PCW calls to uplift Filipinas in all sectors for National Women’s Month

As the country commemorates National Women's Month, the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) urged the public to uplift the lives of Filipinas in all sectors, including those in farming, labor, fishery, and even those belonging to indigenous communities.

In her message, PCW Chairperson Ermelita Valdeavilla enjoined every Filipino to "honor the immeasurable contributions of women to our nation's progress."

"The National Women's Month is more than a yearly tradition -- it is a powerful call to action. It is an opportunity to recognize the vital role of women across all sectors and reaffirm our collective commitments to gender equality and women empowerment," Valdeavilla said.

"Progress must not only be imagined but felt, lived, and sustained by all because no one must be left behind," she added.

Inclusive growth, the PCW head stressed, "must be felt by every Filipino woman, especially those in underserved and marginalized communities."

With that, Valdeavilla rallied national government agencies, learning institutions, the private sector, and non-governmental organizations to accelerate and expand their collective efforts in advancing gender equality and women empowerment.

"Let us uplift the lives of Filipino women in all sectors—farmers, workers, fisherfolks, the urban poor, migrant workers, indigenous women, Muslim women, children, youth, senior citizens, women with disabilities, solo parents, victim-survivors of violence, women in indigenous communities, and those affected by climate change and armed-conflict, displacement and statelessness," she continued.

"Let us fully enforce the Magna Carta of Women—ensuring women’s access to food security, affordable and decent housing, employment, livelihood, education, representation in decision-making process, and protection against discrimination and violence," she added.

With the theme "Babae sa Lahat ng Sektor, Aangat ang Bukas sa Bagong Pilipinas," this year's Women's Month celebration centers on providing women with equal access to opportunities and living free from gender bias, violence, and discrimination.

National Women's Month is celebrated every year in March to honor the contributions of Filipino women to society.