Gwen Garcia
“THE best man for the job is a woman,”
This was the message of Cebu’s Third District Representative Gwendolyn “Gwen” Garcia who was named one of the 100 Most Influential Filipina Women in the World (Global FWN100) for 2018.
“That is what we, as women, as successful, empowered Filipino women around the world, can inspire other women, and yes, even other men to achieve positive change in their own lives,” Garcia said in her speech during the awarding which was done in London, United Kingdom last Thursday (Sept. 14).
Garcia, also a former governor of Cebu province received the recognition under “Nicole” category of the Global FWN100, which was organized by a non-government organization, Filipina Women’s Network (FWN).
The Nicole category honors Filipino women “whose words, action and activism, inspire others to act and revolutionize society’s way of understanding traditional beliefs and customs” which could leave behind a “global Filipino imprint.”
“Not only did I face then the pressure of over four centuries of preconceptions of what a governor should be, I also had to bear the additional pressure to pave an easier path for future women leaders of the Province of Cebu. I had to show that being a woman could translate into substantive change and so I set out to do well, to do better and to prove that the best man for the job could be a woman,” said Garcia, who received the award during the 15th Filipina Leadership Global Summit Awards Ceremony.
The annual summit “brings together some of the top and most influential Filipina women, business owners, and professionals from around the globe to create a networking pipeline through reciprocal relationships,” said the Filipina summit website.
“This is a distinct honor that I share with all Cebuanas and proudly offer to our beloved Province of Cebu,” Garcia said in a text message to Cebu Daily News.
The FWN100 Award was conceived during the 2006 Filipina Leadership Summit held in the US as a result of the launching of their Pinay Power 2012 campaign.
According to the San Francisco-based international advocacy organization, awardees are chosen based on leadership roles, scope of position, influence in their respective fields, profession, and board affiliations from a pool of nominees around the world.
In 2016, Vice President Leni Robredo received the most coveted award among Filipina women.
Wilma T. Eisma, chairman and administrator of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, also made it to last year’s list of awardees.
FWN has expanded its search of the Most Influencial Filipinas to already include Africa, North America, South America, Asia, Australia, Antartica and Europe.