Loi calls on women empowerment

Dr. Luisa "Loi" Ejercito Estrada, a leading candidate for the Senate of the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino-Puwersa ng Masa coalition, bemoaning the continued lack of representation of women in the top ranks of government in the country, called on all women to unite and lobby for the development of voting bloc for women empowerment as the nation celebrated Women’s Day the other day.

Citing the National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women (NCRFW) yearend report, Dr. Estrada said that although more women turn out to vote in elections, very few women occupy elective and appointive positions in the government. According to Dr. Estrada, this shows that women are not fully harnessed as partners for growth and development.

The NCRFW report also showed that women outnumber the men in the bureaucracy but only at a second level, the professional and technical level. Women found serving as administrators and service providers are disproportionately low compared to the entire bureaucracy.

In the executive department, women only account for 11 out of 51 undersecretaries, 23 out of 64 assistant secretaries and 139 out of 411 bureau directors.

There were only four women among the 24 senators in the 11th Congress and a meager 12 percent, occupying only 25 out of 206 congressional seats, are found in the House of Representatives.

In the judiciary, there are only two women in the 15-member Supreme Court — Associate Justices Consuelo Ynares-Santiago and Minerva Gonzaga-Reyes.

There are highly nine women out of 34 justices in the Court of Appeals. At the anti-graft Sandiganbayan, only three of the 15 justices are women.

Considering that the majority of the population is comprised by woman, Dr. Estrada lamented the continued male dominance in the political landscape. She urged every Filipino to suppor the move by NCRFW to develop a voting bloc for women for the May elections. This would be the best gift to give women in celebration of the Women’s Day on March 8, she added.

Considered a sure winner by her colleagues for consistently drawing huge crowds dominated by women, the former first lady said that one of her legislative priorities when she joins the Senate is to author measures or lobby for bills that advance the cause of women and children.

Prior to the NCRFW report, she called on society to give young Filipinas full access to education opportunities for their development and eventual participation in the economy and the national life.

Last Friday, speaking at a rally in Metro Manila, Dr. Loi called on the economic emancipation of women to liberate them from the bondage of oppression, prejudice and ignorance.