Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson lauded the contribution of women to the provincial government’s efficient delivery of services to Negrenses at the Women’s Day rites at the Capitol in Bacolod City on Tuesday, March 8.
The governor, at the celebration with the theme “We make change work for women”, said women compose 58 percent of the provincial government’s workforce. “The majority of our department and division heads combined, are also women,” he added.
Given those numbers it is with good reason “to suppose that the efficiency of our present administration, for the most part, is in the hands of our competent Negrense women,“ said Lacson, who distributed roses to those present at the rites.
Lacson said the provincial government has persevered amid the COVID-19 pandemic and floods that hit Negros Occidental with women as the majority of its workforce. “On behalf of the entire province, allow me to express and convey the appreciation and acknowledgment you all deserve,” he said.
“As women of the Capitol, bear in mind that you are an inspiration to many. You are educated, intelligent, and capable of effecting positive change, both in the household and in the community. Maybe unbeknown to you, some women, whose limits remain to be dictated by others and by society’s prejudice, look up to you, for you are the representation of their hope and aspiration,” he said.
But more than just acknowledging the women employees’ role, Gender and Development Priority Programs are being implemented to assist and enhance their potential, he added.
The governor noted that a publication from the Southeast Asia Center of the University of Sydney reports that the Philippines has achieved strong results in many areas of gender equality like education, politics, and economic participation, with Filipino women encouraged to excel in school and in the workplace, and many running their own businesses or holding leadership positions in business and politics.
This is also reflected in the Global Gender Gap Index which ranked gender equality in the Philippines as the best across East Asia, he said.*