Women’s role in the Philippine society has been defined and enshrined in various laws crafted by national legislators. The observance of Women’s Month is mandated by Proclamation No. 224 which declares the first week of March each yeas as Women’s Week and March 8 as Women’s Rights and International Peace Day while Proclamation No. 227 provides for the observance of the month of March as Women’s Role in History Month; and Republic Act 6949 which declares March 8 of Every Year as National Women’s Day.
The Philippine Commission on Women envisions that the 2021 National Women’s Month Celebration serves as a tribute, a platform, and a call to action that highlights the extraordinary roles of ordinary Juanas in the society. This is also a venue to discuss and address the issues that women continue to face so empowerment can be fully achieved. The campaign calls for concrete, sustainable, and inclusive actions towards gender equality.
The PCW added that the aim of the NWMC is to inform and engage women as stakeholders of government programs and services; to create and facilitate platforms to discuss good practices, gaps, challenges, and commitments in pursuing gender and development; to strengthen implementation of the Magna Carta of Women; and to inspire and empower women and girls to be agents of change and to contribute in promoting gender equality and the empowerment of all women.
The PCW urges government agencies and local government units to ensure that their programs and activities for the NWMC contribute in achieving the objectives and the focus of the 2021 celebration.
Art and Women Artists
In Negros Occidental, the curtain raiser for the 2021 Women’s Month was the Summer Breeze art exhibit at the Gallery of Modern Hut Cafe within the NGC Market Place area at the back of Pansiatic. The exhibit, participated in by artists from Arts Association of Bacolod, Christian Artists National Various Arts Society, and BABAYI Arts Group, opened Feb 28 and will run until March 28.
Women artists will also hold a weekend exhibit at Ayala Capitol Central Mall called “Pintademic” with Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson as guest of honor during the March 26 opening. Silaynon artist Sony Golez, who is also a board member of the Provincial Council for Women, plans to hold an art workshop with some women leaders prior to the exhibit opening.
Mental Health and Psychological Counseling Program
Women’s Month celebration in the Capitol kicked off with the launching of the GAD funded-Mental Health and Psychological Counselling Services of the PHRMO. During the March 1 orientation for the MHPC, focal persons held at the Negros Residences, Gov. Lacson lauded the PHRMO for initiating the timely project, which was implemented in connection with the Mental Health Law and the directive of the Civil Service Commission.
GAD Action Officer Mari June Castro, who also attended the launching program, talked about the mandates, rationale and objectives of the Women’s Month celebration, and updates on the GAD programs and budget of the province.
Kapehan sang Kababaenhan
The PGFPS holds Kapehan sang Kababaenhan all Mondays of March as part of the Purple Mondays campaign. The online talk show is streamed via the PGFPS Facebook page, and the FB page and Youtube channel of NOLITC, which is providing the technical support together with Tech4ED.
Kapehan sang Kababaenhan, which feature Negrense women leaders, government offices, GAD implementers, and programs and services for women, girls and their families, had its maiden episode March 1 with guests Atty. Andrea Lizares-Si, chair of Provincial Council for Women and president of the Negros Occidental Girl Scout Council, and Dr. Christina Orbecido of NOLITC.
Si talked about the herstory of the International Women’s Day and the Women’s Month Celebration in the Philippines and Negros Occidental, while Orbecido discussed the various scholarship and training programs of NOLITC, before and during the pandemic, their recruitment and selection processes, the benefits they provide to their trainees, and the new way of conducting their trainings.
March 8 guests were Merle Garcia of the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office, and Virgie Delfin of the PWDO-Population and Development Division; and Gerard Inosentes Tupas and Sharon Juance, Ph.D., of the Technology, Livelihood and Development Center and Provincial Employment and Service Office. For March 15, representatives from the Provincial Health Office, Hospital Operations Department, and the Negros Occidental Comprehensive Insurance Program will discuss their programs and services and how constituents avail them.
