The Unsung Women Heroes Awards

The Unsung Women Heroes Awards, a signature program of the Soroptimist
Inernational of the Philippines Region, will be held on April 16, at the
Abelardo Hall of the University of the Philippines, in Quezon City.

Initiated last year, this program aims to recognize the extraordinary work
of ordinary, simple women in their community, to help alleviate poverty
and despair. These awardees, mostly from the grassroots, are women who
dedicate their lives for others. Highly recommended by community leaders
in their communities, Soroptimists would like to bring their heroic
stories into the national consciousness. They are:

1. Ellen Batisan - nominee of SI Cabanatuan, is an outstanding youth leader, recognized by both the local government unit and the church diocese, who has dedicated her time, talent and effort to educating the youth of Cabanatuan through outreach programs, youth seminars and other healthy activities, directing them away from the modern scourge of drugs, sex and violence.
2. Rosalinda Dagcasin, a young volunteer coming form the grassroots, who later became president of "Samahan ns Mga Nanay" in Caloocan, mentoring them into becoming their husband's life partners financially.
3. Agnesita Espiritu - nominee of SI Angeles, works for the social upliftment of women in her community as a volunteer social worker. She is recognized especially for her work with the Aeta children, an indigenous tribe in Pampanga.
4. Patricia Gallardo, a domestic abuse survivor, who later organized the women's organization "Stop the Abuse an Violence Against Our Women, Inc." in Baguio City, helping women similarly situated as herself.
5. Rowena Jamaji - a certified Overseas Foreign Worker, who by sheer hard work and persistence, rose from her impoverished beginnings to become a construction magnate, now helping thousands of Filipinos land jobs here and abroad.
6. Ma. Lourdes Ocampo - Coming from a life of comfort, she suffered depression upon the death of a young husband, who left her to care for 8 growing children. She now teaches jail inmates bag-making out of recycled paper, to help them meet their financial needs.
7. Eden Reyes, a housewife with a benevolent heart from Meycauayan, Bulacan, has worked on assisting marginalized women in natural "birthing", raised funds for the construction of deep wells, toilets, and other structures, oftentimes act as mediator in family disputes, facilitated seminars for the youth, all without remuneration.
8. Wilma Rodriguez, an ordinary housewife from Pampanga, who chose to organize some 500 women in her hometown into a productive group through livelihood programs. She is lovingly referred to as " Barangay Mother" by her community.
9. Dr. Cristina Santos, an oncologist, Dr. Santos has dedicated all her Saturdays to conducting forums on cancer detection and prevention. Despite her own disabilities, being a cancer survivor herself, she established the "Gift2Life Foundation", a non-stock, nonprofit organization providing free services to cancer victims. She is a nominee of SI Ortigas and Environs.
10. Emerenciana Tuliao, an Agta, from the indigenous people of Bulacan, nominated by SI San Rafael, shares her livelihood skills with her community without losing her identity as an Agta woman.

These are the 2010 Unsung Women Heroes. The Soroptimist International of the Philippines Region salutes them!!

Gov. Carmen A. Flor

Updates...

Let me relate to you the events of the last week, which is an overwhelming
story of three different islands, strung together by nothing but the idea
of Soroptimist., quite a different story from the usual plaints often
heard.

Dateline: Manila
February 18, Thursday, we were at the Manila Yacht Club, where DD Flery
Marcelo was presiding over the charter of SI Tagaytay and from the brief
background provided by PP Ampy Araullo of SI Founder Manila, it is indeed
a "Miracle" Club. Planned many moons ago by Pres. Mary Jazul, prospective
members would come and disappear from the scene. But the nagging of the
governor and the image of the "Lady of Lourdes" looking for a home in
Tagaytay, came into play. The Lady found one in the home of PP Ampy
Araullo. The charter President, Jasmin Manahan of SI Tagaytay, who was
carrying the image of Lourdes, upon seeing the sign "A Soroptimist Lives
Here" was convinced to organize a Soroptimist Club. Twenty eight members
signed up, were SOLTED, paid and chartered on Feb. 18.

Dateline: Cebu
Friday, February 19, we were at the airport at the early hour of 5 AM, to
catch a flight to Cebu, to give an informational meeting to several women
entrepreneurs and professionals, invited by Pres. Lita Hizon of SI Manila
Tourist Belt. We were met by an ebullient and refreshingly engaging young
lady, a very good friend of Pres. Lita, Baby Dy, who owns one of the
biggest travel agencies in Cebu. The venue was the City Sports Plaza,
where we met with some 15 youthful, energetic and competent ladies, some
invited by Treasurer Marisol and Chit de la Cruz. By mid morning after
listening to the SIPR team, Fe, Cely, Flery, Marisol, Chit and me, they
were ready to elect their officers. Marisol was in disbelief. After
listening to her lecture on SIA and SIPR dues, they were still eager to
charter as early as March 19. The difference of ten dollars in March is
quite acceptable to all of them. We had a lively open forum afterwards to
make sure they all understood  what Soroptimist stands for. Naturally,
Baby Dy was the chosen Charter President of SI Sugbu.  After lunch, we
headed back to the airport to catch our flight to Bacolod City for another
informational meeting the following day ,the 20th of February.

