampling Procedure

The researcher used purposive and snowball sampling technique to determine the

participants of the study.

Purposive sampling represents a group of different non-probability sampling

techniques. Also known as judgmental, selective or subjective sampling,

purposivesampling relies on the judgement of the researcher when it comes to selecting

the units (e.g., people, cases/ organizations, events, pieces of data) that are to be studied

(LaerdDissertation, 2011). It is essentially dependent upon the skill of the researcher to

identify and find specific participants (Psychnet, 2013). This technique is the only viable

sampling procedure in obtaining information from a very specific group of people

(Psychnet, 2013). The results of purposeful sampling are usually expected to be more

representative of the population than those achieved with an alternative form of sampling

(Psychnet, 2013).Thus, the sample being investigated is quite small, especially when

compared with probability sampling techniques (LaerdDissertation, 2011).

Furthermore, interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) advocates purposive

sampling, which means that the sample is chosen on its relevance to the research aim

(Smith & Osborn, 2008 as cited by Taguibalos, 2016).

Female participants were purposively selected according to the following

inclusion criteria: (a) admited that she experienced catcalling; (b) experienced catcalling

for the past years up to present; and (c) residing in Imus City, Cavite. On the other hand,

male participants were purposively selected according to the following inclusion criteria:
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(a) admitted that he himself does catcalling; (b) catcalled women from the past years up

to present; and (c) residing in Imus City, Cavite. Lastly, the criteria for the general public

are the following: (a) had or had not experienced catcalling, but (b) must have witnessed

catcalling incidents at least twice or thrice from the past year up to present.

Moreover, snowball sampling is also a type of non-probability sampling

technique. A snowball sampling is appropriate to use in research when the members of a

population are difficult to locate. A snowball sample is one in which the researcher

collects data on the few members of the target population he or she can locate, then asks

those individuals to provide information needed to locate other members of that

population whom they know (Crossman, 2016). This technique works like chain referral.

After observing the initial subject, the researcher asks for assistance from the subject to

help identify people with a similar trait of interest (Explorable, 2016).

Researchers used this sampling method for the sample for this study is rare or is

limited to a very small subgroup of the population. This type of sampling technique

worked as referral.

Participants of the Study

The participants of the study were the selected men who admitted that they did

catcalling, and women who experienced catcalling in Imus City, Cavite. There were five

participants for each set: men, women, and general public, for a total of 15 participants.

The willingness for disclosure was the rationale behind the number of the participants.

The criteria for selecting women participants were the following: (a) admitted that

she experienced catcalling; (b) experienced catcalling at least twice or thrice from the past

year up to present; and (c) residing in Imus City, Cavite.

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The criteria for selecting men participants were the following: (a) admitted that he

himself did catcalling; (b) catcalled women at least twice or thrice from the past year up

to present; and (c) residing in Imus City, Cavite.

Lastly, the criteria for the general public were the following: (a) could be male or

female (b) had or had not experienced catcalling; but (c) must have witnessed catcalling

incidents at least twice or thrice from the past year up to present; and (d) residing in Imus

City, Cavite.

Catcalls were only limited to verbal behaviors. Apart from this, there were no

required age, educational attainment, socio-economic status, monthly income and

religion for both men and women participants of this study.

Data Gathered

The gathered data were primarily the experiences of women who were catcalled,

men who did catcalling, and the observers who witnessed catcalling incidents. The

participants’ personal accounts and experiences were gathered by the researchers through

conducting an in depth analysis using an interview guide (see Appendix 5) that already

underwent validation by experts. Before the actual interview, this interview guide was

administered to the non-participants of the study to scrutinize if it did answer the given

research questions.

The researchers employed a semi-structured interview. The use of the semi-

structured interview is particularly useful to gain a detailed picture of participants’ belief,

perceptions or accounts of a particular topic (Smith, 1995, as stated by Griffiths, 2009).

The semi-structured interview provided the researchers with much greater flexibility than

a questionnaire/survey or even a structured interview, as it allowed the researchers to

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follow up avenues presented by the participant that might not otherwise have emerged. In

this way, Smith (1995 as mentioned by Griffiths 2009) describes a natural fit between the

semi-structured interview and the purpose of qualitative analysis as a great amount of

detail is provided via a verbatim interview.

The time frame of gathering information is presented below.

Day Agenda

1 The researchers searched prospective participants through credible

referrals.

2 The researchers visited the prospective participants that were referred,

asked for their approval by giving an informed consent.

3 The researchers started building rapport to the participants by talking

with them. The participants also gathered the basic information about

the participants.

4 The researchers started asking questions to the participants about their

affective, behavioral, and cognitive feedbacks regarding catcalling.

5 The researchers continued the interview. After the discussion, the

researchers summarized and clarified to the participants their

conversation. However, the days of meeting with the participants

varied, depending on their preference of time and place.

6 The researchers gave token to the participants and asked for their

recommendation for any other participants.

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Data gathering was done by first approaching participants who were believed and

were referred as the participants of the study having experiences regarding catcalling. As

part of their initiative to ensure that the study conforms to the highest ethical standards of

the psychological research, the participants were initially informed of the nature and goals

of the research through an informed consent form (see Appendix 8). The participants

were informed that their participation allowed the researchers to expound on this

experience, and it would help to comprehend, from a psychological lens, the possible

implications in this condition. The researchers presented to them a consent form that, if

signed, confirms their voluntary participation in the research. Part of the form also

narrated that the transcriptions of the interview, and most especially their identities would

be kept confidential, and that the participants were free to back out from their

participation to the study at any time they feel the need to do so. In data management, the

researchers ensured the confidentiality of the information gathered.

While the informed consent was distributed to the prospective participants, the

researchers explained the risk and benefits that they could probably get during the

process of the research as they voluntarily participate in the study. In this study, the

participants learned how to share the lessons that they have learned from the other

individuals. Hopefully, they also realized that they should not feel stigmatized, and feel a

sense freedom instead, in disclosing their experiences. Lastly, as a gratitude for

participating in this study, tokens were also given to them.

The risks for participating in this study were minimal. During the interview, if the

participants encountered some questions that they may find disagreeable, disappointing,

and offensive, or if they feel uncomfortable at any time, they may choose to skip
 96

questions, or they may ask to withdraw. The participants were given a couple of days to

think and decide whether they will participate or not. After a couple of days, the

participants signed a contract of agreement, which included their voluntary participation

or the freedom to withdraw anytime they want.

Some ethical issues were also considered in the development of the instrument.

The interview guide was formulated to answer the experiences of the participants

regarding catcalling.

The language and tone of the self-made interview guide were developed to be

morally appropriate, particularly in giving direction and certainly. It was ensured to be

ethical and comprehensible. There was no foreseen risk in the use of the self-made

interview guide. If there were some questions or items they did not wish to answer or

forgot to answer, it was explained that they were free to do so. The gathered information

in the interview were treated with high confidentiality. The information were only limited

between the researchers and the participants. All the evidences of the participations in this

study, especially the audio records of the interview, were kept on a secured manner.

As part of the research process, it was also disclosed to the participants that the

results of the study will only be used for educational purpose. Their true identities were

not revealed in the study. Pseudonyms were used.

Beforehand, the participants were asked and informed that during the interview,

the researchers will keep audio record/video record to capture their significant statement,

for the assessment and extraction of meaning during the analysis of data. Moreover, it

also depended upon the requests of the participants if they wanted to dispose the

recordings after finishing the study.

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It was explained to the participants of the study that only the thesis adviser as the

co-author and co-investigator can have access to the data, which were secured by the

department research coordinator and the college coordinator, to protect their privacy and

confidentiality.

Since there were no risk considered in the conduct of the study, no adequate

provisions for monitoring the risks was done by safety monitoring committee. Rather, it

was explained to the participants the benefits of the study in the larger sector of the

society.

This research setting that involved human participants necessarily created a

conflict of interest for investigators who sought to develop or revise knowledge by

joining individuals in research protocols to obtain the knowledge. Overzealous pursuits of

scientific results could lead to harm if, for example, investigators design research studies

that pose unacceptable risks to participants, enroll participants who should not be

enrolled, or continue studies even when results suggest they should have been modified

or halted. Thus, it is important to address prospectively the potentially harmful effects on

participants that conflicts of the interest might cause. In short, there is need to disclose all

possible conflict interest.

Organizations, particularly academic institutions, should become more actively

involved in managing investigators’ conflicts of interest and increase their efforts for self-

regulation in this arena. Ethics Review Board (ERB) of research studies was one method

for identifying and dealing with conflicts of interest that might face the researchers. By

having ethical review board research studies prospectively, and follow ERB-approved

protocol, investigators and ERB together, can manage conflict between the investigators’
 98

desire to advance scientific knowledge, and to protect the rights and welfare of research

participants. Financial and other obvious conflicts for ERB members, such as

collaboration in a research study, are often less difficult to identify and manage than some

of the more subtle and pervasive conflicts.

The researchers were qualified to study this protocol with the help of researchers’

supervising adviser, Ms. Ana Ruth M. Andalajao, RPm.

Data Analysis

The gathered data were analyzed through interpretative phenomenological

analysis (IPA) and thematic analysis. Furthermore, the researchers verified to the

participants the themes used to interpret the collected data, and if those reflect their lived

experiences regarding catcalling. Additionally, the research adviser took part in validating

the emerged themes.

The primary goal of IPA researchers is to investigate how individuals make sense

of their experiences (Nunn, 2009). In general, interpretative phenomenological analysis

(IPA) provides a set of flexible guidelines which can be adapted by individual researchers

according to their research objectives. However, these guidelines are merely an

illustration of one possible way of analyzing the qualitative material. They should not be

treated as a recipe, and the researchers are advised to be flexible and creative in their

thinking.

Multiple reading and making notes. The initial stage involved close reading of

the transcript a number of times. If an audio recording is available, it is also

recommended to listen to it a few times. This helps researchers immerse themselves in

the data, recall the atmosphere of the interview, and the setting in which it was
 99

conducted. Each reading and listening to the recording may provide some new insights.

At this stage, the researchers made notes about their observations and reflections about

the interview experience or any other thoughts and comments of potential significance.

They focused on content (what is actually being discussed), language use (features such

as metaphors, symbols, repetitions, and pauses), context, and initial interpretative

comments. Some comments associated with personal reflexivity may also be generated

(e.g., how might personal characteristics of the interviewer, such as gender, age, social

status, affect the rapport with the participant). It is useful to highlight distinctive phrases

and emotional responses (Pietkiewicz & Smith, 2012).

Transforming notes into emergent themes. At this stage, the researchers

worked more with their notes, rather than with the transcript. When detailed and

comprehensive notes have been produced at an earlier stage, they reflected the source

material. The aim is to transform notes into emerging themes. The researchers aimed to

formulate a concise phrase at a slightly higher level of abstraction, which may refer to a

more psychological conceptualization. Nevertheless, this is still grounded in the

particular detail of the participant’s account. At this stage, they were inevitably

influenced by having already annotated the transcript as a whole, which is a good

example of the hermeneutic circle discussed earlier (the part is interpreted in relation to

the whole, and the whole is interpreted in relation to the part) (Pietkiewicz & Smith,

2012).

Seeking relationships and clustering themes. The next stage involved looking

for connections between emerging themes, grouping them together according to

conceptual similarities, and providing each cluster with a descriptive label. In practice, it
 100

means compiling themes for the whole transcript before looking for connections and

clusters. Some of the themes were dropped at this stage if they did not fit well with the

emerging structure, or because they had a weak evidential base. A final list comprised of

numerous superordinate themes and subthemes.

Researchers who use the traditional method of pen and paper, and write comments

and themes in the margin, probably like to end up with a list of major themes and

subthemes, and relevant short extracts from the transcript, followed by the line number,

so that it is easy to return to the transcript and check the extract in context. On the other

hand, researchers who use modern software for qualitative data administration will feel

confident with a mere list of themes and subthemes, as they can produce short

descriptions of each theme and use links to appropriate passages in the transcript

(Pietkiewicz & Smith, 2012).

Boyatzis (1998, as cited in harvard.edu, 2008) said that thematic analysis (TA) is

a process of encoding qualitative information. Thus, the researchers developed codes,

words or phrases that served as labels for sections of data. Depending on the

methodology and research questions, codes can come in many shapes and sizes.

Referring to a set of codes, Boyatzis explained that this maybe a list of themes, a complex

model with themes, indicators and qualifications that are causally related; or something in

between these two forms. Boyatzis showed how one could take a variety of approaches to

using thematic analysis (TA), and essentially get the same rigor. He also contrasted

theory-driven codes, derived from the researchers’ or other existing theories; inductive

codes, derived bottomup from the researchers’ reading of the data; and prior-research
 101

driven codes. Boyatzis argued all approaches have something to offer qualitative data

analysis.

Thematic analysis (TA) is flexible. What researchers do with the themes once they

uncover them differs based on the intentions of the research and the process of analysis.

Many researchers use thematic analysis (TA) as a way of getting close to their data and

developing some deeper appreciation of the content. Researchers interested in looking

broader patterns in their work in order to then conduct a more fine grained analysis often

use thematic analysis as a first step. Thematic analysis (TA) is not tied to any particular

epistemology or discipline (Harvard, 2008).

 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

This chapter presents the interview transcripts of the three different clusters of

participants (doer, receiver and observer) to detail their catcalling experiences. The

findings are well-reflected from the study’s statement of the problem, and should be

valued for its richness. The qualitative data are presented thematically with corresponding

superordinate themes and emerging subthemes. Moreover, all of the themes are supported

and substantiated with verbatim extracts from the participants’ transcripts to support their

inclusion.

As an initial step, the researchers provided brief information about the basic

profile of the participants of the research. The table presented below illustrates the

tabulated summary of their basic information.

Brief Profile of the Participants

Pseudonym Gender Age Occupation Home address

Doer 1 Male 21 Student Alapan I-A
Catcalling

Doer 2 Male 18 Student Carsadang Bago II

Doers of

Doer 3 Male 19 Student Bucandala III

Doer 4 Male 18 Student Bucandala III
Doer 5 Male 18 Student Alapan
Receiver 1 Female 21 Student Alapan I-A
Observers of Receivers of
Catcalling

Receiver 2 Female 20 Student Anabu II-F

Receiver 3 Female 19 Student Malagasang I-D
Receiver 4 Female 18 Student Bayan Luma
Receiver 5 Female 18 Student Anabu
Observer 1 Female 53 Housewife Alapan I-A
Catcalling

Observer 2 Female 43 Computer shop attendant Alapan I-A

Observer 3 Female 32 Avon dealer Alapan I-A
Observer 4 Male 21 Student Anabu
Observer 5 Male 19 Student Bayan Luma

The participants were approached by the researchers. Their real names were kept

to be confidential. They were asked about their personal information and were inquired if
 103

they were willing to take part in the study. The arranged time and place of convenience to

conduct the interview were based from the time of the participants.

Below is the first set of participants comprised of purposively selected males, who

admitted that they did catcalling:

Doer 1 is a 21 year-old male who lives in Barangay Alapan I-A, Imus City Cavite.

He is a fourth year college student from a well-known university in Cavite.

Doer 2 is an 18 year-old male who lives in Barangay Carsadang Bago II, Imus

City Cavite. Currently, he is a first year college student taking up degree in Information

Technology in a university in Imus City.

Doer 3 is a 19 year-old male who lives in Barangay Bucandala III, Imus City

Cavite. He is a first year college student of Information Technology in a university in

Imus City.

Doer 4 is an 18 year-old male who lives in Barangay Bucandala III, Imus City

Cavite. Presently, he is a first year college student taking up Bachelor of Science in

Information Technology in a university in Imus City.

Doer 5 is an 18 year-old male who lives in Barangay Alapan, Imus City Cavite.

He is a first year college student taking up Bachelor of Science in Information

Technology in a university in Imus City.

The second set of the participants is comprised of females who shared their catcall

experiences as a receiver:

Receiver 1 is a 21 year-old single-mother. She is currently residing in Barangay

Alapan I-A, Imus City, Cavite, together with her parents and only son. She just recently
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obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration major in Human Resource

Management on March 2017 in an international school in Bacoor City.

Receiver 2 is a 20 year-old female from Barangay Anabu II-F, Imus City, Cavite.

At the present, she is a fourth year Psychology student in a well-known university in

Cavite.

Receiver 3 is a 19 year-old female from Barangay Malagasang I-D, Imus City,

Cavite. She is a second year college student taking a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology in

a university in Imus City.

Receiver 4 is an 18 year-old female from Barangay Bayan Luma, Imus City,

Cavite. Currently, she is a second year college student taking up a Bachelor’s degree in

Psychology in a state university in Imus City.

Receiver 5 is a 21 year-old female from Barangay Alapan I-A, Imus City, Cavite.

She is a third year college student taking up Bachelor of Science in Psychology in a state

university in Imus City.

Lastly, the third set of participants consisted of purposively selected observers

who witnessed catcalling incidents:

Observer 1 is a 53 year-old female who lives in Barangay Alapan I-A, Imus City,

Cavite. She is a grandmother, a housewife, and the caretaker of her grandchildren.

Observer 2 is a 43 year-old female who lives in Barangay Alapan I-A, Imus City,

Cavite. She is a sari-sari store and computer shop owner.

Observer 3 is a 32 year-old female who lives at Barangay Alapan I-A, Imus City,

Cavite. She is known for being an Avon dealer in their place.

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Observer 4 is a 21 year-old homosexual male who lives in Barangay Anabu, Imus

City, Cavite. He is a second year college student taking up Bachelor’s degree in

Psychology in a university in Imus City, Cavite.

Observer 5 is a 19 year-old male residing in Barangay Bayan Luma, Imus City,

Cavite. He is also a second year Psychology student in a state university in Imus City,

Cavite.

Doers of Catcalling (Men)

The first set of participants in the study was comprised of purposively selected

men. On this part, the succeeding results that will be presented will uncover the

perception, feelings and ways and means of selected men as the doers of catcalling.

Perception of doers on catcalling. This study generated three superordinate

themes that show how men perceive catcalling. Generally, men perceived catcalling as a

natural tendency or inclination, as a means, and as incongruent between what they do and

how it is perceived by others.

First and foremost, the doers of catcalling were asked about their perception

toward catcalling. The selected men as doers of catcalling shared diverse ideas regarding

such act. Below is the table concerned on the perception of men toward catcalling with

supporting illustrative texts.

Table 1. Perception of men (doers) about catcalling.

SUPERORDINATE
SUBTHEME ILLUSTRATIVE TEXT
THEME

Men perceive To express “Gusto niya ‘yung isang babae ganun,

catcalling as a admiration of a paghanga.” –(Doer 2)
natural tendency woman
or inclination “Meron ‘yung sa crush namin! Halos lahat
 106

Table 1. Continued.
SUPERORDINATE
SUBTHEME ILLUSTRATIVE TEXT
THEME

naman kami may gusto ‘dun eh pag

dumadaan…” –(Doer 3)

“Pero kung sa lalaki naman, parang di

naman kasi mawawala sa lalaki yung
mangcatcall parang kadalasan kasi ang
dahilan lang nila naaattract lang...”
–(Doer 4)

“Siguro sa kin ano, isang beses kasi ginawa

ko yung kasi gusto ko yung isang tao
ganun.” – (Doer 5)

Men see To form “Ang maganda ano… makikilala mo ‘yung

catcalling as a friendship tao ano… ‘yung gusto mo, gusto mo maging
Means ganyan… magkakaroon ng bagong
kaibigan.” –(Doer 2)

“Makipag-kaibigan lang.” –(Doer 2)

“Parang ano lang siya e parang yun nga

parang pagtawag ng pansin, parang gusto
lang makapagpakilala ng ano, gumawa ng
bagong kaibigan, mga ganun...” –(Doer 4)

To find a “…naghahanap po ako na sa isang chance

girlfriend ay magkaroon, na yung babaeng kinatcall ko
eh yun pala yung magiging girlfriend ko, na
maaattract sa kin—‘naaattract ako dahil sa
pagkacatcall...” –(Doer 1)

“Maaari maka-relasyon mo pa kung saka-

sakali ‘pag sinwerte.” –(Doer 2)

“Kasi kung sakaling gusto mo talagang…

gustong-gusto mo yung babae, bale ayun
yung magiging daan para magkakilala
kayo.” -(Doer 3)
 107

Table 1. Continued.
SUPERORDINATE
SUBTHEME ILLUSTRATIVE TEXT
THEME

To be famous “…gumagawa ako ng paraan gamit yung

catcall para ano ma.... maging famous,
ganun.” –(Doer 1)

“kasi minsan yun yung parang way mo ng

pagpapasikat sa katropa” –(Doer 4)

To attract “Yung idea ko dun, about sa catcalling, yung

attention of parang nagtatawag ka o naghahanap ka ng
Women atensyon ng ibang tao, na nakikita mo, na sa
tingin mo… nakakaakit, ganun, ganun po.”
– (Doer 1)

“Sa ‘kin wala naman ahh… pagsutsot, yan

papansin lang.” –(Doer 2)

Incongruence Catcalling is rude “…‘di naman kilala, ‘yun lang para sa ‘kin,
between what yun ang nakakabastos.” –(Doer 2)
men do and how
it was perceived “Sa pangkabuohan, parang nakakabastos.”
by others –(Doer 3)

“Yung parang pambabasatos na rin... yung

darag...” –(Doer 5)

“Oo, yung parang binastos namin sya sa

term na hindi maganda. Yung parang, kasi
bago kasi e di ba? Pag bago kasi sa ‘min e
parang binabastos lang namin para makijoin
sya sa min, parang welcome trip lang namin
sa kanya ganun.”–(Doer 5)

Not their “Para sa kin hindi naman siya bastos e...

intention to be kasi di ba? Sa lalaki kasi, ang catcalling kasi
rude e parang sign sa ming mga lalaki, na
pagpapansin na parang may sinasabi kami
na gusto naming sabihin sa kanila gamit
yung catcalling... Kunyari, “Te maganda ka
‘te!” “Te ganda mo naman ngayong araw na
to.” Tapos yung ganun nga, yun maganda
rin naman.” – (Doer 5)
 108

Natural tendency or inclination. Doers’ perception that catcalling is their natural

tendency or inclination can be better explained by their need to express their admiration

of a woman.

People may wonder about doers’ intention in catcalling a woman. It was evident

from the illustrative texts shown in table 2 that when they notice an attractive woman,

they feel the need to express their admiration. It indicates how normalize catcalling as a

male’s activity/practice to express their admiration towards a woman. They find them

attractive, so they literally say what was in their mind.

Doers thought that it is something that they could not cease from themselves.

Moreover, what usually triggered them to catcall a woman is that they were just

appreciating or admiring a woman on how she carries herself.

Table 2. Men perceive catcalling as a natural tendency or inclination.

SUPERORDINATE
SUBTHEME ILLUSTRATIVE TEXT
THEME

Men perceive To express “Gusto niya ‘yung isang babae ganun,

catcalling as a admiration of a paghanga.” –(Doer 2)
natural tendency woman
or inclination “Meron ‘yung sa crush namin! Halos lahat
naman kami may gusto ‘dun eh pag
dumadaan…” –(Doer 3)

“Pero kung sa lalaki naman, parang di

naman
kasi mawawala sa lalaki yung mangcatcall
parang kadalasan kasi ang dahilan lang nila
naaattract lang...” –(Doer 4)

“Siguro sa kin ano, isang beses kasi ginawa

ko yung kasi gusto ko yung isang tao
ganun.” – (Doer 5)
 109

As established by Magtalas and Sing (2016) in their research, catcalling is usually

a man whistling, shouting, or giving remarks at a woman when seeing that they wear

something attractive. Moreover, Logan (2013) also pointed out that men commit the act

because it is already in their nature, and that they are used to it. Nevertheless, the

researchers are aiming to expose the side of men why they commit such act.

As a means. Doers tend to participate with catcalling for that they perceived that it

is a better way to seek for attention that may possibly turn into any deeper interpersonal

affiliation (intimate or companionate) with a woman, and/or to somewhat establish self as

being renowned.

The ideas of doers about practicing catcalling were revealed through the interview

made by the researchers. Most of them were sharing the same thoughts about

participating with such act. For them, catcalling is also a way to initiate friendship

towards women. Most notably, a man is interested over a woman to become part of their

group and/or if fortunately to develop deep relationship perhaps, and not necessarily to

start any discourteous act towards the receiver.

Shown in Table 3 are the means of doers on engaging with catcalling toward a

woman that is supported by extracted illustrative texts from the participants.

Table 3. Men see catcalling as a means.

SUPERORDINATE
SUBTHEME ILLUSTRATIVE TEXT
THEME

Men see To form “Ang maganda ano… makikilala mo ‘yung tao

catcalling as a friendship ano… ‘yung gusto mo, gusto mo maging
means ganyan… magkakaroon ng bagong kaibigan.”
–(Doer 2)

“Makipag-kaibigan lang.” –(Doer 2)

 110

Table 3. Continued.
SUPERORDINATE
SUBTHEME ILLUSTRATIVE TEXT
THEME

“Parang ano lang siya e parang yun nga

parang pagtawag ng pansin, parang gusto
lang makapagpakilala ng ano, gumawa ng
bagong kaibigan, mga ganun...” –(Doer 4)

To find a “…naghahanap po ako na sa isang chance ay

girlfriend magkaroon, na yung babaeng kinatcall ko eh
yun pala yung magiging girlfriend ko, na
maaattract sa kin—‘naaattract ako dahil sa
pagkacatcall...” –(Doer 1)

“Maaari maka-relasyon mo pa kung saka-

sakali ‘pag sinwerte.” –(Doer 2)

“Kasi kung sakaling gusto mo talagang…

gustong-gusto mo yung babae, bale ayun
yung magiging daan para magkakilala kayo.”
–(Doer 3)

To be famous “…gumagawa ako ng paraan gamit yung

catcall para ano ma.... maging famous,
ganun.” –(Doer 1)

“kasi minsan yun yung parang way mo ng

pagpapasikat sa katropa” –(Doer 4)

To attract “Yung idea ko dun, about sa catcalling, yung

attention of parang nagtatawag ka o naghahanap ka ng
women atensyon ng ibang tao, na nakikita mo, na sa
tingin mo… nakakaakit, ganun, ganun po.”
– (Doer 1)

“Sa ‘kin wala naman ahh… pagsutsot, yan

papansin lang.” –(Doer 2)

Men are willing to defend catcalling, not just as their right to comment on

whatever they see, but as a tactic for pursuing romantic relationships with women. A

quick scroll through #NoManEver showed men who were defending their right to engage
 111

in what women see as street harassment, or joking that it is not that big of a deal (Saxena,

2014).

The lines of reasoning presented on table 3 only show that catcalling is doers’ one

way to initiate friendship towards a stranger woman. However, for some male

participants, aside from making new friends, they also view catcalling usually as a means

to start and develop affinity with the woman they admire.

In this study, it was seen that Doer 2 and Doer 4 had the same notion about the

means of catcalling. For them, catcalling is a way of getting the attention of the receiver

to introduce themselves, and optimistically to be acquainted with the woman who they

really admire.

Furthermore, for Doer 1, he defined catcalling as a way to find a girlfriend among

the attractive women who he did not know personally. In addition, he also stated that

catcalling is also a way to get the attention of the receiver, and on that way, he could

establish self as renowned and standout among with his friends.

As incongruent between what they do and how it is perceived by others. Male

participants construed that their real motives behind catcalling is way different as how

others perceived it.

Below is the table 4 that holds illustrative texts of the doer participants wherein

the incongruence between doers’ real motives on practicing catcalling and the perception

of women as the receiver of catcall is noticeable.

 112

Table 4. Incongruence between what men do and how it is perceived by others.

SUPERORDINATE
SUBTHEME ILLUSTRATIVE TEXT
THEME

Incongruence Catcalling is “…‘di naman kilala, ‘yun lang para sa ‘kin,

between what rude yun ang nakakabastos.” –(Doer 2)
men do and how it
was perceived “Sa pangkabuohan, parang nakakabastos.”
by others –(Doer 3)

“Yung parang pambabasatos na rin... yung

darag...” –(Doer 5)

“Oo, yung parang binastos namin sya sa term

na hindi maganda. Yung parang, kasi bago
kasi e di ba? Pag bago kasi sa ‘min e parang
binabastos lang namin para makijoin sya sa
min, parang welcome trip lang namin sa
kanya ganun.”–(Doer 5)

Not their “Para sa kin hindi naman siya bastos e...

intention to be kasi di ba? Sa lalaki kasi, ang catcalling kasi
rude e parang sign sa ming mga lalaki, na
pagpapansin na parang may sinasabi kami
na gusto naming sabihin sa kanila gamit
yung catcalling... Kunyari, “Te maganda ka
‘te!” “Te ganda mo naman ngayong araw na
to.” Tapos yung ganun nga, yun maganda
rin naman.” – (Doer 5)

One of the ongoing threads of the reaction of far too many men is one of disbelief

and mockery. Over and over again, people hear men complain that “women are being too

sensitive,” or how it is “ridiculous to consider telling a woman she is pretty to be street

harassment”. Many more insisted that by not responding, the receiver of catcalling was

the one being rude and inconsiderate to people who were “just trying to be nice” (Dr.

NerdLove, 2016).

Doer 3 and Doer 5 disclosed that doers participate to catcalling with clear

intentions. Despite these, they were also aware that for some females view catcalling as a
 113

scheme of rudeness. In other words, there were misunderstandings on how men and

women comprehend the true motives of men for engaging with catcalling.

Majority of doers expound that the primary intention of men is to give

acknowledgement and/or appreciate the characteristics of a woman that they find

commendable. However, the doer participants were aware that others, especially women

misunderstood their real motives. This leads them to get negative responses from the

receivers of their praises. Nevertheless, as also specified on the male participants’

illustrative texts, for them, catcalling was not intended to disrespect the receiver. They

thought that it is their only way to appreciate the appearance of a woman, and that there

is no other way to express their appreciation but to deliver it directly toward them.

Feelings of men about catcalling. The researchers came up with two superordinate

themes that show how men feel about doing catcalling. Consequently, men experienced

pleasant feelings, and unpleasant feelings before and after they engage with catcalling as

doers.

Primarily, the male participants were asked about their feelings on their experiences

about catcalling as doers. The table below is contained of illustrative texts gathered from

the doer participants as support to the generated superordinate themes regarding the

feelings of men in doing such act.

Table 5. Feelings of men about catcalling.

SUPERORDINATE
SUBTHEME ILLUSTRATIVE TEXT
THEME

Pleasant feelings Feeling of uplifted “..yung mas nakakaattract ako ng babae,

self-esteem mas feeling ko gwapo ako.” –(Doer 1)
 114

Table 5. Continued.
SUPERORDINATE
SUBTHEME ILLUSTRATIVE TEXT
THEME

“..yung una natutuwa ako, na nakakatuwa

kasi syempre kapag kinatcalling mo, “Hi
miss” ang isang tao, pag pinansin ka nya
syempre matutuwa ka, na ‘ay! pinansin ako
ng magandang babae dahil tinawag ko na
hi’.” – (Doer 1)

“... yung dahilan ko para mapansin nya ko

kasi syempre, sexy yun tas pag nag-hi ako
tas kapag tumingin sya, parang ang feeling
ko ang pogi ko kasi dagdag ng pogi points,
yun na mapapaisip yung babae na kung
sino yung nag-hi.” –(Doer 1)

Feels excited “...parang napifeel ko na, na naeexcite ako

na masaya kasi nakucurious ako kung
papansinin nya ko o hindi.” –(Doer 1)

Feels delighted “Para sakin lang nasiyahan ako kasi yun

na nga parang pagpapapansin na rin kahit
na alam kong mali ganun... ” –(Doer 5)

“Syempre saya ko, sabi nya “Salamat”

daw e first time na may nagresponse sa kin
ng ganun e...” –(Doer 5)

Feelings of “Meron ‘yung sa crush namin! Halos lahat

admiration naman kami may gusto ‘dun eh pag
dumadaan…” –(Doer 3)

“Siguro sa kin ano, isang beses kasi

ginawa ko yung kasi gusto ko yung isang
tao ganun.”–(Doer 5)

Feeling of “…yung isang college student din na sabi e

recognition “Thank you” kasi nga sabi ko Hi ate”,
ganun tapos yun natuwa ako kasi bukod sa
maganda sya, cute sya, tas malaki dimple
nya, ayun nakakaattract yung ngiti nya....
feeling ko may gusto sya sa kin.
Hahahaha.”–(Doer 1)
 115

Table 5. Continued.
SUPERORDINATE
SUBTHEME ILLUSTRATIVE TEXT
THEME

“Sa tingin ko, naappreciate nya yung

pagkacatcall ko hindi dahil sa
nagpapansin ako, hindi rin.... di din
maigsi yung suot nya. Dahil sa tingin....
dahil sa tingin ko ahhh.... na okay yung
ano nya.... na okay yung itsura nya,na di
nya kailangan magsuot ng sexy para
macatcall sya.” –(Doer 1)

Unpleasant Feels negative “Ahhh… may pagka bastos siya… eh

feelings about self hindi mo naman kilala, bigla mo na lang
sisitsitan. Siyempre! Alanganin din!
Parang delikado rin eh. Diba, baka
isipin manyakis!”–(Doer 2)

“Ang ‘di lang maganda ‘dun, ang ibang

pagkakaintindi ng ibang tao ‘dun,
parang ano… may masama kang
intensyon sa kinakatkol mo, sa isang
babae.” –(Doer 3)

“Tingin nila parang nangtitrip lang

kami, parang nakakabastos kami,
parang ganun.” –(Doer 4)

Feels upset “Siguro ano, first time ko nasaktan

nun...” –(Doer 5)

“... kasi hindi ko naman alam na ganun

pala yung mararamdaman niya sa
ginawa ko e. Syempre hindi ko
maexplain ng maayos kasi mahirap
talaga pag ano pag nangyari sa yo
ganun...” –(Doer 5)

Feeling “…yung hindi naman magandang

insensitive medyo dulot nun e is yung minsan e
nakakasakit kami, di namin alam na
nakakasakit pala kami sa mga bagay na
ginagawa namin...” –(Doer 5)
 116

Pleasant feelings. Men’s pleasant feelings on participating with catcalling will be

better explained before and after they engaged in catcalling as doers.

