House of 14

Amid the brewing tension over the Panatag Islands at the West Philippine Sea, 14 members of the Association of Women Legislators Foundation, Inc. (AWLFI) of the House of Representatives went on a nine-day goodwill mission to the People’s Republic of China to honor a long-standing invitation of the Communist Party of China to exchange ideas on various women initiatives. Leading the delegation was Rep. Gina de Venecia, who said the visit was made “in the spirit of the joint declaration” signed by President Benigno Aquino III and Chinese President Hu Jintao on September 2011, declaring 2012 and 2013 as “Years of Friendly Exchanges.”

Representative De Venecia, who heads the AWLFI, said the cordial meetings with Chinese political and business leaders in the cities of Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu and Dijuangyan of the Sichuan province, provided the Philippine legislators the opportunity “to contribute in peace-keeping efforts and help perpetuate a harmonious Philippine-China relationship as unofficial envoys of peace, because as legislators, it is our patriotic duty to promote the interest of our country.”

The delegation consisted of Representative De Venecia, Senior Deputy Majority Leader Janette Garin, former Deputy Speaker Daisy Avance-Fuentes, and Representatives Josefina Joson, Bai Sanda Sema, Bernadette Herrera-Dy, Mercedes Alvarez, Rachel Marguerite Del Mar, Ana Cristina Go, Linabelle Ruth Villarica, Emmeline Aglipay, Nancy Catamco, Cinchoa Cruz-Gonzales, and Abigail Faye Ferriol.

Like a seasoned diplomat, De Venecia, seeing the conflicting positions of the Philippine and Chinese governments on the Panatag conflict, expressed that it would be to the Philippine interest to pursue the course espoused by former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and the late President Richard Nixon who made a landmark trip to China some 40 years ago. Kissinger had told the Chinese, “Hu Hu Jing, Hu Hui” (Mutual Respect, Mutual Benefit) in resolving conflicts.

The suggestion merited an optimistic response from Madame Chen Zhili, vice chair of the standing committee of China’s National People’s Congress and president of the All-China Women’s Federation, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, “Hu Jing Hu Hui, Cong Tong Fa Zhan” (Mutual Respect, Mutual Benefit, Joint Development).

Madama Chen Zhili praised the fact of the Philippines’ having had two women presidents, adding that the United States has still to follow suit. China, of course, is a long way off from having their own. She added that while the 1995 Beijing Declaration to achieve gender equality was signed in China during the 4th World Conference on Women, she acknowledged that Filipinas “did a better job in implementing it.” But China is strongly for the protection of the rights of women and children, thus it created a Committee on Women Protection and the All-China Women’s Federation. Among benefits worked out for women by the federation are scholarships for those of ages 35 to 40 to enable them to become more productive even in old age.

Other visits of the House of 14 were with Vice Minister Ai Ping of the International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, Madame Long Jiangwen, vice-president of the China Association of Women Entrepreneurs, representatives of the All-China Women’s Federation, the Communist Party’s Deputy Director General Shen Beili and Wu Shimin of the International Department of the Communist Party of China, and Dr. Zhong Ya Ling of Sichuan Yalian Technology. The women also visited the Chengdu panda breeding and research base that works on the conservation of the giant Chinese panda, a no-dam irrigation system, a typical farm house, and a world-class facility for vocational training, a children’s welfare institute in Shanghai. Discussions also touched on banking and entrepreneurial opportunities, educational benefits, and environmental technologies.

The visit’s positive development may be summed up by a remark made by Madame Cu Weijin on the matter of settling the Panatag Islands conflict. The tenacity and wit of our legislators prompted her to comment, “Maybe the Philippine government should send a female ambassador to China to negotiate on delicate matters as women are more tactful, more circumspect.”

To that, this columnist says “Amen,” and suggests that from the House of 14 the next ambassador to China may be chosen. Hu Jing Hu Hui, Cong Tong, Fa Zhan!

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A source of pride for the Western Subanons of Malayal, Sibuco, Zamboanga del Norte is Sharon Joy Bulalang, recipient of the certificate and medal for academic excellence for having a general weighted average of 1.062, the highest score among the 35 masters graduates of the University of the Philippines College of Education. The first Western Subanon to graduate from the state university received the award during the UPDiliman College of Education recognition day last month.

Sharon was born in Malayal, Sibuco, Zamboanga del Norte in 1978 and is a native Western Subanon, one of the indigenous language groups in Mindanao. She is the eldest among four children in the family. She finished her elementary education in Malayal Community School in 1991 as first honor. She was the Malayal National High School 1995 class valedictorian. During her high school graduation ceremony, she received the Atty. Edgar Tarriela grant for the first year of a college education. She finished her bachelor of elementary education at the Ateneo de Zamboanga University in 2002 on the dean’s list.

She taught for several years in a remote area of Sibuco district, then transferred to teach as a grade one teacher in Malayal Community School. While teaching, she became interested in language and linguistics and in 2006 she took a year’s graduate diploma course in applied linguistics at the Alliance Graduate School where she graduated with honors. After that she began to focus on the linguistics and Bible translation of Western Subanon, her mother tongue. Being a mother tongue translator, she was given a scholarship grant by the Summer Institute of Linguistics, Philippines (SILP) in 2009, to enroll in an MAEd program, at the UP Diliman College of Education, major in language education. While being an SIL scholar, she was also a recipient of a UP presidential grant.

Sharon is a member of the Pi Gamma Mu, and the Phi Kappa Phi, international honor societies that recognize students with excellent academic records. She is married, with a daughter who is in third year high school.

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A nominee for the next dean of the University of the Philippines School of Urban and Regional Planning (UP SURP) is Dr. Marideth R. Bravo, currently director of graduate studies, a post she has served for eight years. Her eight years in that office is considered by many as preparation for the deanship.

Prof. Bravo earned her doctoral degree in urban and regional planning from UP Diliman. She also finished her BS and MS in agricultural economics from UP Los Baños. She has authored numerous scholarly articles and literature on planning that were published in different local and international publications. She has been team leader of many planning projects for public and private sector clients. As faculty member of the UP SURP for 11 years, Dr. Bravo has also represented the school and the country in a number of regional and international conferences and seminars on planning.  

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My May 1st column on the Vibal e-books referred to Dr. Ruth Fuentes as Education undersecretary. She sent in a correction, i.e., she is head of the special concerns and research at the Department of Education.

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My e-mail:[email protected]