As part of the International Women's Day celebration on Wednesday, March 8, the Philippine Commission on Women, together with non-government organization UN Women, held a forum to discuss programs and initiatives that will help women advance in the field of digital technology.

The whole-day discussion titled, "Breaking the Code: Equality for All through Technology and Innovation," was attended by guests and speakers from various groups and organizations.

The first half focused on women’s involvement with digital technology, while the latter part was allotted for a discussion on mental health in the digital era.

In her speech, National Economic and Development Authority Undersecretary Rosemarie Edillon said that women's innate skills in multitasking are highly useful in digital technology.

This ability can be maximized in finding ways to achieve different innovations in that field, she added.

But up to this day, Edillon admitted, there is still a notion that women can only excel only in encoding and administrative work instead of other tasks like those that involve technology and innovation.

She then assured that the agency is rolling out projects and opportunities that focus on improving the digital skills of women.

Meanwhile, Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Assistant Secretary Maria Teresa Camba said that the office is also providing training opportunities for women, as well as men, to promote equality and remove disparity in the workplace.

She added that lack of training and access to the internet are among the barriers that affect women in developing their digital technology skills.

These, she noted, are being closely worked on by the DICT through establishing internet access in remote areas and installing internet connections in more public spaces.

There are also available DICT projects that let women work online and stay at home with their families at the same time, she added.

On the other hand, Bataan 1st District Rep. Geraldine Roman highlighted that digital technology advancement also comes with a leveled-up danger for those who use it.

She said that Congress had approved eight bills that give new definitions to electronic violence to further formulate laws that will protect everyone, especially women, in the online world.