It is evident in the illustrative texts indicated on table 6 that doers experienced

pleasant feelings before and after they committed catcalling. It specifies that men usually

experienced pleasant feelings before they perform catcalling, particularly when they felt

excitement and curious on what is going to be the response of the receiver, and/or when

the feeling of admiration toward the attractive receiver was present. However, pleasant

feeling is also evident after the doers commit catcalling, especially upon eliciting positive

feedback from the receiver.

Table 6. Men’s pleasant feelings about catcalling.

SUPERORDINATE
SUBTHEME ILLUSTRATIVE TEXT
THEME

Pleasant feelings Feeling of uplifted “..yung mas nakakaattract ako ng babae,

self-esteem mas feeling ko gwapo ako.” –(Doer 1)

“..yung una natutuwa ako, na nakakatuwa

kasi syempre kapag kinatcalling mo, “Hi
miss” ang isang tao, pag pinansin ka nya
syempre matutuwa ka, na ‘ay! pinansin ako
ng magandang babae dahil tinawag ko na
hi’.” – (Doer 1)

“... yung dahilan ko para mapansin nya ko

kasi syempre, sexy yun tas pag nag-hi ako
tas kapag tumingin sya, parang ang feeling
ko ang pogi ko kasi dagdag ng pogi points
yun, na mapapaisip yung babae na kung

Feels excited “...parang napifeel ko na, na naeexcite ako

na masaya kasi nakucurious ako kung
papansinin nya ko o hindi.” –(Doer 1)
 117

Table 6. Continued.
SUPERORDINATE
SUBTHEME ILLUSTRATIVE TEXT
THEME

Feels delighted “Para sakin lang nasiyahan ako kasi yun

na nga parang pagpapapansin na rin kahit
na alam kong mali ganun... ” –(Doer 5)

“Syempre saya ko, sabi nya “Salamat”

daw e first time na may nagresponse sa kin
ng ganun e...” –(Doer 5)

Feelings of “Meron ‘yung sa crush namin! Halos lahat

admiration naman kami may gusto ‘dun eh pag
dumadaan…” –(Doer 3)

“Siguro sa kin ano, isang beses kasi

ginawa ko yung kasi gusto ko yung isang
tao ganun.”–(Doer 5)

Feeling of “…yung isang college student din na sabi e

recognition “Thank you” kasi nga sabi ko Hi ate”,
ganun tapos yun natuwa ako kasi bukod sa
maganda sya, cute sya, tas malaki dimple
nya, ayun nakakaattract yung ngiti nya....
feeling ko may gusto sya sa kin.
Hahahaha.” –(Doer 1)

“Sa tingin ko, naappreciate nya yung

pagkacatcall ko hindi dahil sa nagpapansin
ako, hindi rin.... di din maigsi yung suot
nya. Dahil sa tingin.... dahil sa tingin ko
ahhh.... na okay yung ano nya.... na okay
yung itsura nya,na di nya kailangan
magsuot ng sexy para macatcall sya.”
–(Doer 1)

According to the research of Magtalas (2016), for the lone doer, eliciting a

positive response from the catcalling victim induces a positive feeling on his part as well.

The male doers will find the response of female recipient of catcalling as an achievement

because they are mainly seeking the attention of the woman (Magtalas, 2016). Moreover,

positive responses to the catcalls further encourage the males to catcall other women in
 118

the future circumstances. Males feel enjoyment and satisfaction, and affirmation that their

actions are acceptable, due to the positive response they got. This reflects how catcalling

is considered as form of entertainment for its perpetrators, who are usually males (Logan,

2013).

Doers shared that they experienced pleasant feelings when they are catcalling a

woman. Furthermore, eliciting positive responses from the receiver was the most

apparent reason among the doer participants of feeling it.

Notably, as also indicated in table 6, there is also uncommon experience shared

by Doer 1. He conveyed that the greatest feeling he experienced in doing catcalling is

that when the female he catcalled responded positively that certainly bolster his self-

esteem. Through that act, he also felt the appreciation/recognition from the female

receiver after he addressed the catcall to her. The recognition he gained from the catcall

receiver also made him think that he is attractive yet handsome enough for that he was

able to catch the attention of the receiver and be recognized.

As evident on the illustrative texts in the table, it shows that doers may experience

pleasant feelings after they participated with catcalling as doers, most probably when

they feel that their catcall is okay and welcomed by women. Moreover, through the

positive responses and attention they get from the receiver, doers tended to feel that there

is also something exemplary from their physical appearance, which for them was a good

source of boosting their self-confidence.

Unpleasant feelings. Majority of doer participants have told that they were

usually experiencing unpleasant feelings after they participated with catcalling. The
 119

unpleasant feelings they experienced usually arose when the receiver of catcall gave

negative response, which usually deterred them upon doing such act.

As shown in table 7, the unpleasant feelings were also evident among the

extracted illustrative texts from the doer participants.

Table 7. Men’s unpleasant feelings about catcalling.

SUPERORDINATE
SUBTHEME ILLUSTRATIVE TEXT
THEME

Unpleasant Feels negative “Ahhh… may pagka bastos siya… eh hindi

Feelings about self mo naman kilala, bigla mo na lang
sisitsitan. Siyempre! Alanganin din!
Parang delikado rin eh. Diba, baka isipin
manyakis!”–(Doer 2)

“Ang ‘di lang maganda ‘dun, ang ibang

pagkakaintindi ng ibang tao ‘dun, parang
ano… may masama kang intensyon sa
kinakatkol mo, sa isang babae.” –(Doer 3)

“Tingin nila parang nangtitrip lang kami,

parang nakakabastos kami, parang
ganun.” –(Doer 4)

Feels upset “Siguro ano, first time ko nasaktan nun...”

–(Doer 5)

“... kasi hindi ko naman alam na ganun

pala yung mararamdaman niya sa ginawa
ko e. Syempre hindi ko maexplain ng
maayos kasi mahirap talaga pag ano pag
nangyari sa yo ganun...” –(Doer 5)

Feeling “…yung hindi naman magandang medyo

insensitive dulot nun e is yung minsan e nakakasakit
kami, di namin alam na nakakasakit pala
kami sa mga bagay na ginagawa namin...”
–(Doer 5)
 120

Recipients of catcalling may or may not respond to the catcalls hurled at them by

the doers. The response may either be positive or negative. Eliciting a negative response

from the female victims may deter male doers from catcalling other women in the future.

According to Magtalas & Sing (2016), using expletives against the catcallers may deter

the doers from doing it again. However, doers may not only be deterred, but may also

feel a certain level of embarrassment whenever the victims responded negatively to the

catcalls. Ideally, the negative responses from female victims should deter males from

catcalling other women in future instances. While this is not always the case for females

who call out those who catcall them. Men see this as a first step towards putting a stop to

catcalling (Magtalas, 2016).

Doer 2, Doer 3, and Doer 4 shared the same thoughts. They were aware that there

is incongruence between how men and others perceive catcalling. With that, it set them

limits to participate with such act to avoid getting negative evaluation or prejudgments

from the receiver or/and others who are present in the incident of catcalling.

Nevertheless, it only shows that doers’ negative feelings about self, which generated

from how male perceived negative evaluation from others affected their actions from

committing with catcalling.

Doer 5 felt upset from the unexpected reaction expressed by the receiver of his

praises. On that moment, he understood where that response of the receiver was coming

from, for he felt like he disrespected a woman. Nonetheless, it only elucidates that there

are also tendencies that when men elicited cheerless response from the receiver of

catcalling, it will induce an upsetting feeling on his part as well.

 121

The drawback of catcalling is when a man is unconsciously provoking the

woman. It was also experienced by Doer 5 as indicated on Table 7, with which the

feeling of insensitive towards the receiver is evident. When it comes to the negative

responses of the receiver of catcalling, the doers somehow felt bad, and even realized that

their action was way too insensitive to the feelings of females.

Ways and means of men for doing catcalling. The researchers also generated

three superordinate themes from the doers that illustrate the ways and means of men for

doing catcalling. Generally, men did catcalling in varying ways and means, with purpose,

and even selecting who to catcall.

First and foremost, the selected doer participants were asked about their

experiences about catcalling a woman. The doers shared various schemes on committing

such act, which was based from their actual catcalling experiences. Below is the table

concerned on the ways and means of men with supporting illustrative texts.

Table 8. Ways and means of men for doing catcalling.

SUPERORDINATE
SUBTHEME ILLUSTRATIVE TEXT
THEME

Ways and means Catcalling with “Oo, ‘tas dumaan siya. ‘Tas lahat sabay-
of men peers sabay kami. Ayun ng “Hi! Miss!””
–(Doer 3)

“Mga barkada, mga classmate, ganun.”

–(Doer 5)

Public places “Sa mga... pampublikong lugar katulad

ng... ng mall.” – (Doer 1)

“Sa school kadalasan. Kadalasan, sa mga

mall…” - (Doer 4)
 122

Table 8. Continued.
SUPERORDINATE
SUBTHEME ILLUSTRATIVE TEXT
THEME

Avoiding “…diri-diretso na ko pagka-hi miss ko kasi

troubles parang medyo kinabahan ako baka kasi
magsumbong or biglang sumigaw o lapitan
ako at sampalin ako, yung mga ganung
bagay.” –(Doer 1)

“…sakaling baka meron palang boyfriend

yung kinakatkol, ‘tas nagsumbong. Baka
mapahamak pa.” –(Doer 3)

Men do catcalling For “Kasi minsan parang nantitrip lang, yung

with purpose entertainment parang may gustong gawing masama yung
iba.” –(Doer 4)

“…may bago kasi kaming classmate nun, e

private kasi yun, tapos parang sa private
kasi, pagtitripan talaga namin pag may
bago kaming kaklase. Ginagawa namin,
pinagtitripan namin tulad nung ano
sasabihan namin ng “Te anong pangalan
mo ‘te? Bago ka dito di ba? Bago kang
salta? Anong pangalan mo?” ganun...”
–(Doer 5)

“Sa ‘kin kasi nagkacatcall lang ako kasi

para maging masaya lang ako para trip ko
lang sa sarili ko, kasi ganun ako mag-ano
e... sa bahay wala, malungkot sa bahay... tas
parang ginagawa ko yun para sa sarili ko,
para sumaya ako kahit paminsan-minsan
lang... ” –(Doer 5)

Selecting who to Physical “..yung itsura ng babaeng kinacatcall ko

catcall appearance madalas... sexy, maputi... Kadalasan naman
sa ting mga lalaki, hindi mawawala yan na
tinitignan talaga yung hinarahap, bukod dun,
yung… yung porma ng katawan. Kasi mas
maattaract talaga sa mga lalaki katulad ko na
pag nakakakita ako ng babaeng sexy, maputi,
 123

Table 8. Continued.
SUPERORDINATE
SUBTHEME ILLUSTRATIVE TEXT
THEME

tas yung straight yung buhok. Wala. Wala na

kong paki dun sa makeup. Ang importante sa
kin, yung pisikal, yung hugis ng shape ng
katawan.” –(Doer 1)

“Kasi minsan nararamdaman ko yung aura ng

babae nakakaattract kasi nga dahil sa... dahil
sa natural nyang itsura kahit hindi sya
nakase... nakamaiksing suot.” –(Doer 1)

“Ano lang, ahm, simple, medyo mahaba

buhok, tapos yung simple lang, walang arte
yung tipong di gaanong... di marunong
magmake-up ganun. Yung magaganda pa rin
kahit walang make-up. Yung simple lang kahit
maganda pa rin sya kahit nakapantalon kahit
nakaporma, maganda pa rin parang ganun...”
–(Doer 4)

“Yung babae? Matangkad, payat, maputi,

maganda, matangos yung ilong, kagandahan
yung mata, mahaba yung pilik-mata, sakto
lang, maganda...” –(Doer 5)

Clothing “Ay… yung napapansin ko po na, na

napapansin ka ng ibang tao dahil… dahil sa
suot mo, na nakakaattract ka dahil lang sa
suot.” –(Doer 1)

“…para hindi sila makaranas ng

pangkacatcall kapag lalabas sila sa bahay
nila or sa school, uhm dapat magbihis na lang
sila ng disente na hindi takaw atensyon sa...
sa mga lalaking mahilig magpapansin, bukod
dun, yung... yung pagsususot ng maayos. Isa
rin yun na... simbolo ng pagiging maginoong
babae.” –(Doer 1)

Ways and means of men. There were exemptions, boundaries and preferences on

catcalling, as experienced of some male participants in practicing catcalling that were

 124

being disclosed and explained in this study. The doer participants detailed their schemes

on catcalling as indicated on table 9.

Table 9. General catcalling practices of men

SUPERORDINATE
SUBTHEMES ILLUSTRATIVE TEXT
THEMES

Ways and means Catcalling with “Oo, ‘tas dumaan siya. ‘Tas lahat sabay-
of men peers sabay kami. Ayun ng “Hi! Miss!”” –(Doer 3)

“Mga barkada, mga classmate, ganun.”

–(Doer 5)

Public places “Sa mga... pampublikong lugar katulad ng...

ng mall.” – (Doer 1)

“Sa school kadalasan. Kadalasan, sa mga

mall…” - (Doer 4)

Avoiding “…diri-diretso na ko pagka-hi miss ko kasi

troubles parang medyo kinabahan ako baka kasi
magsumbong or biglang sumigaw o lapitan
ako at sampalin ako, yung mga ganung
bagay.” –(Doer 1)

“…sakaling baka meron palang boyfriend

yung kinakatkol, ‘tas nagsumbong. Baka
mapahamak pa.” –(Doer 3)

The catcalling that men have either witnesses or committed ranged from

whistling, shouting, non-evaluative and evaluative comments alike, and asking for the

woman’s contact numbers. These catcalling incidents occurred in public places and were

usually committed by males whenever they were with their peers. Even if catcalling is

considered irrational, some men still do it for the sake of entertainment and for getting

the attention of female receiver, who are usually physically attractive (Magtalas, 2016).

The catcalling incidents witnessed and participated by the doer participants

illustrate how prevalent catcalling is; that it occurs in public spaces like streets and
 125

sidewalks (Stop Street Harassment, 2014); and the prevalence of whistles, sexist and

evaluative comments as the common forms of catcalling hurled at women (SSH, 2014).

Logan (2013) suggested that catcalling happens whenever males are with their

peers or members of their social circles, and this is indicated in the instances that males

have witnessed in various public spaces. The decision of some men not to engage in

catcalling may be attributed to their upbringing that runs contrary to what the patriarchal

society instills on men – that they are dominant over women (Lord, 2009).

To some extent, there were some male participants who admitted that they were

only participating in catcalling if they were accompanied by their peers. As indicated in

the table 9, Doer 3 and Doer 5 uncovered that they preferred to commit catcalling

whenever they were accompanied by their friends and/or classmates. Moreover, it

illustrates that the doers may possibly commit catcalling when they are in groups rather

than when they are alone.

Both Doer 1 and Doer 4 unveiled that usually they participated in catcalling in

some public places such as at malls or in school. Doer 1 and Doer 3’s statements show

that their subsequent actions were depending on how the receiver of catcalling responds.

Moreover, the doer informants tended to become passive as they received negative

responses from women, for them to avoid further troubles.

Men do catcalling with purpose. Some doer participants construed that they were

committing catcalling to entertain themselves. It was also detailed in table 10 that men

tend to catcall a woman to make entertainment as it was also supported by the illustrative

texts provided below.

 126

Table 10. Men do catcalling with purpose.

SUPERORDINATE
SUBTHEME ILLUSTRATIVE TEXT
THEME
Men do For entertainment “Kasi minsan parang nantitrip lang, yung
catcalling with parang may gustong gawing masama yung
purpose iba.” –(Doer 4)

“…may bago kasi kaming classmate nun, e

private kasi yun, tapos parang sa private
kasi, pagtitripan talaga namin pag may bago
kaming kaklase. Ginagawa namin,
pinagtitripan namin tulad nung ano
sasabihan namin ng “Te anong pangalan mo
‘te? Bago ka dito di ba? Bago kang salta?
Anong pangalan mo?” ganun...” –(Doer 5)

“Sa ‘kin kasi nagkacatcall lang ako kasi para

maging masaya lang ako para trip ko lang sa
sarili ko, kasi ganun ako mag-ano e... sa
bahay wala, malungkot sa bahay... tas
parang ginagawa ko yun para sa sarili ko,
para sumaya ako kahit paminsan-minsan
lang... ” –(Doer 5)

Positive responses to the catcalls further encourage males to catcall other women

in the future circumstances. Males feel enjoyment and satisfaction, and affirmation that

their actions are acceptable, due to the positive response they get. A negative response

may either deter the male doers from committing catcalling in the future or it can simply

be brushed aside and may even be used as a motivation to heighten their catcalling

practices. This reflects how catcalling is considered as form of entertainment for its

perpetrators, who are usually males (Logan, 2013).

At some point, Doer 5 and Doer 4 shared the same notion concerning with the

purpose of catcalling. They exemplified that men usually participate with catcalling

because they see it as a way of getting the attention of the attractive woman for the sake

of entertaining themselves.
 127

Selecting who to catcall. Some doer participants thought that catcalling happens

in modern-day society because of the appearance of the female receivers. The appearance

may refer to the physical attributes (e.g. beautiful face, attractive body shape) which they

disclosed that it becomes a determining factor for them to participate with such act.

Furthermore, table 11 is comprised with illustrative texts from male participants,

which shows that men engaging in catcalling may become selective, subjective to the

females’ physical attributions.

Table 11. Men select who to catcall.

SUPERORDINATE
SUBTHEME ILLUSTRATIVE TEXT
THEME

Selecting who to Physical “..yung itsura ng babaeng kinacatcall ko

catcall appearance madalas... sexy, maputi... Kadalasan naman
sa ting mga lalaki, hindi mawawala yan na
tinitignan talaga yung hinarahap, bukod dun,
yung… yung porma ng katawan. Kasi mas

maattaract talaga sa mga lalaki katulad ko na

pag nakakakita ako ng babaeng sexy, maputi,
tas yung straight yung buhok. Wala. Wala na
kong paki dun sa makeup. Ang importante sa
kin, yung pisikal, yung hugis ng shape ng
katawan.” –(Doer 1)

“Kasi minsan nararamdaman ko yung aura ng

babae nakakaattract kasi nga dahil sa... dahil
sa natural nyang itsura kahit hindi sya
nakase... nakamaiksing suot.” –(Doer 1)

“Ano lang, ahm, simple, medyo mahaba

buhok, tapos yung simple lang, walang arte
yung tipong di gaanong... di marunong
magmake-up ganun. Yung magaganda pa rin
 128

Table 11. Continued.

SUPERORDINATE
SUBTHEME ILLUSTRATIVE TEXT
THEME

kahit walang make-up. Yung simple lang kahit

maganda pa rin sya kahit nakapantalon kahit
nakaporma, maganda pa rin parang ganun...”
–(Doer 4)

“Yung babae? Matangkad, payat, maputi,

maganda, matangos yung ilong, kagandahan
yung mata, mahaba yung pilik-mata, sakto
lang, maganda...” –(Doer 5)

Clothing “Ay… yung napapansin ko po na, na

napapansin ka ng ibang tao dahil… dahil sa
suot mo, na nakakaattract ka dahil lang sa
suot.” –(Doer 1)

“…para hindi sila makaranas ng

pangkacatcall kapag lalabas sila sa bahay
nila or sa school, uhm dapat magbihis na lang
sila ng disente na hindi takaw atensyon sa...
sa mga lalaking mahilig magpapansin, bukod
dun, yung... yung pagsususot ng maayos. Isa
rin yun na... simbolo ng pagiging maginoong
babae.” –(Doer 1)

Earlier literature (Fitzgerald, 1996, as cited by Magtalas & Sing, 2016) indicated

that women get catcalled mainly because of the kind of clothes they wear. Such assertion

remains true, but it is not the only consideration men think about on who they will catcall

or not. Males seem not to have any concept of contentment and full satisfaction. They

ought to catcall females who do not wear revealing or provocative clothing, but also

those who have physical features that men find attractive, such as beautiful face and sexy

body. A female’s attractive physical features and her manner of dressing may stand alone

as factors on whether perpetrators will catcall them or not. Moreover, it is quite ironic for

men to acknowledge that people have the right to freely choose whatever they want to
 129

wear or express. They think that women get catcalled because of their manner of

clothing, especially in public places. Additionally, based on the findings of Magtalas and

Sing (2016), male doers felt enjoyment and fun as they committed acts of catcalling in

groups. They thought that the experience is only a part of the whole adventure of going

out with friends (Magtalas & Sing, 2016).

According to Doer 1, Doer 4 and Doer 5, they saw woman’s physical appearance

as a determining factor on committing with such act. Remarkably, for Doer 1, men easily

get attracted with women’s outlook predominantly with their smooth skin, sexy body and

attractive hair.

Doer 1 also shared that revealing or provocative clothing is also one factor for

female to get unsolicited remarks and/or comments from a stranger man.

Receivers of Catcalling (Women)

The second set of participants in the study is comprised of purposively selected

women. On this part, the succeeding results presented uncovers the perception, feelings

and responses of selected women as the receivers of catcalling.

Perception of receivers on catcalling. This study generated four superordinate

themes that show how women perceive catcalling. Generally, women perceived

catcalling as men seeking attention, as objectification, as a natural tendency of men, and

as disrespectful/rude.

First and foremost, the receivers of catcalling were asked about their perception

toward catcalling. The selected women as receivers of catcalling shared diverse ideas

regarding such act. Below is the table that is concerned on the perception of women

toward catcalling with its supporting illustrative texts.

 130

Table 12. Perception of women (receivers) about catcalling.

SUPERORDINATE
SUBTHEME ILLUSTRATIVE TEXT
THEME

Women perceive Giving “…pagtawag sa mga babae ng mga kung

catcalling as men Remarks ano-ano, para maagaw ‘yung atensyon
seeking attention nila.” –(Receiver 1)

Whistling/ “Yun yung pagsisitsit nga sa aming mga

hissing babae...” –(Receiver 5)

Women perceive Object for “Kase mostly mga babae, hindi mawawala
catcalling as entertainment sa’tin ‘yan, na pinagkakatuwaan tayo ng
Objectification mga lalaki. Kasi alam mo naman ang mga
isip ng mga lalaki diba?” –(Receiver 1)

Object for “Hmmm. Siguro ano wala lang… hindi ko

sexual Desire alam, siguro may past din sila na ano, or
sobrang malibog lang talaga sila ganun.
Hindi ko rin alam kung bakit. Yun meron
din siguro kulang din sila sa pansin.”
–(Receiver 1)

“Ano… sabihin na natin na ano sila mas…

liberated sila sa ’tin diba? Kasi kung ano-
ano tumatakbo sa pag-iisip nila eh. Lalo na
kapag naka short tayo, mas maiikling
damit, ganyan.” –(Receiver 1)

Women perceive Catcalling is “Siguro ano, hindi ko naman masasabing

catcalling as a Unstoppable itigil nila yon kasi hindi naman talaga
natural tendency matitigil’ yon.” –(Receiver 4)
of men

Catcalling is “…‘di naman mawawala sa ano natin ‘yun

evident eh… sa society.” –(Receiver 1)

Most women Degrading “..yung dignity namin parang gumaganun

perceive kami pag everytime na gagawin yun sa min
catcalling as at pag nakakarining kami parang
disrespectful/ halimbawa mararamdaman mo.”
Rude –(Receiver 3)

“..iyon yung way na parang nabaviolate

ako as a woman..” –(Receiver 4)
 131

Table 12. Continued.

SUPERORDINATE
SUBTHEME ILLUSTRATIVE TEXT
THEME

Inappropriate “Ano po, parang hindi sya appropriate kung

tas gagawin pa sya sa street, parang di sya
appropriate tapos girl pa yung ikacatcall...”
–(Receiver 3)

“Pag (agghhh) ganun talaga ang bastos.

Parang di siya appropriate para sa isang
lalaki o babae na magcatcall.”
–(Receiver 3)

Violation of “…hindi ko naman sila personal na kilala

personal space pero parang nakakabastos yung dating
and privacy kapag ginagawa nila yun.” –(Receiver 4)

“Bastos sya kasi wala naman akong

ginagawa as in, yun nga naka disente akong
damit tapos yung thought na wala ka
namang ginagawa…” –(Receiver 4)

“Kasi di ba dadaan ka lang, I mean (hmm)

dadaan ka lang naman tas biglang may
gaganun..” –(Receiver 5)

Catcalling is not “…kasi lahat naman tayo nagagandahan,

a compliment nagagwapuhan pero hindi yung way na
babastusin mo yung isang tao para lang
maparating yung thought mo na ano, yung
nga, may quality ka na gusto sa kanya or
ganun.” –(Receiver 4)

Women’s Physical “Siguro nagagandahan sila, ganyan. Ayun

perception of attractiveness lang, ‘di ko na alam.” –(Receiver 1)
men’s reason for “Sakin sa tingin ko lang, pero tingin ko lang
catcalling ah… syempre ang maganda sa mga Pilipino
ay maputi, syempre eh maputi ako,
tatawagin nila ako.” –(Receiver 3)

Clothing is not a “Kahit, kahit maayos yung suot mo, hindi

basis for kabastos-bastos, pag may nakita lang
catcalling silang isang bagay na tingin nila is ano,
nakikita nilang kabastos-bastos, yun
tatawagin ka nila.” –(Receiver 3)
 132
[

Table 12. Continued.

SUPERORDINATE
SUBTHEME ILLUSTRATIVE TEXT
THEME

“…nakauniform naman ako nun. So, decent

naman sya. Alam naman na estudyante
ako, so hindi naman yun, sa palagay ko
nagbibigay ng trigger para magkaroon sila
ng ideas na, yung nga, nakakabastos.”
–(Receiver 4)

“...minsan naman kapag may mga

nakashort naman dyan, di naman nila
ginagawa sa iba..” –(Receiver 5)

Men seeking attention. The first superordinate theme shows how women

perceived catcalling as men seeking attention. According to them, men sought attention

using two different ways, giving remarks and whistling/hissing.

Table 13. Women perceive catcalling as men seeking attention.

SUPERORDINATE
SUBTHEME ILLUSTRATIVE TEXT
THEME

Women perceive Giving remarks “…pagtawag sa mga babae ng mga kung

catcalling as men ano-ano, para maagaw ‘yung atensyon
seeking attention nila.” –(Receiver 1)

Whistling/hissing “Yun yung pagsisitsit nga sa aming mga

babae...” –(Receiver 5)

For women, they perceived that catcalling was used by men to seek attention.

While they were in public places, women usually received remarks from unknown

individual to catch their attention. Women also perceived catcalling as men

whistling/hissing women. According to the study, catcalling is an act that commonly a

male person getting the attention of a certain person, generally an attractive female
 133

person, and this can be expressed through whistling, compliments or in any gestural

behavior (nobullying.com, 2015).

Magtalas and Sing (2015) stated that male informants think that catcalling refers

to any of the following acts to sexy and/or beautiful women: whistling, hissing, shouting

(vulgar) remarks, and even winking. Moreover, most of them think that these acts are

rude. In congruence to the women (receivers), they confirmed that they received remarks

from men.

Catcalling is when unsolicited attention is drawn to someone by an outside party

by whistling or making inappropriate comments in response to sexual attraction to the

receiver giver's (Inglis, 2015). The participants perceived that they received unsolicited

attention from men in the form of catcalls.

Catcalling as Objectification. The second superordinate theme shows how women

perceive catcalling as a form of objectification. For them, they were used by men for

entertainment and object for sexual desire. It appears that they were not recognized as an

individual with feelings and dignity that men needed to consider.

Table 14. Women perceive catcalling as objectification.

SUPERORDINATE
SUBTHEME ILLUSTRATIVE TEXT
THEME

Women perceive Object for “Kase mostly mga babae, hindi mawawala
catcalling as entertainment sa’tin ‘yan, na pinagkakatuwaan tayo ng
objectification mga lalaki. Kasi alam mo naman ang mga
isip ng mga lalaki diba?” –(Receiver 1)

Object for sexual “Hmmm. Siguro ano wala lang… hindi ko

Desire alam, siguro may past din sila na ano, or
sobrang malibog lang talaga sila ganun.
Hindi ko rin alam kung bakit. Yun meron
din siguro kulang din sila sa pansin.”
–(Receiver 1)
 134

Table 14. Continued.

SUPERORDINATE
SUBTHEME ILLUSTRATIVE TEXT
THEME

Ano… sabihin na natin na ano sila mas…

liberated sila sa ’tin diba? Kasi kung ano-
ano tumatakbo sa pag-iisip nila eh. Lalo na
kapag naka short tayo, mas maiikling damit,
ganyan.” –(Receiver 1)

Sexual objectification is a clear component of both sexual harassment and

stranger harassment. In both cases, women are treated as objects to be looked at and

touched, and not as intelligent human beings. The main tenet of objectification theory

(Frederickson & Roberts, 1997, as mentioned by Fairchild, 2008) is that the human body

is not merely a biological system, but that “bodies exist within social and cultural

contexts, and hence are also constructed through socio-cultural practices and discourses”.

Another study stated that women were targeted for sexually objectifying treatment in

their day-to-day lives more often than men were (Calogero, 2012).

First, the encompassing subtheme is women as object for entertainment. They

thought that men did catcalling especially for entertainment, where they were the object

or means. They also claimed that men did it because of boredom or they had nothing to

do in their lives.

Another encompassing subtheme is women as object for sexual desire. They

thought they were maliciously imagined by men as evident in giving remarks about their

physical appearance.

Catcalling as a natural tendency of men. For women, they also perceived

catcalling as a natural tendency of men. It showed that women believed that catcalling

was innate to men. For them, it is unstoppable and evident in today’s society.
 135

Table 15. Women perceive catcalling as a natural tendency of men.

SUPERORDINATE
SUBTHEME ILLUSTRATIVE TEXT
THEME

Women perceive Catcalling is “Siguro ano, hindi ko naman masasabing

catcalling as a unstoppable itigil nila yon kasi hindi naman talaga
natural tendency matitigil’ yon.” –(Receiver 4)
of men

Catcalling is “…‘di naman mawawala sa ano natin ‘yun

evident eh… sa society.” –(Receiver 1)

While the act of catcalling and street harassment has become normalized, it does

not mean it has to continue, Woo (2015) argued. As for the women of this study, they

perceived catcalling as a natural tendency of men, which raised ideas that catcalling is

unstoppable and that it is evident in society.

Women thought that they had no control about being catcalled because it was

unstoppable. For them, men would not stop catcalling women.

Receiver 1 said that catcalling is evident in society. Another implication is that

catcalling is a phenomenon, and that it is not an uncommon experience in their life.

Disrespectful/Rude. It also appears that most women perceive catcalling as

disrespectful/rude. For women, men doing catcalling show signs of disrespect and

rudeness towards them. For women, catcalling was degrading, inappropriate, violation of

personal space and privacy, and it was not a compliment in contrast to what men were

saying.
 136

Table 16. Most women perceive catcalling as disrespectful/ rude.

SUPERORDINATE
SUBTHEME ILLUSTRATIVE TEXT
THEME

Most women Degrading “..yung dignity namin parang gumaganun

Perceive kami pag everytime na gagawin yun sa min
catcalling as at pag nakakarining kami parang
disrespectful/ halimbawa mararamdaman mo.”
Rude –(Receiver 3)

“..iyon yung way na parang nabaviolate

ako as a woman..” –(Receiver 4)

Inappropriate “Ano po, parang hindi sya appropriate kung

tas gagawin pa sya sa street, parang di sya
appropriate tapos girl pa yung ikacatcall...”
–(Receiver 3)

“Pag (agghhh) ganun talaga ang bastos.

Parang di siya appropriate para sa isang
lalaki o babae na magcatcall.”
–(Receiver 3)

Violation of “…hindi ko naman sila personal na kilala

personal space pero parang nakakabastos yung dating
and privacy kapag ginagawa nila yun.” –(Receiver 4)

“Bastos sya kasi wala naman akong

ginagawa as in, yun nga naka disente akong
damit tapos yung thought na wala ka
namang ginagawa…” –(Receiver 4)

“Kasi di ba dadaan ka lang, I mean (hmm)

dadaan ka lang naman tas biglang may
gaganun..” –(Receiver 5)

Catcalling is not “…kasi lahat naman tayo nagagandahan,

a compliment nagagwapuhan pero hindi yung way na
babastusin mo yung isang tao para lang
maparating yung thought mo na ano, yung
nga, may quality ka na gusto sa kanya or
ganun.” –(Receiver 4)
 137

Most women of this study perceived catcalling as disrespectful or rude. In relation

to the study by Magtalas and Sing (2015), they stated that none of the female participants

said that catcalling is rational, nearly because it is a disrespectful act towards women.

Also, most of the male participants thought that catcalling was rude and disrespectful to

women. This shows that men and women have the same view about catcalling as being

disrespectful and rude.

Some women said that they were being degraded everytime they were being

catcalled. Their dignity as a woman was not considered by men when doing catcalls.

Women also thought that it was inappropriate for men to catcall them.

For Receiver 4 and Receiver 5, men who catcalled women were violating their

personal space and privacy. Especially the fact that they do not know each other, women

thought that men had no valid reason to approach them, specifically to catcall them.

Since women view catcalling as disrespectful and rude, it is also not a compliment

for them. Receiver 4 for believed that all of them could appreciate and admire others but

it should not be into the extent of being rude.

Men’s reason for catcalling. Women believed that men had reasons for doing

catcalls. In accordance to their experiences, they thought that it is because men see their

physical attractiveness and for them, clothing is not a determining factor for being

catcalled.
 138

Table 17. Women’s perception of men’s reason for catcalling.

