Close to 400 women leaders from all over Negros Occidental gathered in Silay City on August 26 for the Provincial Council for Women Mid-Year Forum.
Women public officials who attended the PCW activity included four provincial board members, three mayors, all seven vice mayors in the province, and several councilors who chair the Committee on Women and Family of their respective towns and cities.
Local women council officers and members, police officers and social workers, also attended the annual mid-year event, which included a women’s trade fair dubbed as “Tiangge ni Juana”, panel discussion with women mayors, sharing of women entrepreneurs, local ordinance on councils for women, and presentation of the recently approved provincial ordinances on Expansion of the PCW, and Organization of Local Women’s Councils.
Atty. Andrea Lizares-Si, chair of PCW, and Silay Mayor Joedith Gallego, gave the PCW and City welcome, respectively. Board Member Rita Gatuslao of the 5th District, who chairs the SP Committee on Women and Family, gave a message, underscoring her commitment to partnership with the women sector and more policies for women and community development, and empowerment.
Dr. Maria Novie Mejica, head of cluster II of the Department of Interior and Local Government, read the message of Negros Occidental Provincial Director and OIC Assistant DILG Negros Island Regional Director, Teodora Sumagaysay, CESO V.
A panel discussion with Mayors Marilyn Era of Calatrava, Mayor Mayette Javelana-Yao of Bago City and Mayor Rowena Lopez-Lizares of Talisay City, was moderated by Marie June Castro, executive assistant of Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson and Provincial GAD Action Officer.
During the segment, presented in a television show format and dubbed as “Kapehan sang Kababainhan”, Mayor Era shared that it is her vision that more barangays in Calatrava will have Zero Open Defecation.
At the moment, only four of the 40 barangays of Calatrava are declared as ZOD.
Era also underscored her priority in providing employment to their constituents. For neophyte Mayor Javellana-Yao, she wants her fellow Bagonhons to feel the services or presence of the government, have more programs that support youth education, and health and nutrition among young children.
Javellana-Yao said in less than two months of her stint as mayor, they have inaugurated various satellite government offices and revived sports programs in Bago.
Talisay City Mayor Weng Lizares, meanwhile shared her vision of a hospital for Talisay, and more access to education for the youth, taking advantage of the presence of various schools located in the city.
Both neophyte mayors encouraged women from the grassroots and Gender and Development advocates to work with them closely, and be their extensions or arms, as they are more grounded and they can give suggestions on gender-responsive programs or projects or how to improve implementation.
Era, who started her political career in 2003 as a punong barangay, and eventually became a councilor, vice mayor and mayor, advised the new termers to have good time management and focus on their work.
For their part, the two new mayors admitted they really want to strike a balance with their work and family life, adding that they have the support of their spouses.
On the Women Talks segment of the PCW mid-year forum, Julieta Robles, chair of Talisay City’s Tiangge in Juana, shared about their store in Talisay Public Market which features different products of women and organizations from the different barangays of the City.
Robles said Tiangge ni Juana, painted in lavender and facing the highway fronting Savemore Talisay, was inaugurated during the Women’s Month last March.
Another sharer was Gertrude Canja from Minoyan, Murcia. Canja, a former 4Ps or Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino grantee shared that she was a beneficiary of the conditional cash grant and it was the first time in her life to hold P10,000 as their first grant.
From the first 4Ps grant, she bought seedlings and cuttings and during the pandemic and the proliferation of “plantitas” she was able to have sales of millions of pesos.
She voluntarily exited from the 4Ps program, because she believed she can already be economically independent, and need to give way to more deserving families to avail of the Pantawid Program.
To cap the morning portion of the program, Vice Mayor Anna Liza Tabujara-Soriano of Cauayan, shared her women organizing strategies and adoption or passage of an ordinance for the creation of the Local Women’s Council in Cauayan.
In the afternoon portion of the forum, the SP Committee on Women and Family presented the salient provisions of the provincial ordinances on expansion of the PCW and organizing of the LCWs.
Board member Gatuslao, led the discussion of the two policies, while Board Members Paula Alonso of the 4th District and Atty. Hope Marey Depasucat of the 3rd District, explained the ordinances.
Board Member Mayvelyn Madrid, president of the provincial federation of the Sangguniang Kabataan, was also present to support her fellow committee members.
For the six hours trade fair or Tiangge at the Silay Gym, the women generated close to P50,000 sales for the 11 LGUs/women’s groups who joined.
Top sellers were Cadiz City with P17,000; Talisay City with P10,425; and Silay City with P 6,800.*
