BMB commemorates 2023 National Women’s Month and wears purple to support gender equality and women’s empowerment.

The Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB) joins the celebration of National Women’s Month every March. This year, the Bureau kicked off the affair with an opening program and GADvocacy Walk inside the NAPWC grounds on March 13 followed by a series of programs and activities focused on women and gender equality.

In the opening remarks during the flag- raising ceremony, BMB Director and Assistant Secretary for Foreign-Assisted and Special Projects Marcial C. Amarao, Jr., emphasized his support for this year’s celebration.

“Let us strengthen our advocacy and reaffirm our commitment to a better world where women, LGBTQIA+ community are heard, respected, and honored,” he asserted.

Next, Ms. Nancy R. Corpuz, the OIC Chief of the Biodiversity Planning and Knowledge Management Division (BPKMD) and BMB GAD Focal Point Person, provided a brief orientation about the 2023 NWMC. She introduced the recurring theme from 2023 to 2028, “We for Gender Equality, Inclusive and Resilient Society,” and the event’s goals. She also mentioned the participation of BMB personnel in the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the DENR lobby, led by the highest-ranking woman official in the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga, which signals the Department-wide kickoff of activities for the National Women’s Month.

The GADvocacy Walk was immediately followed by a GAD Forum. Resource persons were invited to discuss resiliency, mental health, and violence against women.

Dr. Maria Cinderella Garcia, Chief Logistic and Training Officer of the Quezon City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office, gave a presentation on Developing Resilience: Empowering Women and Changing Mental Health. Dr. Garcia emphasized the fundamental abilities that create resilience in order to provide the audience with a better grasp of the steps leading to women’s empowerment. She also discussed how important it is for national government agencies to effectively implement laws that support women’s empowerment.

A talk on violence against women (VAW) ensued next. Mr. Reynaldo Garcia, Chairperson of Men Opposed to Violence Everywhere (MOVE) Philippines, highlighted the laws related to VAW and the organization’s commitment to making the Philippines free from it. He also stressed the crucial part played by males in achieving gender equality, empowering women, and putting a stop to all types of violence throughout.

Closing the forum, Director Amaro led the Men Opposed to Violence Everywhere Pledge to promote human rights, gender equality, and women empowerment.

In the next few days, the National Women’s Month celebration continued with a pampering day for Juan and Juana, Indak ni Juan at Juana Version 2.0, and the posting of articles about powerful and meaningful stories of women in conservation on the BMB and UNDP websites. BMB personnel were also encouraged to wear purple every Wednesday of the month of March to signify support for the #PurpleWednesdays campaign of the Philippine Commission on Women.

BACKGROUND AND POLICY MANDATES

The Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) spearheads the annual National Women’s Month Celebration (NWMC), which honors women and their contributions to nation-building. It highlights the need to protect, promote, and fulfill women’s rights so they can maximize their potential and welfare, enabling them to be agents of the country’s development. This celebration also coincides with the worldwide observance of International Women’s Day (IWD).

The following issuances serve as the legal bases for staging this annual national activity:

• Proclamation No. 224, s. of 1988, declaring the first week of March each year as Women’s Week and March 8 as Women’s Rights and International Peace Day;

• Proclamation No. 227, s. of 1988, providing for the observance of the Month of March as Women’s Role in History Month; and

• Republic Act No. 6949 (1990), declaring March 8 of every year as National Women’s Day.

“WE for Gender Equality, Inclusive and Resilient Society”

WE stands for Women and Everyone, highlighting the role of both in the pursuit of gender equality. WE also stands for Women’s Empowerment, which can only be achieved when institutions, sectors, individuals, and systems provide women with equal rights and opportunities to further themselves. With women and everyone in synergy, WE can make gender equality a possibility.

The BMB GADvocates paraded around the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Center. The advocacy walk continues to be coordinated by the GAD Focal Point System every year.

INDAK NI JUANA AT JUAN

Version 2.0 of FUN and EXCITING Zumba Session for Juan and Juana

BMB key officials and personnel showed off their moves with confidence and zeal during the Indak ni Juan at Juana Zumba Version 2.0.

Women and men of the Bureau join in a joyful dance and march to the beat of empowerment, inclusivity, and equality.

POWERFUL AND MEANINGFUL STORIES OF WOMEN IN BIODIVERSITY

Women in the Pili Industry
These amazing women are at the forefront of the movement towards a more sustainable future.

The Bicol region in the Philippines, with its lush vegetation and abundant wildlife, is a natural wonder. One of the most essential trees in this region is the pili tree (Canarium ovatum and Canarium luzonicum) which has numerous benefits for both the environment and the local population.

Within the region, in the provinces of Albay, Camarines Sur, and Sorsogon, a revolutionary initiative is currently underway. Through the partnership between the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in the Philippines, and the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) Project is working to achieve equitable benefit sharing among local communities – the backbone of our agrobiodiversity – centering on empowering them. With a focus on pili byproducts, this groundbreaking project is strengthening a fair benefit-sharing framework, ensuring that local communities receive the benefits they deserve.https://www.undp.org/philippines/stories/women-pili-industry

Grandma of Trees
Let us meet Villa Abagon. Lola Villa has been a Bantay Gubat for most of her life. As such, she is key in the greening of Antique’s forests. Villa nurses and plants crops and native tree seedlings, putting in her heart and soul to make sure that the seedlings grow healthy and strong. She treats every tree planted as her child and as her legacy for the next generations.

Villa is one of the women receiving BIOFIN’s training on Ecotourism Product Development for the Sibalom Natural Park. This is part of the #YearoftheProtectedAreas #YoPA Campaign led by the DENR together with the Department of Tourism (DOT) and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG). Roll out of the ecotourism products will enable the PA to earn revenues from visitations.

Villa and other women in the community will ensure that the tour packages will run smoothly for every visitor of the national park. http://bit.ly/3ZAJyss