SUPERORDINATE
SUBTHEME ILLUSTRATIVE TEXT
THEME

Women’s Physical “Siguro nagagandahan sila, ganyan. Ayun

perception of attractiveness lang, ‘di ko na alam.” –(Receiver 1)
men’s reason for “Sakin sa tingin ko lang, pero tingin ko lang
Catcalling ah… syempre ang maganda sa mga Pilipino
ay maputi, syempre eh maputi ako,
tatawagin nila ako.” –(Receiver 3)

Clothing is not a “Kahit, kahit maayos yung suot mo, hindi

basis for kabastos-bastos, pag may nakita lang
catcalling
silang isang bagay na tingin nila is ano,
nakikita nilang kabastos-bastos, yun
tatawagin ka nila.” –(Receiver 3)

“…nakauniform naman ako nun. So, decent

naman sya. Alam naman na estudyante
ako, so hindi naman yun, sa palagay ko
nagbibigay ng trigger para magkaroon sila
ng ideas na, yung nga, nakakabastos.”
–(Receiver 4)

“...minsan naman kapag may mga

nakashort naman dyan, di naman nila
ginagawa sa iba..” –(Receiver 5)

Women perceived that men’s reason for catcalling is physical attractiveness. They

thought that men catcalled women because of appreciating their looks, especially those

women who had beautiful face and white skin. Jeff (2013) stated that men have always

been in the business of getting women’s attention. A man, from a traditional point of

view, would also feel that it is his obligation to recognize a woman when she has made an

effort to look good. He thinks that if he does not whistle at her, she might be disappointed

but not every time he whistles is because he wants to jump in to bed with her. It could

simply be because he feels obligated to acknowledge her for her physical appearance
 139

(Eastwood, 2015). In addition, Gomez (2012) and Baxter (2013) said that one of the

reasons why men harass or catcall women is to express their attraction.

Unlike what men perceive about the reasons why they catcall women, it appears

that women think that their clothing is not the basis of men for catcalling them. They

claimed that at the time that they were catcalled by men, they were wearing decent dress.

For Receiver 3, she thought that men still disrespected and showed rudeness to

women everytime they felt it even though women were dressed decently.

Based from the experience of Receiver 4, she was catcalled by men along the

street while she was wearing a school uniform. She thought that her dress did not trigger

men to have an idea in catcalling her. For Receiver 5, wearing short pants was not a basis

for men to catcall women.

Feelings of receivers on catcalling. This study generated two superordinate

themes that show how women feel about being catcalled. Generally, most women had

unpleasant feelings about being catcalled, and some women had pleasant feelings about

being catcalled.

First and foremost, the receivers of catcalling were asked about their feelings

toward catcalling. The selected women as receivers of catcalling shared diverse ideas

regarding such act. Below is the table that is concerned about the feelings of women

toward catcalling, with its supporting illustrative texts.

Table 18. Feelings of women (receivers) about being catcalled.

SUPERORDINATE
SUBTHEME ILLUSTRATIVE TEXT
THEME

Unpleasant Annoyed “Ano nakaka-inis kasi hindi mo naman ine-

feelings expect na may ‘ganyang pangyayari na
hindi sinasadya.” –(Receiver 1)
 140

Table 18. Continued.

SUPERORDINATE
THEME SUBTHEME ILLUSTRATIVE TEXT

“Syempre nagalit ako, pero yung nga, hindi

ko nalang pinansin para hindi nalang ako
lalong mainis. Kasi pag inisip ko pa sya
lalo, maiirita lang ako.” –(Receiver 4)

“Parang sarap nila suntukin.”

–(Receiver 5)

Nervous “Tapos yun kinabahan kasi yung bestfriend

ko kinakausap pa rin nila ng kinakausap
kaya mas lalo akong kinabahan baka kasi
syempre pag kinuha sya, kasabay ako..”
– (Receiver 2)

Afflicting “Yung first time na nakarinig din talaga

ako siguro masakit sa puso…”
–(Receiver 3)

Scared “…kapag nakakakita ako ng mga lalaki na

karamihan yung mga parang
nagkukumpulan na mga lalaki, natatakot
ako, so ako nalang yung lumalayo.”

Pleasant feeling Flattering “Hmm, so ano… pwede rin naman ano

maassure ko na eto maganda ako sa
paningin ng iba.” –(Receiver 4)

Unpleasant feelings. Majority of the (receivers) told that they experienced

unpleasant feelings about being catcalled. Acts of men made them feel annoyed, nervous,

afflicted, and scared.

Table 19. Women’s (receivers) unpleasant feelings about being catcalled.

SUPERORDINATE
SUBTHEME ILLUSTRATIVE TEXT
THEME

Unpleasant Annoyed “Ano nakaka-inis kasi hindi mo naman ine-

Feelings expect na may ‘ganyang pangyayari na
hindi sinasadya.” –(Receiver 1)
 141

Table 19. Continued.

SUPERORDINATE
SUBTHEME ILLUSTRATIVE TEXT
THEME

“Syempre nagalit ako, pero yung nga, hindi

ko nalang pinansin para hindi nalang ako
lalong mainis. Kasi pag inisip ko pa sya
lalo, maiirita lang ako.” –(Receiver 4)

“Parang sarap nila suntukin.”

–(Receiver 5)

Nervous “Tapos yun kinabahan kasi yung bestfriend

ko kinakausap pa rin nila ng kinakausap
kaya mas lalo akong kinabahan baka kasi
syempre pag kinuha sya, kasabay ako..”
– (Receiver 2)

Afflicting “Yung first time na nakarinig din talaga

ako siguro masakit sa puso…”
–(Receiver 3)

Scared “…kapag nakakakita ako ng mga lalaki na

karamihan yung mga parang
nagkukumpulan na mga lalaki, natatakot
ako, so ako nalang yung lumalayo.”
–(Receiver 4)

Some psychologists and other researchers stated that rudeness does more than just

make life unpleasant. It also has an impact on one’s concentration and well-being (Clay,

2013). Kvas (2014) also posted in Elite Daily multitude of perplexing feelings when

catcalling happens. This comprises of feelings of confusion, anger, fear, embarrassment,

and being unsure of how to react in such circumstances. According to Bowles (2015 as

cited by Winter, 2015), harassment by strangers makes women feel less safe and more

scared than harassment by a known individual at work or at home. Lastly, catcalling is

intimidation that makes women feel unsafe (Rottman, 2015, as cited in Scholastic Inc.,

2015).
 142

In this study, it is evident that women had unpleasant feeling about being

catcalled. They usually felt annoyed, nervous, afflicted, and scared about being catcalled

by men.

Receiver 1 and Receiver 4 felt annoyed after being catcalled by men. Receiver 1

felt that way because she was not expecting anybody to do that to her. While Receiver 5

was annoyed and became angry after receiving remarks from unknown individual

unexpectedly.

Receiver 2 felt unpleasant by being nervous while catcalled by men. She said that

she felt that way because of the fear that those men may took her together with her

cousin. She was not alone when she was catcalled.

For Receiver 3, being catcalled or receiving unexpected remarks especially in an

inappropriate way is afflicting to self. She was hurt emotionally after being catcalled for

the first time.

Lastly, Receiver 4 felt scared after being catcalled. She stated that every time she

walked along the street and went to cross a group of men, she kept on making her

distance with them to avoid being catcalled for another time.

Pleasant feelings. However, while majority of receivers had unpleasant feelings

about being catcalled, there were still some instances that receivers experienced pleasant

feeling about being catcalled. It shows that women sometimes felt positively about being

catcalled especially by being flattered due to men’s appreciation of their physical

appearance.
 143

Table 20. Women’s (receivers) pleasant feeling about being catcalled.

SUPERORDINATE
SUBTHEME ILLUSTRATIVE TEXT
THEME

Pleasant feeling Flattering “Hmm, so ano… pwede rin naman ano

maassure ko na eto maganda ako sa
paningin ng iba.” –(Receiver 4)

Most of the women (receivers) felt unpleasantly after being catcalled because they

thought that it was disrespectful/ rude. However, there was one receiver who felt

pleasantly after being catcalled. For Receiver 4, receiving catcalls from men was

flattering. The studies of Rudman (2010) showed that hence, a woman who is catcalled

by a good looking man is in general more flattered than offended when he whistles after

her. However, Receiver 4 did not indicate the looks of the man who catcalled her. In

addition, the typical romanticized traditional woman Gardner (1995, as cited by

Eastwood, 2015) interviewed said that she was flattered and found something quite erotic

about being catcalled. In consonance with Gardner (1995, as mentioned by Eastwood,

2015), Fairchild and Rudman (2008) found that there are some women who sometimes

enjoy the extra attention. These women could consider the whistles and leering as

something flattering,

Responses of receivers to catcalling. This study generated two superordinate

themes that shows how women response to catcalling. Generally, most women respond

passively to catcalling, and some women respond actively to catcalling.

First and foremost, the receivers of catcalling were asked about their responses to

catcalling. The selected women as receivers of catcalling shared diverse ideas regarding

such act. Below is the table that is concerned on the responses of women to catcalling

with its supporting illustrative texts.

 144

Table 21. Responses of women (receivers) to catcalling.

SUPERORDINATE
SUBTHEME ILLUSTRATIVE TEXT
THEME

Active responses Glaring “Tinignan ko sila ng masama. Ayaw ko rin

naman silang kausapin, baka mamaya ‘mas
bastusin pa nila ako, ‘pag inano ko pa sila.
Mas maganda na daanan ko nalang,
tinignan ko ng masama.” –(Receiver 1)

Portraying strong “Ano.. hindi na talaga ako lumilingon pag

personality may sumisitsit kahit kakilala ko kaya
sasabihin “snob ka, tinatawag kita, di ka
lumilingon”.. kasi ang inaaano ko tawagin
mo ako sa pangalan, wag mo ko sitsitan.”
– (Receiver 2)

“…pero pag hindi ko na talaga kaya, sabi

ko, nagsasalita ako, “Talaga kuya?”.
Gumaganon ako, nagreresponse ako, “Ang
bastos mo kuya ah.”, ganyan ganyan.
Nagreresponse ako pag hindi ko na talaga
kaya pag wala ako sa mood ng mga ganun,
nangbabastos” –(Receiver 3)

Passive Diverting “…naglalakad ako sa kalsada tapos biglang

responses attention to other may sumisitsit e kasama ko yung bestfriend
activities ko nun. Tapos, tumingin kami, tapos ah tas
yun pala nakatruck sila tas yun bawat
hanggang sa naglalakad kami palabas sa
subdivision sinusundan nila kami.. tapos
“Ate, sabay na kayo! Sabay na kayo!”
ganun tas ano bigla na lang kaming
pumunta sa may isang tindahan para
kunwari tumulong kami dun sa ale para
makaalis na yung truck yun.” –(Receiver 2)

Ignoring “Hindi na ko lumilingon, nagdire-diretso na

lang ako. Di ko na lang pinapansin.”
–(Receiver 2)

“…napapatingin ako pero pag nalaman ko

na hindi ko naman kilala yung tumatawag
sakin, talagang deretso nalang yung tingin.
Yun, ganun ako.” –(Receiver 3)
 145

Table 21. Continued.

SUPERORDINATE
SUBTHEME ILLUSTRATIVE TEXT
THEME

“Hindi, pero pag yung mga gabi na tapos

pag walang masyadong tao, tas may
gaganun bigla, kunyari yung mga nag-
iinuman, tapos gaganun, hindi ko sila
papansinin.” –(Receiver 5)

Self-blaming “…hindi naman nila tayo gaganunin kung

hindi rin naman tayo nagpapakita ng…
bahagi ng katawan natin na hindi rin
naman dapat talaga.” –(Receiver1)

Avoiding “Ano... naalala ko yung sinabi ng nanay ko

na wag lilingon sa catcall, kapag may
sumitsit.” –(Receiver 2)

“Oo ganun, ako nalang yung umiiwas.”

–(Receiver 4)

Active responses. Some of the women (receivers) reacted actively to catcalling.

As shown below, women’s active responses include glaring to men (doers) and

portraying a strong personality.

Table 22. Women’s (Receivers) active responses to catcalling.

SUPERORDINATE
SUBTHEME ILLUSTRATIVE TEXT
THEME

Active responses Glaring “Tinignan ko sila ng masama. Ayaw ko rin

naman silang kausapin, baka mamaya ‘mas
bastusin pa nila ako, ‘pag inano ko pa sila.
Mas maganda na daanan ko nalang,
tinignan ko ng masama.” –(Receiver 1)

Portraying strong “Ano.. hindi na talaga ako lumilingon pag

personality may sumisitsit kahit kakilala ko kaya
sasabihin “snob ka, tinatawag kita, di ka
lumilingon”.. kasi ang inaaano ko tawagin
mo ako sa pangalan, wag mo ko sitsitan.”
– (Receiver 2)
 146

Table 22. Continued.

SUPERORDINATE
SUBTHEME
THEME ILLUSTRATIVE TEXT

“…pero pag hindi ko na talaga kaya, sabi

ko, nagsasalita ako, “Talaga kuya?”.
Gumaganon ako, nagreresponse ako, “Ang
bastos mo kuya ah.”, ganyan ganyan.
Nagreresponse ako pag hindi ko na talaga
kaya pag wala ako sa mood ng mga ganun,
nangbabastos” –(Receiver 3)

Assertive responses that women use against harassers are informed by experts

Langelan (1993), Taylor (2003), and Sandler (1997) as cited by Stop Street Harassment

(SSH). These include: (1) naming the behavior and stating it is wrong. For example,

saying, “Do not whistle at me, that is harassment,” or “Do not touch my butt, that is

sexual harassment.”; (2) telling the harasser exactly what you want. For example, “move

away from me,” “stop touching me,” or “go stand over there.”; (3) asking the harasser if

they would want their mother, sister, daughter, girlfriend, wife treated like they are

treating you; (4) making an all-purpose anti-harassment statement, such as: “Stop

harassing women. I don’t like it. No one likes it. Show some respect.” Speak it in a

neutral but assertive tone; (5) identifying the perpetrator: “Man in the yellow shirt, stop

touching me.” (This is especially useful if other people are nearby, like on a bus); (6)

attacking the behavior, not the person. Telling them what they are doing that you do not

like (“You are standing too close”) rather than blaming them as a person (“You are such a

jerk”); (7) using the “’Miss Manners’ Approach” and ask the harasser something like, “I

beg your pardon!” or “I can’t believe you said that,” or “You must have me confused

with someone to whom you think you can speak that way,” combined with facial

expressions of shock, dismay, and disgust; (8) asking a Socratic question such as, “That’s
 147

so interesting – can you explain why you think you can put your hand on my leg?”; (9) if

the harasser is in a car, writing down the license plate of the car. Even if one cannot see

it, pretending to write it down can scare the doer into stopping. If the harassers are

aggressive or threatening and one should write down the license plate number, he/she can

report them to the police; (10) buying a notebook and write in bold letters on the cover

“Street Harassment.” Taking out the notebook when being harassed and asking the

harasser to repeat himself so one can write it down. Making a big show of asking for the

date, time, checking the place one is at, etc. If asked why one is writing things down, one

says that they are keeping a record of harassment; and (11) telling the harasser that one is

conducting a street harassment research project or survey. Taking out a notebook and

start asking the catcallers questions such as, “How often do you do this?” or “How do

you choose which people to harass?” or “Are you more likely to do this when you are

alone or when you’re with other people,” or “Do you discuss people you harass with your

mother, sister, or female friends?”

Women said that sometimes they responded actively after being catcalled. Based

on their statement, they glared to men who catcalled them and tried to portray strong

personality.

Receiver 1 said that after she had been catcalled by men, she glared at them in an

angry manner. She did not want to talk to them because she thought the men will

continue disrespecting her or being rude to her.

Receiver 3 tried to portray strong personality by responding actively to the man

who catcalled her. She confronted the man and said that what he did was rudeness.
 148

Passive Resoponses. On the other hand, most of the women (receivers) reacted

passively to catcalling. As shown below, women’s passive responses are diverting

attention to other activities, ignoring, self-blaming and avoiding. They tended not to react

because they wanted to avoid further trouble especially to stay away from rudeness of

men.

Table 23. Women’s (receivers) passive responses to catcalling.

SUPERORDINATE
SUBTHEME ILLUSTRATIVE TEXT
THEME

Passive Diverting “…naglalakad ako sa kalsada tapos biglang

responses attention may sumisitsit e kasama ko yung bestfriend
to other activities ko nun. Tapos, tumingin kami, tapos ah tas
yun pala nakatruck sila tas yun bawat
hanggang sa naglalakad kami palabas sa
subdivision sinusundan nila kami.. tapos
“Ate, sabay na kayo! Sabay na kayo!”
ganun tas ano bigla na lang kaming
pumunta sa may isang tindahan para
kunwari tumulong kami dun sa ale para
makaalis na yung truck yun.” –(Receiver 2)

Ignoring “Hindi na ko lumilingon, nagdire-diretso na

lang ako. Di ko na lang pinapansin.”
–(Receiver 2)

“…napapatingin ako pero pag nalaman ko

na hindi ko naman kilala yung tumatawag
sakin, talagang deretso nalang yung tingin.
Yun, ganun ako.” –(Receiver 3)

“Hindi, pero pag yung mga gabi na tapos

pag walang masyadong tao, tas may
gaganun bigla, kunyari yung mga nag-
iinuman, tapos gaganun, hindi ko sila
papansinin.” –(Receiver 5)

Self-blaming “…hindi naman nila tayo gaganunin kung

hindi rin naman tayo nagpapakita ng…
bahagi ng katawan natin na hindi rin
naman dapat talaga.” –(Receiver1)
 149

Table 23. Continued.

SUPERORDINATE
THEME SUBTHEME ILLUSTRATIVE TEXT

Avoiding “Ano... naalala ko yung sinabi ng nanay ko

na wag lilingon sa catcall, kapag may
sumitsit.” –(Receiver 2)

“Oo ganun, ako nalang yung umiiwas.”

–(Receiver 4)

Research of Fairchild (2008) on women’s responses to sexual harassment

suggested that the majority of women are likely to use passive, non-assertive coping

strategies. Gruber’s (1989) review of the literature found that less than 20% of women

use assertive or active coping strategies. Women typically respond to harassment by

ignoring it or attempting to avoid the harasser by reporting or confronting the perpetrator,

engage (Fitzgerald, 1990, as cited by Fairchild, 2008).

Moss (2015) revealed how women replied to street harassment or catcalls.

Ignoring the catcalls or attempting to avoid the perpetrators is the usual tactics. Just like

what other studies stated, the women in this study acted passively and diverted their

attention to other activities.

Based upon the statement of Receiver 2, the men who catcalled her were driving a

truck, and that they tried to follow her. She said that she acted passively and diverted her

attention to other activities just for the men to stop following them.

Most of the women responded passively by ignoring the doers of catcalling. It is

evident that ignoring is a common reaction of women to catcalling based on the result of

this study and other studies.

 150

A recent trend is to blame the wearer or the victim for inappropriate actions

toward them, which instills and even defends such behavior (Uloop, 2014). Victim-

blaming occurs when the victim of a crime or abuse is held partly or entirely responsible

for the actions committed against them (Schoellkopf, 2012). In other words, the victims

are held accountable for the maltreatment they have been subjected to (Schoellkopf,

2012). While victim-blaming is an arising issue about being catcalled, one woman

admitted that maybe she would not have been catcalled if she did not dress in an

improper way.

Receiver 1 blamed herself for being catcalled because of the way she was dressed

on the time of experiencing it. She pointed that men will not catcall women if they will

not show parts of their body, or dress appropriately.

Lastly, aside from ignoring the incident of catcalling, women usually responded

passively by avoiding it. They tried to stay away from men who did catcalling or by just

passing through the doer.

Receiver 4, just like the other women, said that she just avoided those men who

catcalled her.

Observers of Catcalling (General Public)

General public (observer) is the third set of participants in this study. Starting

from this part, the succeeding discussions will tuckle about the observers’ perception on

catcalling, their feelings for the doer/s and receiver/s, and their reactions/responses

toward the witnessed catcalling incidents.

Perception of the general public about catcalling. This study generated two

superordinate themes that show how the general public (observers) perceived catcalling.
 151

Commonly, the general public gave a positive perception, and negative perception about

catcalling.

Initially, the general public (observer) participants were asked how they perceive

catcalling. All of them imparted their ideas about catcalling based on their witnessed

incidents. Generally, the observers did not convey a unified insight on what catcalling is.

Below is the table that reveals how the observers perceived catcalling.

Table 24. Perception of the general public (observers) about catcalling.

SUPERORDINATE
SUBTHEME ILLUSTRATIVE TEXT
THEME

Positive Way of “…parang hindi naman din yan mali eh.

perception appreciation by Kasi nag ano ‘dun eh… hindi naman
Men parehas ang tao eh. Kung humahanga ka sa
isang babae na sexy, mayroong tao na nag
a-ano siya… humahanga talaga, ‘yung
hinahangaan niya… yung sumisipol siya,
sa puso niya na… hindi lang niya
mapakilala yung sarili niya na, “uy! Hanga
ako sayo! Sexy ka”, na “maganda ka”
ganun.” –(Observer 1)

“Di ba, sinabihan mo sya, yung isang babae

ng “Huy ang ganda mo naman!”, kasi yung
iba sa loob nila pambabastos yon, may iba
naman na pagbati naman, kung talagang
nagagandahan lang talaga sila. Kasi
kagaya ko, eh babae ako. May nakikita
akong napakagandang babae, yun para anu
ba yon, yung parang nagagandahan ka lang
sa kanya.” –(Observer 3)

“Minsan siguro kung may pupuriin sila.

Ayon siguro yung magugustuhan ko.”
–(Observer 5)

Not a rude “Kaya para sa akin, parang hindi rin yun,

behavior ‘di naman masama, kumbaga ano…
tatanggapin ko ‘yun, na ‘di naman din
 152

Table 24. Continued.

SUPERORDINATE
SUBTHEME ILLUSTRATIVE TEXT
THEME

masama na ano, kasi ako nga na babae…

humahanga din ako sa babae, kapwa ko
babae..” –(Observer 1)

To relieve “…pag boring ganun. ‘Pag wala kaming

boredom of men magawa, ‘yun yung ginagawa siguro ‘nung
mga nagka-catcalling.” –(Observer 4)

Negative Disrespectful/rude “Para sa akin, ito ay isang pambabastos sa

Perception to women babae...” –(Observer 2)

“May part na nakakabastos na lalo na yung

sa mga tipo na sumisipol.” –(Observer 5)

humahanga din ako sa babae, kapwa ko

babae..” –(Observer 1)

To relieve “…pag boring ganun. ‘Pag wala kaming

boredom of men magawa, ‘yun yung ginagawa siguro ‘nung
mga nagka-catcalling.” –(Observer 4)

Negative Disrespectful/rude “Para sa akin, ito ay isang pambabastos sa

Perception to women babae...” –(Observer 2)

“May part na nakakabastos na lalo na yung

sa mga tipo na sumisipol.” –(Observer 5)

Violation of “…kasi dumadaan ka eh sisipulan ka ng

women’s ganun para sakin di nararapat.”
personal space –(Observer 2)
and privacy
“Minsan mga kaibigan ko rin, na kasama
kong naglalakad yung mga kaibigan ko,
tapos minsan nakatambay lang sa sulok
tapos nasa gitna pa minsan ng kalsada.
Mayroong ibang grupo na naglalakad sila
tapos yung mga makakasalubong nila,
parang kinacatcall din nila. Minsan
pinagbubulungan pa.” –(Observer 5)
 153

Table 24. Continued.

SUPERORDINATE
SUBTHEME ILLUSTRATIVE TEXT
THEME

Shows hidden “May pambabastos nga. May intensyon

intentions of men yung lalaki.” –(Observer 3)

“..para sa ‘kin ah, parang may gagawin

kang masama doon sa tao pagkina-
catcalling. Parang interesado ka sa kanya
eh… parang ganun yung dating ‘nun eh
diba? Parang may iba pang motibo dun sa
catcalling na ‘yun, parang may iba ka pang
mas malalim na dahilan…” –(Observer 4)

For men’s “Pero yung karamihan talaga na, ina-ano

entertainment na… yung kahit totoong sexy o hindi yung
ano... eh talagang biro lang talaga..”
–(Observer 1)

“Minsan naman yung mga ano, yung sa

mga hindi masyadong kagandahang mga
babae madalas kinacatcall, nilalait nila.”
–(Observer 5)

“Siguro ayun yung sa grupo na yun parang

masaya yung ganung ginagawa kaya
naaano lang rin ako. Nadadamay lang rin
yung saya yung tuwa ko pag ganun.”
– (Observer 5)

Afflicting to “Kasi kahit na ano yung ganun nga yung

women
babae, maiksi yung pananamit, dapat hindi
pa rin nila ginaganun bastusin, kasi
nasasaktan din yung damdamin.”
–(Observer 3)

Sign of men’s “Para sakin yung mga tambay na ganyan

illiteracy anu lang sila… walang magawa, hahaha
hindi educated. Kasi kung ano, edukado sila
syempre igagalang nila yung babae, titingin
lang, hindi sisipol.” –(Observer 2)
 154

Positive perception. Observers’ positive perception about catcalling can be better

described by seeing the act as a way of appreciation by men, that it is not a rude behavior,

and that it relieves boredom of men. See table 25.

Table 25. General public’s (observers’) positive perception about catcalling.

SUPERORDINATE
SUBTHEME ILLUSTRATIVE TEXT
THEME

Positive Way of “…parang hindi naman din yan mali eh.

perception appreciation by Kasi nag ano ‘dun eh… hindi naman
men parehas ang tao eh. Kung humahanga ka sa
isang babae na sexy, mayroong tao na nag
a-ano siya… humahanga talaga, ‘yung
hinahangaan niya… yung sumisipol siya,
nandito rin yun sa puso niya na… hindi lang
niya mapakilala yung sarili niya na, “uy!
Hanga ako sayo! Sexy ka”, na “maganda
ka” ganun.” –(Observer 1)

“Di ba, sinabihan mo sya, yung isang babae

ng “Huy ang ganda mo naman!”, kasi yung
iba sa loob nila pambabastos yon, may iba
naman na pagbati naman, kung talagang
nagagandahan lang talaga sila. Kasi
kagaya ko, eh babae ako. May nakikita
akong napakagandang babae, yun para anu
ba yon, yung parang nagagandahan ka lang
sa kanya.” –(Observer 3)

“Minsan siguro kung may pupuriin sila.

Ayon siguro yung magugustuhan ko.”
–(Observer 5)

Not a rude “Kaya para sa akin, parang hindi rin yun,

behavior
‘di naman masama, kumbaga ano…
tatanggapin ko ‘yun, na ‘di naman din
masama na ano, kasi ako nga na babae…
humahanga din ako sa babae, kapwa ko
babae..” –(Observer 1)
 155

Table 25. Continued.

SUPERORDINATE
SUBTHEME ILLUSTRATIVE TEXT
THEME

To relieve “…pag boring ganun. ‘Pag wala kaming

boredom of men magawa, ‘yun yung ginagawa siguro ‘nung
mga nagka-catcalling.” –(Observer 4)

For Observer 1 and Observer 3, catcalling was seen as a tool for men to express

his appreciation of a woman’s physical attractiveness. Observer 5 held that catcalling was

favorable for him if the doers’ intention behind the catcalling acts was to give

compliments or praises.

Second, an observer considered that catcalling is not a rude behavior. This claim

is supported by Observer 1’s reasoning that is connected to her view that catcalling is a

way of appreciation by men. She justified that appreciation is a natural tendency for both

genders. It is just that catcalling is one of the means/ways men used to appreciate women.

Third, Observer 4 comprehended that catcalling is used by men to relieve

boredom. He emphasized that men usually catcall women especially when they had

nothing to do.

Negative perception. On the contrary, the other observers regarded catcalling with

negative connotations. They described catcalling as disrespectful to women, violation of

women’s personal space and privacy, showing hidden intentions of men, undertaken for

men’s entertainment, afflicting to women, and a sign of men’s illiteracy.

 156

Table 26. General public’s (observers’) negative perception about catcalling.

SUPERORDINATE
SUBTHEME ILLUSTRATIVE TEXT
THEME

Negative Disrespectful/rude “Para sa akin, ito ay isang pambabastos sa

Perception to women babae...” –(Observer 2)

“May part na nakakabastos na lalo na yung

sa mga tipo na sumisipol.” –(Observer 5)

Violation of “…kasi dumadaan ka eh sisipulan ka ng

women’s personal ganun para sakin di nararapat.”
space and privacy –(Observer 2)

“Minsan mga kaibigan ko rin, na kasama

kong naglalakad yung mga kaibigan ko,
tapos minsan nakatambay lang sa sulok
tapos nasa gitna pa minsan ng kalsada.
Mayroong ibang grupo na naglalakad sila
tapos yung mga makakasalubong nila,
parang kinacatcall din nila. Minsan
pinagbubulungan pa.” –(Observer 5)

Shows hidden “May pambabastos nga. May intensyon

intentions of men yung lalaki.” –(Observer 3)

“..para sa ‘kin ah, parang may gagawin

kang masama doon sa tao pagkina-
catcalling. Parang interesado ka sa kanya
eh… parang ganun yung dating ‘nun eh
diba? Parang may iba pang motibo dun sa
catcalling na ‘yun, parang may iba ka pang
mas malalim na dahilan…” –(Observer 4)

For men’s “Pero yung karamihan talaga na, ina-ano

Entertainment na… yung kahit totoong sexy o hindi yung
ano... eh talagang biro lang talaga..”
–(Observer 1)

“Minsan naman yung mga ano, yung sa

mga hindi masyadong kagandahang mga
babae madalas kinacatcall, nilalait nila.”
–(Observer 5)
 157

Table 26. Continued.

SUPERORDINATE
SUBTHEME ILLUSTRATIVE TEXT
THEME

“Siguro ayun yung sa grupo na yun parang

masaya yung ganung ginagawa kaya
naaano lang rin ako. Nadadamay lang rin
yung saya yung tuwa ko pag ganun.”
– (Observer 5)

Afflicting to “Kasi kahit na ano yung ganun nga yung

women
babae, maiksi yung pananamit, dapat hindi
pa rin nila ginaganun bastusin, kasi
nasasaktan din yung damdamin.”
–(Observer 3)

Sign of men’s “Para sakin yung mga tambay na ganyan

illiteracy anu lang sila… walang magawa, hahaha
hindi educated. Kasi kung ano, edukado sila
syempre igagalang nila yung babae, titingin
lang, hindi sisipol.” –(Observer 2)

Catcalling is also annotated negatively by other observers. Most of them regarded

it as disrespectful to women especially when a man whistles to a woman. For them,

personal space and privacy of women is also being violated when catcalls are directed to

them.

It also seemed that when observers witnessed the catcalling incidents, they

referred that the doers’ behavior showed some hidden intentions, unclear if it was

positive or negative.

Relatively, the onlookers observed that the receivers of catcalling were not

constantly physically attractive. Yes, men intended to use catcalling to relieve boredom

(i.e., some observers see this as a positive side). However, this too, was their style to
 158

amuse/entertain themselves in expense of someone’s attractiveness or unattractiveness

(i.e., of a woman).

More than that, catcalling was seen as afflicting to women. Women felt ill-treated

upon receiving unsolicited remarks from male strangers. Further, this could cause

women’s tendency for self-blaming and self-objectification.

Finally, the negative perception that observers held about catcalling was that, it

reflected men’s illiteracy. An illiteracy that was not limited in inability to read and write.

It was ingested that, by not being respectful to women, a man can be considered as not

educated. This does not only pertains to academics, but also how to be a social being that

interacts with others in a respectful manner.

Feelings of the general public toward the doers. Thereafter, the observer

informants’ feelings toward the doers of catcalling were also inquired. The onlookers

encountered pleasant, and unpleasant feelings upon seeing catcalling incidents. See the

next table presented.

Table 27. Feelings of the general public (observers) toward the doers of catcalling.
SUPERORDINATE
SUBTHEME ILLUSTRATIVE TEXT
THEME

Pleasant Feelings Happy “Siguro nung part na yon, nung nandun pa

ko sa sitwasyon, minsan natutuwa din ako
pag ganun.” –(Observer 5)

Understanding “Hindi naman ako nagalit, kasi nakita ko

rationale behind naman na sexy talaga yung babae. Eh
men’s behavior natawa nga lang din ako…” –(Observer 1)
Annoyed
 159

Table 27. Continued.

SUPERORDINATE
SUBTHEME ILLUSTRATIVE TEXT
THEME

Unpleasant “…minsan alam mo sobra na yung mga

feelings kaibigan mo, mga tropa mo na, sa
pambabastos ng babae kaya, naaano ka,
naiinis ka rin minsan sa kanila.”
–(Observer 5)

Unsafe “Bastos… parang ayoko nang sumakay sa

kanila.” –(Observer 4)

“…parang hindi may gagawing maganda,

itsura pa lang.” –(Observer 4)
“…baka gawin din sa ‘kin.” –(Observer 4)

Awkward “Nailang lang.” –(Observer 4)

Pleasant feelings. The observer informants confessed that there were pleasant

feelings toward the doers of catcalling. They imparted in the interview that they felt

happy towards the actions of the doers. Conjointly, understanding rationale behind the

men’s behavior was also an emergent pleasant feeling.

Table 28. General public’s (observers’) pleasant feelings toward the doers of catcalling.
SUPERORDINATE
SUBTHEME ILLUSTRATIVE TEXT
THEME

Pleasant Feelings Happy “Siguro nung part na yon, nung nandun pa

ko sa sitwasyon, minsan natutuwa din ako
pag ganun.” –(Observer 5)

Understanding “Hindi naman ako nagalit, kasi nakita ko

rationale behind naman na sexy talaga yung babae. Eh
men’s behavior natawa nga lang din ako…”
–(Observer 1)

Upon seeing how men catcall women, other onlookers admitted that they were

happy on what the doers acted.

 160

Another informant, Observer 1 has felt pleasantly toward the doer of catcalling.

She affirmed that instead of getting annoyed, she understood why men did catcalling.

Observer 1 favored the doer’s deed because she pondered that the doer was just being

rational. The man saw an attractive woman. Then, he felt that it was his natural tendency

to appreciate the woman’s effort to look attractive.

