Women’s rights advocates and gender equality champions gathered at the Samsung Hall in SM Aura recently for an International Women’s Day (IWD) summit spearheaded by the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) and UN Women, in partnership with SM Supermalls.
Anchored on the global theme, ‘Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress,’ the one-day summit covered crucial topics such as poverty alleviation, institutional strengthening, gender-inclusive financing, and the role of technology in enabling women, particularly entrepreneurs.
Opening the summit were SM Supermalls President Steven Tan, UN Philippines Resident Coordinator Gustavo Gonzalez, PCW Officer-in-Charge Atty. Khay Ann Magundayao-Borlado, and UN Women Country Programme Coordinator Rosalyn Mesina, whose messages also served as a unifying call to action for the advancement of women’s empowerment and equality towards nation-building.
Keynote speaker Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda spoke about the role of legislation in promoting women’s rights. She highlighted the burden of unpaid care and domestic work by women, which her bill (Unpaid Care Workers Welfare Act of 2022) seeks to address to ensure fair sharing of household and caregiving duties. Senator Legarda’s legislative efforts have included supporting the passage of crucial laws like the Magna Carta of Women and the Anti-Violence Against Women and their Children Act, among others.
Australian Ambassador HK Yu (third from right), Canadian Ambassador David Hartman (right), UNDP Philippines Resident Representative Dr. Selva Ramachandran (second from left), International Labour Organization Country Director Khalid Hassan (left), and Asian Development Bank Director Samantha Hung (third from left), with Rissa Mananquil Trillo (second from right)
For an international perspective, esteemed panelists Australian Ambassador HK Yu, Canadian Ambassador David Hartman, UNDP Philippines Resident Representative Dr. Selva Ramachandran, International Labour Organization Country Director Khalid Hassan, and Asian Development Bank Director Samantha Hung spurred insightful discussions on championing women through their gender-inclusive development programs in the Philippines.
(L-R): Philippine Commission on Women’s Anita Baleda, UPPAF Regulatory Reform Support Program for National Development’s Jeanne Frances Illo, Commission on Audit’s Fortunata Rubico, and Department of Social Welfare and Development’s Miramel Garcia-Laxa
On the Philippines’ efforts, experts from key government agencies — Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ Atty. Charina De Vera Yap, Department of the Interior and Local Government’s Anna Liza Bonagua, UPPAF Regulatory Reform Support Program for National Development’s Jeanne Frances Illo, Philippine Commission on Women’s Anita Baleda, Commission on Audit’s Fortunata Rubico, and the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s Miramel Garcia-Laxa — shared transformative strategies and outcomes of financing through a gender lens and gender-responsive budgeting.
Singapore-based She Loves Tech Co-Founder Leanne Robers
Guest speaker, Singapore-based She Loves Tech Co-Founder Leanne Robers, set the tone for sessions on the pivotal role of technology in advancing women’s empowerment in business.
Robers highlighted the importance of women’s diverse perspectives in technology. She said, “We cannot understate the benefits of a world where women are involved in shaping our future through technology.”
Singapore-based She Loves Tech Co-Founder Leanne Robers (left), creative and social entrepreneur Zarah Juan, Eliza Antonino of Moment Group, and Anne Emperado-Macababat of Malanne, with UN Women Champion Bianca Gonzalez
The sessions highlighted how businesses can leverage technology to bridge gender gaps and promote social change. Panelists Anne Emperado-Macababat (Malanne), Eliza Antonino (Moment Group), and creative and social entrepreneur Zarah Juan, served as a testament to empowered women creating livelihood opportunities to uplift the lives of many more women.
Landbank’s Leila Martin (third from left), BDO Unibank’s Atty. Federico Tancongco (left) and Joel Andres (second from right), Connected Women’s Gina Romero (second from left), and UN Women Champion Bianca Gonzalez (right)
Likewise, a panel discussion with LandBank’s Leila Martin, BDO Unibank’s Atty. Federico Tancongco and Joel Andres, and Connected Women’s Gina Romero helped participants navigate the benefits and challenges of technology, addressing the risks of fraud and scams, and the safety and security of financial transactions.
SM Prime Holdings, Inc. Assistant Vice-President and Program Director Jessica SyActress and film producer Bella Padilla
Capping the summit was SM Prime Holdings, Inc. Assistant Vice-President and Program Director Jessica Sy who reiterated the theme of the summit in her closing remarks. Sy said, “Investing in women is not just a moral imperative, but a strategic imperative for a better world.”
The IWD summit is one of the highlights of SM Supermalls’ celebration of Women’s Month this March and was also supported by BDO, Belle du Jour, Brittany Hotel, Brownies Unlimited, Crate & Barrel, Toby’s Estate, Goldilocks, and SM Store.
Spotlight is BusinessWorld’s sponsored section that allows advertisers to amplify their brand and connect with BusinessWorld’s audience by publishing their stories on the BusinessWorld Web site. For more information, send an email to online@bworldonline.com.
Join us on Viber at https://bit.ly/3hv6bLA to get more updates and subscribe to BusinessWorld’s titles and get exclusive content through www.bworld-x.com.