ZAMBOANGA PENINSULA— As part of the month-long celebration of the Women’s Month, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will hold the second year of the MusiKababaihan, a musical variety show featuring songs and performances from and that empower women, on Friday (March 31).

Prior to this, the Department has spearheaded many other activities in observance of the Proclamation No. 224 s. 1988, “Declaring the First Week of March of Every Year as Women’s Week and March 8, 1988, and Every Year Thereafter as Women’s Rights and International Peace Day”; Proclamation No, 227 s. 1988.

The theme for this year’s celebration is “WE for gender equality and inclusive society” which supports the core value of the DSWD: Patas na Pagtrato sa Komunidad.

During the kick-off activity, the Gender and Development (GAD) focals of the Department conducted the #GADtoknow activity where employees of the DSWD participated in a trivia game. The trivia questions were focused on the contribution of women in the community.

The DSWD personnel also showed their support to the advocacies of the Philippine Commission on Women by wearing purple every Wednesday of March.

“We are an agency that supports, promotes, and protects the rights of the vulnerable sectors such as the women sector and so it is imperative that the DSWD becomes an example of gender equality and inclusivity,” DSWD-9 Regional Director, Riduan P. Hadjimuddin said.

Last March 8, the GAD team serenaded and offered flowers to all women in the office to make the day extra special in celebration of the International Women’s Day.

Moreover, the Department expands its advocacy on women empowerment by involving other agencies in their activities. In their Purple Your Office activity, the DSWD has invited the Department of Tourism, non-government organization (Pilipinas Shell Foundation Inc.), and the local government unit (Barangay Tetuan) to be part of the celebration. The guests served as judges to the activity that features how each office of the DSWD values the role/s of women in society.

The GAD team of the DSWD together with the representatives from DTI (Mr. Charles Anthony Rotoni), PSFI (Ms. Jaya Jaud), and BLGU of Tetuan ZC (Hon. Shaola Lim Atilano)

 

The Department also provided an opportunity for women to support their livelihood in an activity called the Serbisyo Para Kay Juana where women from the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program and Persons With Disability (PWD) were invited to offer their services free of rent at the DSWD vicinity for three days.

The invited 4Ps women sold produce and vegetables from their Gulayan sa Barangay. They also sold fresh flowers all the way from Barangay La Paz and non-food items such as accessories, jewelleries, charms, etc. The PWD women offered massage, foot and hand spa, manicure, and pedicure, etc.

In an effort to share the advocacy outside the Department, the GAD team also conducted an activity called the Purple Tour which aims to acknowledge the practices of other groups, organizations, and agencies on women empowerment. The team visited five (5) pilot barangays in Zamboanga City to discuss women issues and activities in the locality, to wit: Cabaluay, Manicahan, Tetuan, Talisayan, and Pamucutan. During the visit, the team recognized the various activities of the barangays in promoting the welfare of women. They also provided technical assistance for areas that need improvement.

The team is scheduled to visit more offices from the national government and private institutions in the days to come for the Purple Tour.

On March 31, the DSWD will celebrate the culmination of the month-long activity. The MusiKababaihan 2.0 will be held in SM City Mindpro at 2 PM. The activity is in collaboration with the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) and SM City Mindpro.