Unpleasant feelings. Apace with the pleasant feelings, the observers held feelings

that were also labeled as unpleasant. The observer informants shared that while

witnessing catcalling events, they feel annoyed, unsafe, and awkward toward the doers’

behavior.

Table 29. General public’s (observers’) unpleasant feelings toward the doers of
catcalling.
SUPERORDINATE
SUBTHEME ILLUSTRATIVE TEXT
THEME

Unpleasant Annoyed “…minsan alam mo sobra na yung mga

Feelings kaibigan mo, mga tropa mo na, sa
pambabastos ng babae kaya, naaano ka,
naiinis ka rin minsan sa kanila.”
–(Observer 5)

Unsafe “Bastos… parang ayoko nang sumakay sa

kanila.” –(Observer 4)

“…parang hindi may gagawing maganda,

itsura pa lang.” –(Observer 4)

“…baka gawin din sa ‘kin.” –(Observer 4)

Awkward “Nailang lang.” –(Observer 4)

Observer 5, the one who was with the group of catcallers, confided that if he no

longer could tolerate how his friends used to disrespect a woman, he held annoying

feelings toward his friends (i.e., doers of catcalling).

 161

Some other unpleasant feelings were experienced by an observer informant such

as feeling unsafe and awkward with the doer. For Observer 4 who was a homosexual, he

was threatened for his own security and safety. He feared that he might also be the target

of those catcallers (doers). This caused him to feel awkward when witnessing such

catcalling incident.

Feelings of the general public toward the receivers. A catcalling incident can

be typically pictured out as the man gives remarks, whistling or hissing sounds toward a

stranger woman passing by. As a witness to certain instances, observers’ feelings toward

the receivers of catcalling were also explored during the one-on-one interview. Prominent

feelings are categorized into two kinds as laid out below, which include pleasant, and

unpleasant feelings.

Table 30. Feelings of the general public (observers) toward the receivers of catcalling.
SUPERORDINATE
SUBTHEME ILLUSTRATIVE TEXT
THEME

Pleasant Feelings Flattered “Ano… na parang… na ano pa rin…

parang wala lang. Parang naisip ko na, uy!
maganda pala pag sexy eh… ina-anohan
din pala eh… parang tingin ko rin, parang
hinahangaan lang din niya na ano…”
–(Observer 1)

Sympathizes “Syempre kapwa babae naaano ko rin feel

ko nga nababastos bilang babae...”
–(Observer 2)

“…di naman nila kasalanan eh”

–(Observer 4)

“May part naman na minsan may.. naaawa

ka na kasi minsan alam mo sobra na yung
mga kaibigan mo, mga tropa mo na, sa
pambabastos ng babae..” –(Observer 5)
 162

Table 30. Continued.

SUPERORDINATE
SUBTHEME ILLUSTRATIVE TEXT
THEME

Unpleasant Disrespected “..kung malakas ang pagkakasitsit sa babae

feelings syempre parang nababastusan nga...”
–(Observer 2)

Ashamed “Syempre, kung makakasalubong, kung

matatandaan nya siguro yung mukha ko
tapos makakasalubong ko sya ng mag-isa
lang ako, siguro mahihiya ako. Hindi ko sya
matitignan sa mukha. Hindi ko ma… hindi
ko sya makakausap o magaganun.”
–(Observer 5)

Pleasant feelings. Some observer informants told that they experienced pleasant

feelings toward the catcallers’ receivers. The pleasant feelings were comprised of being

flattered and sympathizing with the receivers in the time of spotting catcalling instances.

For reference, see the table below.

Table 31. General public’s (observers’) pleasant feelings toward the receivers of
catcalling.
SUPERORDINATE
SUBTHEME ILLUSTRATIVE TEXT
THEME

Pleasant feelings Flattered “Ano… na parang… na ano pa rin…

parang wala lang. Parang naisip ko na, uy!
maganda pala pag sexy eh… ina-anohan
din pala eh… parang tingin ko rin, parang
hinahangaan lang din niya na ano…”
–(Observer 1)

Sympathizes “Syempre kapwa babae naaano ko rin feel

ko nga nababastos bilang babae...”
–(Observer 2)

“…di naman nila kasalanan eh”

–(Observer 4)
 163

Table 31. Continued.

SUPERORDINATE
SUBTHEME ILLUSTRATIVE TEXT
THEME

“May part naman na minsan may.. naaawa

ka na kasi minsan alam mo sobra na yung
mga kaibigan mo, mga tropa mo na, sa
pambabastos ng babae..” –(Observer 5)

It can be recalled that Observer 1 viewed catcalling positively. It is not a rude

behavior because it is a way of appreciation by men. Having that stated, she obviously

felt flattered for the receiver of catcalling. Besides, Observer 1 considered attractiveness

as an advantage for a woman, a leeway to be recognized and appreciated.

On the other hand, at the time Observer 2, Observer 4, and Observer 5 sighted

catcalling events, they sympathized with the receivers by means of also feeling

disrespected as if thinking that the receiver felt that way too, considering the receiver had

no fault on why catcalls were directed at her, and by feeling pity for the woman.

Unpleasant feelings. Likewise, the observers held unpleasant feelings toward the

receivers of catcalling as seen below. These unpleasant feelings entailed feelings of

disrespected and ashamed.

Table 32. General public’s (observers’) unpleasant feelings toward the receivers of
catcalling.
SUPERORDINATE
SUBTHEME ILLUSTRATIVE TEXT
THEME

Unpleasant Disrespected “..kung malakas ang pagkakasitsit sa babae

feelings syempre parang nababastusan nga...”
–(Observer 2

Ashamed “Syempre, kung makakasalubong, kung

matatandaan nya siguro yung mukha ko
tapos makakasalubong ko sya ng mag-isa
lang ako, siguro mahihiya ako. Hindi ko sya
 164

Table 32. Continued.

SUPERORDINATE
SUBTHEME ILLUSTRATIVE TEXT
THEME

matitignan sa mukha. Hindi ko ma… hindi

ko sya makakausap o magaganun.”
–(Observer 5)

Most of the onlooker felt disrespected for what happened for the receivers of

catcalling. Additionally, one of the observers felt ashamed toward the receiver. He might

be remembered going out with the catcallers. If he and the receiver of his friends’ catcalls

will see each other again (accidentally), he will look so apologetic.

Responses of the general public. Furthermore, the responses of the observer

informants regarding witnessed catcalling incidents were also quested. From their

disclosures, it was shown that some onlookers responded actively to the situation, while

others, responded passively.

Table 33. Responses of the general public (observers) toward catcalling incidents.
SUPERORDINATE
SUBTHEME ILLUSTRATIVE TEXT
THEME

Active Glaring at the doer “Syempre tinignan ko siya. Eh… minsan

Responses nga eh… ano ehh… yung parang masama
yung tingin ko sa kanya..” –(Observer 1)

Mediated between “Pero yung pagka sa grupo nyo tapos ako,

parties yung ikacatcall nila is kakilala ko, minsan
inaawat ko na sila para kasi ako yung
mapapasama dun sa kaibigan ko baka
magkasira pa.” –(Observer 5)

Passive Avoidant “Wala lang… lumayo lang ako dun sa part

responses na may nanudun sila. Umiwas lang ako,
ganun.” –(Observer 4)
 165

Table 33. Continued.

SUPERORDINATE
SUBTHEME ILLUSTRATIVE TEXT
THEME

Ignored “Wala syempre, alangan namang sabihan

natin yung mga tambay, tambay lang. Una
nakita ko lang, dumaan, sinitsit nila yun
lang.” –(Observer 2)

“Wala. Normal lang rin. Minsan yung mga

kakilala, yung mga hindi kilala ganun nga
dedma lang. walang ano, walang pake.”
–(Observer 5)

Active responses. Active responses are one of the performed responses of the

observers in catcalling incidents. Upon noticing such occurrences, they became active

bystanders by glaring at the doer, and by mediating between parties.

Table 34. General public’s (observers’) active responses toward catcalling incidents.
SUPERORDINATE
SUBTHEME ILLUSTRATIVE TEXT
THEME

Active Glaring at the doer “Syempre tinignan ko siya. Eh… minsan

responses nga eh… ano ehh… yung parang masama
yung tingin ko sa kanya..” –(Observer 1)

Mediated between “Pero yung pagka sa grupo nyo tapos ako,

Parties yung ikacatcall nila is kakilala ko, minsan
inaawat ko na sila para kasi ako yung
mapapasama dun sa kaibigan ko baka
magkasira pa.” –(Observer 5)

An active bystander recognizes a problem with the spotted situation and decides

to intervene in a way that feels safe and appropriate for him or her (Women’s Freedom

Center, 2012). In agreement to Ancona, et al., (2004 as stated in an article by University

of Tennessee, 2017), an active bystander or observer is a person who takes steps that can

make a difference. First, an active bystander assesses a situation to determine what kind
 166

of help, if any might be appropriate. Second, an active bystander evaluates options and

chooses a strategy for responding.

In this study, some observers saw the necessity to actively react to their witnessed

catcalling incidents. They chose an active response that they considered appropriate for

that moment. Specifically, Observer 1 reacted actively to the situation by glaring at the

doer.

Subsequently, 0bserver 5 disclosed that he witnessed catcalling as it was done by

the circle of companions he used to join with. There was an instance that the woman who

received his companions’ catcalls was familiar to him, also his friend. In relation to that,

he manifested an active response toward the catcalling incident by mediating between

parties. He did not want to have conflict with the receiver that accidentally came out as

also his friend.

Passive responses. Meanwhile, other observers selected to respond passively

toward the situation. Their means of being passive bystanders were depicted through

avoiding and ignoring the catcalling acts.

Table 35. General public’s (observers’) passive responses toward catcalling incidents.
SUPERORDINATE
SUBTHEME ILLUSTRATIVE TEXT
THEME

Passive Avoidant “Wala lang… lumayo lang ako dun sa part

responses na may nanudun sila. Umiwas lang ako,
ganun.” –(Observer 4)

Ignored “Wala syempre, alangan namang sabihan

natin yung mga tambay, tambay lang. Una
nakita ko lang, dumaan, sinitsit nila yun
lang.” –(Observer 2)
 167

Table 35. Continued.

SUPERORDINATE
SUBTHEME ILLUSTRATIVE TEXT
THEME

“Wala. Normal lang rin. Minsan yung mga

kakilala, yung mga hindi kilala ganun nga
dedma lang. walang ano, walang pake.”
–(Observer 5)

Throwing passive responses in regard to an incident could be derived from a

range of different feelings: from a sense of powerlessness, fear for one's physical safety,

social pressures within one's group or community, or tolerance or support for the

perpetrators' actions (Holocaust Encyclopedia, 2016).

Alongside, Bryant-Smith (2016) claimed that it must be acknowledged that

humans lare programmed to escape potentially unsafe situations. When persons

witnessed unusual or potentially threatening behavior in others, extreme caution was

exercised. A strong automatic unwillingness to intervene stems from a desire to avoid

harm. Additionally, if more than one person is present, there is also a tendency to

rationalize the decision not to intervene by passing on responsibility to others. This

phenomenon is called the bystander effect.

The other observer informants of the study revealed that they did not intervene at

the time of seeing catcalling incidents. Observer 4 decided to avoid the catcallers or move

away from the situation, and did nothing about it.

Ignoring the situation was also seen as a prominent passive response among the

observers. Observer 2 was one of the participants who used this as a response to

catcalling incidents. It can be inferred that the rationale behind Observer 2’s response
 168

was that she felt fear for her own safety. She feared that the catcalls might be redirected

to her when she intervened.

Another informant, Observer 5 shared that he also ignored the catcalling instances

especially when he did not personally know the receivers of catcalling. Observer 5 threw

passive response toward the catcalling incident at the time when he was with the

catcallers (doers). Catcalling is a form of male bonding (North, 2012). There was a

tendency that peer pressure within that group was present, which caused him to tolerate

or support the perpetrators' actions (choosing not to do anything). Perhaps, he and the

receiver of catcalling did not know each other. So, it was not within his concern whether

he might be evaluated negatively or not by the receiver.

Catcalling is mostly prevalent to public spaces, the places accessible for many

people. It happens with the involvement of men as doers or perpetrators, women as to

whom catcalls are directed, and the general public or bystanders who witnessed the

incident. Usually, the onlookers are not taken out of the picture. These onlookers may opt

to take an action or not, depending on how he or she assessed the situation. Another

emerging reason why they are responding passively is because of the bystander effect. It

can be explained that if there is more than one person present, there is a propensity to

justify the decision not to intervene by passing on responsibility to others. Simply, one

thinks that his or her arbitration toward the catcalling incident is not necessary since other

observers might also be ready and at will to take action.

 SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

This chapter summarizes the findings, given conclusions and offers

recommendations based on the findings.

Summary

The research entitled “Witwiw, Hi Miss!” Bastos Ba o Hindi?: Catcalling

Between Men and Women In Imus City, Cavite intended to determine: how men and

women of Imus City, Cavite perceived catcalling; how men of Imus City, Cavite felt

about doing catcalling; how women of Imus City, Cavite felt about being catcalled; the

means men of Imus City, Cavite used to catcall another person; how women of Imus

City, Cavite responded to catcalling; how men and women of Imus City, Cavite

experienced catcalling; how the general public perceived catcalling; how the general

public felt for the doer/s and receiver/s of catcalling; and how the general public reacted

towards the witnessed catcalling incidents.

In analyzing the data, interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) and

thematic analysis were used as a methodology and a semi-structured interview as the

main data gathering tool. Separate interview guides (i.e., for doers, receivers, and

observers of catcalling) were developed, reflecting the objectives of this study. The

collected data yielded answers to the research’s statement of the problem. Reading the

succeeding information until the latter part will discuss the study’s significant findings.

The study involved five male participants as doers of catcalling, five female participants

as receivers of catcalling, and five general public participants who witnessed catcalling

incidents, for a total of fifteen participants from Imus City, Cavite. Purposive sampling

and snowball sampling procedure was utilized in choosing the participants.

 170

With men (doer of catcalling), they perceived that catcalling is a natural tendency

or inclination. For male perpetrators, they used to catcall a woman to express their

admiration toward them. Men also perceived that they see catcalling as a means to form

friendship, to find a girlfriend, to be famous, and to attract attention of the female

receiver. Moreover, they also believed that there is incongruence between what men do

and how it was perceived by others. Particularly, women viewed catcalling as a rude

behavior which is contradicting on men’s underlying intention toward women.

Furthermore, men had pleasant feelings about catcalling. On such act, a male

perpetrator felt it uplifts self-esteem, and it also made perpetrator feel excited prior to

catcalling. When a man gets positive response from the receiver, male perpetrator will

feel delighted at times. There were also instances that feelings of admiration and

recognition were also apparent to the males’ experiences, especially when they found

that the admirable women appreciated their catcalls. However, doers also asserted that

unpleasant feelings is also marked when they commit to catcalling like they feeling

negative about themselves, being upset and insensitive when they receive negative

responses from the receiver.

Subsequently, when it comes to the behavior of doers toward catcalling or their

ways and means in exercising catcalling, male perpetuators used to participate with such

act with peers, and did it in a public places. Nevertheless, they also evaded woman

escorted with significant others for them to avoid further troubles. Men also did

catcalling on purpose, predominantly for entertainment. Men also selected who to

catcall, especially when the woman’s physical appearance and clothing is attractive.
 171

For women (receiver of catcalling), they perceived that men sought attention

through catcalling. They usually gave remarks and caught the attention of women by

whistling/hissing. Women also viewed catcalling as a form of objectification. For them,

they were used by men as object for entertainment and sexual desire. They also believed

that catcalling was a natural tendency of men, that it was unstoppable and evident in

society. Most of all, they perceived catcalling as disrespectful or rude. For women, it was

degrading, inappropriate and a form of violation of personal space and privacy.

Most women had unpleasant feelings about catcalling. The unpleasant feelings

included being annoyed, nervous, afflicting, and scared. However, there were instances

that women upheld pleasant feelings about catcalling, like being flattered.

Additionally, women responded differently toward catcalling. They had active

and passive responses toward it. Active responses of women comprised of glaring to

men and portraying a strong personality. On the other hand, passive responses of women

include diverting attention to other activities, ignoring, self-blaming and avoiding the

perpetrator of catcalling.

When it comes to the general public (observer of catcalling incidents), they also

did not deliver a unified understanding on what catcalling is. Others viewed catcalling

positively and some, negatively. Onlookers’ positive perception about catcalling

indicated that it is a way of appreciation by men, it is not a rude behavior, and it is carried

out to relieve boredom of men. Their negative connotations described catcalling as

disrespectful to women, violation of women’s personal space and privacy, showing

hidden intentions of men, undertaken for men’s entertainment, afflicting to women and a

sign of men’s illiteracy.

 172

Thereafter, the observer informants’ feelings toward the doers and receivers of

catcalling were also inquired. The onlookers encountered pleasant and unpleasant

feelings upon seeing catcalling incidents. Pleasant feelings toward the doers of catcalling

entailed that they felt happy towards the actions of the doers. Conjointly, understanding

rationale behind the men’s behavior was also an emergent pleasant feeling. Aside from

the pleasant feelings, some observers had held feelings toward the doers that were also

labeled as unpleasant. These observer informants had shared that while witnessing

catcalling events. They feel annoyed, unsafe, and awkward toward the doers’ behavior.

On the other hand, the following experienced pleasant feelings toward the catcallers’

receivers consisted of being flattered and sympathizing with the receivers during the time

of spotting catcalling instances. Likewise, the observers had held unpleasant feelings

toward the receivers of catcalling that involved feelings of disrespected and ashamed.

Meanwhile, active responses were one of the performed responses of the

observers in catcalling incidents. Upon noticing such occurrences, they became active

bystanders by glaring at the doer and by mediating between parties. However, other

observers selected to respond passively toward the situation by means of avoiding and

ignoring the catcalling acts of men.

Conclusions

After careful analysis and interpretations of data, the researchers have come up

with some generalizations.

This study highlighted the perception, feelings and behavior of the three clusters

of the participants (doer, receiver and observer) toward their experiences about catcalling.

With succeeding results of the catcalling experiences gathered from the informants, the
 173

data presented with emerged superordiante themes with corresponding subthemes that

were subjected to inquire with the study’s statement of the problem.

The researchers found that most of men informants shared the same notion of

what catcalling is. Catcalling can be committed by any male, despite their perceptions

that there are particular male personas, who are more likely to catcall. It only shows that

catcalling is in men’s nature that is usually triggered by their appreciation towards

women. They also shared the same notion when it comes to their underlying motives to

extend the circle of their friends that made them to commit with such act. However,

despite of good intentions, doer participants were aware that others, particularly with

women, see it as to disrespect women. According to Shriver (2014), when it comes to

why it is that women feel dismissed in meetings, there are a couple of things to consider.

One is that this could have to do with communication style, in which case there’s equal

learning on both sides. Men tend to do convergent thinking, while women tend to do

divergent thinking. So if all the men are converging on something, and woman raises a

divergent thought – it can be viewed as her derailing the meeting or trying to sidetrack

them. When it happens, that is a gender unintelligent meeting, because the derailer could

be raising the thing that they need to know about (NBC News, 2014).

For the lone doer, eliciting a positive response from the catcalling victim induces

a positive feeling on his part as well. Yet, when it comes to a negative response from the

victim, the doer somehow feels bad, and even thinks that he is an actor in the current

social problems. Moreover, for some, they think that male doers will find the response of

female victims of catcalling as an achievement because they are mainly seeking the

attention of their victims. Other male doers might even make fun of the response from
 174

female victims, even if the response is positive or not. Doers take the responses lightly

due to the satisfaction they get from the acts of catcalling (Magtalas, 2016). Male doers

had also shared that they experienced pleasant feelings before, during and after they

participated in catcalling. Some doers felt admiration to the woman and for some, they

felt excited on how the receiver will respond from their catcalls. Doer participants also

revealed that through catcalling, they also experienced pleasant feelings after they

committed to such act. Some felt it uplifted their self-esteem, felt delighted and felt that

they were able to be recognized women. On the other hand, doer participants also

experienced unpleasant feelings usually after they received negative feedback from the

receiver.

Consequently, researchers also found that doers have their own ways and means

for doing catcalling. They have the same notion on doing catcalling toward the receiver,

mainly on their preference of doing it in public places, with peers and be subjective

depending on a certain situation for them to avoid further troubles. However, the male

informants had views that catcalling is a fun activity for a sort of the entertainment for

peers. It was also found that male participants became selective to the prospective

receiver of their catcalls, wherein woman’s physical appearance and clothing was

prominent as determining factors for them to engage with catcalling. Men think that

catcalling happens in modern-day society because of the appearance of the female

victims. The appearance may refer to the physical attributes (e.g. beautiful face, attractive

body shape). However, some assertions from males suggest that women who fit such

attributes they described are the ones they think will likely get catcalled, and men think

that woman’s physical attributes has more weight (Magtalas, 2016).

 175

For most women, catcalling is a form of rudeness. It is in contrary to what men

say about their reasons for catcalling women. Women seemed to react negatively to

catcalling even if the purpose of men were to make friendships and to show admiration to

women’s beauty. It showed that men and women have different views about catcalling. It

is because men and women who are strangers to each other have no direct, concrete and

formal means for communication. That is why misunderstanding between both parties

arises. Women do not see men’s admiration. Instead, they view it as a form of sexual

desire and disrespect. For them it is also degrading, inappropriate, and not a compliment.

Most women stated that they have unpleasant feelings after being catcalled. They

felt annoyed, nervous, afflicted, and scared. This is because it was not their intention to

catch men’s attention. Women are scared because they think it is men’s way of showing

sexual desire. They were also fearful that men could harm them.

Results of the research also showed that women think they were men’s subject for

objectification. According to Calogero (2012), to objectify is to make into and treat

something that is not an object as an object, which can be used, manipulated, controlled,

and known through its physical properties. Objectification theory takes as a starting point

that cultural practices of sexually objectifying women are pervasive in Westernized

societies, and create multiple opportunities for the female body to be on public display

It is not a typical reaction for women to have pleasant feelings after being

catcalled, but it was still considered in this research. While majority of women perceived

catcalling as disrespectful or rude, there were still some who felt flattered after

experiencing it. They feel pleasantly because they think men appreciates their physical

appearance. In consonance with Gardner (1995, as mentioned by Eastwood, 2015),

 176

Fairchild and Rudman (2008) found that there are some women who sometimes enjoy

the extra attention. These women could consider the whistles and leering as something

flattering, even flirting, and turn the situation around as a positive self-esteem boost.

These women are uplifted by a sudden benign event, and walk a little taller and prouder

after a catcall. However, it might be possible that these women also already have a high

self objectification. They expect society to be this way and respond accordingly

(Fairchild & Rudman, 2008).

Most women reacted passively to catcalling. Women usually ignored those who

catcall them. For them, if they did not ignore it, men will still continue giving unwanted

remarks and disrespecting them. Instead of reacting actively like saying what they do

really feel, they tend to just keep it to theirselves to avoid further trouble. Research of

Fairchild (2008) on women’s responses to sexual harassment suggested that the majority

of women are likely to use passive, nonassertive coping strategies. Gruber’s (1989)

review of the literature found that less than 20% of women use assertive or active coping

strategies. Women typically respond to harassment by ignoring it or attempting to avoid

the harasser by reporting or confronting the perpetrator, engage (Fitzgerald, 1990).

The researchers concluded that witnesses of catcalling incidents mostly perceived

the act as negative, bearing a rude intention. Nevertheless, there are some who really

hold that there is nothing rude about it, that, it is a way of appreciation by men. When an

individual looks at a target and attempts to interpret what he or she sees, that

interpretation is heavily influenced by the personal characteristics of the individual

perceiver. Personal characteristics that affect perception included a person’s attitudes,

personality motives interest, past experiences, and expectations (Citeman, 2008). The
 177

context within which the perception takes place is also a very important determinant of

how reality will be perceived by the individual (Agrawala, 2010).

Subsequently, women bystanders were mostly angry and annoyed with the

catcallers (men). Women are more likely to think about themselves in terms of their

gender group identity (Chaudoir & Quinn, 2010). When they observed that the targets of

catcalling felt disrespected, them too will feel the same. Meanwhile, male bystanders

have tendencies not to feel resentful regarding another male’s behavior (i.e., catcalling).

Subconsciously, they know on themselves that it is in men’s nature, to appreciate/admire

one’s attractiveness (i.e., of women). However, they feel ashamed when the receiver of

catcalling recognized their presence in the catcalling situation, hence did not do any

intervention.

Chance spectators of catcalling variously respond in such situation. Some opted to

do something, while some did not. Either the response was active or passive. It depended

on how they perceived and understood the situation. Whether it is rude or not, there are

contributing factors influences his/her behavior. Foremost, passive responses are being

undertaken. They are bothered about their own safety too, afraid that they might get into

trouble with the stranger doer when they do mediation. Furthermore, it is deduced that

active responses toward a catcalling incident are highly manifested if one personally

knows the catcallers. Catcalling usually happens in public places, thus more persons are

accessible to these spaces. The bystander effect can explain the passivity of the

onlookers upon seeing catcalling events. It is the phenomenon that when a person needs

help or is in danger, most bystanders are reluctant to intervene and simply stand by

without assisting. In fact, the more observers there are, the less the chance of any one
 178

person intervening because of the diffusion of responsibility (i.e. someone else will

intervene).

Recommendations

The researchers made the following recommendations based on the result of the

study.

To men who do catcalling, the researchers suggest to learn about the results of

this research, to be knowledgeable that men and women have incongruences in

perceiving, feeling, and experiencing catcalling. Eventhough they have good intentions in

doing so, there are tendencies that their actions may be perceived contradictingly by

women.

To women who experience and probable to experience catcalling as the receivers

and the public who possibly might encounter catcalling incidents, it is recommended that

they must not generalize the men’s catcalling behavior as intended to disrespect women.

Because based on findings, one of men’s underlying motives on catcalling is to

appreciate women’s physical appearance and to make friends with them.

To the governnment and non-government organizations, on policy level they may

also use the results of the research as reference in proposing bill that protects women

toward gender sensitivity issues and in developing gender-related programs.

To the University, this study will be very helpful in gender and development

awareness. They may use this research as additional basis or source of information for

conducting programs and campaigns related to gender and development issues.

To future researchers, it is suggested to conduct related studies about catcalling.

They may change some of the variables for further and deeper studies. They may
 179

consider the age-range of the doers, or/and the other areas in Cavite to understand how it

affects the views, feelings and responses of women differently. Future researchers may

also study incidents of catcalling where females are the doers and males are the receivers

of catcalling. Moreover, it is also suggested to try to explore why men tend to practice

catcalling even though they are aware that it is perceived as rude by many. Researchers

may also consider some theories or concepts like bystander effect, and objectification.

Lastly, utilizing quantitative research design is higly recommended to the future

researchers for them to provide statistical data about catcalling incidences in other local

for deeper understanding.

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APPENDICES
Appendix 1. Thesis title proposal form
Appendix 2. Approval of thesis title
Appendix 3. Request for oral defense
Appendix 4. Approved letter for conduct of thesis study
Appendix 5. Interview guide
 Republic of the Philippines
CAVITE STATE UNIVERSITY
Don Severino De Las Alas Campus
Indang, Cavite

College of Arts and Sciences Department

of Social Sciences and Humanities

“WITWIW, HI MISS!” BASTOS BA O HINDI?: CATCALLING BETWEEN MEN

AND WOMEN IN IMUS CITY, CAVITE

INTERVIEW GUIDE FOR MALE PARTICIPANTS

Question no. 1: What are your ideas about catcalling?

Probe: What does it mean to you?; what do you like/not like about catcalling?
Question no. 2: Can you tell us your first experience to catcall a woman?
Probe: How was the experience?; What did you feel when you catcalled the
woman?;
How would you describe the receiver’s physique?; In what means/way did you
catcall the woman?; When and where did it happen?
Question no. 3: What are your intentions/reasons when catcalling a woman?
Question no. 4: What do you think should be the response/s of the woman/women
you catcalled?
Question no. 5: What did you feel about the perceived reactions of the woman you
have catcalled?
Question no. 6: Have you catcalled a woman another time?
Probe: What was the scenario?
 Republic of the Philippines
CAVITE STATE UNIVERSITY
Don Severino De Las Alas Campus
Indang, Cavite

College of Arts and Sciences Department

of Social Sciences and Humanities

“WITWIW, HI MISS!” BASTOS BA O HINDI?: CATCALLING BETWEEN MEN

AND WOMEN IN IMUS CITY, CAVITE

INTERVIEW GUIDE FOR FEMALE PARTICIPANTS

Question no. 1: What are your ideas about catcalling?

Probe: What does it mean to you?; what do you like/not like about catcalling?

Question no. 2: Can you tell us your first experience being catcalled?
Probe: How was the experience?; What did you feel?; How would you describe the
doer’s physique?; In what means/way did he/they catcall you?; When and where did
it happen?; Why did you think you were catcalled?

Question no. 3: What did you do differently on the first time you have encountered
catcalling?
Probe: What are the changes and realizations you come up to?

Question no. 4: Have you experienced being catcalled another time?

Probe: What was the scenario?

Question no. 5: How did you respond to the catcalling situation/s?

Probe: What did you do?; How did you deal with the doer/s?
 Republic of the Philippines
CAVITE STATE UNIVERSITY
Don Severino De Las Alas Campus
Indang, Cavite

College of Arts and Sciences Department of Social

Sciences and Humanities

“WITWIW, HI MISS!” BASTOS BA O HINDI?: CATCALLING BETWEEN MEN AND

WOMEN IN IMUS CITY, CAVITE

INTERVIEW GUIDE FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC PARTICIPANTS

Question no. 1: What are your ideas about catcalling?

Probe: What does it mean to you?; what do you like/not like about catcalling?

Question no. 2: What do you feel about the man who does catcalling?

Question no. 3: What do you feel about the woman who has been catcalled?

Question no. 4: How did you react after witnessing the catcalling incident?
Appendix 6. Certification of validation of interview guide
Appendix 7. Certification from Ethics Review Board
Appendix 8. Informed consent (English & Filipino)
 Republic of the Philippines
CAVITE STATE UNIVERSITY
Don Severino de las Alas Campus
Indang, Cavite
 (046) 862-1654
www.cvsu.edu.ph
Form 03. Informed Consent Approval Sheet

Title:

“WITWIW, HI MISS!” BASTOS BA O HINDI?: CATCALLING BETWEEN

MEN AND WOMEN IN IMUS CITY, CAVITE

Description of the research and your participation

This study is about the perception, experiences, and feelings of men and women toward catcalling. The
participation should be voluntary. You have the right to withdraw at any time, without prejudice. You are entitled
to ask questions and to receive an explanation after their participation. Furthermore, the research is only
interested in understanding the catcalling experiences and NOT in any specific individual.

Participants

The participants of the study are the men who had experienced as the doer of catcalling, women who had an
experience as a receiver of catcall coming from a stranger and lastly, the general public who have or have not
experienced catcalling, but also must have witnessed catcalling incidents at least twice or thrice from the past
year up to present; regardless of their age, class, educational attainment, religion, economic status, income,
sexual orientation and sexual identity.

Risks and discomforts

Risks for participating in this study are minimal. During the interview, you may encounter some questions that
you may find disagreeable or disappointing. If you feel uncomfortable at any time, you may choose to skip
questions, or you may ask to be withdrawn.

Potential benefits

In this study, you will know how to share thoughts and lessons that you have learned for others. Hopefully, you
may also feel a sense of freedom in disclosing your experiences regarding catcalling. And lastly, you will also be
given a token.

Utilization of the Results of this study

The result of the study will be used in academic purposes only. The results may be used in research, reports or
presentations, but will not use your real identity. Finally, remember that it is no specific individual person’s
responses that interest the researchers.

Protection of confidentiality

To protect confidentiality, no personally identifying information will be used. Each datum from participants will be
kept in secured files. No one will be able to know what your responses are. The researchers and the adviser are
the ones who are responsible in keeping your responses.
Voluntary participation

You are not forced not participate in the study. It was thoroughly explained that anytime you wish to withdraw
your consent or participate, you are free to do so anytime and any day. You will also have the right not to answer
all the questions in the interview.

Contact information

If you have questions or concerns regarding this study, you may contact the researchers through the
following e-mail address and contact numbers:

NICO L. BAJA [email protected] / 0916-882-1717

JEANOUELLA MARIE E. CRUZADA [email protected] / 09067248588
SPENCER C. MAPUTE [email protected] / 09268731106

A copy of this consent form should be given to you.

Consent
I have read this consent form and have been given the opportunity to ask questions.
I give my consent to participate in this study.
Participant’s signature: __________________________ Date: ___________
Contact number: _______________________________
Principal Investigator’s signature: __________________ Date: ___________
Contact number: __________________________________

Approved:
Name: __________________________
Ethics Review Board Chair
Contact number:__________
 Republic of the Philippines
CAVITE STATE UNIVERSITY
Don Severino de las Alas Campus
Indang, Cavite
 (046) 862-1654
www.cvsu.edu.ph
Form 03. Informed Consent Approval Sheet

Title:

“WITWIW, HI MISS!” BASTOS BA O HINDI?: CATCALLING BETWEEN

MEN AND WOMEN IN IMUS CITY, CAVITE

Paglalarawan ng pag-aaral at ng iyong partisipasyon

Ang pananaliksik pong ito ay tungkol sa mga karanasan ng mga kalalakihan, kababaihan at sa mga naka-kita ng
mga pangyayari batay sa insedente ng pag-sutsot (Catcalling), at ang kanilang reaksyon, paguugali at pagiisip
ang magiging pokus ng nasabing pag-aaral. Ang iyong pong pakikilahok ay dapat po na boluntaryo at hindi po sa
kadahilanang pinilit ka po lamang. Anumang oras ay mayroon ka pong karapatang tumanggi at umayaw bilang
kalahok ng pananaliksik ng walang kahit anumang panghuhusga. Ikaw po ay mabibigyan ng kalayaang
magtanong at makatanggap ng eksplanasyon matapos mo pong makilahok. Sa pagpapalawig, interesado po
lamang ang mga mananaliksik sa pag-unawa sa mga karanasang dulot ng pag-sutsot sa pang araw-araw na
pakikisalamuha. Ang mga mananaliksik ay HINDI po particular sa sinumang tiyak na indibidwal.

