Obviously, those who expressed that latter view were not around earlier to appreciate that it was, in fact, not her first term. Had they already been residents of the city then, they would have known that in 1986, after the EDSA uprising, Luz — recognized for her efforts to lead the people against the Dictatorship– was among those appointed by then President Aquino as councilor of the city. When elections were again held in 1988, she felt that she would be more effective serving the people through her NGO work and chose not to run again.
Luz sought to change that when, a decade later, she was invited to run for councilor in the 1998 elections. In the city council, she chaired the Committee on Education, Science and Technology, as well as the Committee on Women and Family Relations. She was also Vice Chairperson of the Committee on Environment and a member of the Committee on Ethics, the Local School Board, Personnel Selection Board, and Child Minding Center Board. She also became Secretary of the Davao River Conservation Council and a Consultant of the Department of Health – Region XI, for Women’s Health Advocacy.
Luz is a doting mother to four children and a loving and supportive wife. In her newspaper column, she takes issue against stereotypes and clarifies that an empowered woman does not mean a woman devoid of domestic responsibilities.
Ironically, all her children are male, but she has taken this as an opportunity to raise upstanding young men who have a healthy respect and understanding of gender equality. Her and her husband’s strong sense of nationalism and service to the common tao have not escaped her children. “She was our pillar of strength”, recalls one of her sons. “During those days when our father was in prison, she almost single-handedly raised the family and yet continued her activism.”
The Flame Burns Just as Bright
Years of service and struggle have not yet taken their toll on Ms. Ilagan. Last January 22, 2004, Luz was a speaker at a conference called “Women Moving a Mindanao Agenda.” Her talk was on how women can wield political power, and in her presentation, she noted that during elections women usually are called upon to become campaign managers, “for women are good at this work”.
“But, when the counting is over and the winners are sworn into office, when the fruits of the campaign labor are to be relished and distributed, do the women get a share? Rarely. They often go back to their homes, probably feeling fulfilled that they had done a good job, as usual, but I suspect with some amount of hollowness that something is missing, or that they are missing on something significant in their lives.”
Undoubtedly, Luz has managed to fill that hollowness in her life, and it is her lifelong crusade that other women manage to fill the hollowness in theirs. (Gabriela Women’s Party)
