The province of Sorsogon joins the global community in the observance of International Women’s Day 2022 with the theme “Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow.”
We also join the rest of the Filipino people in the celebration of the National Women’s Month this March, with focus on “Agenda ng Kababaihan, Tungo sa Kaunlaran” under its 2017-2022 overall theme “WE Make CHANGE Work for Women.”
While we have achieved historic milestones over the years in terms of gender equality and women empowerment, the work will never be done as we always strive to create a humane society that will provide equal opportunities for everyone, regardless of gender, social status, religious faith, and political affiliation.
As we mark the month-long observance of National Women’s Month, we pay tribute to all Filipino women for their contribution to nation building. Based on the data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), there are 54.6 million women, or almost half of the country’s 110 million population. Hindi nating maipagkakaila na ang ating mga kababaihan ay tunay ngang katuwang sa pagsasaayos ng ating bansa.
During the 14th Congress (2007-2010), I was one of the senators who supported the passage of the landmark legislation Republic Act 9710, which is now known as The Magna Carta of Women. I have introduced as well other legislative proposals meant to empower, protect and advance women’s rights which were, unfortunately, not acted upon during the 16th and 17th Congress.
If given a chance to be a senator again, I intend to revisit the past proposed legislation I initiated and file them again if necessary. Perhaps, it is also time to review the 13-year-old Magna Carta of Women and assess how we can further refine the law to champion women’s rights and uplift the Gender and Development (GAD) programs of the national government and local government units.