ALABEL, Sarangani, Mar. 8 (PIA) – Sarangani province joined millions of women across nations on Thursday (March 8) in celebrating the International Women’s Day with the theme “Connecting Girls, Inspiring Futures.”
The celebration connected all women from all over the world to look back to the struggles of women for equality, justice, peace and development.
In Sarangani, the Provincial Gender and Development Inter-Agency Council (PGAD-IAC) enjoined Capitol employees and the communities to a tree-planting activity at sitio Dacera, a barangay of its capital town, as part of the celebration.
Sarangani’s chairperson on the Committee on Women, Children and Family Relations, Board Member Eleanor Saguiguit, said the celebration addresses environmental issues and concerns as anchored to the theme for the 2012 National Women’s Month celebration, “Women Weathering Climate Change: Governance and Accountability, Everyone’s Responsibility.”
The activity was a joint effort of the PGAD-IAC with the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office, 73rd Infantry Battalion, Philippine Army, Philippine National Police, and the communities.
Meanwhile, the month-long celebration for women in Sarangani, according to Saguiguit, is centered to intensify advocacy on the Magna Carta of Women as mandated by the Philippine Commission of Women under the Office of the President.
Republic Act 9710 or the Magna Carta of Women “is a comprehensive women’s human rights law that seeks to eliminate discrimination against women by recognizing, protecting, fulfilling and promoting the rights of Filipino women, especially those in the marginalized sectors.
“Ang pinakasentro ng trabaho namin ay yong mag advocate ng Magna Carta of Women because we lack the knowledge on Magna Carta of Women,” Saguiguit said.
She said “fifty percent of crimes recorded all throughout the country are crimes committed against women.” She clarified this figure has not included yet cases of the marginalization of women.
From the “ninety percent of the violence against women that was perpetrated by spouses,” she said, were crimes that are secretly filed “so that society never know that women are suffering and are still suffering today and that is why our humble representation is always advocating.”
Citing the reality on women violence in the country, Saguiguit said “it is not impossible that it is also the reality in our very province (Sarangani)” and thus pushed for programs under the five percent Gender and Development (GAD) fund.
In Sarangani, the Early Childhood Care and Development and the Quality Education for Sarangani Today are funded under GAD program to ensure safety of girls in going to school.
Saguiguit noted the value of hiring new teachers in the province and constructing integrated schools to obstruct possibilities of harassment to girls on their way to and from school especially in remote areas where schools are miles away from their homes.
“Otherwise these children might be raped, fearful of being harassed, and the threat to their lives and their dignity as girl children. When these children have this fear, always it will become a trauma and how can they be productive, how can they excel when they have the potential to excel but they have trauma?”
“We want to secure our children that they should be going to schools nga duol sa ilahang panimalay, duol sa ilahang ginikanan and they have time to play, they have time to enjoy family life, they have time to develop themselves into their full potentials. And so we can say that we have a healthy, helpful environment for our children,” Saguiguit added. For more news and updates, please visit thehttp://www.sarangani.gov.ph/ (Sarangani Information Office/Beverly C. Paoyon)
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