MANILA, March 8 – Women running for different national elective post on Monday called for support in the forthcoming May 10 elections as the nation celebrates the International Women’s Day in various forms.
Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) vice presidential bet Loren Legarda started the day in Mandaluyong City where she attended the flag-raising ceremony which coincided with the women's day program.
Legarda, who is also the adopted candidate of Nacionalista Party (NP) and Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP), promised to continue her advocacy in promoting the welfare of the women.
”I can sincerely uplift the welfare of the women of our country just as I did as your senator for the last nine years,” said Legarda who was welcomed by City Mayor Benhur Abalos and former Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairman Benjamin Abalos and other city’s officials.
Legarda cited the three important laws which she either authored or supported in the Senate. These are the Anti-Violence Against Women Act; Magna Carta for Women Act and Anti-Child Pornography Act.
”The role of the women in our country is so important and as the only woman among the vice presidential candidates, I want to serve as the mother of this nation because I’m sure our next president is a man,” said Legarda, the running mate of NP standard-bearer Manny Villar.
From Mandaluyong, Legarda proceeded to Quezon City’s Welcome rotonda to join NP senatorial candidates Pia Cayetano and Liza Maza for the Gabriela’s commemoration of the women’s day.
Cayetano, a reelectionist, urged Filipino voters to support pro-women candidates and ‘women-empowered’ political parties in the coming May elections to ensure that the interest and issues of women are given high priority in the next administration.
“Voters should carefully study the track record of candidates, particularly their stand on women’s concerns. Regardless of whether they are male or female, the candidate should have a clear platform that looks after issues affecting women, including maternal health, the declining state of public health services, feminization of labor migration, gender discrimination, violence against women, poverty and trafficking,” Cayetano said.
Besides Cayetano and Maza, other women senatorial bets under NP include: reelectionist Miriam Defensor-Santiago, Susan “Toots” Ople and Gwen Pimentel, daughter of Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr.
Cayetano said Villar has a known track record of pushing for women’s rights and helping abused and distressed Filipina workers overseas.
Cayetano is also urging more women to seek elective posts from the national down to the local level. Of the 17,385 elected public officials from the national to the local levels, men comprise an overwhelming 82.7 percent (14,369 positions) compared to women who make up only 17.3 percent (3,106 positions).
She noted that women comprise only four of the current 23 members of the Senate (17.4 percent) and occupy 51 out of 240 seats in the House of Representatives (21.3 percent).
The ratio is even smaller for elected women at the local level. The gender breakdown for local government posts are as follows: governors (62 men, 18 women); vice governor (67 men, 13 women); board members (635 men, 123 women); mayors (1,319 men, 273 women); vice mayors (1,362 men, 230 women); and councilors (10,776 men, 3,016 women).
In the government civil service, she noted that while the bulk of women civil servants are in middle-level positions, only a few are able to move up to executive positions.
Meanwhile, Legarda also attended the women’s forum organized by the Go Negosyo, an employment program of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, at the World Trade Center in Pasay City.
While commending the President’s livelihood program, Legarda also wants to strengthen the small and medium enterprises projects in the rural areas to reduce the unemployment rate in the country.
”I know Joey Salceda is good as economist of the President but I can see there is still a need to promote the small and medium enterprises programs in the rural areas as provided in the Barangay Kabuhayan Law which I authored and the Micro Enterprises Law,” Legarda said.
Legarda said the next administration should allot more funds to finance the SMEs projects throughout the country specifically in the barangay levels. (PNA)
vcs/jfm