It’s March – International Women’s Month and I chose three women that I look up to and empower me – Jan Catherine Sy, Senator Imee Marcos, and Alice Eduardo. Sy has inspired me to put God first above everything else, Sen. Imee has inspired me to be of service to others, and Alice to be the best that I can be.
A week ago we lost a beautiful soul here in earth, Jan Catherine Sy. His father Henry Sy. Jr wrote a beautiful testimonial that moved me and boosted my faith in God. Here are some of his words: “Jan since she was a little girl was the one who would keep asking me to come with her to church…. I cannot begin to explain the extraordinary turn of events that struck my family. All I can say is, it has broken me. The proud man that I was , focused on three things… money… relationships.. prestige….Jan loved God and she loved everyone around her. She had so many plans to build places and spaces where the less fortunate can experience and enjoy things she herself being privileged, enjoyed growing up. Jan was God-centered and everything she did was for God’s greater glory."
Senator Imee dedicated her entire life empowering women. “One of the most recent Senate resolutions I filed seeks an investigation into the underreported cases of the human trafficking of OFWs in Syria, most of whom are women who are being sexually abused and whose passports and salaries are being withheld by their foreign employers.
"Among the first bills I filed in the Senate in July 2019 is to raise the legal age of consent in the Philippines, which will protect girls approaching womanhood from sexual abuse and exploitation. At present, its 12 years old and truly uncivilized, just like Angola’s and among the earliest in the world.
"The rising cases of child sexual abuse online since lockdowns began involves thousands of young girls who may grow up to be physically and emotionally scarred women. Teenage students who are barely women have also been selling photos of their naked selves to fund their education. I have followed up my Senate resolution last year with a more recent one to emphasize the urgency of investigating this pandemic-related malaise.
"Amid the pandemic, the multi-tasking skills of women as mother, wife, daughter to sick parents, and in many cases as breadwinner of an extended family have been pushed to their limits. Now they are also surrogate teachers to their kids. Since last year, I have pushed for a gradual reopening of face-to-face classes to give women, especially single mothers, the freedom to go back to work or find a new job.
"Women make up the majority of garment workers who have been among the biggest generators of export revenue for the country before the pandemic. Now that thousands in the garment industry have been laid off or put on impermanent status, I have filed a Senate bill pushing for the local manufacture of personal protective equipment for our medical frontliners to address health and economic concerns, and specifically the job security of women.
"I have also filed a bill pushing to redefine adultery. Our present laws, conceived mostly by men, continue to put an onerous burden of proof on Filipino women who are pursuing cases against their erring husbands,” said Imee.
Alice, CEO and President of Santa Elena Construction, has been an idol of mine for 11 years. You know the story in the Bible where a man was given 15 coins and he was able to triple it with his talents? That’s Alice in modern- day times. She was able to expand her family’s rice milling business to several business empires including construction, a man’s haven. Eduardo leads a team of professionals dedicated to quality infrastructure and nation-building. “I advocate women empowerment, entrepreneurship, access to healthcare and the protection of children. I have two daughters and a son. Among the foundations that are close to my heart are Go Negosyo, PGH, Child Protection Network (CPN), Habitat for Humanity, Caritas. In the case of my experience with PGH, I saw for myself the plight of children with cancer and indigent patients in general, as well as the heroic and selfless effort of doctors and health workers and felt the urgency to act. As a life approach, I believe that giving back is a given. I naturally gravitated towards Go Negosyo not only because of my friendship with Joey and Marissa (Concepcion) but as well due to its strong push for women, and of course the work I do. Being a mother, and as regards CPN, I especially sensed the need to shield children from physical and mental trauma.”
If I could have Alice's talent, Jan’s heart and Imee’s brains, I would be superwoman. These women really empower me. In the words of Alice: “A woman becomes empowered if she can exercise her choice, have a sense of self-worth and a state of self-actualization and confidence. She receives her self worth when she has the ability to speak and act freely and to influence outcomes. Most especially, a woman is empowered when she can go to sleep at night and wake up in the morning knowing gender is not going to hold back any of her plans and dreams.”