PH Consulate in Vancouver marks Women’s Month

Photo shows FilCan leader Lenore Lim, a pillar of the arts community, inspiring guests with her success story during the celebration of National Women’s Month at the Philippine Consulate General in Vancouver on Mar. 30.

Community leaders gathered at the Philippine Consulate General in Vancouver recently to mark the 2015 National Women’s Month celebration, with the theme, “Juana, Desisyon Mo ay Mahalaga sa Kinabukasan ng Bawat Isa, Ikaw Na!

They joined the rest of the world in the observance of International Women’s Day.

This year’s theme pays tribute to all the women leaders who continue to make their mark, effect positive changes, and inspire others.

Consul General Neil Ferrer said these women’s key roles, accomplishments in leadership, power and decision-making, are highlighted in order to influence as well as to encourage more women to participate in policy-making at all levels. “The celebration is a perfect time to drum up the call for Juanas to run for public office,” he added.

The last quarter of 2015 is the period of filing of candidacy for 2016 elections. Ferrer said there are six women senators out of 24 senatorial seats in the 16th Congress, up by 100 percent, three to six women senators from the 15th Congress. Ferrer also noted that there are 79 women legislators out of 289 seats in the House of Representatives.

A number of women figure prominently in the government of President Aquino. These include the secretaries of justice, social welfare and development and labor and employment, the chair of the Human Rights Commission, the presidential adviser on the peace process and the head of the Mindanao Peace Panel.

Other high-profile women-appointees are the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and the Ombudsman.
“We have a female ambassador representing Philippine interests in Ottawa in the person of Amb. Petronila Garcia,” according to the consul general.

Ferrer said the Philippine government is grateful to the government of Canada for the Great Women Project or Gender Responsiveness Economic Actions for the Transformation of Women, an C$8 million project that benefitted about 14,000 Filipina micro-entrepreneurs form 2007 to 2013. An agreement between the two countries for the implementation of the second phase was signed in November 2014.
In said gathering, Lenore RS Lim, representing the arts community, inspired the others with her story of steadfast determination.

Lim, a renowned Filipino artist and educator was a recipient of the Pamana ng Lahi award bestowed on overseas Filipinos by the Commission on Filipinos Overseas.

To celebrate the occasion, a 30-minute documentary featuring, “The Empowered Filipina: Women of Substance” was also shown. The film shares the experiences of a collective group of Filipinas who have been affected by issues and how they uplifted the morale of Filipinas everywhere. – MM