Celebrating Women’s Month

 In response to my column Tuesday on women leaders in Mindanao, Meredith Ruth C. Lagarde wrote: “I think it is greatly mistaken to say that these so-called leaders want peace. I agree that women make better listeners, but does this make them peace-seekers? They listen. So what? Have they made Mindanao peaceful? Have they made steps to integrate whatever rebellion there is to our society which tries to follow the Constitution? Aren’t some of the women you named been in politics for so long and did very little to improve the plight of their voters? Aren’t they substituting most times at the electoral post for their father, brother, or husband just like other “religious” women do?

“I think we all want peace, but I don’t think we should get it by creating a potential monster that is the BBL or by uplifting one religious faction of women over another. After all, we are in a democracy, and not in a theocracy.” — Respectfully, Meredith Ruth C. Lagarde

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The National Commission on Women has lined up activities to celebrate Women’s Month. Proclamations No. 224 and  227, and Republic Act 6949  declare the first week of March each year as Women’s Week and March 8 as Women’s Rights and International Peace Day, the observance of the Month of March as Women’s Role in History Month, and declaring March 8 of every year as National Women’s Day.

The latest legal instrument supporting the role of women is RA 9710, or the Magna Carta of Women which promotes the full participation and equitable representation of  women in all spheres of society, particularly in decision-making and policy-making processes in government and private entities in order to fully realize their role as agents and beneficiaries of development.

PCW and women’s organizations are holding online advocacy on trivia and facts about women in leadership, power and decision-making, inspiring quotes, and sharing stories and experiences of Filipino women leaders.  

Also scheduled are a photo contest held in partnership with the Government Service Insurance System, aimed at getting the public perception on women’s roles in politics or decision-making process. A progress report of the Beijing Platform for Action (BPFA) +20 covering 12 areas of concern will be made after a presidential briefing at Malacañang.

Planned for March 8, International Women’s Day are the presentation of  the Report of the State of Filipino Women, and simultaneous street dances to be sponsored by local government units.

A forum on women in leadership, power and decision-making, titled “Why Women? Why Now? Why you?” will be held March 24 at the Pamantasan ng Lungsod Pasig. The forum is open to women employees of the government, particularly those occupying second level positions.

A women and media summit will be held March 26 at the GSIS Theater in Pasay City. Related to media is the invitation for agencies and LGUs to organize a film highlighting women’s various roles and positive contribution to society. PCVW is endorsing the movie “Boses” by Erasto Film Productions. (For Boses film details, contact Florabel Banca at 0916-6352228, (02) 236437 or email [email protected].

For more information about the 2015 Women’s Month celebration, contact Information Resource Management Division at 7351654 local 131 or 7358509 or email [email protected].

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Here are statistics on Philippine women  in power and decision-making:

• There are only six women senators out of 24 senatorial seats for the term 2013-2016.

• There are only 79 women legislators out of 289 seats in the Lower House for the term 2013-2016.

• The 2013 elections result showed that 22.5 percent of the total gubernatorial posts are occupied by women and 18.5 percent of the total vice gubernatorial posts is occupied also by women. There are 20.86 percent of women who were elected as municipal mayors in 2013.

• There are 56 women who have been appointed to the highest positions in the executive, the legislative, and the judiciary. Among them are the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, the Ombudsman, the Secretaries of the Departments of Justice, Social Welfare and Development, Labor and Employment; the chairperson of the Commission on Human Rights, the Commission on Higher Education, the Commission on Filipino Overseas, the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process and the head of the Government Panel for Peace, Negotiation, and the Bureau of Internal Revenue.

• Between 2002 and 2010, the percentage of women in key posts in the Foreign Affairs Department (Ambassador and Consul General) rose from 28 percent  to 35 percent.

• The percentage of  women in career executive service officers (CSO) rose to 42 percent in 2010 from 37 percent in 1999.

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Interestingly,  Roberto A. Ferdman, a reporter for Wonkblog, The Washington Post, writes that there are only three countries in the world where the boss is more likely to be a woman.  Ferdman notes that nearly a third of all businesses around the world are now owned or managed by women, according to a new study by the International Labor Organization. “That number is hardly something to celebrate, but there are a few (OK, only three) parts of the globe that appear to be somewhat (yes, only somewhat) exemplary in this regard.”

These countries are Jamaica, Colombia, and Saint Lucia.

Writes Ferdman: “No other country in  the  world  holds  a  candle  to Jamaica, where just under 60 percent of all managers  are women. According to ILO, Colombia, the country with the second highest percentage of female bosses, manages  53  percent.   In  Saint   Lucia,

which is third among the 106 countries for which the ILO found data, the number is 52.3 per cent.

In the Philippines, under 48 per cent of all managers are female. Panama has 47.4  percent, Belarus, 46.2 per cent. The United States has 42. 7 per cent. Says Ferdman: “In the United States, where gender equity should be an example to other nations, it seems to be just the opposite; at least by this measure: Less than 20 per cent  of all board seats are held by women.”

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World-famous Hitesh Mehta is in the country upon the invitation of former Tourism Secretary, now president of  the Institute of Sustainable Tourism and architect Manny Minana. Hetish Mehta  is conducting a five-day workshop being attended by more than 40 architects, designers and hotel and resort owners. Mehta is president of HM Design, whose projects from all across the globe and range from protected area physical planning to architecture, to public speaking to photography. Mehta is one of  world’s leading practitioners and researchers on ecotourism physical planning, landscape architecture and architectural aspects of ecoledges.

Hitesh and the workshop participants were scheduled to visit Flor’s Garden in Antipolo yesterday. Incidentally, former Health Secretary Jimmy Galvez Tan is conducting a wellness Hilot, Himas, Pisil, Pindot touch therapy  on March 7 at Flor’s Garden in Antipolo. Those interested may call Fely at 09195567121or 6356092 for details.

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My email:dominitorrevillas@gmail