For Women To Be Taken Seriously

How does one measure a decade of women’s work? That was the tone and more of the Kamindanawan 2010: The Mindanao Women’s Congress organized by Irene “Inday” Santiago of the Mindanao Commission on Women (MCW). That celebratory meeting was a fitting climax to end the year 2010 and an inspiration to begin the next years ahead. The next years, are particularly, the next five years ahead, since 2015 is the end of the UN Millennium Development Goals.

The MCW goal is for women to be taken seriously as we are capable of influencing changes in policy and public opinion on all issues. What are these issues? For Inday Santiago, these are “harnessing the collective energies and passion of women in Mindanao for good, for the much yearned for peace, for respite from poverty and want, for fair access to decision-making, nothing short of acceptance of a better world not for an amorphous “all” but for women, men, and children.”

During the evening socials by the poolside of the Waterfront Insular Hotel, I was asked by Ms. Marie Jeanne Javelosa, a museum curator, what the MCW achieved for almost a decade and right off as one of those who worked with the MCW during its big moments since the start, I sort of summarized these achievements into two main areas and these pertain to the economic, social and political initiatives and the social structures of human resources built around Mindanao which are to me very sustainable. Some of the social and political initiatives are the peace initiatives & these include, among many others, the Mothers for Peace campaign and the bringing of the women’s peace agenda to the negotiating table and the engagement with the various stakeholders and policymakers, both at the national and international,i.e. at the level of the UN and international community. The economic initiatives pertain to, among many others, such initiatives as “the campaign to stop the privatization of the Agus Pulangui hydro power complex, the facility that supplies more than 50 percent of the power in Mindanao. It was started by the Lanao Power Consumers Federation and adopted by many other groups including MCW.”

The social structures of human resources or the social capital that are spread geographically around Mindanao is about democratization of power at the community level. Up to almost a decade ago, there was no Mindanao wide structure of women and so this kind of initiative is very strategic in the scheme of things for development in Mindanao. These women from all over multicultural Mindanao who have their own local groups are the bearers of both old and new traditions that which promote human rights as opposed to discrimination, inequality, violence, war and all things we want to change. In short, we have a human right to development as enshrined in a UN declaration. And so, it is fitting that the MCW meeting was held to coincide with the 60th anniversary of the UN – sponsored Human Rights Day.

Not only that these social infrastructure of human resources are in place, but most importantly, a successor generation is in place, as well. Inday Santiago, our leader and mentor is stepping down as the political head of MCW but staying on as “Chair Emerita” And taking over the reins is Ms Margie Moran Floirendo, as Chair of the Board of Trustees. As Inday ( as we fondly call her) steps down, she thanks her executive team led by her deputy and former Congresswoman Patricia Sarenas.

For the next five years, the tasks are clear and, among others, these are to monitor and develop indicators - in partnership with government and the business community - towards the achievement of the eight (8) UN Millennium Development Goals: eradication of extreme poverty & hunger, achievement of universal primary education, promotion of gender equality & empowerment of women, reduction of child mortality, improvement of maternal health, combating HIV/AIDS, malaria, & other diseases, environmental sustainability and a global partnership for development.

So, I say to myself, life is great as we all look forward to the challenges of the next five years.