Southern Tagalog Women’s Group All Set for International Women’s Day 

PRESS RELEASE
March 1, 2010

Gabriela Women’s Party-Southern Tagalog (GWP-ST) joins the rest of the nation in the weeklong campaign to welcome the celebration of the 100th International Women’s Day on March 8. 

A nationally coordinated kick off caravan was held in various parts of the region on March 1 spreading the theme: “Kababaihan, Magkaisa para sa Pagbabago.”  

Nonie Enteno, GWP-ST regional coordinator, GWP vice chairperson for Luzon and fifth nominee, reaffirmed the role of women in nation-building. “Gone are the days when the women were still expected to just stay at home and worry nothing about what’s happening around them,” she said. 

Enteno speaks about the various triumphs women earned amid its resistance in a patriarchal society. More particularly, she mentioned the grand-slam victories of women in the elections beginning in 2001 when Gabriela’s Liza Maza took office as a representative for the Bayan Muna Party-list. This was followed by GWP obtaining a congressional seat in 2004 and later on, two seats for Maza and for Representative Luz Ilagan in 2007.  

GWP is rooting for another congressional seat in the 2010 elections together with other candidates under the MAKABAYAN progressive block. Meanwhile, Maza and Bayan Muna Representative Satur Ocampo face a new arena by running in the senatorial race.  

Mobile campaign centers are now set up in many parts of the Southern Tagalog region to provide voter’s education to residents and propagate the women’s agenda. “Women’s liberation can never be achieved unless the whole nation frees itself from the patriarchal culture and the social condition that breeds such,” Enteno said.

March 1 was also the kick off for the “Lakbay Serbisyo” caravan which aims to provide medical assistance to senior citizens and others who are in need of medical attention as well as to conduct feeding programs for marginalized children in the region. According to Enteno, included in the party’s 10-point stand is to highlight the need to extend free social services and health care to every Filipino. 

Enteno also recounted that the 100th celebration of the International Women’s Day is timely as various cases of women’s abuse has been recorded these past months.  

Maza recently filed House Resolution No. 1590 urging the House of Representative Committee on Human Rights to conduct immediate investigation on the alleged sexual abuse committed against the detained women health workers who belonged to the so-called Morong 43.
 
“Violence committed against women will only end when the struggles of the people against oppression and impunity is won.” She furthered that everyone should be reminded not only of the triumphs of women through the years but also of how the struggles of women are not separated from the struggles of the broader masses. “Genuine social change can only be achieved through the collective action of various sectors in the society,” Enteno added.

Reference:
Nonie Enteno, Gabriela Women’s Party (GWP)-Southern Tagalog Regional Coordinator, GWP Vice Chairperson for Luzon, GWP 5th Nominee