The Philippines is one of the most densely inhabited countries in the world, ranking 12th in the world, 7th in Asia and 2nd in the Southeast Asia. According to statistics, its populace continues to increase with an annual growth rate of 2.04 percent and the size is estimated to reach the 90 million mark in 2008. And how many are women? Women comprise 49.72 percent (around 45 million) of this total. Imagine how influential they can be! Filipino women or most commonly known as Filipina, have always enjoyed greater equality in the society as compared to their counterparts in Southeast Asia. And there are historical women who played a noteworthy part in the building of a nation. Over a hundred years ago, when General Emilio Aguinaldo went into exile in Hong Kong, his family and dedicated followers accompanied him. The exiled revolutionaries included womenfolk: wives, sisters, daughters, kinswomen, patriots in their own way. Along with them was Marcela Agoncillo, the wife of Don Felipe Agoncillo, diplomat spokesman for General Aguinaldo. Marcela Agoncillo was asked to embroider the first flag of the Philippines. She chose silk - a brilliant red, a bright blue and pristine white, purchased from the bazaars of Hong Kong. She selected the touch of gold and used silken threads to match the brilliant swatches of silk cloth. Together with her young daughter, Lorenza, and Delfina Herbosa de Natividad, whose mother was Dr. Jose Rizal's sister, the women labored hard. Their hearts were imprinted on the flag. Marcela never saw the flag fly in Kawit, Cavite. At the request of Aguinaldo, her husband remained in Hong Kong and she stayed with him. The women of the revolution never took up arms but they fought their own battle. They were the wives who sustained their men in adversity; couriers who bore messages on their gentle, delicate persons; volunteers who braved the battlefields to cook; nurses who searched the trenches for the injured and the dead; keepers of secrets who hid husbands, brothers, relatives and friends in their homes and granaries. Like Melchora Aquino, known as "Tandang Sora" who was arrested, jailed, exiled in servitude during old age because she opened her home to Andres Bonifacio and other revolutionaries. These are just some of the women that set the stage for us to reach our goals. The strength of the Filipino women is embroiled in the courage, generosity and kindness. Today, the question that faces the Filipino women is whether they should surrender their role. Filipino women are gifted with talents and potentials that are waiting to be fully recognized. Filipinas are the first in Asia to be granted the right to vote. The first woman president in Asia is Filipina that is Mrs. Corazon Aquino. Filipino women have enormous achievements and there's so much more to offer. Gone are the days when Filipino women are viewed as mere homemaker. They are now more determined to succeed in whatever field or profession they have chosen to take. But the strong dedication to fostering the family and the community remained integral. As Eleanor Roosevelt once said, "A woman is like a tea bag, you never know how strong she is until she gets into hot water!" True enough, the more challenges the Filipinas face, the more they rise to the circumstance. As the world is changing, and as the Philippine women find pride and dignity in themselves, they have proven to be a great contribution to the richness of the Philippine culture and history.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
The changing role of women in Philippine society
The Philippines is one of the most densely inhabited countries in the world, ranking 12th in the world, 7th in Asia and 2nd in the Southeast Asia. According to statistics, its populace continues to increase with an annual growth rate of 2.04 percent and the size is estimated to reach the 90 million mark in 2008. And how many are women? Women comprise 49.72 percent (around 45 million) of this total. Imagine how influential they can be! Filipino women or most commonly known as Filipina, have always enjoyed greater equality in the society as compared to their counterparts in Southeast Asia. And there are historical women who played a noteworthy part in the building of a nation. Over a hundred years ago, when General Emilio Aguinaldo went into exile in Hong Kong, his family and dedicated followers accompanied him. The exiled revolutionaries included womenfolk: wives, sisters, daughters, kinswomen, patriots in their own way. Along with them was Marcela Agoncillo, the wife of Don Felipe Agoncillo, diplomat spokesman for General Aguinaldo. Marcela Agoncillo was asked to embroider the first flag of the Philippines. She chose silk - a brilliant red, a bright blue and pristine white, purchased from the bazaars of Hong Kong. She selected the touch of gold and used silken threads to match the brilliant swatches of silk cloth. Together with her young daughter, Lorenza, and Delfina Herbosa de Natividad, whose mother was Dr. Jose Rizal's sister, the women labored hard. Their hearts were imprinted on the flag. Marcela never saw the flag fly in Kawit, Cavite. At the request of Aguinaldo, her husband remained in Hong Kong and she stayed with him. The women of the revolution never took up arms but they fought their own battle. They were the wives who sustained their men in adversity; couriers who bore messages on their gentle, delicate persons; volunteers who braved the battlefields to cook; nurses who searched the trenches for the injured and the dead; keepers of secrets who hid husbands, brothers, relatives and friends in their homes and granaries. Like Melchora Aquino, known as "Tandang Sora" who was arrested, jailed, exiled in servitude during old age because she opened her home to Andres Bonifacio and other revolutionaries. These are just some of the women that set the stage for us to reach our goals. The strength of the Filipino women is embroiled in the courage, generosity and kindness. Today, the question that faces the Filipino women is whether they should surrender their role. Filipino women are gifted with talents and potentials that are waiting to be fully recognized. Filipinas are the first in Asia to be granted the right to vote. The first woman president in Asia is Filipina that is Mrs. Corazon Aquino. Filipino women have enormous achievements and there's so much more to offer. Gone are the days when Filipino women are viewed as mere homemaker. They are now more determined to succeed in whatever field or profession they have chosen to take. But the strong dedication to fostering the family and the community remained integral. As Eleanor Roosevelt once said, "A woman is like a tea bag, you never know how strong she is until she gets into hot water!" True enough, the more challenges the Filipinas face, the more they rise to the circumstance. As the world is changing, and as the Philippine women find pride and dignity in themselves, they have proven to be a great contribution to the richness of the Philippine culture and history.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Why Do Women Cry?
A little boy asked his mother "Why are you crying?"
"Because I'm a woman," she told him.
"I don't understand," he said. His Mom just hugged him and said,"And you never will".
Later the little boy asked his father, "Why does mother seem to cry for no reason?"
"All women cry for no reason," was all his dad could say. The little boy grew up and became a man, still wondering why women cry.Finally he put in a call to God; and when God got on the phone, he asked,"God, why do women cry so easily?"God said: "When I made the woman she had to be special. I made her shoulders strong enough to carry the weight of the world; yet, gentle enough to give comfort"
"I gave her an inner strength to endure childbirth and the rejection that many times comes from her children"
"I gave her a hardness that allows her to keep going when everyone else gives up, and take care of her family through sickness and fatigue without complaining. I gave her the sensitivity to love her children under any and all circumstances, even when her child has hurt her very badly"
"I gave her strength to carry her husband through his faults andfashioned her from his rib to protect his heart"
"I gave her wisdom to know that a good husband never hurts his wife, but sometimes tests her strengths and her resolve to stand beside him unfalteringly"
"And finally, I gave her a tear to shed. This is hers exclusively to use whenever it is needed."
"You see: The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair."
"The beauty of a woman must be seen in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart - the place where love resides."
Celebrate being a woman...and remember ...Every Woman is Beautiful!
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