Mga Kalahok

Ang mga kalahok po sa pananaliksik ay ang mga kalalakihang nakaranas bilang tagapag-gawa ng pag-sutsot
(doer of catcalling), mga kababaihang may karanasang masutsotan (receiver of catcalling) mula sa isang
estranghero o di kilalang indibidwal, at panghuli, ay ang mga indibidwal naka-kita na ng mga pangyayari batay sa
insedente ng pag-sutsot (observer of catcalling). Anuman pong impormasyon sa pagkakakilanlan tulad ng edad,
lebel ng edukasyon, relihiyon na kinabibilangan, katayuan, kita at pananaw sa sariling kasarian ay kaylan man ay
di po makakaapekto sa batayan ng pagpili sa mga magiging kalahok ng pag-aaral.

Panganib at Paghihirap

Ang mga nakikitang panganib at paghihirap sa pananaliksik po na ito ay minimal lamang. Habang nag-iinterbyu,
ay maaari ka pong makatagpo ng mga katanungang maaaring hindi ka po kumportableng sagutin o di angkop sa
iyong pananaw. Kung sakali naman pong makararanas ka ng ganitong pakiramdam sa kahit anumang oras, ikaw
po ay bibigyan ng kalayaang ipagpaliban o tumanggi sa pagsagot sa katanungan.

Potensyal na Benepisyo

Ang inyo pong pakikilahok sa pananaliksik na ito ay maaari pong makatulong sa inyo na ibahagi sa iba ang inyo
pananaw at mga aral na natutunan mula sa karanasan na may kinalaman sa pag-sutsot. Maaari mo rin pong
maramdaman ang pagiging malaya sa iyong pagsasara sa karanasang ito. At bilang huli, kayo po ay
makakaasang makatatanggap ng token bilang panghuling benepisyo.
Paggamit ng resulta sa pag-aaral

Ang anuman pong magiging resulta ng pananaliksik ay makasisigurong magagamit lamang po sa pananaliksik,
pag-aaral, paglalathala at presentasyon, at hindi po kaylanman gagamitin ang sariling pagkakakilanlan. At sa huli,
alalahanin niyo po lamang na ang pag aaral po na ito ay hindi tiyak sa partikular na kasagutan ng indibidwal na
nakakuha ng aming interes lamang.

Proteksyon ng iyong Konpidensyalidad

Upang mapangalagaan po ang pagiging konpidensyal, wala pong personal na pagkakakilanlan ng mga
impormasyon ang aming gagamitin. Ang bawat impormasyon pong aming makakalap ay mananatiling pribado at
makasisiguro po kayong nasa mapagkakatiwalaang kamay. Walang sinuman ang makakaalam sa anumang
inyong naging mga kasagutan sa bawat tanong po na inihanda para sa inyo.

Boluntaryong Pakikilahok

Ipaliliwanag po sa mga kalahok na sila ay maaaring tumanggi sa pagsagot ng kahit ano po sa mga katanungan, o
maaaring maging sa lahat ng mga tanong. At maaari din po nilang putulin ang pakikilahok sa kahit anumang oras
nilang piliin. Kung mayroon pong katanungan patungkol sa pananaliksik, kayo po ay may kalayaang magtanong
sa mga mananaliksik bago mo po lagdaan ang dokumentong ito na magpapatibay ng inyo pong pakikilahok sa
pag-aaral.

Kontak

Kung may mga katanungan po kayo ukol sa pag-aaral na ito, mangyari lamang po na sumangguni sa mga
impormasyong nakalakip sa ibaba.

NICO L. BAJA [email protected] / 0916-882-1717

JEANOUELLA MARIE E. CRUZADA [email protected] / 09067248588
SPENCER C. MAPUTE [email protected] / 09268731106

Ang kopya po ng consent form na ito ay pinagkaloob sa iyo.

Pahintulot

Ang consent form ay aking nabasa at nabigyan ako ng pagkakataon na magtanong ukol sa mga nakasaad dito.
Binibigay ko ang pahintulot na lumahok sa pag-aaral na ito.
Lagda ng Kalahok: ______________________________ Petsa: ___________
Numero na maaaring tawagan: ____________________
Lagda ng Punong Imbestigador: ____________________ Petsa: ___________
Numero na maaaring tawagan: _____________________

Aprubado:
Pangalan: __________________________________
Tagapangulo, Lupon ng pagsusuri sa Etika
Numero na maaaring tawagan: ________________
Appendix 9. Poster used in data gathering
Appendix 10. Transcription of data
 TRANSCRIPTIONS OF MEN INFORMANTS
(Doers of Catcalling)

PSEUDONYM: DOER 1
GENDER: Male
AGE: 21 y/o

RESEARCHER: Magandang hapon po sa iyo. Uhm. Ah nais lang po namin na mahingi ang iyong ideya at personal na
karanasan patungkol sa catcalling. Ah unang-una po sa lahat, ah... para sa iyo, ano ang iyong idea about
catcalling?
DOER 1: Yung idea ko dun, about sa catcalling, yung parang nagtatawag ka o naghahanap ka ng atensyon ng ibang tao, na
nakikita mo, na sa tingin mo… nakakaakit, ganun, ganun po.
RESEARCHER:Hmm, tingin mo ano ang maganda o hindi magandang naidudulot ng catcalling? At bakit kaya mo yun ah
nagawa or ginagawa?
DOER 1: Uhm. Sa tingin ko po yung, yung magandang dulot ng catcalling, catcalling po, yung… yung ma-makikita nyo po na… Ay…
yung napapansin ko po na, na napapansin ka ng ibang tao dahil… dahil sa suot mo, na nakakaattract ka dahil lang sa suot.
RESEARCHER: Bali, parang ah ibig nyo po sabihin e ginagawa nyo yun para mapansin kayo ng babae?
DOER 1: Uhm. Oo ginagawa ko yun para ano, kasi sa... iba-iba yung pananaw natin e... kasi para sa kin, kapag yung mas
nakakaattract ako ng babae, mas feeling ko gwapo ako. Yung, yung panget na dulot ng catcalling, yung syempre,
ang dating talaga nun, unang-una sa lahat parang nakakabastos, ayun po.
RESEARCHER: Bali pag ginagawa nyo po yun parang nararamdaman nyo rin o alam nyo rin sa sarili nyo na
nababastusan yung babaeng ginagawan nyo po nun?
DOER 1: Oo yung pag ginagawa ko yun e, yung una, yung una natutuwa ako, na nakakatuwa kasi syempre kapag
kinatcalling mo, “Hi miss” ang isang tao, pag pinansin ka nya syempre matutuwa ka, na ‘ay! pinansin ako ng
magandang babae dahil tinawag ko na hi’.
RESEARCHER: Uhm maaari nyo po bang ilahad kung ano ang iyong naging karanasan sa unang beses nyong ah
mangcatcall ng babae?
DOER 1: Yung una kong karanasan nung ano e nung last year, may nakita akong college student tapos pagkakita ko sa
kanya nag-hi miss ako ng dalawang beses. Tumingin sya kaso parang ano, parang nabadtrip siya kasi yung feeling
nya ay mamanyakin ko agad sya. Tapos nung naramdaman ko na pagtingin nya ng masama, diri-diretso na ko
pagka-hi miss ko kasi parang medyo kinabahan ako baka kasi magsumbong or biglang sumigaw o lapitan ako at
sampalin ako, yung mga ganung bagay.
RESEARCHER: Uhm. Ano po ang inyong naramdaman nung nangcatcall kayo ng babae?
DOER 1: Yung naramdaman ko nga nun, yung naramdaman ko po nung nagcatcall ako sa isang babae... Hmmm. Parang
ano... exci... parang napifeel ko na, na naeexcite ako na masaya kasi nakucurious ako kung papansinin nya ko o
hindi.
RESEARCHER: Uhm ah puwede mo po bang ano ah pakilarawan po yung katangian, yung itsura, at yung pananamit po ng
babaeng ano inyo pong kinatcall?
DOER 1: Ahh yung itsura ng babaeng kinacatcall ko madalas... sexy, maputi... Kadalasan naman sa ting mga lalaki, hindi
mawawala yan na tinitignan talaga yung hinarahap, bukod dun, yung… yung porma ng katawan. Kasi mas
maattaract talaga sa mga lalaki katulad ko na pag nakakakita ako ng babaeng sexy, maputi, tas yung straight yung
buhok. Wala. Wala na kong paki dun sa makeup. Ang importante sa kin, yung pisikal, yung hugis ng shape ng
katawan.
RESEARCHER: Bali po, ah tinitignan nyo po sa pisikal na anyo ng babae kung kakatkolin nyo sya or hindi po?
DOER 1: Opo.
RESEARCHER: Ahm ibig sabihin po halos lahat po o madalas ng kinacatcall nyo ay maiikli ang mga suot or meron din
naman pong ano ah… formal naman, disente yung pananamit?
DOER 1: May times na ano na disente rin yung pinipili kong katkolan... kasi, ano sya, kahit hindi siya sexy, hindi maiksi
yung suot, nakakaattract yung... yung ganda nya. Kasi minsan nararamdaman ko yung aura ng babae nakakaattract
kasi nga dahil sa... dahil sa natural nyang itsura kahit hindi sya nakase... nakamaiksing suot.
RESEARCHER: Hmmm... uhm... ah kailan at saan nyo po madalas gawin ito?
DOER 1: Sa mga... pampublikong lugar katulad ng... ng mall.
RESEARCHER: Sa mall po... ah may kasama po ba kayo nun o kayo lang? May kasama po ba yung babae?
DOER 1: Pag ginagawa ko yung pagkacatcall, ako lang po. Tas yung babaeng namang kinacatcall ko po, ah wala po, kasi
po natatakot din ako pag may kasama yung babae tas kakatkolin ko, baka habulin ako.
RESEARCHER: Bali, hindi nyo pa po nararanasan mangcatcall ng babae na may kasama po?
DOER 1: Uhm naranasan ko, isang beses lang. Tapos ayun kinabahan ako kasi parang lalapitan nila ko, so umalis na rin
ako.
RESEARCHER: Okay po... ah ano po ang inyong intensyon o ano kaya ang mga maaring dahilan kung bakit kinacatcall
 ang babae?
DOER 1: Ahm ah yung... yung dahilan ko para mapansin nya ko kasi syempre, sexy yun tas pag nag-hi ako tas kapag
tumingin sya, parang ang feeling ko ang pogi ko kasi dadgdag ng pogi points yun, na mapapaisip yung babae na
kung sino yung nag-hi. Kapag napatingin, syempre nagkakaron ng interaction, yung mata – nagkocommunicate
gamit yung mata.
RESEARCHER: Bakit ho kaya gusto nyo na mapansin kayo ng babaeng inyong kinacatcall?
DOER 1: Kasi ano e kaya yung dati na nangkaka.... yung ngaun na nangkacatcall ako or dati kasi.... kasi ano ahhh… wala
kasi akong ano, wala kasi akong girlfriend tsaka gusto ko kasi mas marami akong kaibigang babae.... kasi bukod sa
mas marami akong kaibigang babae.... na.... gumagawa ako ng paraan gamit yung catcall para ano ma.... maging
famous, ganun.
RESEARCHER: Ano po ang ibig nyong sabihin nung binanggit nyong wala kayong girlfriend? Parang ano po ba yun?
Parang naghahanap kayo ng girlfriend sa mga makacatcall nyo po?
DOER 1: Opo opo naghahanap po ako na sa isang chance ay magkaroon, na yung babaeng kinatcall ko eh yun pala yung
magiging girlfriend ko, na maaattract sa kin—‘naaattract ako dahil sa pagkacatcall’. Ganun.
RESEARCHER: Okay po. Ano po kaya ang tingin nyo ang dapat na reaksyon ng babae na inyong kinacatcall? Yung mga
dapat nilang maging reaksyon po sa inyo?
DOER 1: Uhm ang sa tingin kong dapat na magng reaksyon ng babaeng pinagkaka… na nakakaranas ng catcall, catcalling
ng isang lalaki ay dapat ano dapat maging masungit dahil kapag sinungitan nila yun hindi na.... hindi na
magpapansin yung lalaki kesa naman pag nginitian nila na ibig sabihin na gusto rin nila na mapansin sila sa
pamamagitan ng catcalling.
RESEARCHER: So ganun din po yung inaasahang nyong maging reaksyon ng mga babaeng kinacatcall nyo?
DOER 1: Oo ganun din na, na mapansin… na pwedeng mapapansin, pwedeng hindi.
RESEARCHER: Bakit po parang depende?
DOER 1: Syempre ano.... depende yun sa isip ng isang tao o ng babae, kung gusto nyang magresponse dun sa.... kung gusto
nya magresponse dun sa pagkacatcall ko.
RESEARCHER: Ano po ang inyong ano.... mga naramdaman matapos nyo pong makita ung reaksyon ng babae sa inyo?
Kunyari po nagalit yung babae....
DOER 1: Yung naranasan ko na magcatcall, na nagalit yung babae, syempre natakot ako baka habulin ako at ano isumbong
dun sa pulis, kasi syempre, ano rin yun.... yung rights ng babae. Bukod dun uhm.... bukod dun na parang feeling ko
eh nakakarma ako kapag.... pag ginawa ko yung catcalling ng ilang beses. Ganun.
RESEARCHER: Meron bang mga pagkakataon na nakatanggap ka ng magandang reaksyon mula sa mga babaeng kinatcall
mo?
DOER 1: Meron naman, yung isang college student din na sabi e “Thank you” kasi nga sabi ko Hi ate”, ganun tapos yun
natuwa ako kasi bukod sa maganda sya, cute sya, tas malaki dimple nya, ayun nakakaattract yung ngiti nya....
feeling ko may gusto sya sa kin. Hahahaha.
RESEARCHER: Hmm…Ano, tingin nyo po ano yung dahilan bakit nagpasalamat sa iyo yung babae na yun matapos nyo
syang katkolin, macatcall?
DOER 1: Kasi ano.... Sa tingin ko, naappreciate nya yung pagkacatcall ko hindi dahil sa nagpapansin ako, hindi rin.... di din
maigsi yung suot nya. Dahil sa tingin.... dahil sa tingin ko ahhh.... na okay yung ano nya.... na okay yung itsura nya,
na di nya kailangan magsuot ng sexy para macatcall sya.
RESEARCHER: Bali, parang tingin nyo po bukod sa pagpapansin, ginagawa rin yun ng mga lalaki upang magpahayag ng
papuri para sa mga babae? Ganun po ba yung nais nyong iparating?
DOER 1: Ano po ulit?
RESEARCHER: Kasi sabi nyo po nagpasalamat yung babae dahil ah.... parang pinuri nyo po parang ganun po ba na bukod
sa pagpapansin isa pa sa mga dahilan ah.... sa layunin ng mga lalaki ay puriin talaga yung ano… katangian ng
babae at hindi magpapansin?
DOER 1: Oo. Yun, yung ano.... yun yung positive side ng catcalling, na naaappreciate ko at ng ibang lalaki na pag
nagkacatcalling sa isang sexy or kahit hindi sexy, na nakadisenteng suot, na nakacatcalling, yung kanilang natural
na ganda.
RESEARCHER: Ah naranasan.... ah naranasan nyo pa po bang ano uhm mangcatcall pa ng babae, ng ibang babae, sa
ibang sitwasyon naman po, sa mga nakalipas na taon?
DOER 1: Yung.... yung naranasan.... yung naranasan ko magcatcall yung sa ano… sa may mga parang park.
RESEARCHER: Ano pong nangyari?
DOER 1: Ayun, tumingin lang yung babae.... hindi masyadong nagreact. Parang gusto nya iparating sa pagtingin nya na,
“Tumigil ka, baka malintikan ka sa kin.” Ganun.
RESEARCHER: Ano.... paano nyo po ba sya kinatcall?
DOER 1: Ano… “Hi Ate!” Ganun lang, pero maganda naman yung pagkasabi kong “Hi Ate”.
RESEARCHER: Pakidescribe nga po kung ano yung itsura nun, nung kinatcall nyong yun.
DOER 1: Yung kinatcall ko po ano.... Medyo curly yung buhok, morena, tas wala namang lipstick, tas malaki yung dimples.
 Ayun ganda.... maganda sya yung.... maganda kasi sya ngumiti kaya napatingin tuloy ako tas kaya tinry ko nga
magcatcall sa kanya.
RESEARCHER: Hmm.... In general po, ano po ang inyong pananaw patungkol sa catcalling? Bastos ba ito o hindi?
DOER 1: Sa pananaw ko… uhm... wait lang po.... Sa pananaw ko po... yung na... bastos yung... bastos yung catcalling. Uhm
kasi… kasi yung pagkacatcall, sa general naman to di ba?
RESEARCHER: Opo, opinyon nyo po.
DOER 1: Sa opinyon ko kasi, yung pagkacatcall ay bastos kasi nga pa-parang inaano mo yung babae... na dinedeprive mo.
RESEARCHER: Saan po?
DOER 1: Yung sa katauhan niya, dahil “hi miss” kasi nga maano sa kanya ma… tawag dun? Maigsi yung suot nya. Kasi
yung mga nagawa din ng ganun pedeng nantitrip lang, pedeng gusto nila makakuha ng atensyon, pedeng gusto
nilang magsabi lang ng ‘hi’ para magkaron ng kaibigang magandang babae, tas pede rin naman yung ibang tao...
ay... ibang lalaki na nantitrip lang talaga. Kaya para sa kin, bastos yung pagkacatcall kasi nga... dapat natin
irespeto yung mga babae... kahit maigsi o mahaba man yung suot.
RESEARCHER: Pero bakit po kahit na nasasabi nyo pong bastos po ito, bakit po may mga pagkakataong nagagawa nyo pa
rin po ito?
DOER 1: Uhm... Nagagawa ko yun dahil sa ano... nagagawa ko na magcatcall... sa babae... minsan... kasi hindi ko na rin
maiwasan tumingin pag... kapag nakakikita ako ng sexy na babae. Kasi na... kasi yung kahit sino namang lalaki na
makakita ng sexy na babaeng maputi tas malaki yung hinaharap, napapatingin talaga. Ewan ko ba siguro sakit na
ng mga lalaki yun, yung mga ganung bagay po. Ganun po.
RESEARCHER: Uhm... anong tawag dito... ano po ba ang gusto nyong maging mensahe para sa mga lalaking katulad nyo
po na nangkacatcall at para po sa mga babaeng nakakatanggap ng mga catcalling?
DOER 1: Ahh... Unang-una sa lahat yung mensahe ko para sa mga lalaking katulad ko na nangkacatcall na… unti-unti
bawasan na nila yun, dahil syempre, kailangan natin respe... respetuhin yung mga babae dahil napakahirap ng
sitwasyon ng isang babae dahil nagkakaroon sila buwan-buwan, tayo nagpapatuli lang, tas okay na... na... dahil
masama rin naman kasi yun dahil tayo, ako, may magulang din ako, may nanay din ako. Syempre kapag nangbastos
ka ng babae, parang dinadamay mo na rin yung relatives mo.
Ah... tas dun sa nakakaranas naman ng mga catcalling na babae, na dapat ah para hindi sila makaranas ng pangkacatcall
kapag lalabas sila sa bahay nila or sa school, uhm dapat magbihis na lang sila ng disente na hindi takaw atensyon
sa... sa mga lalaking mahilig magpapansin, bukod dun, yung... yung pagsususot ng maayos. Isa rin yun na...
simbolo ng pagiging maginoong babae.
RESEARCHER: Ahhh. So kailan po ba dapat na... parang… i-identify ang catcalling na bastos o hindi? Anong mga
sitwasyon?
DOER 1: Uhm para sakin yung naaidentify ko na bastos na ang catcalling kapag yung sobra na... na kapag naghi miss, na
lumapit ka pa—na... Ate pedeng makuha number mo? yung mga ganung sitwasyon na parang hinarass na siya…
na... hindi lang nagha-hi, lumalapit ka sa kanya at sinasabi sa kanya na pede ba makuha number mo... na hindi
lang one, o isang beses mong magkacatcall kundi two or more.
RESEARCHER: Ahhh okay po, maraming salamat po ulit.
DOER 1: Ay, thank you po.
PSEUDONYM: DOER 2
GENDER: Male
AGE: 18 y/o

RESEARCHER: Ano sa palagay mo yung ang idea mo about catcalling o pagsutsot?

DOER 2: Sa ‘kin wala naman ahh… pagsutsot, yan papansin lang.
RESEARCHER: Sa palagay mo ‘bat kaya nag papapansin?
DOER 2: Gusto niya ‘yung isang babae ganun, paghanga.
RESEARCHER: So, humahanga siya sa babae na ‘di niya talaga kilala ng personal?
DOER 2: Oo, yun.
RESEARCHER: Sa palagay mo ano kayang magandang side ng catcalling?
DOER 2: Ang maganda ano… makikilala mo ‘yung tao ano… ‘yung gusto mo, gusto mo maging ganyan… magkakaroon ng
bagong kaibigan. Maaari maka-relasyon mo pa kung saka-sakali ‘pag sinwerte.
RESEARCHER: Ahh… so ibig sabihin, ‘yung catcall para sa ‘yo parang way din ng pagpapakilala sa babaeing ‘di mo
kakilala?
DOER 2: Tsaka baka magkaroon ka ng ano… “forever” kung tawagin nga!
RESEARCHER: So, possible pwede pang maka-relasyon?
DOER 2: Pwede, pwede! Oo!
RESEARCHER: So, ano naman kaya ‘yung ano… hindi mo gusto ‘bout catcalling?
DOER 2: ‘Yun lang! ‘yung iba kasi masyado ng bastos, nakakabastos na rin sila. ‘Yun, may mga tawag pa na “Babe! Ako
na magdadala niyan!” ganon, ganon, may pa- “babe-babe“ pang nalalaman ‘di naman kilala, ‘yun lang para sa
‘kin, yun ang nakakabastos.
RESEARCHER: Ahh… kumbaga medyo sobra na ‘yung way…
DOER 2: Pangit naman yung ganon.
RESEARCHER: So, sabi mo nga may experience ka na about catcall diba?
DOER 2: Ahhh… wala pa naman… sakto lang!
RESEARCHER: Pwede ka bang magkwento ng isang experience mo lang?
DOER 2: Wala, ano lang… “Hi! ‘te!” yun lang!
Hi lang ‘tas pag nag-hi edi… tanungin ang pangalan.
RESEARCHER: Sino kaya ‘yung babae na ‘yun? Estudyante ba siya?
DOER 2: Estudyante lang din…
RESEARCHER: Estudyante ng?
DOER 2: CvSU (Imus).
RESEARCHER: CvSU din pero ‘di mo siya personal na kilala…
So, paano mo kinuha ‘yung atensyon niya anong sibnabi mo?
DOER 2: ‘Yun lang! “Hi ‘te!” lang!
RESEARCHER: “Hi ‘te!” lang?
DOER 2: Nag-hi lang ako.
RESEARCHER: Ano kayang naging reaksyon niya?
DOER 2: Wala lang, ngumiti lang nag “Hi” lang din… e di yun na! tatanungin na yung pangalan.
RESEARCHER: Ahh… nag-response din? Ngumiti din?
DOER 2: Ganun lang!
RESEARCHER: May mga instances ba na, nag-catcall ka pero ‘yung response parang…
DOER 2: Galit…
Hindi, mag gaganon lang naman ako sa mga ano eh… alam kong… sa mga alam kong ano… makikita mo naman sa tao
kung pikunin ba yung tao o hindi eh.
RESEARCHER: So, pinakikiramdaman mo rin?
DOER 2: Oo, pakiramdaman lang din
RESEARCHER: So, ano kayang type nung babae na… ‘yung kinatkol mo? Ano kayang itsura niya?
DOER 2: Itsura nung babae?
RESEARCHER: Oo.
DOER 2: Syempre maayos, maganda!
RESEARCHER: Ano kayang suot niya?
DOER 2: Uniform lang din.
RESEARCHER: School uniform?
DOER 2: School uniform lang din.
RESEARCHER: Anong na feel mo nung kinatkol mo siya ‘tas nag-response siya?
DOER 2: Kinilig! Kinilig din.
RESEARCHER: Natuwa ka naman?
DOER 2: Natuwa naman.
RESEARCHER: Sa school ‘to nangyari? Dito sa CvSU Imus?
DOER 2: Oo.
RESEARCHER: ‘Yun nga, kinuha mo yung atensyon niya para mkipag-kaibigan?
DOER 2: Makipag-kaibigan lang.
RESEARCHER: Kung sakali, kung papalarin?
DOER 2: Oo.
RESEARCHER: Sa palagay mo, ‘yung babaeng kinatkol mo mga anong age kaya siya?
DOER 2: Siguro mga eighteen, ganon.
RESEARCHER: Mga eighteen din?
DOER 2: Oo.
RESEARCHER: May mga instances pa ba na, pagkatapos ng incident na ‘yon nag catcall ka pa?
DOER 2: Hindi na. Kasi hindi naman lahat ano eh… ganun, mag gaganun… kaya ‘di na… ‘di na rin inulit.
RESEARCHER: Sa’yo palagay mo ba, sa pangkabuohan, ‘yung catcalling ba sa palagay mo bastos ba siya o hindi?
DOER 2: May pagka-bastos ganun…
RESEARCHER: Paanong may pagka-bastos? Bakit parang hindi talaga bastos?
DOER 2: Ahhh… may pagka bastos siya… eh hindi mo naman kilala, bigla mo na lang sisitsitan. Siyempre! Alanganin din!
Parang delikado rin eh. Diba, baka isipin manyakis!
RESEARCHER: Sa palagay mo yung way ng catcall bastos siya?
DOER 2: Parang ganun.
RESEARCHER: May idadagdag ka pa ba tungkol sa mga lalaking nagka-catcall? May iba ka pa bang sasabihin?
DOER 2: Wala na.
RESEARCHER: Paano sa mga babae meron kaya?
DOER 2: Wala rin siguro.
PSEUDONYM: DOER 3
GENDER: Male
AGE: 19 y/o

RESEARCHER: Para sa’yo ano sa palagay mo ang pagkakaintindi mo sa catcalling o pagsutsot?

DOER 3: Ang pag catcall kasi parang ito yung pamamaraan ng isang lalaki para matawag ‘yung atensyon ng babae. Para
ma-ano… ‘Yung kung sakaling gusto niya makipagkilala, gumagamit siya ng catcalling para mapansin siya.
RESEARCHER: Ibig mong sabihin yun yung pamamaraan nung mga lalaki para kunin yung atensyon ng babae o
makapagpakilala sa babae na hindi niya kilala.
Sapalagay mo ano yung magandang side o bagay na gusto mo tungkol sa catcalling?
DOER 3: Ano… para ano ba… paanong ano ba?
RESEARCHER: Anong nagustuhan mo o may magandang side ba ‘tong catcalling? sa palagay mo para sa’yo?
DOER 3: Para sa ‘kin meron! Kasi kung sakaling gusto mo talagang… gustong-gusto mo yung babae, bale ayun yung
magiging daan para magkakilala kayo.
RESEARCHER: Ahh… nae-express mo yung sarili mo. Kunwari kapag may babaeng dumaan, pero nagandahan ka,
naeexpress mo yung sarili mo?
DOER 3: Oo.
RESEARCHER: So, yun yung gusto mo doon?
DOER 3: Oo.
RESEARCHER: Ano naman kaya yung bagay na hindi maganda tungkol sa catcalling?
DOER 3: Ang ‘di lang maganda ‘dun, ang ibang pagkakaintindi ng ibang tao ‘dun, parang ano… may masama kang
intension sa kinakatkol mo, sa isang babae.
RESEARCHER: Ibig mong sabihin ang mga ‘di mo lang gusto dun yung pagkakaintindi ng ibang tao?
DOER 3: Oo. ‘Yung negative side na pagkakaintindi ng ibang tao.
RESEARCHER: Ahh... ‘yung negative side na pagkakaintindi nila?
So, sabi mo nga kanina may experience ka na tungkol sa catcall. Tama ba?
DOER 3: Oo.
RESEARCHER: Pwede ka bang mag kwento ng konti sa ilan sa mga experiences o kahit isa lang sa experience mo?
DOER 3: Meron ‘yung sa crush namin! Halos lahat naman kami may gusto ‘dun eh pag dumadaan…
RESEARCHER: Saan nangyari ‘yun?
DOER 3: Dito, nakatambay kami diyan. (CvSU Imus)
RESEARCHER: Ah, dito lang din?
DOER 3: Oo, ‘tas dumaan siya. ‘Tas lahat sabay-sabay kami. Ayun ng “Hi! Miss!”
RESEARCHER: Lahat kayo sabay-sabay?
DOER 3: Oo. “Hi *****!”, kasi ***** ‘yon eh, sikat ‘yun!
RESEARCHER: Pero hindi talaga kayo personal na magkakakilala?
DOER 3: Hindi.
RESEARCHER: Ano kayang edad ‘nun nung babaeng yun?
DOER 3: Nineteen. Nineteen years old.
RESEARCHER: Ano kayang itsura noong babae?
DOER 3: Maputi, matangkad, ‘tas maganda.
RESEARCHER: Ano kayang suot niya, noong time na kinatkol niyo siya?
DOER 3: Ano… school uniform CvSU din.
RESEARCHER: Ano kayang nagging response nung babae, pagkatapos niyo siyang i-catcall?
DOER 3: May time na ano eh… nginitian niya kami.
RESEARCHER: Ah… so, hindi lang isang beses niyong kina-catcall? maraming beses din?
DOER 3: Oo.
RESEARCHER: So, may time na…
DOER 3: Kasi nakapag pa-picture na rin kami sa kaniya.
RESEARCHER: Pero ‘di niyo talaga siya personal na kakilala?
DOER 3: Hindi.
RESEARCHER: So, noong kinatkol niyo siya, ngumiti naman siya?
DOER 3: Oo.
RESEARCHER: May mag instances ba na nag-catcall ka na hindi maganda yung…
DOER 3: Oo.
RESEARCHER: Paano kaya yung naging response?
DOER 3: Iniirapan kami.
RESEARCHER: Ano yung sinabi mo noong kinatkol mo siya?
DOER 3: “Hi! *****!” ‘tas ano lang mga senyas.
RESEARCHER: Paanong senyas kaya?
DOER 3: Yung… papa-cute.
RESEARCHER: So kalian kaya ito nangyari, anong time kaya?
DOER 3: Umaga vacant eh, mga pagtapos ng ano namin… mga nasa ano… ten.
RESEARCHER: So, maaga pa?
DOER 3: Oo.
RESEARCHER: May pasok noon dito sa CvSU?
DOER 3: Oo.
RESEARCHER: Ano naman ‘yung intensyon mo? Bakit ka nag-hi sa kanya?
DOER 3: Para ano… mapansin niya.
RESEARCHER: Para mapansin ka?
DOER 3: Oo.
RESEARCHER: Ano yung ine-expect mong response niya?
DOER 3: Ahh… yung ano lang… yung ngiti niya lang.
RESEARCHER: Pero so far yun din naman ang ni-respose niya sa iyo? Ngumiti din naman?
DOER 3: Oo.
RESEARCHER: So, may time pa ba na nag-catcall ka sa iba, sa iba naman…
DOER 3: Meron, meron sa iba.
RESEARCHER: So, sa paanong way?
DOER 3: Ganun din! Ano yung… kaso pabiro lang… kasi kunwari Dante, may kaklase kaming Dante, ‘tas sasabihin naming
“’te!”, paglumingon yung babae, sasabihin naming “Dante” parang manti-trip lang.
RESEARCHER: So, nanti-trip lang talaga?
DOER 3: Oo, minsan!
RESEARCHER: Sa pangkabuohan, sa palagay mo, ‘yung catcall kaya bastos o hindi bastos?
DOER 3: Sa pangkabuohan, parang nakakabastos.
RESEARCHER: Nakakabastos? Bakit kaya?
DOER 3: Kasi, siyempre hindi naman lahat ng babae iisipin na pag kinatkol mo sila, good intention agad ‘yung maiisip nila.
Iisipin nila talaga ano… may masama kang intensyon.
RESEARCHER: So, ibig mong sabihin hindi nangangahulugan na kahit na sabihin mong maganda ang intensyon mo, hindi
agad nila nakukuha na maganda talaga ang intensyon mo?
DOER 3: Oo.
RESEARCHER: So, feel mo na bastos talaga ‘yun?
DOER 3: Oo.
RESEARCHER: May iba ka pa bang idadagdag? May gusto ka bang sabihin sa mga babaeng na-catcall mo na? o sa mga
babaeng naka-catcall?
DOER 3: Peace yow!
RESEARCHER: Ikaw, anong message mo, bilang naka-experience ka na mang-catcall? May gusto ka bang sabihin?
DOER 3: Ano na lang… tigil na! tama na!
RESEARCHER: Bakit?
DOER 3: Para hindi na ano… sakaling baka meron palang boyfiend yung kinakatkol, ‘tas nagsumbong. Baka mapahamak
pa.
PSEUDONYM: DOER 4
GENDER: Male
AGE: 18 y/o

