Phl attempts world’s largest human woman symbol

MANILA, Philippines - A total of 10,168 men and women assembled in Rizal Park’s open field early yesterday to achieve one goal – to set a Guinness world record for the largest human woman symbol.

Organizers of the event – Coca-Cola Philippines and the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) – said that while they still have to submit documents, photographs and video footage of the event to the Guinness office in London, they are optimistic that they have set a new global record.

There is no Guinness record holder for the largest human woman symbol at this time.

To comply with documentary requirements, Coca-Cola set up cameras in different points of the open field to record the entry of every participant.

Aside from photographs and video recording, a remote-controlled drone was seen hovering above the site to make secondary documentation.

Yesterday’s event, dubbed “Juana, ang Tatag Mo ay Tatag Natin sa Pagbangon at Pagsulong,” was a celebration of the Filipino woman’s resiliency and the country’s journey toward disaster recovery.

Done on International Women’s Day, the event took about three months to prepare and sought the participation of several government agencies, schools and universities.

The organizers said honoring women is a month-long celebration in the Philippines.

Coca-Cola Philippines vice president for public affairs and communications Adel Tamano said 66 percent of the work in the world is being done by women, excluding house chores.

“But they only earn 10 percent of the world’s income,” he said.

Tamano said 90 percent of women’s income is spent on the needs of their families and communities.

Victims of abuse

Meanwhile, PCW chairperson Remedios Rikken said many Filipinas are still victims of abuse even if the Philippines is considered to be more gender sensitive than most countries.

“Six out of 10 women are victims of violence and the incest cases are high,” Rikken said.

She said modern technology has also created another problem – cyber crimes – and the only way to put an end to this is through the concerted effort of concerned government agencies.

Global project

Tamano, for his part, said their company has a program called the Sari-Sari Store Training and Access to Resources (STAR) that is part of a global project called 5by20, which aims to empower five million women by 2020.

The company has also partnered with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) to create the STAR program, with gender-sensitive modules customized for Filipino women micro-entrepreneurs.

Tamano said they want to transform women owners of sari-sari stores into better entrepreneurs through a combination of components that would help them overcome barriers to business success.

These components include the provision of scholarship for formal training on basic entrepreneur skills and gender sensitivity, access to financial resources, and access to store merchandising support.

The 5by20 STAR program is anchored on the premise that Filipina variety store owners play a crucial role in the economic development of small communities.

It is currently assisting more than 20,000 women in the country, including those affected by Super Typhoon Yolanda in the Visayas.