We stayed the night in Silay City at my home ready for the next day's
activity. We were quite apprehensive about attendance but DD Mila
Hechanova , Pres. Cely Mirano  of Bacolod and Pres. Virgie Virata of
Silay, assured us that they are ready for the Leadership Academy and the
informational meeting for SI Talisay in the afternoon.

Dateline: Bacolod, Negros Occidental
Venue: Amrei Hotel,owned by Marissa Montelibano,Soroptimist of Silay.  We
were not disappointed.  Three local newspapers carried the news of our
Leadership Academy, and my photo was on a prominent page of the Daily
Star, courtesy of Soroptimist Elsie Jolingan. Fifteen members of Bacolod
came, many of whom never came to our meetings before, including PDD Celia
Ferrer and past president Andrea SI, ten members from Silay and three from
Iloilo, headed by DD Mila Hechanova,West Visayas. At the end of the day,
we had inducted four members of SI Silay and many women from Talisay,
young, pretty professionals and entrepreneurs came to attend the afternoon
informational meeting. Some came upon the invitation of DDE Tita
Lemoncito. They have scheduled their charter tentatively, on March 20.

Three Sampaguita pins were sold! Julia Smith, Inday Pefianco and Nina
Comia forked out 5K each for their pins. And wonder of wonders, none
complained about the dues. I presumed they must have been briefed by Pres. Cely Mirano earlier.

By early evening, the SIPR team was treated to a leisurely dinner at Bar
21 by Bacolod PP Inday Pefianco after a grand tour of her magnificent
residence. As I said in Davao earlier, this reminds me of the lyrics of a
song  "This is a lovely way to spend an evening".

Mon. Feb. 21 -The SIPR team left for Manila in the morning of Sunday,
while I stayed behind to nurse a terrible case of cough and colds.

I wish to thank most profoundly, Pres. Mary Jazul, PP Ampy Araullo of
Founder Manila, (who calls me a "nagging" Governor) DD Flery for the
charter of SI Tagaytay. Credit for our Cebu sojourn goes especially to
Pres. Lita Hizon of SI Manila Tourist Belt, to Pres. Cely Mirano of SI
Bacolod /DD Mila for our prospect in SI Talisay and the SIPR team for
sharing their time and expertise in keeping the Soroptimist fires burning
in the islands of Luzon, Cebu and Negros Occidental. What a great way to
ride down the end of this biennium.

Gov. Carmen A. Flor

Human Rights Day Forum
December 29, 2009

Emerging from the euphoria of the Christmas triple treat event on the 6th of December, Soroptimists turned serious and reverted back to the grim realities of the human rights situation in the Philippines in a forum on Dec. 10 at the Club Filipino. The Filipino people was righteously angry and indignant over the Maguindanao massacre on November 23, of some 57 civilians, mostly women and journalists in what is considered the most vile and most inhuman election related crime in our history.

Our speakers were carefully handpicked to provide us with the latest development in the human rights saga of the country.  Atty. Ana Luz Cristal, a hard hitting women's rights advocate titillated her audience with her frank and incisive comments on RA 9262, a law protecting women's rights in an abusive relationship. She was most applauded by the audience composed mostly of women. Congresswoman Riza Hontiveros Baraquiel, a pretty activist and outspoken critic of the administration, representative of party list AKBAYAN spoke on her stand against martial rule imposed in Maguindanao. Police Superintendent Franklin Bucayo, head of the Human Rights Directorate of the Philippine National Police (PNP) focused on human rights practices of the PNP, especially in light of the Maguindanao massacre, where policemen proved inutile to prevent a string of heinous crimes. Soroptimists, who have tirelessly worked in the training of policewomen for years, have always considered themselves to be "Friends of the PNP". (SIPR, who sits as chair of the Community Pillar in the Five Pillars of Justice, has been requested by the National Police Commission to provide training for policemen as well.)

 Deviating from the usual practice, we invited an interesting guest speaker, Professor Danton Remoto, recently retired from the Ateneo de Manila University, spokesperson and chair of the party list group advocating "gay rights". Their association called "Ang Ladlad" has just been denied participation by the Commission on Elections as a party list in the elections of 2010, on various grounds. Soroptimists were one in saying that gays have rights too.  Our distinguished reactors were Soroptimsts, namely; Atty. Claire Padilla,  of the Women's Legal Bureau, SIPR Laws and Resolutions chair, Atty. Maripaz  Chua Tagle; District Director Amar Torres, Dean of the College of Social Work of the University of the Philippines; and Gertie Tirona, former Commissioner of the National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women.

 A lively open forum followed, with Police Superintendent Bucayo, who presented in power point the efforts of the PNP its defense of human rights, getting most of the difficult questions.  Professor Remoto who spoke about the obstacles encountered by their "kind" in getting regular employment and their encounters with Commission on Election officials provided humor in an otherwise very serious forum.

Unlike previously conducted human rights fora, attendees actively participated and remained focused until the end. Congratulations to our Human Rights Committee, headed by Lennie Gorospe of SI Quezon City.

Gov. Carmen A. Flor

On the the Mindanao Carnage

Soroptimist International of the Philippines Region condemns in the harshest possible terms the Maguindanao carnage, a cold blooded murder of innocent civilians, including defenseless women. This is a crime that no words can aptly describe as it cries to heaven for justice. We mourn with the families they have left behind. We weep with the children who have been orphaned by their mothers. We strongly appeal to the authorities to render justice expeditiously. The world is keenly watching us.

Gov. Carmen A. Flor