RESEARCHER: Ahm unang katanungan po, ano po ang ideya nyo tungkol sa catcalling?
DOER 4: Ano lang, parang pagpapansin kadalasan...
RESEARCHER: Ah sa anong paraan po ang ginagawa nyo para sa pagpapansin sa mga kababaihan?
DOER 4: Ano, paglapit sa babae tas tatanong kung ano lang pangalan, FB account, mga simple na ano lang pedeng
pagkuhanan ng identity.
RESEARCHER: Mga kakilala nyo po yung mga babaeng nilalapitan ninyo?
DOER 4: Sa ngayon, oo, kakilala ko na sila, yung mga nagawan ko ng catcalling.
RESEARCHER: Ahh nung mga ano po... pero dati po hindi?
DOER 4: Pero dati hindi.
RESEARCHER: Ano po para sa inyo ang kahulugan sa inyo ng catcalling?
DOER 4: Parang ano lang siya e parang yun nga parang pagtawag ng pansin, parang gusto lang makapagpakilala ng ano,
gumawa ng bagong kaibigan, mga ganun...
RESEARCHER: Sa mga anong paraan nyo po ginagawa yun para matawag ang pansin ng mga kababaihan?
DOER 4: Ano, through lalapit talaga, yung tipong “Ate, anong pangalan mo?”, “Pwede ba malaman pangalan mo?”. Mga
ganun...
RESEARCHER: Ano po yung bagay na gusto nyo o hindi gusto nyo tungkol sa catcalling?
DOER 4: Ano, parang pinag-iisipan kami ng masama, yung tipong parang nangtitrip lang kami, yun ang labas...
RESEARCHER: Tingin nyo po parang, tingin nila sa inyo...
DOER 4: Tingin nila parang nangtitrip lang kami, parang nakakabastos kami, parang ganun...
RESEARCHER: Sa tingin nyo po bakit ganun ang pagtingin nila sa inyo?
DOER 4: Siguro minsan pangit lang yung response namin, minsan pangit lang yung pagtatanong namin ganun...
RESEARCHER: Ahh maaari nyo po bang ikwento sa amin kung ano yung unang beses na nangcatcall kayo ng babae? Ano
po yung naranasan nyo nung unang beses na yun? Ano po yung ginawa nyo?
DOER 4: Ah ano hindi nagtagumpay...
RESEARCHER: Ano po bang uri ng pangkacatcall yung ginawa nyo? Sinitsitan nyo ba or sinabihan ng ano...
DOER 4: Tinawag ko lang na “Ate! Pwedeng malaman pangalan mo?”
RESEARCHER: Tapos ano po? Sige po... Ikwento nyo lang po...
DOER 4: Tapos yun lang parang lumapit ako nagtanong ng pangalan. Kadalasan naman kasi sa mga ka-schoolmate ko
ginagawa yun...
RESEARCHER: Ano po yung naramdaman nyo nung naranasan nyong mangcatcall?
DOER 4: Minsan nahihiya tas minsan ano nakaka... kasi minsan yun yung parang way mo ng pagpapasikat sa katropa pero
parang sa loob ko, wala lang gusto ko lang talagang makilala, minsan kasi gusto ko lang talagang sabihin na
maganda ka parang ganun.
RESEARCHER: Nabangggit nyo po na way ng pagpapasikat sa tropa, ibig sabihin pag ginagawa nyo po yung catcalling,
may kasama po kayong iba?
DOER 4: Oo parang pagpapasama minsan kasi mga tropa ko may mga kakilalang babae, nagpapasama ako, “P’re
samahan mo naman ako, pakilala mo naman ako sa kanya.”
RESEARCHER: Ahm maaari nyo po bang idescribe kung ano yung pisikal na kaanyuan ng mga babaeng kinacatcall nyo?
DOER 4: Ano lang, ahm, simple, medyo mahaba buhok, tapos yung simple lang, walang arte yung tipong di gaanong... di
marunong magmake-up ganun. Yung magaganda pa rin kahit walang make-up. Yung simple lang kahit maganda
pa rin sya kahit nakapantalon kahit nakaporma, maganda pa rin parang ganun...
RESEARCHER: Mga anu-anong uri po ng catcall yung sinasabi nyo sa mga babae?
DOER 4: “Hi Ate!” Mga ganun... “Ate pahingi number!” Parang mga ganun...
RESEARCHER: Ahm kalian at saan po ito madalas mangyari?
DOER 4: Sa school kadalasan. Kadalasan, sa mga mall...
RESEARCHER: Yung kinacatcall nyo pong babae, may kasama po ba sya nun, nung kinatcall nyo, or mag-isa lang po ba?
DOER 4: Sa naexperience ko naman, wala naman akong nacatcall na mag-isa lang kasi parang ayoko manakot baka kasi
iba labas sa kanila e.
RESEARCHER: Uhm, sa tingin nyo po pag nangcatcall kayo, matatakot po yung babae sa inyo?
DOER 4: Yung iba oo.
RESEARCHER: Bakit ho kaya?
DOER 4: Kasi minsan parang nantitrip lang, yung parang may gustong gawing masama yung iba.
RESEARCHER: Eto po, ano po ba yung dahilan o intensyon nyo kung bakit nyo po nagagawang mangcatcall ng babae?
DOER 4: Kadalasan makipagkaibigan lang...
RESEARCHER: Ah makipagkaibigan lang, ano pa po, may iba pa po bang dahilan bukod don?
DOER 4: Ayun lang... Parang ayun lang e ayun lang naiisip kong dahilan minsan e...
RESEARCHER: Ah kung ganun po pala ang inyong rason. Ano po kaya sa tingin nyo ang dapat na maging response ng
babaeng inyong kinacatcall?
DOER 4: Parang ano lang... sumagot ng in a nice way, na parang wag siyang mag-isip ng masama agad.
RESEARCHER: Bakit ano po ba yung karaniwang response ng mga babae sa inyo?
DOER 4: Ano yung minsan “Sorry may boyfriend ako.” E gusto ko lang naman malaman yung pangalan nya e, di naman
kaagad yung status nya agad.
RESEARCHER: Ano po yung naging reaksyon nyo nung ganun yung naging reaksyon nung babae? Ano po yung
naramdaman ninyo?
DOER 4: Medyo napahiya tapos minsan nahihiya ano kinakabahan parang ganun...
RESEARCHER: Ahm meron pa bo bang pagkakataon na nangcatcall kayo ng isang babae?
DOER 4: Wala na e pero nakawitness din ako ng maraming ano...
RESEARCHER: Anong pong nangyari?
DOER 4: Kadalasan kasi yung mga nangkacatcall na lalaki. Marami kasi akong kaibigang artistahin halos yung mukha. Pag
nangkacatcall sila, yung babae nagbibigay din, parang nagbibigay rin ng number...
RESEARCHER: Ah... Parang positibo po yung...
DOER 4: Oo parang positibo sa kanila yung panglabas na anyo lang...
RESEARCHER: Ah bale sinasabi nyo po, depende po yung magiging reaksyon ng babae?
DOER 4: Kung sa nangkacatcall...
RESEARCHER: Sa panglabas na anyo ng nangkacatcall?
DOER 4: Oo, parang depende sa nangkacatcall...
RESEARCHER: Pero di ba base sa experiences mo,. Positibo rin yung kinalabasan ng pangkacatcall mo?
DOER 4: Oo. Ako yung nacatcall ko last time, sya ngayon yung naging girlfriend ko ngayon.
RESEARCHER: Wow!
DOER 4: Kaklase siya nung tropa ko and then tumambay sila sa bahay ng tropa ko e pinapunta ako ng tropa ko, pinakilala
ako sa kanya.
RESEARCHER: Nagsimula po lahat yun sa catcalling? Bale maaari nyo po bang ikwento kung ano yung ginawa nyo?
DOER 4: Kasi hindi ko alam na kaklase nya yun. E nakita ko siya sa tindahan. Tinatawag ko siya na “Hi Ate!” pero hindi ko
pinaparinig parang “Hi Ate! Hi Ate!” parang ganun lang nagpapapansin pero sa iba ako nakatingin.
RESEARCHER: Ahh sa pangkalahatan po, sa inyo pong pananaw, ang catcalling po ba ay bastos o hindi bastos?
DOER 4: Depende e...
RESEARCHER: Depende po... Bakit po kaya depende?
DOER 4: Kasi... Depende rin sa babae, kung medyo friendly rin yung babae pede. Pero kung sa lalaki naman, parang di
naman kasi mawawala sa lalaki yung mangcatcall parang kadalasan kasi ang dahilan lang nila naaattract lang...
RESEARCHER: Ahm addition lang po, ano po kadalasan yung mga edad ng mga babaeng nakacatcall?
DOER 4: Siguro mga kaedaran ko lang halos...
RESEARCHER: Mga nasa 18 ganun?
DOER 4: Oo, nasa 18...
RESEARCHER: May nais pa po ba kayong idagdag na opinyon o mga nais nyo pa pong ikwento pa? baka meron pa po...
DOER 4: Ah ano lang, yung catcalling naman e hindi naman lagi e bastos. Parang gusto lang laging, minsan gusto lang
makipagkaibigan, magdagdag ng bagong kaibigan, hindi siya laging bastos.
RESEARCHER: Yun lamang po, maraming salamat po.
PSEUDONYM: DOER 5
GENDER: Male
AGE: 18 y/o

RESEARCHER: Ahm ano po ang ideya nyo tungkol sa catcalling?

DOER 5: Ano yung parang sinabi ni Ate kanina yung pagpapansin sa babae, yung tipong kahit naglalakad yun tatawagin
mo para lang mapansin ka.
RESEARCHER: Anu-ano uri po ng pagpapansin?
DOER 5: Na ginawa ko na?
RESEARCHER: Opo.
DOER 5: Yung ano... “Te! Dante!” ganun tapos “Miss! Miss!” yung ganun tapos marami e. tapos ano pa ba yun...
RESEARCHER: Tulad ng?
DOER 5: Yung “Te, number mo Te?” tapos “Te aka pwedeng mahingi pangalan mo ‘te kung pwede lang?” ganun...
RESEARCHER: Ahm ano po, para sa inyo po, ano po ang magandang dulot o hindi magandang dulot ng catcalling?
DOER 5: Sa kin yung magandang dulot nun ano e, siguro ano rin para naapreciate mo na rin siguro yung isang tao kasi
karamihan kasi dito sa CvSU-Imus ano e puro, hindi naman sa ano, karamihan may magaganda ganun. So
parang magandang dulot nun is nagpapapansin lang kami para matawag yung pansin nila tapos yung hindi
naman magandang medyo dulot nun e is yung minsan e nakakasakit kami, di namin alam na nakakasakit pala
kami sa mga bagay na ginagawa namin...
RESEARCHER: Bale po sinasabi nyo po yung catcalling ginagawa nyo dahil nakakaappreciate nyo ang ganda ng isang
babae? Sa paanong paraan nyo naman ho kaya nasabi na pakiramdam nyo nakakasakit kayo ng babae?
DOER 5: Kasi, isang bes kasi ano, nung ginawa ko yun kumbaga merong isa na parang hindi maganda yung tingin sa kin
parang ang sama, parang nabastusan sa ginawa ko, parang nagalit...
RESEARCHER: Maaari mo po bang ikwento kung ano yung unang beses nyong karanasan na mangcatcall kayo ng babae?
DOER 5: Siguro nung ano ako, elementary... Elementary.... Hindi ko makakalimutan yun... E may bago kasi kaming
classmate nun, e private kasi yun, tapos parang sa private kasi, pagtitripan talaga namin pag may bago kaming
kaklase. Ginagawa namin, pinagtitripan namin tulad nung ano sasabihan namin ng “Te anong pangalan mo ‘te?
Bago ka dito di ba? Bago kang salta? Anong pangalan mo?” ganun...
RESEARCHER: Ano po yung naramdaman nyo nung mangcatcall kayo ng babae?
DOER 5: Para sakin lang nasiyahan ako kasi yun na nga parang pagpapapansin na rin kahit na alam kong mali ganun...
RESEARCHER: Pakidescribe naman kung ano ang itsura ng kinatcall mong iyon...
DOER 5: Yung babae? Matangkad, payat, maputi, maganda, matangos yung ilong, kagandahan yung mata, mahaba yung
pilik-mata, sakto lang, maganda...
RESEARCHER: Sa paanong paraan nyo po siya kinatcall? Anu-ano po yung sinabi ninyo at ginawa ninyo?
DOER 5: Yung parang pambabasatos na rin... yung darag...
RESEARCHER: Po?
DOER 5: Yung darag...
RESEARCHER: Darag?
DOER 5: Oo, yung parang binastos namin sya sa term na hindi maganda. Yung parang, kasi bago kasi e di ba? Pag bago
kasi sa min e parang binabastos lang namin para makijoin sya sa min, parang welcome trip lang namin sa kanya
ganun.
RESEARCHER: Hmm di ba sabi mo elementary ka pa lang nun. E nung mga mas matanda ka na, ano pa yung mga
experiences mo about catcalling?
DOER 5: Nung high school mas malala. Tapos ngayong college mas lalong lumala
RESEARCHER: Nung high school, paano ka nangkacatcall?
DOER 5: Halos, taon-taon, araw-araw...
RESEARCHER: Paano? Paano mo ginagawa yun?
DOER 5: Ano, pagkakunyari trip ko talaga yung babae tinatawag ko “Te anong pangalan mo? Baka pwede mo naman
sabihin mo sa kin pangalan mo?” ganun tapos ano yung tipong pambabastos na rin talaga...
RESEARCHER: Halos mga kasing edaran mo rin yun? Mga high school din kumbaga?
DOER 5: Oo, mga high school ganun...
RESEARCHER: Ano po sa tingin nyo yung mga dahilan nyo kung bakit nyo ginagawa yun?
DOER 5: Siguro sa kin ano, isang beses kasi ginawa ko yung kasi gusto ko yung isang tao ganun. Hindi na rin mawawala sa
mga lalaki na kaya tayo nagpapansin kasi gusto natin yung isang tao kasi may nagugustuhan tayo sa appearance
nya ganun...
RESEARCHER: Meron pa po ba kayong ibang intensyon kung bakit nyo sya kinatcall?
DOER 5: Sa ‘kin kasi nagkacatcall lang ako kasi para maging masaya lang ako para trip ko lang sa sarili ko, kasi ganun ako
mag-ano e... sa bahay wala, malungkot sa bahay... tas parang ginagawa ko yun para sa sarili ko, para sumaya ako
 kahit paminsan-minsan lang...
RESEARCHER: Hmm, may kasama po ba kayo pag nangkacatcall kayo?
DOER 5: Mga barkada, mga classmate, ganun...
RESEARCHER: Pag mag-isa lang ho kayo?
DOER 5: Hindi ko magawa yun e kasi syempre mahirap na, ayun...
RESEARCHER: Paanong mahirap na po?
DOER 5: Kasi, isang beses. Wala nung dati kasi napagdaanan ko na yun e. Isang beses kasi e sinabihan nya na ko e,
“Bastos! Kapal ng mukha mo!” ganun...
RESEARCHER: May kasama yung babae o wala?
DOER 5: Siya lang din... e ano rin ako nun e parang wild, masyadong magulo ganun...
RESEARCHER: Ah yun po, nasabihan po kayong bastos, sa tingin nyo po ba ano po ba dapat ang maging reaksyon ng
babae after na macatcall nyo po sya?
DOER 5: Kala ko kasi nasa good mood siya e... iniisip ko na maganda yung ano parang okay lang sa kanya na sabihan ng
ganun yun pero hindi pala, nasaktan pala sya.
RESEARCHER: Ano po yung naramdaman ninyo nung nakita nyo yung reaksyon ng babae sa inyo?
DOER 5: Siguro ano, first time ko nasaktan nun...
RESEARCHER: Ah nasaktan rin po kayo?
DOER 5: Oo, kasi hindi ko naman alam na ganun pala yung mararamdaman niya sa ginawa ko e. Syempre hindi ko
maexplain ng maayos kasi mahirap talaga pag ano pag nangyari sa yo ganun...
RESEARCHER: Ahm meron bang mga pagkakataon na naging positive yung response sa yo nung babaeng kinatcall mo?
DOER 5: Meron po. Noong last sem.
RESEARCHER: Panong nangyari?
DOER 5: “Salamat” daw.
RESEARCHER: Ano po ba ang sinabi ninyo sa kanya?
DOER 5: “Te ang ganda mo ‘te ano? Ganda mo talaga!” ganun tas sabi nya “Salamat!”
RESEARCHER: Ano naman naramdaman mo naman nun?
DOER 5: Syempre saya ko, sabi nya “Salamat” daw e first time na may nagresponse sa kin ng ganun e...
RESEARCHER: Kasi madalas nagagalit?
DOER 5: Oo.
RESEARCHER: Ahh in general po, para po sa inyo, ang catcalling po ba ay bastos o hindi bastos?
DOER 5: Para sa kin hindi naman siya bastos e... kasi di ba? Sa lalaki kasi, ang catcalling kasi e parang sign sa ming mga
lalaki, na pagpapansin na parang may sinasabi kami na gusto naming sabihin sa kanila gamit yung catcalling...
Kunyari, “Te maganda ka ‘te!” “Te ganda mo naman ngayong araw na to.” Tapos yung ganun nga, yun maganda
rin naman.
RESEARCHER: May iba pa po ba kayong mga opinyon o nais sabihin about catcalling?
DOER 5: Ano po, may mga times din kasi na medyo nakakabastos na rin e. Yun, nakakabastos na rin, kasi yung mga... hindi
namin iniisip yung sinasabi namin sa isang tao, hindi namin alam nakakasakit na pala kami tapos… ang hirap
iexplain...
RESEARCHER: Pero para po sa inyo hindi siya bastos?
DOER 5: Oo, hindi siya bastos.
RESEARCHER: Sige yun lamang po, maraming salamat po.
DOER 5: Salamat po.
 TRANSCRIPTIONS OF WOMEN INFORMANTS
(Receivers of Catcalling)

PSEUDONYM: RECEIVER 1
GENDER: Female
AGE: 21 y/o

RESEARCHER: So, para po sa una po nating katanungan. Ano pong alam niyo tungkol sa catcalling? Ideya tungkol sa
catcalling?
RECEIVER 1: Ito yung pagtawag sa mga babae ng mga kung ano-ano, para maagaw ‘yung atensyon nila. Tulad nung sa
paglalakad diba? Kase mostly mga babae, hindi mawawala sa’tin ‘yan, na pinagkakatuwaan tayo ng mga
lalaki. Kasi alam mo naman ang mga isip ng mga lalaki diba?
RESEARCHER: Ano po ‘bang tinutukoy ninyo? Ano po bang pag-iisip ng mga lalaki para sa inyo?
RECEIVER 1: Ano… sabihin na natin na ano sila mas… liberated sila sa ’tin diba? Kasi kung ano-ano tumatakbo sa pag-
iisip nila eh. Lalo na kapag naka short tayo, mas maiikling damit, ganyan.
RESEARCHER: Tingin niyo po nakakaapekto talaga yung suot nating mga babae?
RECEIVER 1: Oo, kasi hindi naman nila tayo gaganunin kung hindi rin naman tayo nagpapakita ng… bahagi ng katawan
natin na hindi rin naman dapat talaga.
RESEARCHER: So, maaari niyo po bang ikwento sa ‘min yung first time niyong na-experience na ma-catcall?
RECEIVER 1: Di ko na kasi matandaan ‘yon eh… kasi… ako naman kasi yung tipo ng babae na hindi naman masyado na…
‘yung mga catcalling ganyan. Kasi parang ilag din sila na tawagin ako sa ganun, kasi ‘di rin naman ako tulad
ng ibang babae na parang pagkakita pa lang nila sa’kin.. na.. di nila iisipin na tawagin nila ako sa ganun,
ganyan “Hi! Miss!” ganyan.
RESEARCHER: Pero nasabi niyo po na may experience na po kayo sa catcalling? Maaari niyo po bang ikwento kung
anong nangyari?
RECEIVER 1: Ito rin, diyan sa court namin, yung mga lalaki din na ano… na nag ka-catcall ahmm…
RESEARCHER: Paano po yung ginawa nila? Paano ka nila kinatkol?
RECEIVER 1: Ganyan, “hi ate!”
RESEARCHER: Meron pa po bang ibang way kung paano ka nila kinatkol? Bukod sa mga “hi ate!”?
RECEIVER 1: “Ang ganda mo naman!” ayun lang naman.
RESEARCHER: So ano pong naramdaman ninyo noong kayo ay kinatkol ng mga lalaki?
RECEIVER 1: Ano nakaka-inis kasi hindi mo naman ine-expect na may ‘ganyang pangyayari na hindi sinasadya.
RESEARCHER: Maaari ninyo po bang i-describe yung mga nang-catcall sa inyo, ano po bang itsura?
RECEIVER 1: Mga ano… tambay lang ganyan, mga walang magawa sa buhay.
RESEARCHER: Mukha po bang disente?
RECEIVER 1: Hindi eh. Ang mga mostly naman tumatawag ng mga ganyan ‘yong mga kabataan eh. ‘Yan! mga tambay
diyan, mga walang magawa sa buhay.
RESEARCHER: So, ‘nung kayo po ay nakatanggap ng catcall, nag-iisa lang po ba siyang lalaki na ‘yun? O may mga
kasama siya?
RECEIVER 1: ‘Yung iba ano… may kasama, ‘yung iba naman wala.
RESEARCHER: Ahh minsan po may kasama, minsan po wala.
RECEIVER 1: So, noong mga na-catcall po kayo mostly umaga ba ‘yun? o gabi, o tanghali?
RECEIVER 1: Gabi.
RESEARCHER: May kasama po kayo noon o mag-isa lang kayo?
RECEIVER 1: Ako lang mag-isa.
RESEARCHER: May pagkakataon po ba na pag may kasama kayo, na naka-catcall kayo?
RECEIVER 1: Ahm.. . oo meron din. Meron din naman.
RESEARCHER: So, sa tingin niyo po sa sarili niyo po, bakit po kaya kayo naka tanggap ng catcall?
RECEIVER 1: Siguro nagagandahan sila, ganyan. Ayun lang, ‘di ko na alam.
RESEARCHER: Pero maaari niyo po bang i-describe sa amin kung ano po bang kasuotan niyo po noong pagkakataon na
iyon?
RECEIVER 1: Disente naman ‘yung suot ko.
RESEARCHER: So, nung parang una niyong ma-experience na ma-catcall, ano po yung ginawa ninyo sa sarili niyo?
RECEIVER 1: Alin ba ‘yung sa way nila?
RESEARCHER: Hindi po. ‘Yung kung may pagbabago po ba? O baka may na-realize po kayo sa inyong sarili… noong
simula nang ma-catcall kayo?
RECEIVER 1: Para sa akin wala naman, wala naman akong nabago sa sarili ko. Kasi nasa pag-iisip naman nila ‘yon eh
kung tutuusin.
RESEARCHER: So, ano po yung mga na-realize niyo rin po? Kahit noong na-catcall kayo?
RECEIVER 1: Paki-ulit?
RESEARCHER: Ano po ‘yung mga bagay na sa palagay ninyo na nabago,’diba na-experience niyo po ‘yung catcalling?
After niyo pong na-experience ‘yung catcall, ano po kaya yung nagbago, na usual ninyong ginagawa sa araw-
araw na nabago? Like for example, sabi niyo nga na gabi kayo madalas naka-catcall, may nabago ba? ‘Mas
madalas na inaagahan niyo na ang pag-uwi? Or ‘di kaya sa kasuotan, diba sabi niyo po disente, ‘mas naging
disente pa ba lalo? Para maiwasan ‘yung catcall. Ano po kaya ‘yung nabago noong pagtapos ng catcall
experience niyo?
RECEIVER 1: Ang nabago sa ‘kin siguro yung ano… siguro mas nabago ko parin ‘yung pananamit ko.
RESEARCHER: Mas ginawa niyo po bang mas disente, kesa dun sa nakagawian niyo na? Kasi diba’t napansin na ‘yong
ganoon, binago niyo pa lalo? Sa tingin niyo po mga ilang ulit po kaya kayo na-catcall? Maraming beses na po
ba?
RECEIVER 1: Oo, madami na din eh.
RESEARCHER: Sa tingin niyo po, kahit na may pagbabago na-catcall pa rin po kayo?
RECEIVER 1: Oo, kasi ‘di naman mawawala sa ano natin ‘yun eh… sa society.
RESEARCHER: Sa tingin niyo po bakit po kaya, kahit na parang may nabago na po sa pananamit niyo po, bakit po kaya
na-catcall pa rin po kayo ng mga lalaki? Ano po sa tingin ninyo?
RECEIVER 1: Sa palagay ko, wala lang talaga silang magawa. Kasi nasa mga lalaki ‘yan.
RESEARCHER: Nasa mga lalaki po?
RECEIVER 1: Oo, kasi naman kahit na balot na balot ‘yung babae mapapansin pa rin yan ng lalaki eh. Hindi pwedeng
hindi nila pagiisipan ng masama, kasi nga iba ‘yung way ng thinking ng mga lalaki.
RESEARCHER: ‘Yung mga pagkakataon po ba na kina-catcall kayo, paano po kayo nag-respond? Ano po ‘yung ginawa
niyo? Paano sila pinakitunguhan?
RECEIVER 1: Tinignan ko sila ng masama. Ayaw ko rin naman silang kausapin, baka mamaya ‘mas bastusin pa nila ako,
‘pag inano ko pa sila. Mas maganda na daanan ko nalang, tinignan ko ng masama.
RESEARCHER: Ano naman po naging reaksyon nila nang tinignan niyo po sila ng masama?
RECEIVER 1: Ayun! Natawa lang sila.
RESEARCHER: Pagkatapos po noon, may ginawa pa po ba kayong… meron pa po ba kayong ginawa? O umalis nalang
kayo?
RECEIVER 1: Wala. Umalis nalang ako, kasi kung papatulan ko pa ‘yun mas lalo pa ‘kong maiinis.
RESEARCHER: Pero kung bibigyan po kayo ng pagkakataon, ano talaga ‘yung gusto niyong gawin? O kaya sabihin sa
mga nangka-catcall?
RECEIVER 1: Na matuto silang rumespeto, dahil kailangan ng mga babae ‘yung respeto na… kailangan ng mga babae
‘yung respeto na ‘yun, kasi… ayun! Respeto na lang talaga.
RESEARCHER: So, meron po bang mga pagkakataon na sa tingin niyo may magandang maidudulot ang catcalling kahit
kaynino man?
RECEIVER 1: Sa palagay ko naman wala. Walang nadudulot ‘tong maganda. Kasi nakakainis eh.
RESEARCHER: At saka base na rin po sa experience niyo, ‘di po kayo natutuwa?
RECEIVER 1: Oo.
RESEARCHER: Tama po ba na sa pangkalahatan, tinuturing niyo pong mali ang catcalling?
RECEIVER 1: Oo mali.
PSEUDONYM: RECEIVER 2
GENDER: Female
AGE: 20 y/o

RESEARCHER: Para sa una kong katanungan, ano ang mga alam mo tungkol sa catcalling? Tingin mo about catcalling?
RECEIVER 2: Uhm.. hmm… wala, walang magawa yung lalaki o kaya naanuhan ka na nya, natipuhan ka nya ganun.
RESEARCHER: So ano ang gusto mo at hindi mo gusto tungkol sa catcalling?
RECEIVER 2: Uhm.. ahh.. yung pagsitsit mismo pede naman kasi.. yung pagsitsit mismo kasi parang nakakabastos kahit
kakilala, pag sumitsit, di ko tinitignan.
RESEARCHER: Maaari bang ikwento mo sa min yung una mong experience nung ikaw ay nacatcall?
RECEIVER 2: Nacatcall.. ano... uhm... naglalakad ako sa kalsada tapos biglang may sumisitsit e kasama ko yung
bestfriend ko nun. Tapos, tumingin kami, tapos ah tas yun pala nakatruck sila tas yun bawat hanggang sa
naglalakad kami palabas sa subdivision sinusundan nila kami.. tapos “Ate, sabay na kayo! Sabay na kayo!”
ganun tas ano bigla na lang kaming pumunta sa may isang tindahan para kunwari tumulong kami dun sa
ale para makaalis na yung truck yun.
RESEARCHER: Ano yung naramdaman mo nung ginanon ka, kinatcall ka?
RECEIVER 2: Ano... naalala ko yung sinabi ng nanay ko na wag lilingon sa catcall, kapag may sumitsit. Tapos yun
kinabahan kasi yung bestfriend ko kinakausap pa rin nila ng kinakausap kaya mas lalo akong kinabahan
baka kasi syempre pag kinuha sya, kasabay ako kaya hinila ko na lang siya sa tindahan.
RESEARCHER: Ano ba yun medyo umaga, medyo tanghali nangyari?
RECEIVER 2: Oo patanghali na..
RESEARCHER: Hmm.. so, sa tingin mo bakit ka nacatcall nung panahon na yun?
RECEIVER 2: Siguro kasi subdivision siya tas kaming dalawa lang babae naglalakad.
RESEARCHER: So after mo macatcall nung pagkakataon na yun meron bang mga naging pagbabago o kaya meron kang
narealize sa sarili mo?
RECEIVER 2: Ano.. hindi na talaga ako lumilingon pag may sumisitsit kahit kakilala ko kaya sasabihin “snob ka,
tinatawag kita, di ka lumilingon”.. kasi ang inaaano ko tawagin mo ako sa pangalan, wag mo ko sitsitan.
RESEARCHER: So ayun nga sabi mo parang may mga nabago sa yo ganyan, nacatcall ka ba ng another time pa?
RECEIVER 2: Oo, sa madalas naman pag ayun, sa may amin, sa may carwash ganun.
RESEARCHER: Anong nangyari? Paano ka nila kinatcall?
RECEIVER 2: Ayun sumitsit tapos “Ate pahingi number!” kasi nagtetext ako tas “Textmate tayo!” ganun. Minsan naman
ano… “Ingat ka ate, uy ano, may tricycle!” ganyan. Mga ganun..
RESEARCHER: Pakidescribe nga nung itsura nung nangkacatcall?
RECEIVER 2: Hindi ko kasi siya nililingon eh.. kaya hindi ko alam..
RESEARCHER: Pero yung mga previous mo pang mga experiences, sa tingin mo mga ilang taon na yung nagkacatcall sa
yo? Ano mo lang, estimate…
RECEIVER 2: Mga 30.. pa-28.. pa-30.. ganun.. mga 30 plus..
RESEARCHER: So nung pangalawa, ano ulit ginawa mo nung pangalawang kang nacatcall?
RECEIVER 2: Hindi na ko lumilingon, nagdire-diretso na lang ako. Di ko na lang pinapansin.
RESEARCHER: So meron ka pa bang mga ibang opinion tungkol sa catcalling?
RECEIVER 2: Hmm, wala naman, parang ano na yun e parang kumbaga di na maiiwasan sa tao kumbaga lagi ngang
sinasabi sa mga construction workers. Yun kasi yung madalas kong naririnig, “Construction workers naku
asahan mo na kahit nasan sila, lalo na pag nasa truck, magsasalita yang mga yan, sisitsit yan, mag-aate
yan o kaya yung mga kahit construction worker lang ng bahay-bahay..” ganun.
RESEARCHER: Base rin yan sa experience mo?
RECEIVER 2: Oo, tsaka kung may ano naman, yung mga tambay, yun isa rin, parang walang magawa sa buhay.
RESEARCHER: So, sa pangkalahatan, masasabi mo ba talagang bastos o hindi bastos ang catcalling?
RECEIVER 2: Uhm... hmm...
RESEARCHER: Para sa yo?
RECEIVER 2: 50/50 sya..
RESEARCHER: Bakit 50/50?
RECEIVER 2: Kasi depende sya sa nagkacatcalling.. kaso, di ko naman pinapansin kung sino yun, kung kakilala ko ba yun,
kasi ayokong anuhin.. siguro, para sa kin bastos sya, yun na lang..
RESEARCHER: Bakit?
RECEIVER 2: Kasi kung kakilala mo pede mo namang tawagin sa pangalan, di mo na lang sitsitan. Nakakabastos, sabihin
di ka kilala ng kakilala mo kasi sinitsitan ka lang nya..
RESEARCHER: E paano yung sa mga hindi talaga kakilala?
RECEIVER 2: Hindi kakilala.. pag yung parehas silang sumitsit tas nagkukwentuhan sila.. pag familiar yung boses,
 nililingon ko, na ayun kakilala ko pala. Pero pag sitsit lang tas di sila nagsalita, di ko kilala, ayun dire-
diretso lang ako..
RESEARCHER: Hmm.. Sabi mo parang lagi mo na lang hindi pinapansin, bakit nga ba ganun? May takot nga ba o ano
ba?
RECEIVER 2: Hindi, ang ano ko kasi hindi din ako madalas kasi ayoko mamansin ganun. Tapos parang wala rin ako sa
mood madalas, tas sisitsit, hay naku ano lang yan.. tapos tsaka madalas kasi hindi ko rin naman mga kilala,
kung sino-sino lang din yung sumisitsit. Pag lumilingon din ako, syempre nakukuha ko yung atensyon nila
baka mamaya lumapit pa.. o kaya yun lalo ako narerecognize, lalo akong natatandaan na pag lumakad ako
dun tatawagin ulit ako kasi lumingon ako kaya hindi ako lumilingon.
RESEARCHER: So yun lang, maraming salamat..
RECEIVER 2: Hmm.. Thank you.
PSEUDONYM: RECEIVER 3
GENDER: Female
AGE: 19 y/o

RESEARCHER: Para sa unang katanungan, ano ang opinyon mo tungkol sa catcalling?

