Women’s Month ‘pahabol’ & hangover (Sabong News)
Author
Philip Cu Unjieng
Date
MARCH 27 2022
It’s the tail-end of March, our yearly Women’s Month; so before the month comes to an end, it’s good to take a look back at how some of us took the month to heart. Of how we made it a resounding reminder of the truths that while so much has been done and accomplished by so many individual women; there is still so much to change, improve and rectify, in the name of recognizing how women contribute to society. It’s encouraging to see and note the progress being made in the name of women empowerment; but we shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that in many portions of the world, and even in our country, this progress is still not being felt, or sorely lacking.
Cherrie Atilano, CEO & founding farmer of AGREA, the Manila Bulletin Uplift 2022 Awardee for MSME’s, recently had this to say about the plight of women today, in connection with the sector she knows so well, agriculture: “Women compose half the population in the agriculture sector, but are given less importance and recognition… when women are given legal rights to their land, better access to financial support and capacity-building programs, we will witness so much change in the household and farming at family levels. On the ground, I see that women are the ones budgeting at home; and when they are farmers, they always make sure their families have the healthiest meal, which is critical in building the human capital of each country. Indeed, an investment in women is an investment for the entire community.”
Over at SM Supermalls, the whole month became a flurry of Women’s Month-related activities. On March 8, a big program at Fashion Hall, Megamall became the kick-off event; and my personal highlight would be the keynote speech of SM Supermalls President Steven Tan, and how he proudly declared himself a mama’s boy, and saying there’s nothing wrong with that. He talked about how he grew up surrounded by women – three sisters and a very hands-on mom. For Steven, these strong, empowered women inspired him to be who he is today – they were the ones who motivated him to work hard, and always do good.
And I’m happy to introduce Steven in this column about Women’s Month; because it will precisely take men, championing women’s rights and empowerment, that will help hasten this reality – not only in the workplace, but in the world at large. When I interviewed the UK Ambassador to the Philippines Laure Beaufils late last year, she shared the same sentiments – that just as important as women recognizing their rights and power, are men who are ready to fight and stand for that cause as well. For Ambassador Beaufils, it’s not an exclusive woman thing, but a people issue; one that we all have to get behind, if we want substantive change to happen.
I appreciated how Ambassador Beaufils then mentioned it’s also about how the boys and girls of today are brought up, what kind of values they’ll possess, so that this kind of progress can come about much faster. And we’re all aware of how certain pockets of the world will resist this, how in some countries where fundamental religions still rule, the role of women is still clearly defined in such a backwards way. So we all have our role to play, if we’re taking a stand as proud feminists – no matter what gender we belong to.
Going back to SM Supermalls, Steven was happy to disclose that 65 percent of their employees are women, and that over 60 percent of these women are executives and managers. The whole SM Group has always been a staunch supporter of gender equality and inclusivity, and they’re a proud signatory to the UN Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs), which they signed in March of last year.
A series of video content on the SM Supermalls FB platform was another highlight of how they are celebrating Women’s Month. Featured are three women who spoke eloquently about ‘finding your voice’. The three are Jessica Zafra, Issa Litton, and Sam Tamayo – and they wonderfully showcased the diversity by which this voice is arrived at. I’ll have to mention here that it was my eldest son, Quintin, who directed and edited the videos – so please excuse the shameless plugging, and don’t forget his name.
The diversity I mentioned comes from the fact that in Jessica’s case, her ‘voice’ is the written word. As author, writer, and sly social commentator, she has been, in the course of her career, an inspiration to so many young women.
With Issa, we’re talking about the spoken word as her ‘voice’ – best known as a host, she’s also an actress, talent manager, and during the pandemic, became a sought-after resource speaker on improving one’s online communication skills – and a mother to two girls.
Sam heads Project Smile, an advocacy for community work she set up on her own; and so it’s this form of ‘giving’ that becomes her ‘voice’ for personal fulfillment. Project Smile distributes food packs to the needy; whether street children, front-liners, and those providing essential, manual services.
Head to the SM Supermalls FB page to watch these interesting, and inspiring, videos. They run for less than two minutes each, yet wonderfully encapsulate the individual journeys taken by these three women. You’ll appreciate how there’s no one path or formula for discovering your ‘voice’, and that even when you’ve found it, that doesn’t mean the journey has ended. Rather than being stagnant or just coasting, there’s always room to discover new aspects of what your voice can be, and mean to you. It’s about possibility, putting in the work, and persevering – and being honest with oneself. Valuable lessons for everyone – especially for the women who live in a society where the roles of wife and mother are often earmarked, and made to seem like it’s all they should aspire for.