March 22 will be the turn of NOSP and the PHRMO, while the last episode on March 29 will feature the Provincial Environment and Management Office and the Office of the Provincial Agriculturists.
Provincial Women’s Day
The Provincial Women’s Day organized by the Provincial Council for Women was held March 2 with a talk on women leadership and other gender issues by Comelec Commissioner Rowena Guanzon, a lecture sharing on Stress Management by Mark Ortibano; and a panel discussion on how women faced the challenges of the pandemic with Joann Asunsion, president Federation of Urban Poor; Arlene Infante, president, Association of Negros Producers; and Corazon Aghon, Chair, Women’s Day Off .
Governor Lacson, who gave a message during the March 2 program held at the Social Hall of the Capitol, shared the enabling mechanisms and structures put in placed under his administration to mainstream GAD issues and concerns. He also mentioned the programs, projects and activities supported by the GAD budget the province, top most of which are on Health, Education, Livelihood, Entrepreneurship, Employment, Social Services and anti-VAW campaigns and services.
The GAD budget also supports programs on responsible parenthood, family planning and adolescent reproductive health, and HIV-AIDS prevention advocacy. The PGFPS has also allocated P10 million for COVID vaccine as part of its Gender-Responsive INtervention to COVID-19 and New Normal project for 2020.
Commissioner Guanzon talked about women leadership, and issues of violence against women, gender socialization, the discrimination still faced by women, and the need for affirmative action, or the equity approach in order to attain equality.
She fired up and inspired women attending the Provincial Women’s Day, including former Calatrava Mayor and now Board Member Araceli Somosa, Liga ng mga Barangay Provincial Federation President and SP Member Juvy Pepello, Vice Mayors, Councilors, Social Welfare Officers, and leaders of the Local Councils for Women and LGU GAD Focal persons.
Other Activities
Various national government agencies like the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, local government units, including the Cities of Talisay and Himamaylan, schools like Colegio de Sta. Ana de Victorias, and barangays like Brgy. 12 of Victorias City, and grassroot organizations like Rural Improvement Club and Asenso Women of Brgy. Kapaitan Ramon in Silay City have informed the Province that they are also organizing their women’s month events.
Talisay is among the busiest with its citywide program. Aside from its Purple Mondays campaign, barangay hoppings to orient and re-organize their women’s group, they city’s GFPS has also skills and livelihood training, and sectoral assemblies, especially for solo parents.
OWWA’s MARILAG Awardees
Three Negrense women leaders became the first recipients of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration Region VI MARILAG Awards. Rizza Joy Moldes, OWWA OIC Regional Director, gave the awards March 5 to Salvacion Barrios of Talisay, Miraluna Casiano of Victorias, and Ninfa Toquillo of Bacolod, in a ceremony held at The Chalet of L’ Fisher Hotel in Bacolod City.
Their respective OFW Federation organization were also awarded. According to Moldes, the award was given to the three women leaders for their relentless efforts in providing necessary assistance to OWWA and the OFW Community.
Because Women Count!
The Women’s Month Celebration in the Province of Negros Occidental will culminate with the Because Women Count! conference on March 30 and 31 at the Social Hall of the Capitol in Bacolod City.
According to GAD Action officer Castro, who is organizing the event, Because Women Count! is a gathering of selected national government agencies, civil society organizations, provincial offices, state colleges and universities to present their GAD Database for 2019 and 2020, and the gender issues they have identified through their sex-disaggregated data.
It will be attended by PGFPS members, board members of the Provincial Council for Women and LGU GAD Focals.
The awarding of the winners of the Liso Kabuhi Ko vegetable gardening project of the Negros Occidental PCW and the Office of SPM Gatuslao, in cooperation with the Bureau of Plant Industry and the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist, and the launching of various GAD incentives and awards program of the province will be held during the closing ceremonies of the two-day conference.
Castro, who has coordinated Women’s Month Celebrations since the early 1990’s, said while we have many programs for women, we still can do more, especially during this pandemic. – NWI
