Filipino women urged to claim rights, power

ZAMBOANGA CITY: Emphasizing that an empowered woman claims her rights as much as her obligations, various woman leaders urged Muslim women religious scholars (the aleemat) to assert their role on issues affecting Muslim communities in the Philippines.

Irene Santiago, who heads the Mindanao Commission on Women, on Wednesday said that gender is crucial to resolving the decades-old conflict in Mindanao in southern Philippines.

“You cannot achieve any kind of just and enduring peace without taking the role of gender into account. How do you deal with the issues of security, development, participation and decision-making and identity, if you do not include women?” Santiago asked.

The president of the Philippine Center for Islam and Democracy (PCID), Amina Rasul, cited a Social Weather Stations survey showing that a great majority of Filipinos believe that women are better peacemakers.

“We are not just talking about the formal negotiating-table peace process, but also our collective efforts within our communities to forge lasting peace,” she said in a statement.

The chairman of the Mindanao Development Authority, Secretary Luwalhati Antonino, meanwhile, urged Muslims to be her “kakampi” (ally) because of the many tasks that need to be done over the next six years for the development of Mindanao.

Antonino also asked Muslims to join her and “build bridges of trust” given the history that she had with Muslims in the past, because of her opposition to the inclusion of General Santos City in the Southern Philippines Council for Peace and Development.

Antonino was part of the “Tres Marias” with former Mayor Ma. Clara Lobregat and Rep. Daisy Fuentes that took a stand against the peace agreement between the government and the Moro National Liberation Front.

Conference for advocacy
The discussions were part of the Second National Conference of Muslim Women Advocates organized by the PCID in Zamboanga from February 7 to 10.

There are 150 participants including members of Noorus Salam (a national network of aleemat and woman civil society leaders) from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

Noorus Salam was established to be a venue for cooperation and empowerment of Muslim women, enabling them to more meaningfully address issues in their communities: conflict, economic self-sufficiency, electoral reforms health, human rights and education.

Other woman leaders who spoke before the conference included: United Nations Women Philippine Coordinator Aida Jean Manipon and Ma. Carmen Lauzon-Gatmaytan of the Asian Circle 1325—Global Network of Women Peacebuilders.

Both stressed the need to bridge the gap between international laws and instruments designed to protect and empower women and the “lived realities” of Muslim women in the Philippines.

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