International Women’s Day is not only a special day to remember the struggles faced by women across the globe, it is a chance to reflect on how women led, ruled, and played an equal role with men, said Department of Education (DepED) Secretary Leonor Briones on Tuesday, March 8.

“As we take on the various roles of women at present, as we debate on how women can further increase their roles and their contributions to different types of societies, to different levels of development across the world, we also remember the good news that women were not always the inferior. Women also led, women also ruled, women also healed, and most important of all, women were mothers and nurturers,” said Briones during a virtual discussion.

Briones likewise urged the public to reflect on the country’s increasing victories against the Covid-19 pandemic. These victories, according to Briones, would not be possible without the countless women out there as frontliners, doctors, nurses, hospital staff, teachers, and house mothers.

She then added that these roles are “taken for granted” in modern Philippine society.

“Let us not only reflect on the bad news and the challenges that women still face at present. Let us reflect on our earlier societies where women had always played an equal, if not at times, more equal role than men themselves,” Briones added.

“Today is not only a day of remembrance of all the struggles, of all the sufferings, of all the rights which have been won. Let us also remember what women have always been: co-leaders, co-parents, co-warriors, co-healers, and most of all – equal members of our society,” she furthered.