Womyn

Women take center stage on social media these days, largely because the world devotes the entire month of March to march them on, even as the country devotes the hot and humid month to fire prevention.

Netizens share a feature about Janelle Mae Frayna, impressing she had just been minted the first and only Filipina Grandmaster. The Legazpi City native earned enough points about a decade ago to become Woman Grandmaster. Gender-insensitive, should have been Grandmistress? But it has a different connotation in the country. Let’s leave it to the experts in gender-sensitive language.

Regardless, it feels good to be reminded a Filipina excels in a male-dominated sport. For, the country identifies or associates chess with Eugene Torre, the first Asian grandmaster and the first Asian inductee to the Hall of Fame. And of course Wesley So, who had to change nationality for reasons he would rather forget. Now he pushes the wooden pieces for the United States, and media refers to him as Philippine-born. Or burned.

But really, the Far Eastern University hall of fame inductee is a rare gem. Apart from being a Grandmaster, she also earned International Master status after securing three Grandmaster norms. It means she push to the edge the best of the best in the world.

There is something about Far Eastern University. It produces great sports champions. Asian sprint queen Lydia de Vega is one, long jumpers Marestella Torres and Elma Muros are two, and basketball greats Turo Valenzona, Danny Gavierres and Johnny Abarrientos are three, and many more. Just as there is something about the University of Cebu. It produces track and field champions and weightlifters, among others.

Schools not only produce great athletes, it definitely produces great minds. Harvard Law School pays tribute to its first woman graduate in law degree. And she is a Filipina, by the name of Erlinda Ignacio Espiritu. Even before the Internet shared knowledge to the world, this Filipina from Mindoro broke barriers early on. She was not impeded by unequal opportunity, she created her own opportunity.

These women represent the nagging reality they are co-equal with men, if not better, in some areas that test the human spirit and its capacity for human excellence. And these days, the world, especially the country, focuses on three women judges of the international court trying a former president for alleged crimes against humanity.

It is not only the former president that is on trial, the international criminal court too, especially on issues of sovereignty, international law and comity. As the woman vice-president likewise undergoes impeachment trial of her own, the senate as impeachment tribunal will also be placed on trial. By the bar of public opinion and scrutiny.