In line with the celebration of the 2021 National Women’s Month, the University of Southeastern Philippines – Mintal Campus Gender and Development Office organized M.A.L.I.P.A.Y.O.N Day 2021 via Zoom and Facebook Live on the 30th of March 2021 with the theme, “Juana Laban sa Pandemya: Kaya!”
“This celebration is part of our paying tribute to women blazers in governance and other areas of public service and development efforts, especially during the pandemic. Women from all walks of life have in their way shown leadership and compassion in the delivery of inclusive, innovative, and effective response to the pandemic,” said Assoc Prof Rioliza B. Molina, University Gender and Development Directress, in her opening remarks.
The program’s resource speaker, who is the Program Manager of the Family Planning Organization-Davao Chapter of the Philippines, Mrs. Herminigilda D. Escalante discussed the topic entitled, “Gender Equality and Women Empowerment in times of the COVID-19 Pandemic,” which provided information on the differences between gender equality and identity as well as wellness and well-being. She then emphasized that gender equality can support the achievement of good health of well-being by avoiding these things, summarized in the acronym ‘CAAAREEEES’:
C – ontinuing exposure to messages promoting/encouraging risky behavior
A – a human right
A – ccess to facilities encouraging dangerous experiment
A – vailability and easy access to harmful substances
R – ising incidence of early sexual involvement
E – arlier onset of sexual maturation
E – xposure to threats
E – scalation of unplanned and unwanted pregnancies
E – scalation of early and risky childbearing
S – elf image of invincibility and invulnerability
Likewise, in dealing with stresses brought by the pandemic, Mrs. Escalante advised that ‘me time’ must be encouraged to give oneself space to breathe and clear one’s mind with thoughts that will help her/him grow as an individual. Mrs. Escalante encouraged everyone to undergo such therapy as many of us have been stuck with the feeling of loneliness and depression caused mainly by the pandemic. She further stressed the importance of women’s right to know and say no. Thus, women have the right to access to all of the information relating to them, such as health records and other essential information, and reject invitations from people who invade and threaten their personal space.
Ms. Hazel Queen Bernales, USeP-Mintal Gender and Development Coordinator, added that she considers herself an empowered woman because she knows that it’s her very own experiences and challenges that molded her into becoming one. She and her alone, who’s knowledgeable of her achievements and the struggles she faced, made her the empowered woman of today.
The second segment of the said event was the sharing of personal narratives from the empowered women from the USeP-Mintal community as M.A.L.I.P.A.Y.O.N (Mother, Anak, Lesbian, Igsoon, Popoy/Lola, Auntie, Yaya, Ogangan, and Ninang) during the pandemic outbreak.
For Mom, Ms. Nekilo Banghal-Tangge narrated her realization as a first-time mom in the pandemic. According to her, “Mothers are the sweetest and the most loving human beings in the entire universe, and proud to be one of them. You will never know the heart of a mom until you become one.” Despite the struggles, she considered 2020 as her lucky year due to family members’ addition – her husband and son, she mentioned. Thus, more quality time and less stress. She added that giving birth was not accessible during the pandemic because of the costs and processes like additional charges on testing and more. Now, she realized that once you become a mom, your top priority will be your children’s welfare, and your only hope is nothing but for them to succeed in the future.
Ms. Serlyn Villa shared her experiences as a daughter who took the responsibility of being a father to her siblings. Ms. Serlyn assisted her mom and looked for a job to help sustain the needs of their family. Arguments were inevitable upon learning of her pregnancy before the pandemic. Her mom was delighted, saying, “Makabalos nako sa imong pagkamaldita, nak.” but she was aware deep inside her mom was worried because the ayuda she received from the government will now be deducted. During the pandemic, Ms. Villa also experienced tough times, especially when she had frequent arguments with her mother about everything, even the most minor things. Eventually, the situation prompted her to leave her home, and they ignored each other for months. In July 2020, as she was now seven months into her pregnancy, she decided to return home to ask for her mother’s assistance. Her mother welcomed her with open arms and have reconciled with each other. Today, she is an empowered woman by fulfilling her duties as Anak even if she’s now happily living with her own family.
Moving to the Igsuon part, Ms. Joyce E. Olubalang, a third-year student taking up a Bachelor of Science in Developmental Anthropology from the PAMULAAN Center for Indigenous People’s Education, recalled how she helped her parents through fulfilling household chores. She recalled how she allotted most of her time and energy to gardening to bond with her family, especially with her siblings. Values such as openness and honesty within the family were forged and built. Also, she pointed out the struggles she encountered, such as undergoing the virtual learning setup since their area frequently experiences loss of signal. She then devotes her free time to assisting children in accomplishing their modular activities. Moreover, the entire quarantine situation taught her to be resilient as a daughter, student, and citizen. Her response to the current circumstances by not allowing the pandemic to let her hopes die became her motivation to pursue her dreams.
Dr. Daisy Alburo, a grandmother to three grandchildren, revealed how she couldn’t fully experience grandmotherhood since her children migrated abroad. According to her, one good thing about being a grandparent was seeing her family grow. Her children now having families and children of their own is something she could be proud of. “The continuity of life is assured” was the first attribute she associated with this experience since she also noticed her grandkids exhibiting behaviors similar to hers. Second, she emphasized that there is unconditional love without responsibility. Dr. Daisy Alburo believed that the grandparents do not have to fulfill the obligation of providing the grandchildren’s basic needs since the parents are already there to take care of them and have already accomplished their duty to their children. Thirdly, she described that “children energize you,” as most adults are busy with their respective activities and the kids are there to lift your mood. Fourth, she shared that grandparents will have a “busy nest,” but the nest is all theirs. The busy nest refers to the grandparents’ home as their children, along with their own families, will come to visit and have meals together. Pure affection for your grandchildren is an automatic expression of love once you see them. She then concluded her talk by encouraging grandparents to appreciate grandparenthood’s beauty since the entire experience will help them grow old beautifully in the Lord.
For the Ogangan part, Mr. Raphael Vincent Tar, a staff in USeP-Mintal, recounted the kindness his mother-in-law showed when he took the responsibility of looking after his mother. The latter was confined in the hospital due to COVID-19 last October 2020. While he was undergoing the 14-day quarantine, his parents-in-law initiated in providing him with food and other necessities. Their understanding deeply moved him.
Mrs. Bernadeth Talip, shared that as a Ninang, her sole duty is to give gifts. She prefers providing physical assistance in usable items rather than cash because she believes that personal touch highly matters. She then explained that the recipient can look back on the event’s memory once they see the gift. However, she found it difficult to reach her godchildren because of various factors such as transportation and the possible risks that came with it. Due to the face-to-face restrictions, what she offers now are her prayers to the children to grow to become good Christians and serve the Lord wholeheartedly.
For the event’s closing remarks, Dr. Ana Raissa Lagarto emphasized that the lessons learned out from the talks given by the speakers of the event should be pondered and remind ourselves of the significance of each person or woman in our lives, most especially in these challenging times.
In the afternoon, a dangling event called MARILAG, which means beautiful, was facilitated by the cultural unit and student organizations. The program featured students’ diverse talents as a way of showing gratitude and support to all the Juanas of USeP-Mintal Campus and every woman in the world.
