THIS
columnist was recently chosen as one of eight Oxfam ambassadors
to the G-8 countries as part of its campaign for donor-countries
to increase development assistance for education and health.
The Group
of Eight, or G-8, refers to the elite group of the eight richest
countries of the world. These are the United States, Canada,
Italy, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Japan and Russia.
In celebration
of Women’s Month, this column offers eight wishes for
women.
1. For
women to be happy they are women. There is nothing
like being a woman, especially at this time! The opportunities
for women to develop their capacities are limitless. They
can be anything they wish to be: scientist, head of state,
business person, artist, beauty queen, celebrity, chef, priest
and even undertaker!
2. For
women to stop being fakes. We are in an age when
being fake is perfectly acceptable. Women flaunt fake bodies—hair,
teeth, chins, noses, breasts, asses and everything else. Perhaps
this is understandable at a time when obsession with youth
and beauty is all-consuming. What is completely unacceptable
is fake morals and fake character.
Women
need to be comfortable in their own skin, whatever their color.
It is
often said that beauty is not just skin-deep. Inner beauty
does not disappear when teeth fall out, hair turns white,
hips start to widen and breasts begin to sag.
3. For
women to have time for themselves. Many women are
too busy taking care of others to pay attention to their needs.
They need to be kind to themselves and take time to recover
lost strength and renew their energies. The ways are many
and varied.
For me,
taking time means very late and very lazy mornings. As the
saying goes, “How wonderful it is to rest after doing
nothing!”
I rehearse
regularly with the Manila Concert Choir. Music never fails
to touch my soul and cleanse my system of hurts, anger and
stress. Take a deep breath and try singing your favorite love
song. Your vocal chords, lungs and stomach muscles will be
exercised and you will feel refreshed and relaxed.
4. Foreducation
to be available to all women and girls. Not all women
have access to opportunities for education.
Children
of school age are unable to go to school because of poverty,
poor health and cultural factors. Others in far-flung areas
can’t go to school for the simple reason that there
are no schools. Still others live in areas of conflict and
violence.
The government
has just announced it will build 84,000 classrooms. I wish
that clean toilets would be provided, as well! This is a simple
wish, but toilets in many public schools are filthy. Some
school buildings don’t have them at all!
5. For
health services to be available to all women and girls.
One does not need to go to the countryside to see that not
all barangay centers have doctors, nurses and midwives.
Social
Watch/Alternative Budget Initiative is campaigning for a health
budget, which will provide for one midwife per barangay. This
will surely go a long way in reducing infant and maternal
mortality rates.
6. For
women to have a say in policy decisions which affect them.
Women need to participate actively in the decision-making
processes which affect their well-being. Governance is not
just about the government. It is also about participation.
Women can be a powerful resource in attending to the needs
of the country.
7. For
women to help take care of Mother Earth. Women must
take the lead in taking care of the environment, which is
the source of the air that we breathe, the food that we eat
and the water that we drink. As givers of life, women identify
most with Mother Earth.
8. For
women to continue to love. There used to be 10 commandments,
but Jesus Christ reduced them to two: to love God and to love
one’s neighbor as oneself.
Loving
God provides a spiritual basis for a woman’s existence.
Loving herself and her neighbor is part of that love.
My wish
is that whatever happens to women—whether they are 18
or 88 years old—they will not be destroyed by suffering,
hurt or anger. My wish is that love will help them survive—love
for their partners, children, neighbors, even their pet cat
or their favorite plant.
Most of
all, I hope they will continue loving their country.
