BETTER DAYS
In January, the Senate of the Philippines adopted a resolution honoring The Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service (TOWNS) 2022 awardees. The awards, launched by the TOWNS Foundation in 1974, is a triennial search for Filipino women aged 21 to 50 years old who are considered exemplars of courage, excellence, and dedication in their various fields. Over the years, outstanding women – such as former senator Leticia Shahani, actress Nora Aunor, bowling legend Olivia “Bong” Coo, theater artist Cecile Guidote-Alvarez, broadcast journalists Cecilia “Cheche” Lazaro and Jessica Soho, prima ballerina Lisa Macuja-Elizalde, and Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz, to name a few, have been celebrated for their service and contribution to the country through the TOWNS Awards.
Last year, the most recent iteration of the awards, recognized 11 more women of different histories, backgrounds, and professions who have made an impact to their communities and to society. These are Ani Rosa Almario of Adarna House and Raya School for education and entrepreneurship; world-class billiards player Rubilen Amit for sports; UP-Diliman National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (NIMBB) Director Dr. Pia Bagamasbad for medicine and public health; Department of Health (DOH) Assistant Secretary Dr. Beverly Lorraine Ho for medicine and public health; Asian Institute of Management (AIM) professor and co-author of the National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Strategy Roadmap Dr. Erika Fille Legara for data science; local urban planner, active mobility advocate and lead convenor of Life Cycles PH Keisha Alena Mayuga for transportation; community pantry pioneer Ana Patricia Non for community service; environmentalist and Save Philippine Seas movement co-founder Anna Rosario Oposa for marine ecology conservation; Rappler journalist Patricia Marie Ranada for investigative journalism; Connected Women founder Georgina Romero for women empowerment through information and communications technology; and Dr. Alleta Yñigues of the UP Marine Science Institute (UP-MSI) for marine science.
These awardees were selected from a pool of 70 nominees around the country after a year-long deliberation. Their achievements in their respective sectors and fields have helped shape the development of this country and have served as drivers for social, economic, and cultural change. Hence, it is only fitting that the government commend these pillars of excellence.
These awe-inspiring individuals are but a few examples of Filipino women playing outsized and singularly vital roles in our society over decades – from the pre-colonial matriarchal days of the babaylans; to the various revolutions, our people have waged against repression and injustice. To this day, the Philippines continues to be a world-leader for gender equality and women empowerment. In fact, the World Bank has cited that the Philippines as “a best performer when it comes to gender and equality in the East Asia and Pacific (EAP) Region.” This is backed up by the latest Global Gender Gap Report published by the World Economic Forum (WEF) wherein the Philippines ranked 19th among 146 countries – ahead of more developed countries such as the United Kingdom (22nd), Canada (25th), the United States (27th), and Australia (43rd).
Admittedly however, many Filipinas continue to struggle from societal problems as there are those whose wisdom and experience are still marginalized from the wider public narrative. In addition, there are still those with the outdated belief of limiting where and what a woman should be. Hence, much like the prestigious TOWNS Awards, there remain several ways that women can be further empowered and recognized. This is why, in our early days as a legislator, we pushed for the enactment of Republic Act No. 9710 or the Magna Carta for Women which further enshrines the critical role women play in nation-building, ensures the substantive equality between all genders, and establishes the broad legal framework that upholds and safeguards the rights of women. It is our belief that, with the help of multi-sectoral efforts that aim at helping more women realize their potentials, our country would be a much better place for all.
It is also important to underscore how the TOWNS Awards – who have already conferred this distinction to over 170 exceptional and influential women since its inception 48 years ago – is vital not only in recognizing those who have dedicated their lives for the public good but also in inspiring the younger generation to do the same in the face of difficulties and challenges. And as we celebrate the National Women’s Month this March and the International Women’s Day on March 8, may we be reminded of the words written by the late Justice Cecilia Muñoz-Palma, the first woman appointed to the Supreme Court of the Philippines: “Woman was created for a nobler purpose than to simply admire and be admired.”
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Senator Sonny Angara has been in public service for 18 years — nine years as Representative of the lone district of Aurora, and nine as Senator. He has authored, co-authored, and sponsored more than 330 laws. He is currently serving his second term in the Senate.