Don’t be afraid of globalization

No one should be afraid of globalization, says Myrna T.Yao, commissioner of the National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women (NCRW), and president of the National Council of Women of the Philippines (NCWP) and the Filipino-Chinese Federation of Business and Professional Women of the Philippines (Fil-Chi), all of which are concerned with the economic empowerment and leadership potentials of women.

Ms. Yao founded Fil-Chi, and assumed the presidency of the NCWP on the platform of women’s economic empowerment. Why economic empowerment? Myrna says, "Because it is the springboard by which total empowerment emanates." For it is the empowered woman, she continues, "who has greater decision-making power and control leading to transformative action."

The economic empowerment program is a response to the needs of the times, she says. "The greatest challenge facing the Filipino people today is survival in the midst of globalization and trade liberalization. While debates continue to rage on the upside and downside of globalization, it can no longer be denied that globalization is now a universal trend. It has allowed for world trade to grow and expand. Hence, to remain competitive, it is imperative to be integrated with this universal trend."

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A highly motivated businesswoman, Myrna has attended national and international conferences on globalization whose overarching recommendation for developing countries like the Philippines is to develop their SMEs (small medium enterprises) which is the backbone of the economy and one of the key players in the world market. And since Fil-Chi and NCWP’s program beneficiaries are women at the grassroots level who engage in livelihood activities and micro-enterprises, the main goal of their economic empowerment program has been to strengthen and develop these activities into SMEs capable of competing in the world market.

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An organization of business and professionals committed to make women a force in the global economy, Fil-Chi established a livelihood and marketing arm under the Philippine Marketing Corporation (Philmaco) to respond to the needs of grassroots-based enterprises for an intensive marketing support aimed at bolstering sales and ensure sustained production and income. And to support the growth of these enterprises, Fil-Chi is in the process of setting up a Micro-Finance Center for women which shall provide credit at low interest rate and be easily accessible to women and groups who cannot avail of the lending programs of banks and other financial institutions.

The skills training, value formation and business management education that will accompany the micro-credit program are important components in helping beneficiaries free themselves from the clutches of poverty. To do this, Fil-Chi has secured the partnership of the Technical Education and Skills Develoment Authority (TESDA) , which handles product identification from among its pool of livelihood skills training beneficiaries nationwide. In effect, Fil-Chi is also bringing development to the countryside from where most of the products Philamco promotes come from.

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Fil-Chi hopes to harness the potentials of the countryside. By diffusing development and creating a source of employment and income in their locality, the migration of local folks into the urban areas is prevented and criminality arising from want of material resources is curbed. By this example, Fil-Chi encourages businesses to relocate or to establish businesses in the provinces.

Implementing these programs at the local level is the NCWP, which is spearheading, in partnership with the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the creation of the Local (Municipal/City) Councils of Women (LCW) nationwide. Formed through a GO-NGO initiative and composed of local women groups with a representatives from the LGUs, the LCW brings together and centralizes the programs of NGOs, GO’s and the private sector (PS) in such a way that efforts are not duplicated and hence results are maximized to the fullest. The LCW creates a team, a strategic alliance of GOs, NGOs and PS that responds to the needs, issues and concerns of women in the local setting.

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Myrna says, "The Filipino people should not be fazed by globalization. We should put all our differences behind us, we should unite, network, and build a support system, for this is the way to go if we want to put our country on the map of the global economy. Let us support President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo who so sacrificed her political plans so that she can concentrate fully on the task of administering our country. Let us change our outlook and think and feel that yes, we can do it, we empower women, we empower the Filipino family, we empower our country."

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January 20-26 is Cancer Consciousness Week, and in Bacolod City, the life of cancer patient Jessica Magbojos is a living proof that God's grace is sufficient in times of weakness.

Jessica, who has been suffering from multiple myeloma (cancer of the plasma) since 1995 and is presently undergoing treatment, is having her first solo exhibit entitled "Frozen Blooms," a collection of 60 Framed Pressed Flower art works at the L’Fisher Hotel in Bacolod City.

Four years ago, Jessica attended an Oshi-bana session; this is the Japanese Art of Pressing Flowers which was sponsored by the Bacolod Chamber of Commerce. Her teacher, Lydia Robledo, learned the craft from a visiting Japanese, Mrs. Teru Okae, hosted by Prof. Miki of the Philippine Japan Cultural Institute.

Since then, pressing flowers and leaves became Jessica’s preoccupation. It not only became her therapy; it honed her creativity as well. Despite her illness, she has become productive and a source of inspiration to her fellow cancer patients in FACES Foundation (Forum Against Cancer through Encouragement and Support) in Bacolod City.

Jessica’s work is a blend of the old and the new, of Western and Eastern cultures. Her passion for flowers enabled her to commune with nature, deriving inspiration from her Divine Creator, the Ultimate Artist of All. She has not only endured her battled with the Big C, but with God’s grace, she has enjoyed exhibiting joy in her trials as shown in her works.

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My e-mail address: [email protected]