100 Years of struggle
FILIPINO WOMEN SALUTE 100 YEARS OF THEIR STRUGGLE
TOWARDS EMANCIPATION AND AUTONOMY
In celebration of International Women’s Day last March 8, Kilos Kabaro 2* gathered around one thousand and five hundred fifty women and men on that day at the Bantayog ng mga Bayani in
Representing 50 grassroots and non-governmental organizations, poor and middle class women, young and old, came to honor contemporary heroines whose devotion to the just cause of women could not be understated. The momentous event was also planned to coincide with the launching of the women’s charter and a quilt relay by the World March of Women as part of the international campaign against poverty and VAW.
Several yards of sign-on streamer was prominently displayed at the main entrance of the venue where arriving participants and guests could scribble their names expressing support for the women’s charter.
A memorabilia depicting one hundred years of the feminist movement in the country greeted everyone. It also showed photos of events and women from other countries that significantly contributed to the wealth of ideas and experiences of national and local efforts on women’s emancipation in the country.
The huge crowd then splintered into groups and entered the five separate large tents for the one-hour Interactive Forum. The forum themes and the responsible organization were VAW in conflict/militarized situations by Amnesty International, migration issues such as deportation, torture, trafficking by Kanlungan and KaKaMMPi1 poverty issues like the value-added tax or VAT and demolition by WEDPRO², social services covering water and housing security by ZOTO3, and fundamentalism by Likhaan4 and WomenLEAD5.
A cultural program from
The most important part of the cultural program was a tribute to grassroots women leaders. These women have dedicated a great part of their lives not only in organizing, mobilizing and empowering women workers, farmers, and urban poor women, but also in the struggle for national democracy. “Grassroots feminists have been rarely recognized for their contributions as the movement has been associated with elite women,” Dr. Junice Demeterio-Melgar of Likhaan mentioned when she introduced the portion. One after the other, the honorees were introduced by women who knew them well.
An alternative band rendered several compositions which spoke of women’s issues and concerns. At one point, a woman folk singer was invited to join the band and lead the crowd in singing “Babae” (Woman), along with several members of KK2. Amnesty International-Pilipinas, a member of KK2, showed a video clip of KK2’s past and current undertakings. A concert by a well-known Filipino woman artist, coupled by a dance party, ended the five-hour meaningful and enjoyable occasion.
The struggle of Filipino women for emancipation and autonomy continues!
Contact Person: Tish Vito Cruz
Organization: Likhaan (KK2 Secretariat)
Kilos Kabaro 2 (Act Sister!), is an alliance of 31 organizations of poor women and NGOs that provide various services to the community. Poverty and violence against women (VAW) are its main areas of concern.
Notes:
-
Kapisanan ng mga Kamag-anak ng Migranteng Pilipino, Inc. (literally, Association of Families of Migrant Filipinos).
-
Women’s Education, Development, Productivity and Research Organization.
-
Zone One Tondo Organization.
-
Linangan ng Kababaihan, Inc. (Center for Women’s Development).
-
Women’s Legal Education, Advocacy and Defense.
-
Malayang Kilusang Bagong Kababaihan (literally, Democratic Movement of New Women).
Last modified 2007-06-18 02:43 PM
This item is available in
Français, English, Español