Celebrations on Women’s Month

There’s a flurry of activity in celebration of Women’s Month. Gains and setbacks in the realization of full women’s status are going to be discussed. Conferences will be held, as well as concerts and exhibitions of products produced by women.

Ruby Beltran of Sentro ng Manggagawang Pilipina, who is quite proud of the gender-sensitiveness of the Quezon City Council, announces that Mayor Sonny Belmonte will be given a plaque for his appreciation of gender and development issues by the Commission on the Role of Filipino Women on Monday, March 3. The afternoon activities will include the swearing in of members of the Quezon City Gender and Development Council, launching of the Women’s Studies Journal on Local Governance under the sponsorship of the University Center for Women’s Studies, and a book display and sale. There will be free dental services, self-defense demos for women (anti-rape and street-based assault sponsored by Indigo and PROLESB, counseling for couples, special children and battered women sponsored by Creative Counseling, and iridiology sessions sponsored by Richter Alternative Medicine and Natural Therapeutics Iridiology.

A bone density lecture and exam will be sponsored by the vice mayor’s office and Philippine Cancer Society on the 4th; Mass will be sponsored by the QC GAD Council and GADRCO on the 5th.

Activities on March 7 will start with tree planting, vinegar and herbal drink-making, story-telling for children by Margarita Santos; seminar and demo on anti-kidnapping for children sponsored by Indigo and PROLESB; chocolate-candy making by KALAKASAN, hair-cutting by Bella Fernandez, flower-making with sinamay by Teofista Pajara, and pesto-making by Domini Torrevillas (that’s me, folks).

On March 10, an exhibit of eight women artists’ works will honor Tandang Sora – the show running until March 22 at the Bulwagan. On the 14th, there will be a forum on reproductive rights/anti-AWIR bills with Cong. Bellaflor J. Angara as speaker, and on March 18, a lecture will be on cancer and breast examination.

The public is invited to these activities.

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On another front, the Ugnayan ng Kababaihan sa Pulitika, a national alliance of women in politics and governance – from government and NGOs, which counts with prominent women leaders and founders and incorporators, will celebrate its 10th anniversary in the Philippines (nationally) and in the Asia-Pacific region (globally). The celebration in the Philippines will be the National Conference on Advancing the Women’s Agenda in a Strong Republic. This wil be held March 3-5 at the Manila Hotel.

The event will highlight the achievements of UKP in national and global/United Nations advocacy for women’s rights and empowerment during the last decade. Participants will be women local government officials, NGOs and other national and global advocates of women empowerment, Invited speakers will be cabinet officials, senators, congresswomen and other luminaries in the field of politics and governance.

The conference is co-sponsored by the GO-NGO CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women) Information and Educational Campaign Technical Working Group, Philippine NGO Beijing Score Board, and the Asian Women’s Network on Gender and Development.

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Simultaneous with the national conference, UKP, together with the Asian women‚s Network on Gender and Development (AWNGAD) will hold international workshops on the following UN conferences and documents: Asia-Pacific Regional Conference on Beijing+10 and the Conference Document of the Asian women for A culture of Peace; the outcome document of the World Summit on Sustainable Development and the Phitsanulok Declaration on Women, and the World Summit on the Information Society.

The proceedings of the national conference and other national initiatives on women by government and the private sector will be documented in three special issues of a women’s magazine which will be launched during the conference and distributed nationwide.

On March 3, from 1:30 to 5:30, a musical concert will be held, entitled "Mabuhay Kababaihan Para sa Kapayapaan at Kalayaan!"

Also, in response to the need to eradicate widespread poverty in our country, UKP will be launching an P18-million peso Food Garden Demonstration Project for poor families of selected urban centers nationwide. His will be launched March 28 at the Banahaw Sustainable Development Center in Kamuning, Quezon City.

At the helm of UKP are Leonor Ines Luciano, chairperson, Daphne Roxas, executive director, and Mely Nicolas, one the organization‚s founders.

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Still on women’s month celebrations, the Women’s Business Council Philippines (WBCP, in cooperation with The Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service (TOWNS) will launch its monthly Kapihan at the cocktail lounge of Wack Wack Golf and Country Club. Its first session with the press will be March 6, at 8:230 to 10 a.m.

The WBCP is a policy advocacy group and a private business association composed of women CEO’s, CFO’s and COO’s who are strategic decision-makers in the running of corporate affairs of small, medium, and large enterprises. Organized in 1997 by the Department of Trade and Industry to be the voice of Filipino businesswomen, it aims to be the premier advocate and resource of this growing sector of the business community. TOWNS is a foundation composed of its awardees – women achievers whose contribution to their fields of interest is recognized.

According to Lorna Patajo-Kapunan, WBCP president, the Kapihan will tackle burning national issues from a women’s perspective. It aims to mobilize women to become stronger advocates for reforms or issues that can bring about positive changes in our society.

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For its part, the Women’s Action in Media (WAM), the Reproductive Rights Resource Group Philippines (3RG-Phils.), in cooperation with MTV INK and PULP Magazine, are sponsoring a fund-raising dinner concert called "Jazz 4 ROCK: A Concert for Women‚s Health and Rights" tomorrow at the Manansala Ballroom of the Manila Galleria Suites, Ortigas Complex, Pasig City.

The concert will feature jazz artists Cookie Chua with Bluesviminda, Myra Ruaro of the Brownbeat All Stars and Enrique de Dios, a UK-based jazz performer, and hosted by Alex Alikpala.

The event is dedicated to the late Raquel Edralin-Tiglao, or ROCK, as she was known in the Philippine women’s movement, a leading pioneer in protecting and promoting women’s health and rights. All proceeds from the benefit concert will go to the Raquel Edralin-Tiglao Institute for Family Violence Prevention (REIFVP) and a Fund for Women in Crisis.

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