Senator Pia Cayetano during her interview with local media in Cebu City on Thursday, March 7, 2024. | Photo by Emmariel Ares
CEBU CITY, Philippines – Do not be intimidated by Artificial Intelligence (AI) as it can assist you to grow your skills for your career to flourish in the modern times.
This was the message of Senator Pia Cayetano to the women members of the Cebu Coalition of United Vendors Association (CCUVA) during her visit on Thursday, March 7, 2024.
CCUVA, with Maria Pino as its chairman, is an organization made up of more than 5,000 both men and women vendors in Cebu.
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In an interview with local media, Pino shared that the senator along with her brother, Senator Alan Peter, has long been giving financial help to their organization through the Presyo, Trabaho, Kita/Kaayusan (PTK) program.
For this year’s celebration of International Women’s Month, Cayetano paid a visit to the women vendors and relayed her message of encouragement.
With AI slowly becoming an integral part of how society works, the senator urged the hardworking women to not be afraid of the technology.
“We cannot deny that Al, the age of artificial intelligence, has landed. And it’s a very scary topic for many people, even for me. Because when you watch yung mga (the) sci fi movies, you can really see the potential of danger. But what we are told by experts is instead of being just afraid, we have to act upon it, we have to understand what it is,” she said.
While admitting that AI would have the capability of eradicating some jobs, she highlighted that it could also be utilized to create more opportunities in various industries, especially in business.
Cayetano shared that she had been studying which jobs could be negatively affected by AI with the goal of helping others understand it better.
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Moreover, she highlighted that AI could never replace the personal touch that human workers would add to every job output.
As an example, she mentioned how individuals, who are proud of their cooking abilities, could not expect AI to be a substitute to the services they would offer to others.
Instead, individuals can make use of AI as a tool to help make the work faster and more efficient while still keeping the human influence.
This is why it is essential that the workers themselves act now on improving their own skills to cope with the demands of time.
“So whether your job is graphic designing, architecture, ang personal touch, you know, a person who’s going to build a multibillion real estate project is not gonna consult the Al right? They are gonna consult a person who has that ability to bring out the best of Cebu, to bring out the best of humans. So don’t be afraid of Al. But you have to upskill yourself so that yung tools na pwede mong gamitin for Al, magagamit mo (the tools that you can use for AI, use it),” stated Cayetano.
In addition to this, the senator emphasized that women especially must find the answer to the question on how AI could help them balance their responsibilities at work and at home.
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In light of this, Cayetano acknowledged the need for the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) to step up in providing aid in this aspect to women in the workforce.
She also shared her desire for TESDA and local government units to be able to provide easy access to training programs on the use of AI to the female labor force.
Cayetano, who’s elated to be visiting Cebu once again this Women’s Month, expressed her support to the women professionals and relayed a message directed to the people around them.
“My message during this Women’s Month for the benefit of women, is to the people around the women, their bosses, the companies that earn money and thrive dahil they have women workers around them, Women’s Month is the opportunity for you to make the lives of women better. You want more productive employees, do what you can para yang life, ma-balance niya (so that you can balance your life),” she said.
Cayetano urged employers everywhere to recognize the other duties of women outside of work and help them create the perfect balance.
“Respect na most likely, ang imung woman, female worker is a mother, a daughter, a sister, naa din siya mga responsibilities sa home like taking care of an older parent, right? Taking care of a sick child. So if we as workers can also recognize that, then we will have a more productive Philippines,” she added.
(You respect most likely your woman, female worker is a mother, a daughter, a sister, she also has responsibilities at home like taking care of an older parent, right? Taking care of a sick child. So if we as workers can also recognize that, then we willhave a more productive Philippines.)
Locals took part in a padel sports clinic in Barangay Poblacion Pardo, Cebu City on Thursday, March 7. | Contributed photo
During her visit to Cebu, Cayetano also took this time to introduce the sports of padel to locals.
Padel, much like a cross between tennis and squash, is played by passing the ball over the net to the opponents’ side in an enclosed court.
This is part of her goal to spread awareness on the fast growing sport all over the Philippines by allowing the public to experience it for themselves.
Organized by Padel Pilipinas, the officially recognized padel federation in the country, Cayetano took part in a grassroots sports clinic in Barangay Poblacion Pardo on Thursday afternoon.
The senator herself played some friendly matches and participants were able to train with professional padel coach Bryan Casao leading.
As a former athlete and advocate for health, Cayetano shared how engaging in psychical activities such as this can bring about various benefits to one’s physical and mental health.
Cayetano’s first stop during her visit was a Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) company during her arrival in Cebu on Wednesday evening, March 6.
After her visit to the CCUVA, Cayetano met up with Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia and Lawyer Mae Elaine Bathan, undersecretary for legal and special concerns of the Department of Tourism, at the Cebu Provincial Capitol.