PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Sunday hailed the contribution of Filipino women to nation-building and vowed to lead a government that works just as hard as they do.
In his message for the commemoration of International Women’s Day, Marcos lauded how the Filipina is “a mother, a worker, a leader” and oftentimes, “all of these at the same time.”
“The progress of our nation will always carry the imprint of the Filipina, and she deserves a government that works as hard as she does,” he said in a statement posted on his social media accounts.
He tagged women as “the heartbeat of every nation,” and particularly lauded Filipino women for facing responsibilities “with resilience and heart, turning obstacles into opportunities and hardship into hope.”
The chief executive vowed to keep championing the rights of women and provide equal and additional opportunities for them until his last day in office.
“Under this administration, we will continue to expand opportunities, protect rights, and ensure that every Filipina has access to the health, education, and livelihood programs she needs to thrive,” he said.
It was in 1996 when the United Nations (UN) formally launched International Women’s Day, commemorating women’s fight for equality and liberation along with the women’s rights movement. It likewise gives focus to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against women.
Support and solidarity
In her message during the occasion, Vice President Sara Duterte pushed for support for and solidarity for women.
“I stand in solidarity with every Filipino woman this National Women’s Month,” Duterte said.
“Women do not just survive crises — we rebuild lives and communities,” she said.
“We are the strong pillars of our country, from mothers who thrift every peso, farmers who get back up after flooding, to our women who work in various parts of the world,” she said in Filipino.
“But it is time to move beyond just praising our resilience,” she said.
Duterte pushed for systems “that will truly support our strength.”
“We need real protection for the informal sector,” she said. She also pushed “climate-resilient support” for farmers as well as “genuine access to financing for women entrepreneurs.”
Duterte said supporting women “is a strategy for inclusive growth.”
She urged Filipinos to unite for a future where “our daughters inherit opportunities, not just duties.”
Modern babaylans
Last Wednesday, Speaker Faustino Dy III honored Filipinas as babaylan of the modern times. The babaylan served as female spiritual leaders in pre-colonial Philippines.
“This National Women’s Month, under the theme ‘Lead Like the Babaylans, Filipinas,’ let us remember the strength that has long been in every Filipina — the spirit of the Babaylan: a leader who has wisdom, compassion, courage, responsibility towards our community,” Dy said in a video message.
“This spirit is alive in every mother who fights for the future of her child, in every female teacher who shapes dreams, in every woman leader in government and various other sectors,” he said.
Dy vowed that the House would keep pushing measures empowering women.
“Your House will strengthen every Filipina, especially those who are marginalized: women in farms, Indigenous peoples, and women with disabilities,” he said. WITH A REPORT FROM REINA TOLENTINO
