BY GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Covid-19 vaccination campaign of the national government took the center stage during the celebration of International Women’s Month on March 9 in Silay City, Negros Occidental.
Councilor Lyndon Bernardo, who chairs the Silay City Council committee on Women and Family, said they incorporate the topics on Covid-19 vaccines, in the celebration, as he stressed the need for women to avail of it.
“We have to nourish our women, especially the mothers, on how important is the vaccines,” he said.
Women doctors, Buenaflor Ledesma and Sedie Ramos, took their turns in explaining the importance for women to avail of Covid-19 vaccines, in response to the proliferation of fake news about the vaccines, and their alleged side effects.
Bernardo, who was joined by Mayor Mark Golez and Vice-Mayor Tom Ledesma in marking the activity at the Silay City public plaza covered, following a motorcade, said there will be a series of activities for the whole month of March.
The cry continues to stop violence against women, he said, noting also that violence increases during the pandemic, because of isolation at home.
“But everything will be solved, if we have this kind of collaboration,” Bernardo, who is the first male councilor in Silay City, given the task to chair the committee on Women and Family, said.
Women’s rights advocate, JocelleBatapa-Sigue,who was the guest speaker at the activity, said the Covid-19 pandemic brought out the real strength of women in the last 12 months.
“I realized that the pandemic made ups step back, and really draw our strength within ourselves,”Sigue said.
We should not all be in the frontlines, to do our role to help stop the spread of Covid-19, she said
Sigue also emphasized the need for women to know the laws protecting their rights.
“You don’t need to be a lawyer to know the laws. You just have to understand the basic elements of it”, she added.
The theme of the celebration was “Juana laban sa pandemya, kaya”, and it was participated in by barangay health workers and officials, members of the Soroptimist International and other city officials of Silay City.*
