{"id":3024,"date":"2012-03-23T00:02:09","date_gmt":"2012-03-22T21:02:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/patnubay.org\/?p=3024"},"modified":"2019-07-08T22:14:07","modified_gmt":"2019-07-08T19:14:07","slug":"saluting-women-and-womens-causes-on-international-womens-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/patnubay.org\/?p=3024","title":{"rendered":"USA: Saluting women and women\u2019s causes on International Women\u2019s Day"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Words and photos by Dionesio C. Grava<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a yearly event but that doesn\u2019t mean we don\u2019t honor them everyday. March 8 every year has been designated International Women\u2019s Day and for that PWD takes this opportunity to reflect and appreciate the transitions and the expansion in status that the fairer sex has attained in the world stage. Originally called International Working Women\u2019s Day, Wikipedia says that current-time focus ranges from general celebration of respect, appreciation and love towards women to a celebration for women\u2019s economic, political and social achievements.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not that the ancients had no share of women notables. For examples, there was Joan of Arc and Parisian women were already protesting during the French Revolution. They were already around at a time when many of today\u2019s nations were not existing yet. Egypt had queens as sovereigns: Hatshepsut, Nefertiti and Cleopatra. Ditto with England Eleanor of Aquitaine, Victoria and Elizabeth I). There was Queen Isabella I of Spain, Queen Catherine of France, Mary Queen of Scots, Catherine the Great of Russia and Liliuokalani, the last Monarch of Hawaii.<\/p>\n

In the homeland the Filipina Women\u2019s Network has a list of our women greats in the time of the Katipuneros: Teresa Magbanua, Agueda Kahabagan, Marcela Agoncillo, Gregoria Montoyo, Glicera Villavicencio, Melchora Aquino, Gregoria De Jesus and Agueda Esteban.<\/p>\n

The US Coast Guard website has an entry about Philippine-born Florence Finch who managed to disguise her American features and managed to secure a job with the Japanese-controlled Philippine Liquid Fuel Distributing Union after Manila fell during World War II.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was responsible for writing vouchers for the distribution of fuel. Working closely with the Philippine Underground, she was able to divert fuel supplies to the resistance as well as assist in arranging acts of sabotage against the Japanese occupation forces\u2026 assisted the prisoners as best they could, smuggling food and medicine to them.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Japanese caught up with Ms. Finch\u2019s activities and she was imprisoned and tortured. She was liberated by American forces on Feb. 10, 1945 and has been a New York resident ever since. She was awarded the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Ribbon, the Medal of Freedom and in 1995 the Coast Guard honored her service by naming an administration building on a base on Sand Island, Hawaii, after her. Her place of birth also bestowed on Florence Ebersole Smith Finch the Philippine Defense Medal, the World War II Victory Medal, the Asiatic Campaign Medal and the Philippine Presidential Unit Citation Badge.<\/p>\n

Reflecting on its origin, a feminist organization called AF3IRM designated March 8 as the International Women Workers\u2019 Day in Los Angeles and in other parts of the US. PWD was there to witness a local community event entitled \u201cCelebrate the Working Woman\u201d held at The Park\u2019s Finest, a food place in West Temple Street.<\/p>\n

The evening program billed as \u201ca night of art, poetry, music, food, love and community in honor of women\u2019s work and working women\u201d had an international flavor. That\u2019s probably because the organization is transnational, Angela Bartolome, co-coordinator of AF3IRM LA Chapter, later explained. Ms. Bartolome is formerly from Bulacan but had been here since the 70s with her mom and siblings.<\/p>\n

Asked about the significance of the day, Angela said that \u201cit makes us aware about issues of women.\u201d Presently their group is undertaking a so-called purple rose campaign to highlight the trafficking of women and women victims of domestic violence in the global as well as local scales. The role of women in society should be recognized, she averred.<\/p>\n

Media colleague Fe Koons is a founding member of Gabriela-Philippines, a pioneering advocate on women issues. She echoed Ms. Bartolome\u2019s reflections on the significance of the celebration. Asked to compare today\u2019s advocacy with that of the past, Ms. Koons said that whereas their group\u2019s struggles were originally directed against the dictatorship during the Marcos era, the issues have since shifted to problems affecting women regardless of nationalities. One more thing, she added: more of the youth, students in colleges and universities are involved.<\/p>\n

The menfolks were likewise represented in the celebration. Arturo Garcia, who is also into Filipino veterans and other causes, was there to lend support because, he said, \u201ceven in capitalist states like the U.S. women\u2019s rights are being questioned.\u201d Garcia, who said he\u2019s with Alliance Philippines, cited as example the recent brouhaha about radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh calling one woman a slut in his show.<\/p>\n

To recall, law student Sandra Fluke of Georgetown University testified before Democratic members of congress on the need for the government to provide free contraception. Limbaugh was quoted saying, \u201cWho goes before a congressional committee and essentially says that she must be paid to have sex? What does that make her?\u201d Limbaugh answered his own question using that controversial word: slut.<\/p>\n

Also in that March 8 event was Jerry Esguerra who gave his group\u2019s name as Bantay Pilipinas. BP, he said, was originally a cyber net political watchdog that has evolved into a real, physical organization with presence in Los Angeles and in Luzon, the National Capital Region, Visayas and Mindanao in the Philippines.<\/p>\n

Esguerra said that being progressive he supports the initiative of AF3IRM. \u201cIt is long overdue,\u201d he said about the women cause. \u201cHow many millions are widowed by wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and even Mindanao. Then there\u2019s the sex industry in the Philippines right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

His remarks also touched on our overseas workers. \u201cNot to diminish menial work,\u201d he said, \u201cbut for professional women like doctors, teachers and others to work on menial jobs is a travesty. The system is unjust and the structure must be changed.\u201d<\/p>\n

The \u201cCelebrate the Working Woman\u201d program also mentioned an all-female bicycle brigade\/collectives prior to the event. The previous evening, March 7, another F3IRM LA co- coordinator, Myra Duran, was featured on Feminist Magazine on KPFK radio 90.7 FM together with performers Cihuatl Ce and Janice Sapigao. It was all about supporting and recognizing the value of women around the world and all the work that they do, it was said.<\/p>\n

According to Wikipedia, the first International Women\u2019s Day was observed on Feb. 28, 1909 in the United States following a declaration by the Socialist Party of America. Last year the Women\u2019s Information Network had a two-day centenary celebration of International Women\u2019s Day at the Radisson Hotel-Los Angeles Airport.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Source:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Words and photos by Dionesio C. Grava It\u2019s a yearly event but that doesn\u2019t mean we don\u2019t honor them everyday. March 8 every year has been designated International Women\u2019s Day and for that PWD takes…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":49,"featured_media":3189,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[22,16,17],"tags":[84,101],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/patnubay.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3024"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/patnubay.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/patnubay.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/patnubay.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/49"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/patnubay.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3024"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/patnubay.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3024\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12848,"href":"https:\/\/patnubay.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3024\/revisions\/12848"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/patnubay.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3189"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/patnubay.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3024"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/patnubay.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3024"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/patnubay.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3024"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}