Filipino Women Celebrate 2008 Women's Day
8 March 2008, Quezon City - Hundreds of young women from various schools, universities and non-government organizations on Saturday joined hands to celebrate the 2008 Women's Day with the theme "CEDAW Ng Bayan: Yaman ng Kababaihan" at the PUP Gymnasium, Teresa Street, Sta. Mesa, Manila.
START THEM YOUNG. Members of the Girl Scouts of the Philippines led the opening rites.
The National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women, the government's machinery for the advancement of women, in partnership with Modess Philippines (Johnson&Johnson), Women's Feature Service (WFS), Bridges@Com, Department of Education, National Youth Commission, Department of Health, Commission on Higher Education and Girl Scouts of the Philippines (GSP) spearheaded the 2008 Women's Day Celebration as it promoted the "Aim High Pinay" campaign.
The Aim High Pinay Campaign aims to raise a higher level of consciousness for women to seek ways to further improve themselves, to do more and achieve more. Above it all, women get the inspiration and strength from the people and causes that they care about.
AIM HIGH PINAY! Modess Brand Manager Christine Balingit and theater actress Celine Bengzon, an Aim High Pinay
champion.
Women from all walks of life can be nominated regardless of education or social status as long as they have aimed high, stepped up and still aiming for more. Deadline for nomination is on March 15, 2008.
Meanwhile, the month-long observance of the 2008 National Women's Month is anchored on promoting the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and widening its reach among policy makers, planners and other stakeholders with emphasis on promoting women's economic rights and empowerment.
Fulfilling its mandate of advancing the rights and well-being of Filipino women, the NCRFW focuses the Women's Month celebration in reviewing achievements on gender and development (GAD) budgeting and exploring possible partnerships and collaboration with non-government organizations, development institutions and private sectors for resource generation initiatives.
"The NCRFW is encouraging the national and local government agencies to properly apportion their GAD budget, which is at least five percent of total budget allocation, in essential projects and programs for women such as basic emergency obstetrics care facilities, promoting breastfeeding for infants, health and nutrition programs for preschoolers, female adolescents, pregnant and lactating women," NCRFW Chairperson Myrna T. Yao said.
Interested parties may submit their nominations through email at ird@ncrfw.gov.ph (NCRFW), wfsphil@tri-isys.com or wfsphilown@gmail.com (WFS). Deadline of submission of entries is on March 15, 2008.
For comments and questions, please contact
Ms. Louie Alonso Belmonte
Information Officer, NCRFW
735-8509; 0916-4150871