“Angeleñas play a big role in our city. They do not only take care of their family, but they are the key players in making our economy grow.”
Thus said Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan during the kick-off event of the city’s celebration of the National Women’s Month, held Monday at the Angeles City Hall.
Pamintuan added that “women should be loved, respected and still be treated equally in a male-dominated economic world.”
With the theme “Make Change Work for Women”, the city through Gender and Development office (GAD) headed by Purita David, pointed out “the celebration primarily aims to underscore the role of women in the society and advocate the implementation of the Magna Carta of Women and the Millennium Development Goals.”
This year’s celebration also intends to inform and engage women as stakeholders of government programs and services, create and facilitate platforms to strengthen implementation of the Magna Carta of Women and inspire and empower women and girls to be agents of change.
Republic Act No. 9710 or known as the Magna Carta of Women is a comprehensive women’s human rights law that seeks to eliminate discrimination against women by recognizing, protecting, fulfilling and promoting the rights of Filipino women, especially those in marginalized sector.
The Magna Carta of Women defines the marginalized sectors as those who belong to the basic, disadvantaged, or vulnerable groups who are mostly living in poverty and have little or no access to land and other resources, basic social and economic services such as healthcare, education, water and sanitation, employment and livelihood opportunities, housing security, physical infrastructure and the justice system.
Even before the law on Gender and Development has been created, the city government, under the leadership of Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan in his first term as local chief executive in 1991, established the women’s desk to cater the needs of the Angeleñas.
Today, GAD has established different projects that helped the women in the city such as providing seminars and classes for livelihood and facilitating barangay days to address the different issues and concerns regarding women and children.
The month of March is celebrated yearly as National Women’s Month pursuant to Proclamation No. 224 signed on March 17, 1988, in recognition of the critical role of women in economic, cultural, political, and social role in every sphere of the nation’s life.
Scheduled activities include the Women’s Day on March 8 and a Women’s Beauty Day Treat for the female employees of the Angeles City Local Government on March 22, at the Marquee Mall event center.