The Province will mark the celebration of National Women’s Month in March with two major sports events and a livelihood summit.
Members of the Provincial Gender and Development Resource and Coordinating Council convened on Feb. 4 to plan the activities which will be carried out next month.
GAD focal person Josefina Columna and Provincial Council for Women deputy chair Phoebe Tan presided over the meeting.
The two main sports events that the GAD Council agreed to hold next month in partnership with the Negros Oriental Sports Development Program are the All-Women Half-Marathon on March 17, and the Paddle for Womanity on March 23-24 at Balanan Lake in Siaton town.
The All Women-Half Marathon has three other categories: 3K, 5K, 10K.
Meanwhile, the Paddle for Womanity, now on its third year, is a dragon boat race participated by women dragonboat racers.
Coordinator for NOSDEP Paultom Paras explained that they chose Lake Balanan as venue of the competition to attract more visitors to the area, and boost its tourism potential.
Participants are expected to arrive at Lake Balanan on March 23, and prepare for the race which starts at 6:00 a.m.
Both activities are the main components of NOSDEP’s “Women in Sports Program” .
Members of the GAD Council also agreed to conduct a livelihood summit in partnership with the Provincial Employment Service Office on March 29 at the Macias Sports Center.
Provincial PESO Manager Jose Ramon Benedicto suggested this to the group to mark the culmination of NWM.
Benedicto said that during the livelihood summit, PESO and partner agencies under the provincial government such as Technology & Livelihood Development Center and Provincial Integrated Skills Training Center, together with the PCW and the NGO Voice of the Free (formerly Visayan Forum), will put up booths to showcase their livelihood programs and display the products of different groups they have organized.
Aside from this, there will also be lectures from resource speakers during the summit.
The summit is expected to draw around 500 individuals from various women’s groups in different towns and cities here.
The provincial government will kick-off the observance of NWM on March 4 during the flag ceremony also at Macias Sports Center.
On March 6, the PCW and the GAD Council together with Philippine Information Agency here will hold a Kapihan sa PIA at the Visionaire’s Lounge to discuss updates on the provincial government’s programs on women development and discuss other issues related to women’s welfare.
March is designated as NWM pursuant to Proc. No. 224 s. 1988, Proc. No. 227 s. 1988, and Republic Act 6949.
The Philippine Commission on Women, the agency which spearheads the observance of NWM at the national level, came up with the theme that will be used until 2022: We Make Change Work for Women, highlighting the empowerment of women as active contributors to development. (ral/PIA7-NegOr)
