Several months before the birth of the Cebu Women’s Network , the Legal Alternatives for Women Center, Inc (LAW Center, Inc.) and DisAdvantaged Women Coalition Project (DAW went into extensive networking. They called on government organizations and the private sector to participate in woman advocacy programs in the workplace. On June 20, 1998, seven women representing varied organizations like the Civil Service Commission, Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Interior and Local Government, LAW Center, Inc., Metro Cebu Water District met to discuss the idea of forming an organization for women empowerment and for women victims of violence. It was a young Danish columnist of Sun Star Daily, Marit Stinus-Remonde who broached the brilliant idea of a monthly Kapihan, a Filipino term which means an exchange of views and opinions during coffee break. They decided to organize themselves, to come together and share what they had learned in many gender-sensitivity training and consciousness-raising seminars. The women wanted to make a difference in a society that “tolerated if not promoted the cultural bondage of women.” After setting their mission, vision, goals and strategies in place, the members decided to formally introduce Cebu Women’s Network to the public. The group met again on September 9, 1998 and that was when the Cebu Women’s Network was born. It was formally launched on October 20, 1998 at the Social Hall of the Capitol Building.
Since the first Kapihan that occasioned the idea for CWN, a monthly Kapihan has been held every second Saturday of the month. This is a forum over radio station dyLA-AM which aims to educate its listeners and clarify issues about women in society. The program anchor is the veteran and pioneering broadcaster Virginia “Ginnie” Vamenta who was the also the first CWN chairperson. The Women’s Kapihan had its first radio broadcast on Oct. 10, 1998 with the topic “Nude Shows: Artistic or Pornographic?” Since then, it has amplified issues on Sexaul Harassment in the Workplace, Consumer Rights of Women, Domestic Violence, the Anti-Rape Law, Child Abuse, Job Discrimination, VFA and its Efects on Women, Climate Change, Disaster Preparedness, the Reproductive Bill, Human Trafficking, GAD Budget and GAD Planning, Gender Responsive Governance, Magna Carta of Women and all other issues affecting women, This week, CWN celebrates its 14th anniversary. Ma’am Ginnie Vament still anchors the monthly radio program with some CWN members forming the panel.
Aside from radio, television has also been a forum for CWN. The late Atty. Arbet Sta. Ana-Yongco was invited to share her views on Sexual Harassment over ABS-CBN’s morning television talk show Home Buddies. This week is also the eighth year after Arbet’s murder on Oct. 11, 2004. To inspire society and especially other women CWN and LAW Center, Inc. decided to award contemporary women leaders in Cebu through a Search for Women Trailblazers or the Sugbuanang Tag-una. In 2005 which was the Feminist Centennial sixty (60) Cebuanas were recognized as the Sugbuanang Tag-una or Cebuana Trailblazers through a set of Heritage Cards which contain their contributions in empowering women. In 2011 a second set of 40 Cebuanas were recognized as Sugbuanang Tag-una or Cebuana Trailblazers. To date, there are 100 Sugbuanang Tag-una. Hopefully the list becomes longer every five years.
The Cebu Women’s Network is an example of what partnership is all about and LAW Center, Inc. should be commended for setting that example. LAW Center, Inc. has been engaging various government agencies and local government units in its advocacy to empower women so they could assert their worth and promote their potential in their workplaces, and to be able to decide for themselves how to improve the quality of their life and effectively carry out their decisions. It also works for the recognition and respect for women for who and what they are in society.
CWN did not start its work from zero. Even before it was formed, other agencies and government departments had already initiated policies on the protection of women. But CWN took it upon itself to do advocacy work to inform and explain to as many sectors as possible the laws and orders on women matters.