Joining the international community in celebrating the International Women’s Month in March, the Philippine Embassy in Singapore organized talks on women’s issues at the Chancery. The officers and staff of the Embassy and its attached agencies participated in the talks.
The first talk was conducted on March 07 by Minister Grace Cruz-Fabella, Program Director at the APEC Secretariat – Singapore. She shared her insights on APEC Policy Partnership on Women and the Economy (PPWE) with emphasis on the five key pillars which inhibit women’s ability to be able to participate in the economy: access to capital/assets; access to markets; skills, capacity building and health (human capital); women’s leadership; and innovation and technology. Director Cruz-Fabella’s also presented a study on the women’s impact on economic growth, as well as on the constraints to women’s ability to participate in the economy.
Another talk on women was conducted on March 31 by Filipino lawyer, Atty. Anthony Ludalvi Vista. The focus was on women’s legal rights under international and Philippine law, including Republic Act No. 9262 (or the “Anti-Violence Against Women and Children (VAWC), Republic Act No. 9710 “or the “Magna Carta for Women”, and Republic Act No. 9208 (or the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act 2003”), among others.
These awareness talks broadened the understanding and appreciation of women’s rights on the part of the Embassy personnel and firmed their resolve to uphold the protection of these rights.
The Embassy is committed to pursue its efforts in imparting the importance of women’s rights to its constituents in Singapore.
Press release and photos courtesy of the Department of Foreign Affairs. 03 April 2014.