COTABATO CITY — Women front-runners in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) kicked off here Wednesday a two-day summit aimed at empowering women assuming various roles for the development of the region.
Dubbed as the 2nd ARMM Bangsamoro Women’s Economic and Development Summit, the gathering has for its theme “Meaningful Change for Economic and Political Participation for Bangsamoro Women”, seeking to strengthen the capacity of women as leaders for a more progressive autonomous region.
The ARMM’s Regional Commission on Bangsamoro Women spearheaded the summit, in coordination with the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) and the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
In his video keynote message, OPAPP Secretary Jesus Dureza stressed the important roles women play in peace-building in communities, citing that “women are the best instruments in helping society, especially in dealing with peace and security in the area”, adding that “they play an important, efficient, and productive role (in promoting) peace, not only in the family but also in the community”.
For her part, Comelec Commissioner Ma. Rowena Amelia Guanzon, as one of the resource speakers, emphasized the importance of women’s involvement in the political arena, saying, “When women don’t participate in the government, they will never have a fair share of resources on finance, education, health and livelihood.”
Guanzon also said people should get rid of the stereotypes that Bangsamoro women cannot lead.
“We should educate our people, especially our youth, that girls can lead as well as boys,” she said.
In a message sent by ARMM Governor Mujiv Hataman through ARMM Executive Secretary Laisa Alamia, the former emphasized the importance of supporting women’s rights and of being open to changes that everyone should work side-by-side with women on equal footing for the betterment of the region.
“Bear in mind that we should always support our own women and their rights,” the governor said.
The conduct of the summit at the Shariff Kabunsuan Complex here, which has drawn more than 500 women leaders from across the region, is in line with the celebration of National Women’s Month and also falls within the regional celebration of this year’s Bangsamoro Week of Peace. (Noel Punzalan/PNA)
