It’s Women’s Month again and the usual agenda center on accomplishment reports of the different women’s commissions as well as women’s groups. For the past years the Women’s Congress spearheaded by the Cebu Provincial Commission gathered representatives of different barangays of the municipalities and component cities at the Cebu International Convention Center. It is heartwarming to know the great improvement in mobilizing the women in rural areas although much is still to be done. One great way of celebrating accomplishments of women in all fields initiated by the Provincial Women’s Commission through the Legal Alternatives for Women, Inc was the coming up with the Sugbuanang Tag-una (Cebuana Trailblazers) starting with 60 women in 2005, the year of the Feminist Centennial and 40 more in 2010. The 100 trailblazers have been recognized through a set of heritage cards. Their profiles are now in the website and on exhibit at the second level of Ayala Center. It’s amazing to know that many of what these trailblazers did is being carried on by other promising women.
March is not just a month of celebrating but is also a time to address what needs to be done and improved. Some people joke why Women’s Month is also Fire Prevention Month. It could also be that it is everybody’s business to take more preventive measures to fight the wildfires of cyberpornography, trafficking, rape and sexual harassment from razing down a large number of unsuspecting communities. It is also the time to look into the status of women’s health, women’s access to health services, more educational campaigns regarding reproductive health. One need not read statistics but simply look around the neighborhood, the streets, the workplace to see the situation.
The Women’s Congress of the PWC has for its agenda a resolution for the Provincial Board to come up with an ordinance regarding the theme of the Congress. This year’s theme enjoins everyone to help fight cyber pornography. On the other hand, the Cebu City Women’s Commission has for its theme women weathering climate change, and stresses that governance and accountability is everybody’s responsibility. The theme shows women’s involvement in other impending issues like environmental degradation. Women’s involvement in governance is not limited to holding public office but also looking into the GAD (gender and development) budget, how it is understood by local government officials, how it is used. Foremost is to see if the LGUs have a GAD plan and check on the programs for women’s concerns in the LGU. From my experience with the provincial search for the most gender-responsive local government unit for three years, very few LGUs have a GAD plan and understand the GAD budget, hence, the little proper use of the GAD budget which is 5 percent of the budget of a local government. Accountability is an important phase of governance where the government agencies as well as the concerned officials answer for has been done good or bad. Doing one’s job well and answering for what has been done good or bad is the essence of public service.
Celebrating Women’s Month should involve more of the younger generation. Mostly middle-aged women and senior citizens are participating in the month-long activities in the city or province. LAW Inc. is doing a good job by organizing two youth groups, mostly out of school youth – the Young Women Against Trafficking for Human Rights (Y-WATCH) and the Young Men against Trafficking for Human Rights (Y-MATCH) in addition to their livelihood-oriented groups of women – WISE and Step-Up. This is more feasible since March is a busy yearend for schools and student participation is minimal.
The most powerful medium still underused in celebrating Women’s month is the media. Media practitioners are not oriented about the various advocacies of women’s groups, more so with the activities of and by women. Women’s groups particularly the Provincial Women’s Commission and Cebu City Women’s Commission should orient media practitioners, not just give them press kits but give a thorough orientation on a staggered basis, and invite them to all activities. March is not just for and about women but it is for everybody.
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One of the Cebuana Trailblazers, Purita Raagas Sanchez, fondly known as Babes, passed away this week. There will be a Mass today at 1 p.m. at the San Carlos Seminary Chapel in front of IPI, followed by cremation in Rolling Hills. Rest in peace, Babes! Thank you for all you have done for the women of Cebu. Rest assured that the torch will be passed on.