Women

in the
Society
Prepared by:
Atty. Jona May M. Alcazar-Gariando
For: TNHS National Women’s Month Celebration
15 March 2019
Video Credit to real and true owner.
Photo credit to real and true owner.
Preliminaries:
Significant Contributions of
Women
in Nation-Building
EDUCATION
• This is probably one of the areas that
women have excelled on in the
Philippines. Education has been, for a
long time, open to all gender since the
American Thomasites have started their
academic institutions.
Natividad Almeda-Lopez
First Filipina lawyer and judge

• Almeda-Lopez became a lawyer in

1914. Around this time, the legal
profession in the country was
considered mostly for men.

• She's not the first woman to pass

the Bar, but she's the first female
lawyer in the country to have
actually handled cases and
defended clients.
Fe Del Mundo
First Filipina Harvard graduate
A UP College of Medicine valedictorian,
del Mundo was offered by the government
a scholarship in any institute of her
choice. She chose to go to Harvard
University Medical School, making her the
first Filipina to be enrolled there in 1933.

• Del Mundo returned to the country during

World War II to help affected civilians in
Manila. She became a college professor
after the war. Her contribution to Filipino
medicine focused on infectious diseases
and pediatrics. She was one of the first
Filipino doctors to look into dengue fever
and authored the book, “Textbook for
Pediatrics and Child Care.”
Dr. Mikaela Fudolig
Dr. Mikaela Fudolig is a UP
(University of the Philippines)
“whiz kid” who finished her
undergraduate degree in physics
at the young age of 16 years old.
She is the youngest of those who
graduated Summa Cum Laude
from the prestigious university,
having a general weighted
average of 1.099. In 2014, she
completed her doctorate degree
and in 2017, she passed the
University of the Philippines
College of Law Entrance
Examination.
ECONOMICS
POLITICS
• Since the Commonwealth, Filipino women
have been enjoying the right to suffrage and
eligibility to public offices through the Act No.
4112, approved by then Pres. Manuel L.
Quezon. Although men mostly hold public
offices, women have likewise made their
presence felt.
Corazon Cojuangco-Aquino
First Filipina President

• It is the Philippines who

produced the first female
president in Asia-- Corazon
C. Aquino.

• Aquino was thrust into the

spotlight following the
assassination of her
husband, then Senator
Benigno Aquino Jr.
• The Philippines has had two female presidents
in its history so far. While the number seems
small, it nonetheless puts the country among
the Top 10 nations with the most number of
elected female heads of state.

• The Philippines is among the countries of

Malta, Argentina, Ireland, and Chile (which all
had two female heads of state), only to be
exceeded by Switzerland (7) and the tiny
Republic of San Marino (15).
Geronima Tomelden-Pecson
First Filipina Senator
• Tomelden-Pecson ran in the
1947 senatorial elections,
and was elected the
country's first female
senator. In the Senate, she
headed the Senate
Committees of Education,
Health, Public Welfare, and
the Joint Congressional
Committee on Education –
all of which suited her
background.
• Described as a ”super social worker,” she
was a prime mover of notable laws on
education such as the Free and
Compulsory Education Act and the
Vocational Education Act.

• Her work in the Senate made her a

suitable addition to the Unesco executive
board, as she became the board's first
female member in 1950.
HEALTH AND NUTRITION
RH Bill (RA 10354)
• The Responsible Parenthood and
Reproductive Health Act of 2012″.

• The importance of RH Bill is that to

educate people on how to use all kinds of
contraceptives like injectibles, pills, and
the most popular to all, condoms. Also this
educates people about family planning and
birth control.
Lifted from: http://carlocheng.blogspot.com/2013/10/rh-bill-to-every-filipino.html?m=1
JUSTICE
• The Philippines has a handful of
legislations that address the problems of
abuse and violence against women.
 RA 9172
AN ACT PROMOTING THE
INTEGRATION OF WOMEN AS FULL
AND EQUAL PARTNERS OF MEN IN
DEVELOPMENT AND NATION
BUILDING AND FOR OTHER
PURPOSES.
Approved on February 12, 1992 under Pres. Corazon C. Aquino
 RA 9262
"Anti-Violence Against Women and Their
Children Act of 2004."
• SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy.- It is hereby declared
that the State values the dignity of women and children
and guarantees full respect for human rights. The State
also recognizes the need to protect the family and its
members particularly women and children, from violence
and threats to their personal safety and security.

• Towards this end, the State shall exert efforts to address

violence committed against women and children in keeping
with the fundamental freedoms guaranteed under the
Constitution and the Provisions of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, the convention on the
Elimination of all forms of discrimination Against Women,
Convention on the Rights of the Child and other
international human rights instruments of which the
Philippines is a party.
 RA 6725
• Act Strengthening the Prohibition on
Discrimination Against Women with
Respect to Terms and Conditions of
Employment, Amending for the Purpose
Article One Hundred Thirty-Five of the
Labor Code, As Amended
 OTHER NOTABLE
WOMEN FIGURES
IN THE PHILIPPINES
WHO MADE A MARK
IN DIFFERENT SECTORS
 Hidilyn Diaz (SPORTS)

• This Filipino weightlifter from Zamboanga City rose to

fame after winning a silver Olympic medal in the 53-kg
division of the women’s weightlifting event during
the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil,
ending the 20-year Olympic medal drought of the
Philippines. An Olympian since 2008 who has won
medals in the Southeast Asian Games and Asian
Games, she is now eyeing her first Olympic gold medal
at the upcoming 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Reese Fernandez-Ruiz
(FASHION/BUSINESS)

• Reese Fernandez-Ruiz is known for

successfully combining fashion,
sustainable development, and social
enterprise. As the woman behind
Rags2Riches, a fashion and design house
which empowers local artisans from a big
dump site in Payatas City by helping
them turn scraps of cloth and organic
fabrics into wonderfully-made rugs, it’s no
surprise that Reese appeared on Forbes’
list of social entrepreneurs under 30 in
2015. Rags2Riches is one of the social
enterprises in the Philippines that gained
success, having a consistent annual
growth in the company’s first 5 years.
MARGIE MORAN-FLOIRENDO
(BEAUTY)
• 45 years after being named Miss Universe,
Margie Moran-Floirendo maintains the
grace and poise that won her the crown.
For a number of years, she has been
known as the president of Ballet
Philippines, the premier dance company of
the Cultural Centre of the Philippines; but
she now moves on, and up, as she was
recently elected Chairman of the Board of
the Cultural Centre of the Philippines.
Apart from these artistic endeavours,
Moran is also focused on philanthropic
activities. She has worked closely with
habitat for humanity and has been an
advocate for women’s rights in Mindanao.
ALICE EDUARDO (BUSINESS)
• She broke the proverbial glass ceiling
in a male-dominated industry as
founder and president of Sta Elena
Construction and Development
Corporation, one of the Philippines’
leading building and real-estate
companies. her company is a strong
partner in nation-building as they
are helping address the country’s
energy shortfall by building power
stations in key provinces using
natural gas sourced from
Malampaya.
Photo credit to real and true owner.
 References:
• https://pcw.gov.ph/law/republic-act-9262
• https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/iq/53470-filipinas-first-ph-history
• https://asiasociety.org/philippines/women-philippines-inspiring-and-empowered
• https://psa.gov.ph/content/psa-issues-updates-women-and-men-philippines-5
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-_9uIMtz6U
• https://www.smartparenting.com.ph/life/news/womens-rights-in-the-philippines-a-list-of-laws-
protecting-women-and-mothers
• https://ph.asiatatler.com/society/power-women