City kicks off Women’s Month celebration 202

8 March 2022 – “The 2022 National Women’s Month Celebration endeavors to highlight the gains achieved for women and girls, assess actions towards gender equality and look forward to steps  that must be taken to ensure progress in empowering women.”

Thus, declared councilor Lilia Farinas during flag-raising rites, March 7, at City Hall as the city joins the Women’s Month celebration with the main theme, ‘We Make Change Work for Women” and sub-theme,  ‘Agenda ng Kababaihan, Tungo sa Kaunlaran”.

She said the annual month-long event is anchored on these general objectives:  To inform and engage women as pioneers and beneficiaries of government programs and services that promote citizen-centric governance and make ‘change’ a conscious effort to know, understand and provide what all citizens need.

To create and facilitate platforms to discuss good practices, gaps, challenges, and commitments in pursuing gender and development that strengthens the implementation of the Magna Carta of Women; to inspire and empower women and girls to be agents of change that contributes in promoting gender equality and empowerment of all women.

“Our mission, our vision, our dream and aspirations is for a peaceful, hopeful and loving Baguio, made up of both empowered men and women,” Farinas said.

Specifically, she said this year’s celebration calls on stakeholders from the government and private sectors to assess  the gains already achieved towards Gender Equality and Women Empowerment (GEWE) and prevent sliding back as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and other national issues.

It also inspires actions to promote a gender-responsive pandemic recovery and draw attention to priority gender issues that must be addressed by future public servants as outlined in the recently updated GEWE plan that reaches until 2025.

“But the most powerful state we can be in is to be at peace with ourselves, peace with others in whatever circumstance and peace with God.  If we are at peace, then we all have true power,” Farinas said. – Gaby B. Keith