RECEIVER 3: Ano po, parang hindi sya appropriate kung tas gagawin pa sya sa street, parang di sya appropriate tapos girl
pa yung ikacatcall.. parang yung dignity namin parang gumaganun kami pag everytime na gagawin yun
samin at pag nakakarining kami parang halimbawa mararamdaman mo.
RESEARCHER: Anong mapapaganoon?
RECEIVER 3: Pag Agghhh ganun talaga ang bastos. Parang di siya appropriate para sa isang lalaki o babae na magcatcall.
RESEARCHER: So paano mo nga ba dinidefine yung catcalling? Para sayo lang.
RECEIVER 3: Ano… hindi pormal na pagtawag sa isang hindi mo kilalang tao. Parang bastos na pa.. na pagexpress ng
gusto mong makilala yung isang tao.
RESEARCHER: May mga pagkakataon ba na may nagustuhan ka about catcalling?
RECEIVER 3: Wala. Wala akong nagustuhan sa catcalling kasi hindi ko talaga siya tinitignan as positibong bagay kasi
negatibo talaga siya sakin.
RESEARCHER: Maaari bang ikwento mo sa amin yung pinaka first time mong macatcall?
RECEIVER 3: Hindi ko na matandaan yung first time pero may mga incidents na nacatcall na ko. Yung naramdaman ko yon
kasi meron na rin akong background about sa ano… sexual abuse, may background na ko doon. So,
everytime na nakacatcall ako, parang nararamdaman ko na nababastos talaga ako na parang hindi siya
pisikal na hahawakan pero sa verbal na pagkabastos. Parang babae pa rin ako, parang hindi mo ba naiisip
yung nanay mo na ganyan. Nanay nyo babae tas gagawin nyo sakin parang nakakabastos talaga yun. Yung
first time na nakarinig din talaga ako siguro masakit sa puso kasi may sexual abuse ko noong bata ako. Kaya
masakit talaga siya sa puso.
RESEARCHER: So, maaari mo bang ikwento kung ano yung nangyari? Paano ka kinatcall? Ganun.
RECEIVER 3: Ang kadalasan ano, “Miss”, ganon, sitsit, “Ate anong number mo?”, ganyan, “Ate! Ate!”… ganun paulit-
ulit. Tatawagin talaga yung atensyon mo. Syempre eh ako madali akong, madali akong yung atensyon ko
madaling ma divert sa mga bagay bagay kaya pag may tumatawag sakin napapatingin ako pero pag
nalaman ko na hindi ko naman kilala yung tumatawag sakin, talagang deretso nalang yung tingin. Yun,
ganun ako.
RESEARCHER: So, tuwing nakacatcall ka ba may kasama ka ba o mag-isa ka lang?
RECEIVER 3: May instance na wala akong kasama, may kasama ako. Ganun.
RESEARCHER: Eh yung nangkacatcall may kasama ba sya o wala?
RECEIVER 3: May kasama, laging may kasama. Kasi feeling ko naman hindi nila kayang mangcatcall ng walang kasama.
RESEARCHER: Pwede mo bang idescribe kung ano yung itsura ng mga nangkacatcall?
RECEIVER 3: Ano… tipikal na natambay sa kanto, mga ganun.
RESEARCHER: Sa tingin mo, mga estimated age lang, anong mga age kaya yon?
RECEIVER 3: Hmmm. Nasa early 20s saka nasa teen.
RESEARCHER: Nung kinacatcall ka ba marami bang tao sa paligid o parang wala lang? Ikaw lang tapos yung mga
nangkacatcall lang.
RECEIVER 3: Kadalasan marami ring tao sa paligid. Kapag may nakita talaga silang gusto nilang tawagin. Ganun.
RESEARCHER: Sa tingin mo naman, bakit ka nila kinacatcall?
RECEIVER 3: Sakin sa tingin ko lang, pero tingin ko lang ah… syempre ang maganda sa mga Pilipino ay maputi, syempre
eh maputi ako, tatawagin nila ako. Kahit, kahit maayos yung suot mo, hindi kabastos-bastos, pag may nakita
lang silang isang bagay na tingin nila is ano, nakikita nilang kabastos-bastos, yun tatawagin ka nila.
RESEARCHER: Mostly ba, umaga, tanghali o gabi ka nakacatcall?
RECEIVER 3: Mostly hapon ganun, hapon pag dumadaan
RESEARCHER: Ano nga ba ang suot mo nang ikaw ay nakacatcall?
RECEIVER 3: Ah ako hindi kasi ako nagsusuot ng maikli sa labas kasi uncomfortable talaga ako pag ganun kasi feeling ko
nakatingin silang lahat parang babastusin ako every time. Kaya kadalasan nakapants lang ako and t-shirt.
Hindi ako nagpapakita ng kahit ano.
RESEARCHER: Nung mga pagkakataong unang beses ka pa lang nakacatcall, meron bang mga pagbabago sa sarili mo o
mga narealize ka na dapat mong baguhin?
RECEIVER 3: Wala namang pagbabago pero mas narealize ko na kelangan ko ring… kelangan ko pa ring yung suot ko is
ganun pa din. Wala kang ipapakitang kahit anong sensitibong parte ng katawan mo para lang mas maiwasan
mo yung mangkacatcall.
RESEARCHER: Di ba sabi mo parang lagi kang mag-isa nung nakacatcall ka, e di nagkaroon ka ba ng kasama para
maiwasan mo yung catcalling?
RECEIVER 3: Oo, laging ayokong lagi akong mag-isa sa crowded na lalaki. Gusto ko lagi akong may kasama o iiwas ako
don sa isang crowded na mga lalaki.
RESEARCHER: Hmmm. So naexperience mo ba ulit na macatcall after that?
RECEIVER 3: Oo, naexperience ko pa rin siya kasi parang, lalaki eh, parang nature na nila pag naka tambay sila sa isang
lugar, nakakumpol sila, tititigan ka nila. Tas kunyari magbubulong-bulungan pero naririnig mo naman. Tas
mamaya, “Ate oh! inaano ka nento”.. ganun.
RESEARCHER: Ano naman ang naramdaman mo ulit non?
RECEIVER 3: Syempre mapapaano ka nalang, ganun sila. Parang ano naman tong mga to, ganun, mga ganun yung nasa
utak ko ng mga panahong yon.
RESEARCHER: Hapon pa ba non o gabi ulit?
RECEIVER 3: Everytime kasi naman talaga eh, pag may nagkukumpulan lang kahit anong oras pa yan. Basta pag may
dumaan, pag dumaan ako ganun. Makakarining ka nalang ng mga ganun.
RESEARCHER: Pero diba sabi mo parang yung suot mo ganon pa rin naman, maayos pa rin naman tapos may kasama ka
na rin, sa tingin mo bakit ka pa rin nila kina catcall?
RECEIVER 3: Kasi lalaki sila, gusto nila ng maganda, gusto nila ng pisikal na sekswal, ganun, yun yung mga gusto nila eh.
Tipong yun, ganun.
RESEARCHER: So habang nasa catcalling situation ka, panong ginawa mo? Pano ka nagrespond don sa mga catcallers?
RECEIVER 3: Ahh, kadalasan ang ginagawa ko, deretso lang, deretso lang maglakad, pero pag hindi ko na talaga kaya,
sabi ko, nagsasalita ako, “Talaga kuya?”. Gumaganon ako, nagreresponse ako, “Ang bastos mo kuya ah.”,
ganyan ganyan. Nagreresponse ako pag hindi ko na talaga kaya pag wala ako sa mood ng mga ganun,
nangbabastos, pero mostly, naglalakad lang ako deretso.
RESEARCHER: Eh kapag yun nga ang sabi mo sinasagot mo sila, ano namang reaksyon nila sa iyo?
RECEIVER 3: Wala na, tatahimik or minsan may iba naman na nagtutuloy pa rin mag ganun. Mangbabastos pa rin, pero
derederetso lang ako, hindi ako tumitigil sa harapan nila.
RESEARCHER: Kapag dumadaretso ka lang naman yung parang wala ka lang pakialam, ano tinutuloy pa rin ba nila o
hindi?
RECEIVER 3: Ay hindi, yung mga ganun kadalasan hindi na nila tinutuloy pag nakadaan ka na.
RESEARCHER: Ahm, maaari pa bang mahingi ang karagdagan mong opinion about catcalling?
RECEIVER 3: Ano, sana, ang opinion ko lang dun is magkaroon sila ng ano, proper knowledge about sa mga ganung bagay
kasi kadalasan, ang mga babaeng nakacatcall is hindi nila alam kung ano yung mga naranasan nung isang
taong yon, kung meron ba silang mga bagay na naranasan sa past nila na pwedeng magtrigger sa mga
pagkacatcalling, pag nakacatcalled, pwedeng mag triggered yon at pwedeng magkaroon pa ng ano, yung
bagay na mas malala pang mangyari dun sa babae. Kaya sana ano lang, magkaroon lang ng proper
knowledge ang ibang tao sa catcalling talaga.
RESEARCHER: Sige po, iyon lamang. Salamat po.
RECEIVER 3: Thank you po.
RESEARCHER: Thank you.
PSEUDONYM: Receiver 4
GENDER: Female
AGE: 18 y/o

RESEARCHER: Yung first question, para sa iyo ano ang idea mo about catcalling, o yung tinatawag nating pagsutsot sa
tagalog?
RECEIVER 4: So para sakin, yung catcalling yung act ng, kase based sa experience ko, iyon yung way na parang
nabaviolate ako as a woman kasi parang hindi ko naman sila personal na kilala pero parang nakakabastos yung
dating kapag ginagawa nila yun.
RESEARCHER: Okay, so sa idea mo ng catcalling may mga bagay ba na nagustuhan ka? Or may side ba ng catcalling na
medyo nagugustuhan mo?
RECEIVER 4: Hmm, so ano… pwede rin naman ano maassure ko na eto maganda ako sa paningin ng iba.
RESEARCHER: So papuri ganon?
RECEIVER 4: Oo, papuri pero in a sense na nakakabastos talaga sya kasi hindi ko naman totally intention na mabastos
pero yung dating sa kanila ay iba.
RESEARCHER: So, pwede bang magkwento ka sa min ng experience mo about sa catcalling?
RECEIVER 4: So ano, parang hindi ko sila matandaan talaga pero ang pinaka natatandaan ko lang yung palaging
nangyayari is yung ano, kapag dumadaan ako, kahit nakauniform ako, kahit na maayos yung pananamit ko, yung
karamihan yung mga driver. Yung kapag nasa daan ako, sisitsitan ka, parang “Uy Ganda, ganda!” ganun. Yun
lang yung natatandaan kong incident. Pero ano, kapag ginagawa nila yon, para hindi ko nalang pinapansin.
RESEARCHER: Sa palagay mo yung mga lalaking sinasabi mo ngang driver, sa palagay mo mga nasa anong edad kaya
sila
RECEIVER 4: Mga nasa 40s.
RESEARCHER: Nasa 40s?
RECEIVER 4: Oo.
RESEARCHER: So yung time na nacatcall ka, sabi mo nga nacatcall ka, so anong kasuotan mo nun noong nacatcall ka?
RECEIVER 4: Ano, laging nakauniform, eto yung suot ko (sabay turo sa uniform na suot niya). Tapos minsan yung pang
ahhh, yung ano, pants, ganun, hindi naman yung,.. hindi naman kasi ako lumalabas ng nakashorts.
RESEARCHER: So sa paanong way kaya sila nagcatcall sayo? Sa paanong paraan ka kaya nila kinatcall?
RECEIVER 4: Ano, karamihan na ano, panunutsot, tapos yung titignan ka ng nakangiti, habang nakangiti sila. So yun.
RESEARCHER: Sa palagay mo kaya may kinalaman yung suot mo?
RECEIVER 4: Sa palagay ko wala kasi nakauniform naman ako nun. So, decent naman sya. Alam naman na estudyante
ako, so hindi naman yun, sa palagay ko nagbibigay ng trigger para magkaroon sila ng ideas na, yung nga,
nakakabastos.
RESEARCHER: So sabi mo nga nakauniform ka, disente naman yung suot mo. Sa palagay mo ano kaya ang dahilan kung
bakit ka nila na catcall?
RECEIVER 4: Hmm. Siguro ano, hindi ko alam. Parang siguro nature na rin ng iba na ano, magkaroon ng idea na ganun.
Hindi ko… clueless ako.
RESEARCHER: Hindi mo alam kung bakit?
RECEIVER 4: Hindi ko alam kung bakit.
RESEARCHER: Ayun, yung time na nacatcall ka, yung driver kaya na sinasabi mong nangcatcall sayo, may kasama ba
sya o wala?
RECEIVER 4: Oo, may kasama sya, tapos lalaki din.
RESEARCHER: Ikaw nung time na nacatcall ka?
RECEIVER 4: Wala mag-isa lang ako nun.
RESEARCHER: So yung driver may kasama sya tapos ikaw mag-isa lang?
RECEIVER 4: Oo.
RESEARCHER: So anong ginawa mo nung first time mong maexperience yung catcall?
RECEIVER 4: Ako, ano.. hindi ko nalang pinansin kasi mas lalong. Syempre nagalit ako, pero yung nga, hindi ko nalang
pinansin para hindi nalang ako lalong mainis. Kasi pag inisip ko pa sya lalo, maiirita lang ako.
RESEARCHER: So parang sinasabi mo, parang nagalit ka, pero yung galit mo sinarili mo nalang?
RECEIVER 4: Oo sinarili ko nalang.
RESEARCHER: So right after ng experience mo about catcalling, nagkaroon ba ng pagbabago sa daily living mo? For
example ahhh… sabi mo nga naka disente ka, mas naging disente ka pa ba next time para hindi ka na makakuha
ng catcall ng iba?
RECEIVER 4: Ako hindi, pero kapag nakakakita ako ng mga lalaki na karamihan yung mga parang nagkukumpulan na
mga lalaki, natatakot ako, so ako nalang yung lumalayo.
RESEARCHER: Ah, so yun yung naging adjustment mo everytime na makakita ka ng mga lalaking nakatambay.
RECEIVER 4: Oo ganun, ako nalang yung umiiwas.
RESEARCHER: So may mga naexperience ka pa ba na nacatcall ka?
RECEIVER 4: Oo, nauulit pa din siya, kunyari dito minsan. Titignan ka ng ano, susundan ka ng tingin. Ganun.
RESEARCHER: So, eto nalang. As a whole yung phenomenon ng catcalling sa palagay mo. Bastos ba to o hindi?
RECEIVER 4: Bastos sya kasi wala naman akong ginagawa as in, yun nga naka disente akong damit tapos yung thought
na wala ka namang ginagawa pero yun nga nabaviolate yung… nabaviolate ako as a woman kasi, yun. Ano ba...
hmmm. Parang hindi lang sya ano. Hindi lang sya ahhh. Ano tawag dito, hindi ko mahanap yung word. Wait
sorry. Wait lang ah.
RESEARCHER: Siguro feel mo nabaviolate ka kasi may tumatawag sa ‘yong tao na hindi mo naman talaga kilala.
RECEIVER 4: Yun, isa din yun. Tsaka nagbago rin kasi yung paningin ko sa mga lalaking ganun. Sa tuwing yun nga yung
dahilan. Yung catcall, naging cause sya ng paglayo ko sa mga lalaki ganun. So parang ang point non, parang
nakakabastos kasi yun nga hindi ko rin sila kilala pero yung act na feeling close sila na parang kapag sinabihan
nila akong “Uy miss, penge ng number!”, yun nga.
RESEARCHER: Sa palagay mo kaya, etong mga nangkakacatcall. Ano kaya ang motibo nila kung bakit sila
nangkacatcall?
RECEIVER 4: Hmmm. Siguro ano wala lang… hindi ko alam, siguro may past din sila na ano, or sobrang malibog lang
talaga sila ganun. Hindi ko rin alam kung bakit. Yun meron din siguro kulang din sila sa pansin.
RESEARCHER: Nagpapapansin.
RECEIVER 4: Oo. Nagpapapansin.
RESEARCHER: So may gusto ka pa bang idagdag about sa catcalling? May iseshare ka ba? May gusto kang sabihin sa
mga nangkacatcall?
RECEIVER 4: Siguro ano, hindi ko naman masasabing itigil nila yon kasi hindi naman talaga matitigil yon. Pero sana
kung may thought sila or motives sa isang babae na icatcall, sana sarilihin nalang nila yon kasi lahat naman tayo
nagagandahan, nagagwapuhan pero hindi yung way na babastusin mo yung isang tao para lang maparating yung
thought mo na ano, yung nga, may quality ka na gusto sa kanya or ganun.
RESEARCHER: Salamat po.
PSEUDONYM: RECEIVER 5
GENDER: Female
AGE: 18 y/o

RESEARCHER: So para sa unang katanungan, ano ang alam mo tungkol sa catcalling?

RECEIVER 5: Yun yung pagsisitsit nga sa aming mga babae...
RESEARCHER: So anong gusto mo at hindi mo gusto about catcalling?
RECEIVER 5: Syempre pag ako yung nacatcall, yun nga, parang nakakabastos sya para sa part ko.
RESEARCHER: Meron bang pagkakataon na nagustuhan mo yung catcalling?
RECEIVER 5: Wala…
RESEARCHER: So, maari mo bang ikwento sa min yung first experience mo nung nacatcall ka?
RECEIVER 5: First?... Hindi ko na matandaan.
RESEARCHER: Yung mga kung ano lang yung natatandaan mo.
RECEIVER 5: Basta yun parang naglalakad ako nun, medyo 7 na ata..
RESEARCHER: Ng gabi?
RECEIVER 5: Oo, tapos yung si kuya, yung nasa truck, nakastandby, nakapark dun sa dinadaanan ko, yun parang sabi “Hi,
Ate!”... tapos hindi ko nalang pinansin.
RESEARCHER: So anong naramdaman mo nung kinatcall ka nya?
RECEIVER 5: Parang nainis ako syempre, kasi parang binabastos nya ko.
RESEARCHER: May kasama ka ba nun, nung nacatcall ka?
RECEIVER 5: Wala...
RESEARCHER: E yung nangcatcall sa yo? Merong kasama?
RECEIVER 5: Wala rin.
RESEARCHER: Wala rin? Mag-isa lang siya?
RECEIVER 5: Oo.
RESEARCHER: Pakidescribe naman nung itsura nung nangcatcall sa yo?
RECEIVER 5: Basta parang siguro mga 30 plus na sya, tapos kalbo, medyo matanda na..
RESEARCHER: Ano ba? Mukha namang disente? O ano bang itsura?
RECEIVER 5: Siguro mukha namang disente.
RESEARCHER: Anong mga paraan kung paano ka niya kinatcall? Anong ginawa nya, nag-hi miss tsaka?
RECEIVER 5: “Hi Ate!” ganun tas parang pauli-ulit pero hindi ko na lang talaga pinansin.
RESEARCHER: Sa tingin mo, bakit ka niya kinatcall?
RECEIVER 5: Di ko alam...
RESEARCHER: Opinion mo lang, sariling intuition mo lang.
RECEIVER 5: Di ko alam...
RESEARCHER: Okay, uhm, ano bang suot mo nung pagkakataong nacatcall ka nun?
RECEIVER 5: Yung ano, pambahay nakashort tas nakat-shirt..
RESEARCHER: Maraming tao sa paligid mo, nung nacatcall ka?
RECEIVER 5: May mga dumadaan naman..
RESEARCHER: So nung pagkakataong nacatcall ka, may nabago ba sa sarili mo, o may mga parang realizations ka sa
nangyari?
RECEIVER 5: Siguro kailangan, siguro para sa safety lang, malay mo may ano gawin or something. Siguro kailangan pag
gabi lalo, dapat may kasama ka talaga.
RESEARCHER: So ganun yung ginawa mo?
RECEIVER 5: Oo, lagi ko nang kasama yung kapatid ko, lalaki.
RESEARCHER: Sa suot? Meron ka bang mga binago?
RECEIVER 5: Hindi... E di ba pag sa bahay naman hindi naman kailangan nakapantalon? So comfortable clothes kung
nasa subdivision kunwari di ba? Ganun pa rin naman..
RESEARCHER: So para sa yo ba, naiintindihan mo ba talaga kung bakit sila nangkacatcall o hindi?
RECEIVER 5: Hindi, hindi ko talaga maintindihan yun.
RESEARCHER: Opinion mo lang, bakit nga kaya nila ginagawa yun?
RECEIVER 5: Ewan ko, siguro nagpapansin, may mapagtripan lang.
RESEARCHER: Di ba sabi mo parang ganun pa rin yung suot mo, tapos may kasama ka pag naglalakad ka,
nakaexperience ka ulit macatcall?
RECEIVER 5: Ay yung pag may kasama ako, yung kapatid kong lalaki, wala naman.
RESEARCHER: Wala naman, Pero nakaexperience ka pa rin ng catcalling sa iba pang sitwasyon?
RECEIVER 5: Oo meron, kunwari pag dadaan lang ako, tapos yung mga nagtatrabaho parang sa kanila (sabay turo sa
mga construction workers na abot tanaw), yung parang ganun pa rin, pa-hi ganun, mangsisitsit sila..
RESEARCHER: So ano naman ang naramdaman mo nung nacatcall ka ulit?
RECEIVER 5: Parang sarap nila suntukin.
RESEARCHER: Ahh... So naiinis ka sa kanila?
RECEIVER 5: Oo.
RESEARCHER: E habang nung nasa catcalling situation ka, paano ka nagrespond sa kanila?
RECEIVER 5: Hindi ko sila pinapansin, hindi ko rin sila nililingon.
RESEARCHER: May mga pagkakataon ba na parang nilingon mo sila ganun?
RECEIVER 5: Meron siguro pag maraming tao, kasi malay mo kilala ko pala yung nagpsst ganun.
RESEARCHER: E yung sa mga hindi?
RECEIVER 5: Hindi, pero pag yung mga gabi na tapos pag walang masyadong tao, tas may gaganun bigla, kunyari yung
mga nag-iinuman, tapos gaganun, hindi ko sila papansinin.
RESEARCHER: So di ba sabi mo hindi mo sila pinapansin? Ano naman ang reaksyon nila dun sa reaksyon mo?
RECEIVER 5: Di ko alam...
RESEARCHER: Ano, pinagpatuloy pa ba nila, yung pangkacatcall?
RECEIVER 5: Yung iba, pinagpatuloy pa nila, yung iba, hindi naman, itinigil na nila..
RESEARCHER: So para sa yo, pangkalahatan, bastos ba o hindi ang catcalling?
RECEIVER 5: Bastos.
RESEARCHER: Bakit mo nga nasabing bastos ulit?
RECEIVER 5: Kasi di ba dadaan ka lang, I mean hmm, dadaan ka lang naman tas biglang may gaganun..
RESEARCHER: Para sa yo, ano ba ang tamang paraan ng pagkukuha ng attention?
RECEIVER 5: Siguro lalapit, tapos pero hindi nila ko hahawakan syempre, tas kung may tanong man sila, sasagutin ko rin
naman. Hindi yung gaganun sila, yung psst!
RESEARCHER: Kung may pagkakataon ka kunwari, may sabihin sa kanila, yung pansinin yung gawa nila, anong gusto
mong sabihin sa mga lalaking nangkacatcall?
RECEIVER 5: Kung pwede na tigilan na nila yun kasi para sa babae talaga nakakabastos talaga siya.
RESEARCHER: Uhm sa mga katulad mo ring mga nakacatcall meron ka bang gustong iparating o sabihin?
RECEIVER 5: Ahhm, siguro magdala sila lagi ng kasama lalo na pag gabi syempre malay mo may masamang balak pala
yun lalo na tas pag may lasing kunyari, hala, parang yun, basta yun, magdala na lang lagi sila ng kasama.
Tapos hmm… wag na lang nilang pansinin siguro...
RESEARCHER: May kailangan ba silang baguhin sa sarili nila mismo?
RECEIVER 5: Wala naman siguro...
RESEARCHER: Stay lang kung ano yung suot ganun?
RECEIVER 5: Para sa akin oo..
RESEARCHER: Ah sa tingin mo talaga hindi talaga nakakaapekto yung kasuotan ng babae kung bakit nangkacatcall yung
mga lalaki?
RECEIVER 5: Oo minsan naman kapag may mga nakashort naman dyan, di naman nila ginagawa sa iba..
RESEARCHER: Ahh. So yun lamang po, maraming salamat po.
 TRANSCRIPTIONS OF GENERAL PUBLIC INFORMANTS
(Observers of Catcalling)

PSEUDONYM: OBSERVER 1
GENDER: Female
AGE: 53 y/o

RESEARCHER: Para po sa una kong katanungan, ano po ulit ‘yung alam nyo tungkol sa catcalling? Ano po yung idea nyo
tungkol doon?
OBSERVER 1: Ahh anong catcalling? Haha
RESEARCHER: Ang catcalling po ulit ay ‘yung parang nangyari sa, noong kamakaylan lang po, noong kay Duterte po.
‘Yung parang… nagpapansin po siya ‘kay… doon sa reporter, na si Mariz Umali…
OBSERVER 1: Ahh…
RESEARCHER: O kaya yung mga tipikal lang po na nakikita po natin na… na karaniwan ‘yung mgalalaki, na nagbibigay
ng… mga papuri o kaya pagsitsit sa mga babaeng dumadaan na hindi nila kakilala.
OBSERVER 1: Ahh… ‘yung papansin?... ‘yung ganun?
RESEARCHER: Oho.
OBSERVER 1: ‘Yung masasabi na ano…
RESEARCHER: Opo… sa inyo po? ano po bang… idea niyo po tungkol doon? O opinyon niyo po tungkol doon?... sa
catcalling na ‘yun?
OBSERVER 1: Ahh… ano ‘yun? ‘Yung tungkol doon sa ano… ‘yung ‘kay Duterte? O sa ano… yung… Basta… yung sa…
RESEARCHER: Doon po mismo sa catcalling.
OBSERVER 1: Oo, ‘yung sa catcalling?
RESEARCHER: Kahit pa sa pangkaraniwan pa ‘yun… o sa kilala man po… ano pong masasabi niyo po doon?
OBSERVER 1: Ehh… ako kung… ano… ‘yung… ‘yung may tao na… ganoon… mag… ah… ano ba ‘yun? ‘yung…
magpapapansin? ‘Yung magpapapansin siya sa tao… edi… ehh para sa akin, edi pagbigyan na lang niya…
ehh… kung ano naman eh… kung totoo naman o hindi… ‘yung… pinagbibintang nila o kung ano ang
gusto… ‘yung sinasabi ng ano… ‘yung pinakikita ng tao na ‘yun, na… ano… edi… ano nalang… ‘yung
tanggapin nalang nila… kasi para walang gulo…
RESEARCHER: Ahhh…
OBSERVER 1: Ayun! ‘yun lang din ang gusto ko… ehh.. para ano na rin…
RESEARCHER: Ahhm… kung kayo po ang tatanungin?... ahhm… ano po yung mga nagustuhan niyo o hindi ‘dun sa
tinatawag po nating na catcalling?
OBSERVER 1: Ang ano ko lang doon… ang ayaw ko lang ‘dun.. kat-katu… katulad diyan ‘yung sa… mga ano ni… pwede
bang… anuhin ‘yun?... yung sabihin ko ‘yung katulad ‘yung sa mga… ano ni Duterte, ‘yung… ‘yung
binibintang niya kay Delima diba? ‘yung katulad niyan ‘yung sa mga ano… mga news na… ‘yung tungkol
dun. Sabi ko, bakit pa ngayon… kung kailan siya naka-upo diba? Yun ang… i-aano na…
‘yungpagbibintangan na nila, diba? Di dapat noon pa? diba? ‘yung noon pa sana na… hindi ‘yung ngayon
administrasyon na ano…
RESEARCHER: Ahhm… Manang **, ahhm… tulad nga po ulit ng sinabi ko, na ang catcalling po ehh… karaniwan pong
nangyayari sa babae at lalaki. Kung saan ay, ‘yung lalaki ay… kunyari ay nangsisit-sit sa mga babaeng
dumadaan o kaya, nagbibigay papuri, “Hi! Sexy!” mga ganoon… o “Hi Miss!” yung ganoon po. Doon po
sa tinutukoy ko pong ‘yun, sa inyo po ba? OK po ba ‘yun? O hindi?
OBSERVER 1: Ay… para sa akin, ano… na… OK lang ‘yun! Kasi… kasi kung di naman pare-parehas kasi ang ano din ng
babae diba? Eh… kung ako ang bata pa ngayon, na sexy, na ano… “Ay! Sexy!” ganun, eh kung totoo
namang sexy ako eh.. ‘bat di ko tatang… tatanggapin na… OK lang eh… sexy ako eh, ganun eh, “Hi!
Sexy!” ganun! Kung sasabihin sa akin na ano… eh kung ako naman ang ano… bata pa, edi tatanggapin ko!
(hahaha)Pero kung nakikita ko naman siguro na hindi ako sexy eh… pagpapasensiyahan ko nalang siya,
ganun.
RESEARCHER: Ahmm… nakakita na po ba kayo ng mga ganoong pangyayari, around sa Imus po?
OBSERVER 1: Oo, marami na akong nakikita ‘nyan. Yung iba naman… eh ayaw lang pansinin, ‘yung iba naman yung
parang na-ismid, mayroon naman na smile lang, ganun. Pero marami talaga akong nakikita na… ganun eh
yung reaksyon nila, yung na-ismid, minsan na… na smile lang ganun.
RESEARCHER: So, paano po ba kasi yung ginagawa nung lalaki? Dun sa babae? Paanong pagpapansin ba?
OBSERVER 1: Ahh... yung ano… mayroong sumisipol, mayroon namang ano… na, “Hi! Sexy!” ganun. Yung mga ganun na
ano…
RESEARCHER: Ahh... so, tanungin ko lang po kayo, kung ano pong naramdaman niyo noong nakita niyo po yung lalaki na
 ginawa yun sa isang babae? Yung catcalling po? Ano pong naramdaman ninyo?
OBSERVER 1: Syempre tinignan ko siya. Eh… minsan nga eh… ano ehh… yung parang masama yung tingin ko sa kanya,
pero parang natatawa din ako, ganun. Eh hindi naman din ano yun ng lalaki, kung masama o ano, ewan ko,
kung ano ang ano nila… yung nararamdaman nila na sasabihin nila na “Hi! Sexy!” ganun, sisipol.
RESEARCHER: Pero kayo po, ano po ulit yung naramadaman ninyo doon sa lalaki?
OBSERVER 1: Yung parang… tinignan ko lang na ano… yung parang ano… eh basta ganun.
RESEARCHER: Natuwa po ba kayo sa ginawa niya? O nagalit po kayo kahit papaano?
OBSERVER 1: Hindi naman ako nagalit, kasi nakita ko naman na sexy talaga yung babae. Eh natawa nga lang din ako,
tapos yung… ano…
RESEARCHER: Eh samantalang dun naman po sa mga babae na nakita niyo pong na nakatanggap ng mga ganoong pansu-
sutsot o kaya papuri? Ano pong naramdaman niyo para sa kanila?
OBSERVER 1: Yung doon sa babae na, yung sinipulan?
RESEARCHER: Opo
OBSERVER 1: Ano… na parang… na ano pa rin… parang wala lang. parang naisip ko na, uy! maganda pala pag sexy
eh… ina-anohan din pala eh… parang tingin ko rin, parang hinahangaan lang din niya na ano… iba-iba
naman kasi ang ano ng lalaki eh, mayroong sumisipol, mayroon ding umaano, na talagang nahanga talaga
siya dun sa ka-sexyhan nung babae.
RESEARCHER: So, nung nakita niyo po yung ganoong mga pangyayari, kung saan yung mga lalaki ay nangka-catcall ng
mga babae, ano pong ginawa niyo? Noong nakakita po kayo ng mga ganoon? Nakialam po ba kayo?
OBSERVER 1: Hindi naman. Basta tinignan ko lang sila… yung ano…
RESEARCHER: So, sa lahat-lahat po, para po sa inyo, as a whole po, tama po ba o mali ‘yung pagka-catcall?
OBSERVER 1: Ay ‘yung ganun?
RESEARCHER: Para po sa inyo po?
OBSERVER 1: Kung sa akin din eh… parang hindi naman din yan mali eh. Kasi nag ano ‘dun eh… hindi naman parehas
ang tao eh. Kung humahanga ka sa isang babae na sexy, mayroong tao na nag a-ano siya… humahanga
talaga, ‘yung hinahangaan niya… yung sumisipol siya, nandito rin yun sa puso niya na… hindi lang niya
mapakilala yung sarili niya na, “uy! Hanga ako sayo! Sexy ka”, na “maganda ka” ganun. Mayroon naman
din na.. parang ano yung… ‘di siya ano… gentleman ganun, parang biro-biro lang ba. Kasi karamihan ng
ano… yung nakakausap ko rin na mga lalaki, biro lang ganun… yung sasabihin na “hindi! Biro ko lang yun
eh! ‘yung pagsipol-sipol” na ano… ano…
RESEARCHER: Kasi minsan mayroon din akong nakausap, ganun na… “’di, biro lang ‘yun!” na ina-ano ko lang eh…
“syempre humahanga din ako sa ka-seksihan niya, pero biro lang yun!”, yung biro-biro na’yun… sabi ko,
“Hoy! Ah… biro lang yun pero, totoo ‘yun!” syempre naman gumaganun, “‘di naman kami sisipol sa kanya
kung hindi siya totoong sexy diba?” Yung ganun! Sabi ng mga nakakausap ko, “Hoy! Kayo ah, ina-ano
niyo yung babae na ‘yun! Eh dumaan lang…” ganun… ganun… “Hindi naman ‘te! Eh syempre humahanga
rin kami… sexy siya, maganda siya…”
OBSERVER 1: Eh sa ibang mga lalaki kasi, may bata pa, mayroon naman ganun, na matanda… syempre humahanga din
sila… ganun. Pero parang dinadaan lang nila sa biro, ganun.
RESEARCHER: Nakarinig na po ba kayo ng parang… komento mula sa kanila na hindi lang biro, na talagang sinasadya
nilang magpapansin? O wala pa naman?
OBSERVER 1: Wala pa naman eh. Pero yung karamihan talaga na, ina-ano na… yung kahit totoong sexy o hindi yung
ano... eh talagang biro lang talaga na ang ano nila eh… ganun
RESEARCHER: And… so, tapos po, noong narinig niyo po yung komento na yun mula sa kanila, edi parang nasabi niyo na
rin po sa sarili niyo na talagang… hindi naman talaga mali ang catcalling?
OBSERVER 1: Uhmm… dun ko ‘yun talaga na ano… na yung mga ganyang klaseng ano ng… attitude ba ng… ano yung…
katulad niyang, ‘yung sa mga kabataan ngayon o ano… mga lalaki na nag gaganiyan, parang ginagawa na
lang nila yan na biro. Kasi pag ano… eh mayroon ngang kapag kakakilala mo, pag dumaan lang lalo na
pag sa mga barkada-barkada… yun ba yung sa mga ano… may dumaan na ano… kakilala nila, sexy o
ganun, “wow sexy!” ganun… diba? Yung parang talagang karamihan talaga, parang biro lang ang ano
nila, pero nandito siguro yun sa puso nila na talagang humahanga sila dun sa tao. Kaya para sa akin,
parang hindi rin yun, ‘di naman masama, kumbaga ano… tatanggapin ko ‘yun, na ‘di naman din masama
na ano, kasi ako nga na babae… humahanga din ako sa babae, kapwa ko babae na dumadaan na sexy, na
pag kakilala ko “wow! Sexy mo ngayon ah!”, “’bat pumayat ka ngayon?” ganun, diba yung dati siyang
mataba… yung ano…
PSEUDONYM: OBSERVER 2
GENDER: Female
AGE: 43 y/o

