Trailblazers empower women, disabled

“EMPOWERMENT is power in me.”

This, said  former Talisay City councilor Shirley Cabañero-Belleza was the motto of  her advocacy for Gender and Development (GAD).

Belleza is among the 100 Women Trailblazers cited by the Cebu province who excelled in their fields of endeavor. Their photos are on exhibit in the Capitol building.

Belleza said the recognition is “a great honor.”

The three-term councilor is  known for pushing the GAD Code in Talisay City despite opposition from council colleagues.

Belleza’s term as councilor ended in June 2010.

After that, Belleza took and finished  her masters degree in speech  pathology at a university in Cebu City.

Her advocacies for women and children did not stop when she left politics.

“We don’t need a position in government to serve the people, right?” Belleza once said.

Belleza now works for the Cebu province as consultant for women development programs.

For her, happiness means inspiring these women.

“Its nice to inspire them,” she said.

Before entering politics, she  launched  the “mass wedding” program for indigent couples.

In 1998, she used her own money to fund the weddings of five couples.

“I did this because there are children who have no  birth certificates because their parents weren’t officially united under the sacrament of matrimony,” Belleza said.

She said she  continued this program when she was elected councilor.

Belleza said it was good for the children, who would benefit from the Philhealth cards, distributed by City Hal if their parents were married.

Another  trailblazer is Adela Avila-Kono.

Kono is a recipient of the 2008 Apolinario Mabini Outstanding Woman with Disability Award.

Recently, she was  invited by the Provincial Board  to speak about “barrier-free tourism” in line with a proposed ordinance sponsored by PB Member Arleigh Sitoy to make tourist facilities accessible to the physically challenged.

Adela was two and a half years old when she contracted polio, that left her legs almost totally useless.

The disease forced her into a life of leg braces, crutches and wheelchairs.

Nonetheless, Adela said she pursued her studies.

But school life brought her many frustrations.

Without the aid of her yaya or classmates, Adela found it difficult to go up from one floor to another in a building with no ramps.

It was tough using restrooms because the floors were often wet and dangerous for one using crutches.

These experiences, she said, would later give purpose to her life.

In 1987, Adela went to the United States with her mother and saw the amenities available to people with disabilities (PWDs) like ramps and handle bars in toilets.

She said it was her first encounter with “accessibility”, barrier-free or “non-handicapping environments” in its real sense.

Adela later urged groups like the Organization of Rehabilitation Agencies (ORA) and the Regional Council for the Welfare of Disabled Persons in Central Visayas (RCWDP-7) to pursue accessibility monitoring and implement their major programs in Cebu.

In 1989, she was chosen to participate in JICA’s (Japan International Cooperation Agency) “Leadership Training Course for Disabled Persons” in Japan by the National Council for the Welfare of Disabled Persons, now the National Council for Disability Affairs.

Today, she is the adviser of the Accessibility Monitoring Committee under the RCWDP-7.

She said the committee examines buildings to determine if they are disabled-friendly.

Adela gives advice on the “International Standards of Accessibility” to architects and civil engineers.

For her efforts, Adela was given the award by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo at Malacañang Palace last Aug. 6, 2009.

While there are no monetary rewards for her work, Adela said the “little joys” are enough return, like making  “normal” people more sensitive to issues of accessibility. Edison A. Delos Angeles  and Doris C. Bongcac