Manay Gina blooms brighter

Elected to the House of Representatives six months ago, Gina de Venecia continues to bloom as a woman with deep concern for other women and the less privileged as evidenced by the bills she has filed and co-authored with other legislators. In Congress she is called “Manay Gina” by young first-time legislators like her who flock to her for advise and consent. The legendary Manny Paquiao waves at her from across the plenary hall and shouts, “Manay Gina.”

As the spouse of former House Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr., she saw to the creation of havens for battered housewives, abused children and the elderly. Standing on her own now as representative of the fourth district of Pangasinan, she is the author of HB03758, an act designed to strengthen the Philippine Crop Insurance system by expanding its program coverage, increasing its funding source and imposing heavier penalties on spurious claims. A second bill, HB03840, seeks to increase the bed capacity of Region I Medical Center in Dagupan City from 300 to 600 beds, authorizes the increase of its medical personnel, and upgrades its services and facilities and professional health care. The two bills express her concern to improve the welfare of farmers and constituents in need of health care.

She is a co-author of bills which grant compulsory coverage to accredited barangay health workers in the national health insurance program, create a dental unit in every rural health unit, modify the definition of the crime of rape involving minor children, mandate the immediate validation process to determine the operability of the Bataan Nuclear Power, makes it lawful for all illegal wood products confiscated by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to be donated to the Department of Education to be used for the construction of classrooms and furniture, upgrade the minimum salary grade of public school teachers, amend the Solo Parents Welfare Act; create the North Luzon Development Authority, and institutionalize preschool education into the public basic education system.

Other bills she is co-author of supports the development and growth of the Philippine film industry, urges President Noynoy Aquino to grant amnesty to all active and former members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and directs various committees to conduct an investigation in aid of legislation, on the illegal construction of dikes and other fish production infrastructure on the Hundred Islands National Park in the city of Alaminos in Pangasinan.

She carries herself with flair and dignity in international conferences. At the annual meeting of all the Political Parties of Latin America and the Caribbean, she compared notes with Madama Vivian Fernandez de Torrijos, First Lady of Panama. She spoke about the Philippine experience in protecting human rights, especially those of women, children and the elderly, at the Global Peace Convention in Nairobi, Kenya. At the International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP) in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, she met with and learned how Cambodia Prime Minister Hun Sen transformed his once war-torn country to become one of the region’s most dynamic economies. She also met Indonesia’s former president, Megawati Sukarnoputri, after which meeting, she said, “It’s inspiring how she manages to keep philanthropy alive in her country even if she’s no longer in power.”

“Attendance in international conferences is a learning experience for me,” Gina told media. “More importantly, I have made personal friendships and contacts with global leaders, for future exchanges of programs and possibly, even grants.”

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The Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) held recently a forum on media and equality at Malacanang, with the theme, “Magna Carta ni Pinay, Gawing Tunay: Karahasan sa Kababaihan, Wakasan!” (Make the Filipino Woman’s Magna Carta a reality: End Violence Against Women). Secretary Sonny Coloma, PCOO head, said the forum was organized to reverse the negative portrayal of women in media. “Our goal is to raise awareness of media practitioners on how to tackle gender issues and violence against women cases in media,” he said.

The forum was held to commemorate the annual 18-day Campaign to End Violence Against Women. It was also aimed to raise awareness of Republic Act 9710 or the Magna Carta for Women.

Emmeline Verzosa, executive director of the Philippine Commission on Women, a forum co-convenor, said she was saddened by reports of sexist and violence provoking remarks in the broadcast media, which is “the most powerful in shaping the country’s cultural, social, and economic growth and development.” It’s only appropriate that the PCOO is the lead agency in implementing gender and development programs, especially with the media.

Resource speakers were television broadcaster Karen Davila, film directors Laurice Guillen and Joyce Bernal, film distributor Selina Gecolea, and television host Boy Abunda. Broadcast journalist Kara David hosted the forum.

Davila presented a paper she did for the Harvard Project for Asian and International Relations which stressed the need to level the playing field in education which it said is the key for women to make informed decisions, and urged media women doing more stories on women.

Gecolea, the first woman general manager of United International Pictures in the Philippines, emphasized that cultivating respect for women starts in the home. The multi-awarded directors Bernal and Guillen talked of directing films that highlighted women’s rights.

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Below is a beautiful poem written by my Iowa-based sister-in-law, the poet Rowena Tiempo Torrevillas, which she emailed on the recent passing of my sister, Abigail. This was originally published in “Mountain Sacraments,” DLSU Press, in 1991.

AFTER ABIGAIL’S SUNFLOWERS

Neither night nor day wakes

Across those hillsides,

But a color breaking

Somewhere between:

What are the flowers

Of fitful sleep

But the absent wishes

Of a half-dreaming

God, stirred into wakefulness

By an angry cry?

Darkling in the shadow

Of the sleeping hills

Your sunflowers march_Stern and round-faced

Like trolls returning

To the earth at dawn;

At dusk they crept out

Half-alive,

And the hill turned her face

Away, a wanton leg bent

In twilight sleep:

Flowers half-born, twisting

And shaking free, a primal

Scream of yellow paint

Torn willful and unready

From the hill’s green throat

And Mother, whimsical and wise,

Smoothed the tangled hair,

Whispering, Sleep, sleep,

Demons are only_What God swept away

When He made man,

Sunflowers pushed

Out of the shadows,

Betrayed into tracking

The sun.

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