Outstanding women

Can they help unravel the biggest political crisis in the Philippines in the last 127 years – the syndicated stealing of over P1 trillion of flood control money in the last 10 years?

This question faces the 15 outstanding young women of 2025, announced Sept. 17, by the TOWNS Foundation. It is a relevant challenge, given that some of the awardees are in the fields of governance, national and local; human rights, education and journalism, to name a few critical fields.

Women are the majority, the ruling class in the Philippines, certainly not the weaker or lesser sex. They constitute more than half of our population of 115 million.

When governance fails, it is women who are hit hardest. Nearly all our 25 million households are managed by women, often thanklessly and without compensation. When things go wrong, they are the fulcrum of stability and hope.

Our second highest official is a woman, Sara Duterte, the first vice president to be impeached. For graft, for corruption, for malversation of P612 million of taxpayers’ money. She produced thousands of fake receipts (named after fictitious restaurants and chichiria) to cover her trail.

Sara was rescued by Senate president Chiz Escudero, who did not act forthwith on her impeachment, enabling the Supreme Court to concoct new ideas how to derail any House impeachment. Now every impeachable official has nothing to fear – impeachment is nearly impossible to engineer in the House.

Chiz’s wife is angry. Heart has reaped the whirlwind of people’s wrath after Chiz spiraled into ignominy in the gyre of the P1-trillion flood-gate. A trophy wife, she was recently gifted with a $1-million diamond ring, thanks to Chiz’s hard work. Heart has a stupendous luxury watch and bag collection, her hard work.

Chiz was ousted as Senate president Sept. 8, 2025 when it surfaced he benefitted from dirty FC money, got a P30-million campaign donation from a, FC contractor and that he engineered P142 billion worth of “insertions” into the 2025 national budget, which money was stolen.

Two of the 2025 TOWNS awardees easily stand out: economist Maria Cielo Magno and lawyer Maria Kristina Conti.

Cielo is a professor at the UP School of Economics, and was undersecretary for fiscal policy at the Department of Finance. She quit her job at DOF, apparently in disgust over how government finances are run. Now, she is at the forefront of civil society’s campaign to demand accountability for the P1-trillion flood-gate, using her brilliant mind and beautiful personality. To her, good governance is a human right of Filipinos. Sadly, good governance is will-o’-the-wisp, a doomed spirit.

Kristina Conti risks her life and her future in the legal profession while seeking accountability from former president Rodrigo Roa Duterte, in jail in The Hague and facing trial for allegedly killing between 7,000 and 30,000 Filipinos. Her job is to document the killings and convince the International Criminal Court of Duterte’s culpability.

The TOWNS (The Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service) Foundation Inc. makes the selection only once every three years, adding to the prestige and significance of the much-coveted award.

“Each of our awardees embodies the very essence of what the TOWNS Foundation stands for: visionary leadership rooted in service to others,” enthused Patricia Prodigalidad, president of TOWNS Foundation Inc. “At a time when our country faces deep challenges but also great opportunities, these women offer us not just hope, but concrete pathways toward progress. They remind us that real change is possible when brilliance meets compassion and purpose.”

“This year’s selection process brought forward extraordinary women from across the country whose stories moved, challenged and inspired us,” said Olivia Ferry, chairperson of the 2025 TOWNS Search Committee. “The awardees are not only leaders in their fields, but they are also agents of change – fearlessly confronting inequality, championing innovation and building stronger, more inclusive communities. Choosing from among such an outstanding group was incredibly difficult but also reaffirming.”

The TOWNS Awards recognize exceptional Filipino women who have made transformative contributions to Philippine society through excellence, leadership and service in their respective fields. From science and technology to public service, culture, social entrepreneurship and more, the award celebrates women whose work has had a meaningful and measurable impact on the nation.

The awardees were selected after a rigorous nationwide search and vetting process led by a panel of respected leaders and past awardees.

The 2025 awardees join over 200 women who have inspired generations through their courage, commitment and leadership. The 15 batch 2025 outstanding women exemplify service to country with purpose and integrity and to uplift others.

The 2025 TOWNS awardees, in alphabetical order:

ALBA, Sha Elijah B. Dumama for Peace Building and Good Governance

ALINDOGAN, Jamela for Courageous and Honest Journalism

CONTI, Maria Kristina for Human Rights for All

DICIANO, Christine Pauline for Maritime Law Enforcement and Public Service

DUPLITO, Salve for Financial Empowerment

ESLAVA, Decibel Faustino for Environmental Science for Local Learning Communities

HATAMAN, Sitti Djalia for Peacebuilding, Courageous Governance and Social Economic Development

JOCSON, Jennie for Innovations in Teacher Education and Access

LIM, Nur-Ainee Tan for Ethical Public Service, Social Services and Development

MACAPAGAL, Gail for Information Technology and Entrepreneurship

MAGNO, Maria Cielo for Financial Accountability and Good Governance

OSIAL, Lorelie for Business Innovation and Corporate Citizenship

PADILLA, Francel Margareth for Cybersecurity, Military Service and Transformative Engagement with Local Communities

REYES, Katherine Ann for Service, Research and Leadership in Public Health Delivery

YANG, Georgina for Leadership in Innovations in Local Governance and Education

Since 1974, TOWNS now has over 200 awardees. They should lead our house cleaning from corruption.

TOWNS is an offshoot of the TOYM – The Outstanding Young Men – after outstanding young women felt left out from the prestigious plum. So they put up their own TOWNS awards. Still, women join the annual TOYM search now open to women.

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