With women recognized women as rulers, warriors, healers, princesses, and leaders, thus, having equal status with men before the conquerors in the Philippines came in, Education Secretary Leonor Briones challenged the traditional role of women in society.
“We are equal with men, and with the freedom to choose what we want to be,” Briones said during this year’s Asia Women’s Forum.
“What I consider my contribution is my efforts and help in bringing back, resuscitating, encouraging, and inspiring women,” she.
During the forum, Briones also shared her journey and educational experiences that helped her be empowered.
“I was fortunate I grew up in a family where there were no distinctions between genders,” Briones said. The driving ambition was to send all of us to school,” Briones said during the virtual event hosted by the Asia CEO Forum.
Briones, who was awarded as Lifetime Contributor for Asia CEO Awards in 2021, was among the 13 outstanding women across the world who were invited to deliver an inspiring speech that tackles the stories behind their success as a woman.
Born during World War II in Guihulngan, Negros Oriental, Briones credited the efforts of her family, especially her parents who were teachers who prioritized learning by teaching children in their house and keeping them safe from the dangers of war.
Briones said that her parents were teachers. To distract the children from the noise and the horror of war, she shared how her mother used to gather them in their house to teach them how to read and write.
“There was no paper so banana leaves with lines were used, and sharpened bamboo sticks like barbecue sticks were used as pencils,” Briones said. “That is how I learned how to write and read from worn-out books which my mother had saved from public school,” she added.
Inspired by her family, Briones excelled in pursuing her education.
After high school, she finished Magna cum Laude from Silliman University while working as a bookkeeper in two bookstores. She then obtained her Master’s degree in public administration at the University of the Philippines and post-graduate diploma at Leeds University in England, and Harvard University in the United States.
The Asia Women’s Forum 2022 aims to deliver the successes and struggles of the most remarkable women in the world to mentor individuals in their businesses, career, and education.