RESEARCHER: Good Afternoon po. Bali, ang pag-uusapan po natin is about catcalling po. Kung ano ba ang inyong mga
karanasan at mga sariling pananaw po ninyo tungkol sa catcalling. Ah ang una ko pong katanungan Ate,
ano po ang inyong ideya about catcalling?
OBSERVER 2: Ang catcalling ay ano, yung pagsisipol ng isang lalaki sa dumadaan, natitipuhan nilang kababaihan.
RESEARCHER: Ano po para sa inyo ang kahulugan ng ginagawa nilang pagsipol sa mga babae?
OBSERVER 2: Ah para sakin, siguro paghanga.
RESEARCHER: May iba pa po ba kayong idea about catcalling bukod doon sa pagsipol kung anu-ano pa po ang ibang
ginagawa?
OBSERVER 2: Ah minsan ano, pag ahh over ano na siya, siguro parang pambabastos din.
RESEARCHER: Tingin nyo po, pambabastos din po yun.. yung catcalling?
OBSERVER 2: Depende sa ano, sa dumadaang mga sinisipulan nila.
RESEARCHER: Ahm, ano po yung nagugustuhan nyo o yung hindi nyo po nagugustuhan about don sa catcalling?
OBSERVER 2: Syempre yung pagsitsit pag dumadaan nga. Ano sya, para sakin hindi tama yung pagsisipol pag dumadaan.
RESEARCHER: Ano po ba yung karaniwang eksena na nakikita nyo po na halimbawa po ano po yung ginagawa ng lalaki
tapos kung ano po yung reaksyon ng babae.
OBSERVER 2: Wala, dere-deretso lang sila.
RESEARCHER: Ahh.. Dere-deretso lang.
OBSERVER 2: Oo.
RESEARCHER: Ano po yung nararamdaman nyo para sa lalaki na gumagawa po nun sa mga kababaihan?
OBSERVER 2: Ano ba yung nararamdaman.. Para sakin ano nga, pambabastos nga, pag over ano na kung malakas ang
pagkakasitsit sa babae syempre parang nababastusan nga, nakikita ko lang.
RESEARCHER: Ano ho kaya ang tingin ninyong dahilan kung bakit po nila nasusutsot yung babae na dumadaan.
OBSERVER 2: Ahh, nagkacatch ng atensyon sa kanila.
RESEARCHER: Bali po naka catch po ng babae yung atensyon ng mga lalaki, sa paanong paraan po kaya nila naka catch
ang atensyon ng mga lalaki?
OBSERVER 2: Siguro sa pananamit o sexy yung isang babae.
RESEARCHER: Sa pananamit po?
OBSERVER 2: Sa pananamit, yun yung pagkaka-ano ko.
RESEARCHER: Ano po ba kadalasan yung pananamit ng babae na tingin nyo eh ahh…
OBSERVER 2: Sexy, usually sexy, syempre nakashort na kita ang boobsy, haha ganun.
RESEARCHER: Bali po ahm, ano naman po ang nararamdaman ninyo para sa mga babae na nakikita nyo pong ginagawan
po ng pangkacatcall.
OBSERVER 2: Syempre kapwa babae naaano ko rin feel ko nga nababastos bilang babae, hindi tama yung pagsitsit ng
lalaki.
RESEARCHER: Ahhm, ano po yung ginawa nyo nung nakita nyo po yung ganong uri ng pangkacatcall? Ano po yung
naging reaksyon nyo?
OBSERVER 2: Wala syempre, alangan namang sabihan natin yung mga tambay, tambay lang. Una nakita ko lang, dumaan,
sinitsit nila yun lang.
RESEARCHER: For clarification lang po, tingin nyo po yung mga babaeng ahh maiikli lang po magsuot yung ahh
nagagawa ng pagganon po, pangkacatcall po ng mga lalaki?
OBSERVER 2: Oo, oo kasi nagka catch sya ng atensyon nila eh sa mga lalaki nangkacatcall.
RESEARCHER: And ahm, ano pong pananaw nyo doon sa ginagawa ng mga lalaki ahm kung…
OBSERVER 2: Hindi sya tama.
RESEARCHER: Kung nakakabastos po ba sya o hindi?
OBSERVER 2: Nakakabastos.
RESEARCHER: Tingin nyo po yung mga babae pong ginagawan non, tingin nyo po ano po yung nagiging reaksyon nila?
Nababastusan po sila or ano…
OBSERVER 2: Hindi ko, para sa akin, kung halimbawang ako ang ganun syempre feeling ko nababastusan.
RESEARCHER: Pero yung karaniwan nyo pong nakikita, ano po yung reaksyon ng babae?
OBSERVER 2: Kasi derederetso lang sila eh.
RESEARCHER: Bali parang binabaliwala lang nila. Hindi nalang po nila pinapansin?
OBSERVER 2: Oo binabaliwala nalang nila.
RESEARCHER: Ahm. Panghuling katanungan nalang po… Sa tingin po ninyo ahm, ang catcalling po ba ay bastos o hindi?
At bakit po?
OBSERVER 2: Para sa akin, ito ay isang pambabastos sa babae kasi dumadaan ka eh sisipulan ka ng ganun para sakin di
nararapat.
RESEARCHER: May mga karagdagan pa po ba kayong nais sabihin o ishare?
OBSERVER 2: Hindi naman natin maaano ang mga lalaki kung halimbawa sasabihan kasi parang expression kasi nila yon.
RESEARCHER: Ah bali tingin nyo po parang natural lang po iyon sa mga lalaki?
OBSERVER 2: Sa ano ng mga lalaki, iba-iba naman ang ano ng mga lalaki. Para sakin yung mga tambay na ganyan anu
lang sila… walang magawa, hahaha hindi educated. Kasi kung ano, edukado sila syempre igagalang nila
yung babae, titingin lang, hindi sisipol.
RESEARCHER: Okay na po ate maraming salamat po. Thank you po!
PSEUDONYM: OBSERVER 3
GENDER: Female
AGE: 32 y/o

RESEARCHER: So una ko pong tanong, ah para po sa inyo ano po yung pagkakaalam nyo po tungkol sa catcalling.. sarili
nyo pong ideya kung ano po yung catcalling po para sa inyo?
OBSERVER 3: Pambabastos po yun.
RESEARCHER: Sa paanong paraan po?
OBSERVER 3: Kunyari yung ano, sisipulan ka tapos sasabihan ka ng mga ganun, tapos, kasi minsan naranasan ko na rin
po yan eh.
RESEARCHER: Ah naranasan nyo na..
OBSERVER 3: Sa dun sa plaza kasi nagtatrabaho ako dun.
RESEARCHER: Ahh...
OBSERVER 3: Ano sya matanda tapos, yun, lagi kasing nakain dun eh baguhan pa lang ako dun, hindi ko naman alam
ganun pala ang ugali nun. Biglang kinalabit yung puwet ko, tapos nagalit ako, eh sabi ng amo ko, hayaan mo
na kasi ganyan talaga yan. Pinagalitan ko yung ano.
RESEARCHER: Base po sa experience.
OBSERVER 3: Opo.
RESEARCHER: So sa sarili nyo pong pananaw, medyo...
OBSERVER 3: Bastos.
RESEARCHER: Bastos po talaga. So sa palagay nyo po kung may magandang bagay sa catcalling ano po kaya iyon? May
nakikita po ba kayong bagay na nagugustuhan nyo sa catcalling? For example, ano nakita nyo po yung isang
babae tapos sinabihan po sya ng lalaking hindi nya kilala, “Ate ang ganda mo naman”. Sa palagay nyo po,
may maganda po ba kayong nakikita na bagay dun sa catcalling?
OBSERVER 3: Kasi iba-iba naman po yung kung ano po ang nasa saloobin ng isang tao. Di ba, sinabihan mo sya, yung
isang babae ng “Huy ang ganda mo naman!”, kasi yung iba sa loob nila pambabastos yon, may iba naman
na pagbati naman, kung talagang nagagandahan lang talaga sila. Kasi kagaya ko, eh babae ako. May
nakikita akong napakagandang babae, yun para anu ba yon, yung parang nagagandahan ka lang sa kanya.
Ganun, Yung parang nakacrushan mo sya. Kasi iba-iba naman yung ano natin eh.
RESEARCHER: Gaya nga po nang sinabi nyo nung nakaraan. May nasaksihan napo kayong aksidente ng catcalling tama
po ba? ano po kaya yung naramdaman nyo sa lalaking nangcatcall sa babae? Ano po kayang naramdaman
nyo nung time na nasaksihan nyo yung catcalling? Ano po yung naramdaman nyo sa lalaki?
OBSERVER 3: Ayun, parang may ano. May pambabastos nga. May intensyon yung lalaki.
RESEARCHER: May intensyon po yung lalaki? Sa palagay nyo po may anong intensyon yung lalaki? Sa tingin nyo po.
OBSERVER 3: Yung ano nga, pambabastos. Kung sa malapit lang parang pangtsa-tsansing ba yun.
RESEARCHER: Ah so ibig nyo pong sabihin, ito po yung paraan ng lalaki na mambastos. So, sa babae naman po ano po
yung naramdaman nyo nung nakita nyo yung babaeng sinasabihan ng ganun?
OBSERVER 3: Malayo kasi eh, tumingin sya ng masama.
RESEARCHER: Ano po kayang naramdaman nyo po para sa babae?
OBSERVER 3: Syempre parang magagalit yung babae.
RESEARCHER: Ano pong naging reaksyon nyo po para sa babae? Nainis po ba kayo?
OBSERVER 3: Oo, kasi babae din naman ako.
RESEARCHER: So medyo naawa po kayo sa babae? So nung nakita nyo po yun, may reaksyon po ba kayong ginawa?
Tinulungan nyo po ba yung babae, ganun po?
OBSERVER 3: Hindi kasi naano ko lang po, nakita ko lang kasi malayo sya sakin.
RESEARCHER: So wala pong, wala po. So kung sakali po kaya, for example nakakita po kayo ng catcalling ano po kayang
reaksyon ang pwede nyong gawin? Kung bibigyan po kayo ng pagkakataon na magreact batay sa nasaksihan
nyo po.
OBSERVER 3: Pupunahin ko yung sinabi ng lalaki, pagsasabihan ko sya.
RESEARCHER: So pagsasabihan nyo po yung lalaki?
OBSERVER 3: Na hindi tama yung ano.
RESEARCHER: Tingin nyo po bakit po kaya nakakatanggap ng catcall yung babae? Bakit po kaya sya nasisitsitan?
OBSERVER 3: Ahh, kasi nga ganito, nagsusuot ng maiksing damit. Ganun.
RESEARCHER: Sa palagay nyo naman po bakit kaya nagkakaroon ng dahilan yung lalaki mangatkol naman po ng babae?
OBSERVER 3: Kasi yung ibang babae diba nagsusuot sila ng maiksi, tapos yung mga lalaki naman baka akala nila easy to
get yon, kaya nababastos sila.
RESEARCHER: So, sa pangkalahatan po, bastos po ba o hindi ang catcalling? Para sa inyo po, base po sa na experience
nyo po, sa inyo pong paningin bastos po ba ang catcalling o hindi?
OBSERVER 3: Bastos.
RESEARCHER: Bakit po?
OBSERVER 3: Kasi kahit na ano yung ganun nga yung babae, maiksi yung pananamit, dapat hindi pa rin nila ginaganun
bastusin, kasi nasasaktan din yung damdamin.
RESEARCHER: Baka may gusto pa po kayong ishare about catcalling? Baka may gusto pa po kayong idagdag na opinyon
nyo po, baka gusto nyo pong magkwento ng experience nyo po na hindi nyo nagustuhan kung bakit kung sa
palagay nyo naging bastos yung catcalling?
OBSERVER 3: Okay na yun, hehehe.
RESEARCHER: Meron pa po? Ahh wala na, sige. Salamat po, maraming maraming salamat po.
PSEUDONYM: OBSERVER 4
GENDER: Male
AGE: 21 y/o

RESEARCHER: Ano ang iyong idea tungkol sa catcalling?

OBSERVER 4: Pangti-trip, pangti-trip lang.
RESEARCHER: Pangti-trip sa paanong paraan?
OBSERVER 4: Ano lang, pag boring ganun. ‘Pag wala kaming magawa, ‘yun yung ginagawa siguro
‘nung mga nagka-catcalling.
RESEARCHER: Ahm… Ano-ano yung mga uri ng catcalling na iyo nang nakita o nasaksihan?
OBSERVER 4: Ano… paninipol, tapos yung paninitsit tapos tatawagin na “babe”ganun.
RESEARCHER: ‘Yung mga gumagawa ‘non mga kalalakihan ba o mga kababaihan?
OBSERVER 4: Kalalakihan.
RESEARCHER: Maaari mo ‘bang ikwento sa ‘min kung ano ang pangyayari sa catcalling na iyong
nasaksihan?
OBSERVER 4: Ano… ‘yung mga pedikab drayber ‘dun sa amin, doon ‘pag wala silang ginagawa…
ganun.’Tas eh pauwi na ‘ko nun, ‘tas may nakasabay din akong parang college din siya na
babae. Parang tagaFEU siya. ‘Tas ayun since maputi siya yun, sinipulan siya ng mga side-
car driver.
RESEARCHER: Bukod sa paninipol may iba pa bang ginawa ‘yung mga…
OBSERVER 4: Wala… walang contact na nangyari.
RESEARCHER: Maaari mo bang i-describe kung ano yung itsura ng nang-catcall, ‘yung gumagawa?
OBSERVER 4: Itsura nung… ano… ‘yung itsura ‘nung mismong ano…
RESEARCHER: ‘Yung gumagawa, yung mga naninitsit.
OBSERVER 4: Mga side-car driver madalas naka-jacket ‘tas… ano ba itsura?
RESEARCHER: Pisikal.
OBSERVER 4: Ayun! Maitim, matanda na.
RESEARCHER: Mga ilang taon?
OBSERVER 4: Mga fourty plus… mga ‘ganun.
RESEARCHER: Ahh… ‘yung anyo naman ng babaeng kinatkatkol?
OBSERVER 4: Maputi siya, blondy ‘yung buhok, naka uniform na college, pulang-pula ‘yung lipstick,
naka-brace…
RESEARCHER: Sa kasuotan ng babae?
OBSERVER 4: Uniform ng FEU, ‘yung palda na medyo maikli.
RESEARCHER: Ahm… bale, ano ang sa tingin mo ang edad ‘nung babae ‘yun?
OBSERVER 4: Ka-edaran ko siguro siya eh…
RESEARCHER: Sa iyong palagay, bakit kaya kinatkol ng mga lalaki ang babae?
OBSERVER 4: Maganda... Siguro ano… bihira lang… sa lugar nila puro pangit ang mga babae, ‘di na
sila nakakakita ng maganda kaya ganun.
RESEARCHER: Bale sa iyong palagay nakakatkol lang ang mga lalaki sa mga magagandang babae?
OBSERVER 4: Oo, since rational… parang rational tayong mga Pilipino. ‘Mas ano sila… ‘mas mahilig
sila sa mga hindi nila masyadong nakikita, kadalasan di ba moreno yung mga babae? Pero
‘pag mapuputi na… diba’t napapalingon ka doon? So parang iga-grab nila ‘yung atensyon
nung ano…
RESEARCHER: Ano ang iyong nararamdaman sa mga lalaking gumagawa ng catcalling?
OBSERVER 4: Bastos… parang ayoko nang sumakay sa kanila.
RESEARCHER: Bakit kaya bastos?
OBSERVER 4: Parang ano… parang hindi may gagawing maganda, itsura pa lang.
RESEARCHER: Natuwa ka ba sa kanila, nagalit? Ano ang iyong naging reaksyon sa mga lalaking
gumagawa ng catcalling?
OBSERVER 4: Nailang lang.
RESEARCHER: Nailang?
OBSERVER 4: Oo.
RESEARCHER: Bakit? Bakit kaya nakakailang?
OBSERVER 4: Wala lang, baka gawin din sa ‘kin…
RESEARCHER: Ano naman ang iyong naramdaman sa mga babaeng kinakatkol?
OBSERVER 4: Ano… ‘di ko alam… di naman nila kasalanan eh. Siguro ano lang… kung maganda ka
dapat tanggapin mo na may ganun, na gaganunin ka talaga.
RESEARCHER: Sa anong dahilan mong nasasabi na ‘di kasalanan ng mga babae kung bakit sila
nakakatkol?
OBSERVER 4: Ewan ko…kasi wala naman silang ginawa eh, kasalanan ba nilang pumuti sila? Parang
ganun. Parang ‘di naman nila kasalanan na ma-grab ‘yung atensyon ng ibang tao.
RESEARCHER: Sa mga nasaksihan mong insidente ng catcalling, mag-isa lang ba yung babae o may
kasama siya?
OBSERVER 4: Mag-isa lang.
RESEARCHER: Mag-isa lang.
OBSERVER 4: Ehh… ‘yung mga kalalakihan naman na gumagawa ‘non?
Grupo sila. Since ano yun eh, parang paradahan ng mga side-car, so madami sila.
RESEARCHER: Sa paanong paraan ka nag-react matapos mong masaksihan ang catcalling incident?
Wala lang… lumayo lang ako dun sa part na may nanudun sila. Umiwas lang ako, ganun.
OBSERVER 4: Disenteng damit, ‘yun.
RESEARCHER: May pagkakataon ba na parang pinagsalitaan mo ‘yung mga nagkakatkol, sinaway mo?
OBSERVER 4: Hindi. Alam mo naman pag pinagsabihan mo ‘yong mga yun, baka gantihan ka ‘nung
mga yun.
RESEARCHER: Kung pagbibigyan ka hg pagkakataon na pagsabihan ang mga nangkakatkol at mga
kinakatkol, ano ang sasabihin mo sa kanila?
OBSERVER 4: Ayokong magsalita…
Parang siguro ‘wag nalang gawin nila ‘yun. Ilugar na lang nila yung sarili nila
‘pag ganun yung gawin sa kanila, matutuwa ba sila o ano? Ganun. Matuto silang maki-
simpatya sa iba.
RESEARCHER: Sa iyong palagay ang catcalling ba ay bastos o hindi?
OBSERVER 4: Kasi ginagawa ko din eh…
Depende siguro eh. Para sa akin. lang diba? Para sa akin bastos.
RESEARCHER: Bakit po kaya naging bastos ang catcalling?
OBSERVER 4: Depende. Kasi ginawa ko rin eh. Ang hirap pala nito…
Ahmm… paano ba?
Para sa ‘kin ano eh, parang ina-ano mo… para sa ‘kin ah, parang may gagawin
kang masama doon sa tao pagkina-catcalling. Parang interesado ka sa kanya eh… parang
ganun yung dating ‘nun eh diba? Parang may iba pang motibo dun sa catcalling na ‘yun,
parang may iba ka pang mas malalim na dahilan…
RESEARCHER: Which is hindi magandang motibo?
OBSERVER 4: Hindi maganda… kadalasan din naman hindi maganda ‘yung motibo ng mga boys!
RESEARCHER: May karagdagang opinyon ka pa ba o mga nais mong sabihin about catcalling?
OBSERVER 4: Siguro ano… ahmm… kung para sa mga ano… kung ayaw mong mabastos, ‘wag mo na
lang gawin sa iba, yung ganun nga… ‘yung catcalling, kung ayaw mo namang ano…
RESEARCHER: ‘Dun sa mga nababastos, siguro ano… magpapangit kayo, joke lang!
OBSERVER 4: ‘Wag kayong magpakita dun sa mga nagka-catcalling na kabastos-bastos ‘yung itsura niyo
sa kanila… parang iwasan nalang
RESEARCHER: Parang iwasan nalang ‘yung lugar?
OBSERVER 4: Hindi, kasi ‘yun lang naman yung lugar doon eh…
RESEARCHER: Ibig mo bang sabihin na dapat may baguhin sila sa kanilang sarili?
OBSERVER 4: Oo, siguro ganun na lang.
RESEARCHER: Ano kayang pagbabago yung kailangan nilang gawin para hindi sila ma-ano…
OBSERVER 4: Ahmm… siguro since ahmm… bawas bawasan ‘yung make-up nila, eh yung maputi
magbalot nalang siguro, mag long sleeves or mag pants na lang pag naglalakad, lalo na
pagisa ‘yung babae.
RESEARCHER: Parang magsuot sila ng disenteng damit…
PSEUDONYM: OBSERVER 5
GENDER: Male
AGE: 19 y/o

RESEARCHER: Maaari ba naming malaman kung ano ang iyong opinion about catcalling? Ano ang ibig
sabihin nito para sa iyo?
OBSERVER 5: Sila yung, kadalasan grupo sila ng mga lalaki na nakaupo lang, nakatambay, tapos nag-
aano sa mga babaeng dumadaan.
RESEARCHER: Nag-aano?
OBSERVER 5: Nagtatanong ng pangalan, naninitsit. Mga ganon
RESEARCHER: So, ano ang gusto mo at hindi mo gusto about catcalling?
OBSERVER 5: May part na nakakabastos na lalo na yung sa mga tipo na sumusipol. Ganun. Minsan mga
kaibigan ko rin, na kasama kong naglalakad yung mga kaibigan ko, tapos minsan
nakatambay lang sa sulok tapos nasa gitna pa minsan ng kalsada. Mayroong ibang grupo
na naglalakad sila tapos yung mga makakasalubong nila, parang kinacatcall din nila.
Minsan pinagbubulungan pa. Ganun.
RESEARCHER: Meron bang pagkakataon na may nagustuhan ka about catcalling?
OBSERVER 5: Minsan siguro kung may pupuriin sila. Ayon siguro yung magugustuhan ko.
RESEARCHER: Medyo positive para sa iyo yun?
OBSERVER 5: Medyo positive.
RESEARCHER: So diba nakakita ka na ba ng catcalling incidents?
OBSERVER 5: Yes.
RESEARCHER: Pwede mo bang ikwento sa amin kung ano yung nakita mong mga catcalling incidents?
OBSERVER 5: Simpleng catcalling lang gaya ng sabi ko kanina. kadalasan samin nung high school,
noong dun pa ko sa Bucandala, public sya kaya maraming grupo ng mga estudyante.
Kadalasan ang binabastos dito ang mga babaeng nag-iisa lang o kaya dalawa tatlo. Basta
mas marami sila kesa dun sa mga naglalakad Pero hindi nila nababastos yung mga
babaeng ano eh, yung mga babaeng may kasamang lalaki na ano. Kumbaga may ano sila
dun sa lalaki, baka mapa away.
RESEARCHER: Paano nila kinatcall yung mga babae? In what way ba?
OBSERVER 5: “Miss, pwede malaman number mo?” ganun, ahh.. minsan inaano lang, minsan…
hinaharang pa minsan tapos “Pwede humingi ng number?” Yung mga babae naman, hindi
naman nila pinapansin. Siguro sa mga ganong paraan.
RESEARCHER: Sa tingin mo mga ilang taon na yung mga nangcatcall at yung mga kinatcall? Estimated
lang.
OBSERVER 5: 20s, yung part namin siguro 14, 15. Mga kabataan lang rin, sa bata lang din nila
ginagawa. Tapos sa mga, meron naman sa mga tambay lang sa bahay, mga basketball
player lang na pang kanto kanto… mga 20 to 25 siguro.
RESEARCHER: Eh yung mga kinatcall, yung mga nakakareceive ng catcalling mga ilang taon?
OBSERVER 5: Sguro 17 to 20 plus… 25 28 ganun.
RESEARCHER: So pakidescribe nga kung ano yung itsura ng kinacatcall. Ano yung nakikita mo?
OBSERVER 5: Kadalasan maganda syempre, ahhh… minsan yung mga babaeng maikli yung suot.
Hmmm. Minsan naman yung mga ano, yung sa mga hindi masyadong kagandahang mga
babae madalas kinacatcall, nilalait nila.
RESEARCHER: Meron ka bang nakitang nacatcall na maayos naman yung suot, pormal naman, ganun?
OBSERVER 5: Meron naman.
RESEARCHER: Diba sabi mo mga kasama mo kadalasan yung mga nangkacatcall, anong naramdaman
mo dun sa mga nangkacatcall? Natuwa ka ba? Nagalit ka ba?
OBSERVER 5: Siguro nung part na yon, nung nandun pa ko sa sitwasyon, minsan natutuwa din ako pag
ganun.
RESEARCHER: Bakit ka natutuwa?
OBSERVER 5: Ehh, hindi ko rin alam eh. Siguro ayun yung sa grupo na yun parang masaya yung ganung
ginagawa kaya naaano lang rin ako. Nadadamay lang rin yung saya yung tuwa ko pag
ganun.
RESEARCHER: Sa tingin mo ba, opinion mo lang, bakit nga ba sila nangkacatcall? Yung mga lalaki.
OBSERVER 5: Di ko rin alam.
RESEARCHER: Opinion mo lang… dahil ba wala silang magawa? O gusto lang nilang puriin?
OBSERVER 5: Siguro dahil wala silang magawa.
RESEARCHER: So para naman don sa babae na kinatcall, anong naramdaman mo para sa kanya?
OBSERVER 5: Syempre, kung makakasalubong, kung matatandaan nya siguro yung mukha ko tapos
makakasalubong ko sya ng mag-isa lang ako, siguro mahihiya ako. Hindi ko sya
matitignan sa mukha. Hindi ko ma… hindi ko sya makakausap o magaganun. Lumalakas
lang yung loob ng mga nangkacatcall kadalasan pagka nasa isang grupo sila.
RESEARCHER: Natuwa ka ba dun sa kinahinatnan nung babae, o naawa kaba o nagalit ka? Ganun.
OBSERVER 5: May part naman na minsan may.. naaawa ka na kasi minsan alam mo sobra na yung mga
kaibigan mo, mga tropa mo na, sa pambabastos ng babae kaya, naaano ka, naiinis ka rin
minsan sa kanila.
RESEARCHER: E diba nakakita ka na ng catcalling incident. Anong naging reaksyon mo? Anong ginawa
mo? Paano ka nagrespond sa sitwasyon na yun?
OBSERVER 5: Dedma… dedma lang rin. Dedma, hindi gumawa ng masyadong malaking aksyon.
RESEARCHER: May mga pagkakataon ba na yung mga nangkacatcall ay hindi mo kakilala no?
OBSERVER 5: Yes.
RESEARCHER: Pag ganun, paano ka nagrereact naman?
OBSERVER 5: Wala. Normal lang rin. Minsan yung mga kakilala, yung mga hindi kilala ganun nga
dedma lang. walang ano, walang pake. Pero yung pagka sa grupo nyo tapos ako, yung
ikacatcall nila is kakilala ko, minsan inaawat ko na sila para kasi ako yung mapapasama
dun sa kaibigan ko baka magkasira pa.
RESEARCHER: So overall ba para sa iyo, bastos ba o hindi ang catcalling?
OBSERVER 5: Bastos.
RESEARCHER: Bakit?
OBSERVER 5: Syempre, kadalasan pisikal yung inaano nila, pisikal tsaka pano kung yung kina catcall
marami palang ano. Marami pala syang insecurities sa katawan tapos pagka binabastos
pa sya, minsan mas lalong bumababa yung ano nya.. parang bumababa yung tingin nya
sa sarili nya.
RESEARCHER: Hmmm. So yung lamang po. Maraming salamat po.
Appendix 11. Summary of comments and suggestions
Appendix 12. Certification from English critic
Appendix 13. Certificate of completion
Appendix 14.Routing slip
Appendix 15. Budget estimates
Appendix 16. Program of work
Appendix 17. Pre-survey tabulation
 Republic of the Philippines
CAVITE STATE UNIVERSITY
Don Severino De Las Alas Campus
Indang, Cavite

College of Arts and Sciences

Department of Social Sciences and Humanities

“WITWIW, HI MISS!” BASTOS BA O HINDI?: CATCALLING BETWEEN MEN

AND WOMEN IN IMUS CITY, CAVITE

PRE-SURVEY TABULATION

Appendix table 1. Pre-survey tabulation of doers (20 Males).

QUESTION RESPONSES ABSTAIN TOTAL

1. Naranasan mo na bang Oo---11 0 20

magcatcall? Hindi---9

2. Ilang beses mo nang 0---1 8 20

naranasan magcatcall? 5---1
6---1
10---1
20---1
Hindi mabilang---1
Madami---5
Minsan---1

3. Gaanong kadalas ka 0---1 7 20

nagkacatcall? Araw-araw---2
Bihira lang---1
Depende---1
Di pa---1
Kada buwan---1
Kada linggo---4
Kada taon---1
Kapag may chicks---1

4. Sa anu-anong paraan mo Pagbati---2 9 20

ginagawa ang catcalling? Pagpuri---5
Pagsipol---2
Pagsitsit---1
Pang-aasar---1
5. Ano ang iyong Depende---1 9 20
nararamdaman habang Masaya---5
ginagawa ang catcalling? Masaya na malungkot---1
Medyo kinakabahan---1
Nahihiya---2
Sakto lang---1

6. Ano ang iyong tugon sa Malungkot---1 10 20

kanilang reaksyon? Masaya---3
Naaasar sila---1
Nahihiya---2
Ngiti---3

7. Ano ang dahilan kung Humahanga---1 10 20

bakit ka nagkacatcall? May chicks na dumaan---1
Pagkuha ng atensyon---3
Para magpasaya---1
Para makipagkaibigan---1
Trip lang---3

8. Ang catcalling ba ay Bastos---10 1 20

bastos o hindi? Bakit? Depende---7
Hindi---2

----(Dahilan)----
Depende sa gumgawa at umiintindi
–2
Depende, sa pamamaraan – 5
Hindi ito tama para sa kababaihan
–1
Ito ay
pakikisama/pagpapakilala/pagbati–
2
Kawalan ng respeto – 4
May proper way naman ng
pagkuha ng atensyon – 1
Nakakaasar ito – 1
Nakakadegrade – 2
Unconscious desire ito sa babae – 1
Appendix table 2. Pre-survey tabulation of receivers (20 Females).
QUESTION RESPONSES ABSTAIN TOTAL

1. Naranasan mo na bang Oo---18 0 20

macatcall? Hindi---2

2. Ilang bese mo nang 1---2 2 20

naranasan macatcall? 2---1
3---1
5+---1
20+---1
Hindi mabilang---2
Madami---6
Minsan---2
Once a week---1
Wala---1

3. Gaanong kadalas ka Araw-araw---1 1 20

macatcall? Depende---1
Di matandaan---2
Kada buwan---4
Kada linggo---6
Kada taon---2
Minsan---2
Wala---1

4. Anu-anong paraan mo Pagbati---4.99 2 19.97 or

naranasan? Pagkindat---1 20
Paglapit---0.33
Pagpuri---0.33
Pagsipol---8.49
Pagsitsit---2.83

5. Ano ang iyong Nababastos---3.33 2 19.99 or

naramdaman? Nagagalit---0.5 20
Nahihiya---0.5
Nakakababa ng sarili---0.33
Nakakagambala---0.5
Nakakainis---9
Nakakainsulto---1
Nakakawalang gana---0.33
Natatakot---2.5

6. Ano ang iyong reaksyon? Hindi pinapansin---8 2 20

Inirapan---0.5
Nagmamadaling lumakad---.5
 Nagtanong kung ngayon lang
sila
nakakita ng babae---1
Nagulat---3.5

7. Ano sa tingin mo ang Dahil bastos sila---1 3 20

dahilan kung bakit ka Dahil sa suot ko---1
nacatcall? Di ko alam---1
Kasi sexy ako---1
May kapuna-puna sa akin---
2.5
Nagpapapansin---5.5
Napagtripan---5

8. Ang catcalling ba ay Bastos---16 1 20

bastos o hindi? Bakit? Hindi---0
Depende---3

----(Dahilan)----
Depende sa paraan – 3
Hindi ito msbuting kilos – 4
Hindi ito nakakatuwa – 1
Ito’y nakakagambala – 0.5
Kawalan ng respeto – 8.5
Appendix table 3. Pre-survey tabulation of observers (10 Males & 10 Females).
QUESTION RESPONSES ABSTAIN TOTAL

1. Nakakita ka na ba ng Oo---19 0 20
catcalling incident? Hindi---1

2. Ano ang iyong Depende sa reaksyon ng babae---1 0 20

naramdaman para sa Gusto ko siyang pagmadaliin sa
babae? paglalakad---1
Naaawa---3.5
Nababastos---9.5
Nagagalit---1
Naiinis---1.5
Uplifting---0.5
Wala---2

3. Ano ang iyong Gusto kong suntukin---1 0 20

naramdaman para sa Nababastusan---5
lalaki? Nagagalit---2
Naiinis---9
Nayayabangan---1
Wala---1
Walang pinagaralan---1

4. Ano ang iyong nagging Depende sa sitwasyon---1 0 20

tugon/ reaksyon? Minsan nakikialam, kinsan hindi--
-1
Nagpaparinig ng “Bastos”---0.5
Nagpapataas ng kilay---0.5
Napatingin lang---1
Pinagsasabihan ang lalaki---1
Wala---15

5. Ang catcalling ba ay Bastos---14 0 20

bastos o hindi?bakit? Depende--5
Di ko alam---1

----(Dahilan)----
Nakakapahiya ito – 1
Nakakawala ng respeto – 11
Nagpapakita ito ng masamang
intensyon – 1
Depende, kasi minsan trip lang – 1
Depende, kasi minsan
pinupuri – 2
Depende, nasa pamamaraan – 2
Appendix18. Curriculum vitae