24 March 2017 – The Philippine Consulate General in Vancouver held a program on 23 March 2017 to celebrate the 2017 International Women’s Day, 2017 National Women’s Month, and the 13th Women with Disabilities Day. 

The celebration featured a slide-show presentation on the background and themes for 2017, “WE Make Change for Women” for National Women’s Month and “Babaeng Maykapansanan, Manguna at Manindigan Tungo sa Pagbabago” for Women with Disabilities Day.  The key elements of the theme were presented, i.e., women empowerment; full implementation of the Magna Carta for Women; and partnering for change.  The theme emphasizes the role of women as active drivers in bringing about positive changes and contributing to the country’s politico-economic and socio-cultural development efforts.

To cap the celebration with an emphasis on women empowerment, a video on the GREAT (Gender-Responsive Economic Actions for the Transformation) Women Project was shown.  The GREAT Women Project (GWP), a governance and capacity development project, technically and financially supported by the Government of Canada, was co-implemented with the Philippine Commission on Women to promote and support a gender-responsive enabling environment for women’s economic empowerment, particularly those involved in micro-enterprises.  The project helped Filipino women entrepreneurs, including women with disabilities, in the food, clothing and home-style sectors, by training and equipping them with skills to improve their productivity and enhance their products to connect to domestic and global markets.

Consul General Neil Frank R. Ferrer encouraged the audience to patronize the products of the GWP which can be found in strategically-placed kiosks in selected malls and stores in the Philippines.  Consul General Ferrer also urged the businessmen in the audience to explore the possibility of bringing in the products of GWP into Canada. END