SAN FERNANDO CITY, La Union Mar. 16 (PIA) - - The Region 1 Advocates for Gender Equality (RAGE-1) in partnership with the Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University led the virtual kick-off ceremony of the 2021 National Women’s Month celebration.
On March 10, the whole day activity enjoined more than 80 partner regional line agencies, non-government organizations, and private individuals and businesses.
This year’s sub-theme, dubbed as: “Juana Laban sa Pandemya: Kaya!” is aimed to empower women despite the current coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, which caused more stress, oppression and abuse to women.
“Kayang-kaya talaga yan, kung para sa akin lang, basta tayo ay magtutulungan, magbayanihan, and it’s almost a year since the pandemic started, but we are, still surviving,” said Regional Gender and Development Committee chairperson and Commission on Human Rights Regional Director Atty. Harold D. Kub-aron during his virtual live message.
“I would like to thank our Juans, more so for our Juanas – our mothers, wives, sisters and all ordinary women who keep doing extraordinary roles in keeping intact our sanity, our families despite the quarantines, lockdowns, and isolations,” he added.
Further, various speakers from the academe and agri-business sector presented their topics on gender impact of pandemic on health, rights, vulnerability and its possible interventions to women; and shared their experiences and tips on agri-entrepreneurship and bee-keeping as an alternative source of income for families.
Moreover, some of the topics for women presented by the Ilocos Regional Training and Medical Center psychologists are handling stress and how to be mentally resilient during the pandemic.
According to RAGE-1 President and women advocate Perla A. Sotelo, the celebration will hold several activities such as a live social media talk show highlighting the roles of women in the community; a virtual Kapihan; a virtual youth forum; and a focused group discussion on the issues and concerns of women with disabilities.
Furthermore, a spoken poetry contest to be participated in by government agencies and students will also be conducted on March 29. The awarding of winners will be done during the culminating program on March 31.
“We encourage everyone, not only women, to participate in the different online activities for this celebration, we need to unite and empower further the women in our communities because we can make change work for women,” Sotelo said.
RAGE-1 is an organization composed of officers and members from the regional line agencies established with the aim to support the programs of the RGADC-1 to promote women empowerment, and gender inclusiveness and equality. (JCR/VHS/AHFF/PIA-1)
Source: Philippines Information Agency (pia.gov.ph)
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