In her message, Senator Estrada announced that as chair of the Committee on Youth, Women and Family Relations, she will be filing the committee report pursuing the bill into second reading in the Senate.
As Senate Majority Floor Leader, Legarda assured the public that deliberations over the said legislation will be fast-tracked.
The bill was first filed in the 9th Congress, and passed third reading at the House of Representatives this year. With the 12th Congress in place, women advocates also clamor for the enactment of various bills that will help the prevention of Violence Against Women (VAW), such as the Anti-Domestic Violence/Abuse of Women in Intimate Relationships Bill, the Anti-Prostitution Bill, and the amendment of the Sexual Harassment Act of 1995.
The exhibit on anti-trafficking at the Senate, entitled, Trafficking: A Violation of Women’s Human Rights as one of major campaigns launched to urge the Senate to fast-track the said Act.
Campaign activities revolved around the theme, Ligtas sa Karahasan: Karapatan ng Kababaihan, which called for a unified effort to curb VAW and ensure appropriate protection, assistance and reintegration for survivors and victims of violence.
National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women (NCRFW) Chairperson Aurora Javate De Dios said, "Achieving gender equality includes providing a safe, violence-free environment for women. We believe that state accountability is central to addressing various forms of violence against women. It is for this reason that we are fortunate to gain the support of our lady senators who are at the fore of our advocacy."
Contributing to the festive Christmas air and the success of lavish and intimate dinners is Tita Trillo, the town’s wine connoiseur. These days you will find her gracing tables at Magnum Wine Cellar Bar & Grill at the Greenbelt Mall in Ayala Center, Makati. As the night deepens, Magnum fills up with young couples and yuppies, and they sip their wines at the cozy tables hemmed in by two shelves of wines, to the sounds of Barrio Latino, Brazilian pop and Capirissima. Towards midnight, the crowd spills over to the terrace and fountain outside Magnum where toasts and appreciative laughter are exchanged and heard.
Tita is president of Anthony’s Wine & Spirits Corporation, and Le Gastronome Gourmet Corporation (which consists of Beluga Bar Bistro & Pravda Wine Bar and Cork Wine Cellar Grill). She is director of Crown Peak Gardens Hotels in Cubi Point, Subic. She is forever attending wine symposia in Switzerland, Italy, France, Singapore and Thailand to learn about and sip the latest wines uncorked in antique cellars and harvested from old, fragrant vineyards.
"Wine is a healthy option," says Tita. "You can share it with your family." She says French children even take wine with their folks at dinner. And the thing is, says Tita with a smile, "There’s this French paradox. The French women are so slim and they live long, yet their food is laden with butter and cream, but their secret is that they take a lot of wine, because, you know, wine declogs the arteries. So, you see, wine is really a lifestyle, and it’s for health more than anything."
Tita notes that more and more beer-drinkers are shifting to wine. Wine, she says, is only 12 percent alcohol, except the fortified wines like sherry, which are 45 percent proof.
Magnum has more than a hundred wine brands. Its wines are from both the New World, and the Old World. For those who want to know what wine to give for Christmas, Tita suggests Woodbridge Cabernet, a New World Wine, which is made by Robert Mondavi (without Robert Mondavi, California wines won’t be known in the world, says Tita.) For Old World wine, Tita recommends Mouton Cadet.
When you go to Magnum for lunch or dinner, you will notice a large Christmas tree that is beribboned with native dolls, each doll representing an amount of the customer's choice. All the dolls (and money) hung on the tree go to the Rosalie Home, an orphanage, in Subic. The Home is named after Rosalie Trillo, daughter of Anthony and Tita, who died of cancer not too long ago. Her death changed Anthony, says Tita. He used to be gung-ho about making a lot of money, but after Rosalie died, he has mellowed, like old wine.