MARCH 10, 2015

NR # 3766B

Women power gives meaning to national development

With a full-house gallery of womens rights advocates, women members of the
House of Representatives, garbed in Filipiniana finery, were in full force Monday during
the all-women-steered plenary session of the House of Representatives in celebration of
National Womens Day.
Women power is well and alive in Congress, declared Rep. Gina P. De Venecia,
(4 District, Pangasinan), presided over the plenary proceedings. She is the President of
the 79 strong Association of Women Legislators Foundation, Inc. (AWLFI) composed of
all the women members of the House of Representatives.
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Ours is a matriarchal nation, thats why the gender gap here is slim, as evidenced
by the number of female leaders who hold positions of power in practically all spheres of
societyfrom the judiciary, the Cabinet, the business sector and even the military, De
Venecia declared at the Speakers podium.
And while the women lawmakers, numbering 79, is but a third fraction of the entire
House membership, De Venecia added that women legislators are at par with their male
counterparts, in terms of lawmaking competence.
Rep. Ann K. Hofer (2nd District, Zamboanga Sibugay) concurred, saying that the
Power of the Feminine to care, to love, to nurture, to listen, to be quiet, to nourish the soul
and, consequently, to create harmony and peace were reflected by their privilege
speeches during the session.
The privileges speeches touched on issues ranging from armed conflict as discussed
by Rep. Rose Marie J. Arenas (3rd District, Pangasinan); or about entrepreneurship as
explained by Rep. Elenita Milagros Ermita-Buhain (1st District, Batangas); or concerning
the plight of women workers as detailed by Rep. Luzviminda C. Ilagan (GABRIELA
Party List); or focusing on pioneering women in medical practice as expounded on by
Rep. Elisa T. Kho (2nd District, Masbate).
Other vital women issues included womens voices for truth and accountability by
Rep. Emmi A. De Jesus (GABRIELA Party List); the fundamental equality between men
and women by Chairperson Linabelle Ruth R. Villarica (4th District, Bulacan) of the House
Committee on Women and Gender Equality; or paying tribute to women as peace builders,
as underscored by Rep. Henedina R. Abad (Lone District, Batanes).
Another highlight of the all-women session was the presentation of a House
commendation by Speaker Feliciano Belmonte, Jr. and women legislators honoring Dr.
Helena Zoila Benitez, whom De Venecia described as a woman of many firsts.

The House Resolution 1956, authored by De Venecia recalled that, Benitez was the
first Filipina, the first Asian, and the first woman international academic and legislative
leader inducted into the Democracy Hall of Fame International in 2003.
In the Philippines, March was declared as Womens Role in History Month through
Proclamation No. 227 in 1988, while March 8 was proclaimed as National Womens Day
with the enactment of Republic Act 6949 in 1990.
HREPs Womens Day celebration is jointly sponsored by AWLFI and the House
Committee on Women and Gender Equality chaired by Rep. Villarica who was also guest
speaker during Mondays flag-raising ceremony attended by some of her womencolleagues, officials and employees of the House Secretariat led by Secretary General
Marilyn Barua-Yap, among others.
In January, the International Labor Organizations Bureau for Employers Activities
reported that the Philippines bested other Asian countries in terms of the proportion of
women among managers.
The Global Gender Gap report in 2014 also claimed the Philippines is number one
in Asian nations when it comes to gender equality. (30) dpt