In CDN, since the beginning

LOGARTA

It must have been the desire to make sure that females had a voice in CDN that the Legal Alternatives for Women (LAW) Center, Inc. was invited to be part of the paper. In turn Madz was asked and she opted for a collective effort that included Fe and myself.

This explains why many of my columns discuss LAW Center, Inc. activities. Actually, it made women’s experiences accessible to the community.

That made me take a deeper look at women’s issues. So in the parricide case of Alona Bacolod, I made an effort to get in touch with the Bacolod brothers who were witnesses of the case.

Due to that personal encounter their massacre gave me such a horrible feeling.

Of course, that also exposed me to the devoted Atty. Arbet Sta. Ana-Yongco.

She had such a contagious sense of commitment to the defense of women victims of violence. Perhaps that was because she was such an authentic Christian and Filipino.

Since, we were to provide the women’s perspective, we worked with the Hon. Agnes Almendras-Magpale and the LAW Center, Inc. in the preparation of the Cebu Provincial Women’s Development Code. It has been good to work with women advocates in government service.

Such was the experience of preparing the Heritage Cards on the Cebuana Trailblazers (Subu-anang Tag-una). First there was the trip to the Cebuano Studies Center to take a look at the history book prepared by Dr. Ines Villa Gonzalez. She donated this book which contained her speech fighting for the women’s vote.

Then there was the visit to the home of the Villas where a trusted household person provided the photograph of the beautiful female fighter for women’s suffrage. That became the cover photograph of the heritage cards.

Because of SHE VOICES, women advocates often linked with us for their activities. So we participated in activities such as “One Million Rising” where women danced to protest violence against women during Valentine’s Day.

We also joined marches and other activities in an “18 day campaign against violence against women”.

Above all we had an active presence in International Women’s Day Activities. Dr. Rhodora Masilang-Bucoy brought national celebration to Cebu last year and made sure of the SHE VOICES presence in a program which was joyful rather than pessimistic about women.

With the column, we have been able to tell women’s stories. On Father’s Day we wrote on Editha’s sense of wonder and appreciation over her blind father; lacking vision he was often more fully aware of goings-on in their household.

He had such pride and a sense of dignity, he worked to support himself and his family, rejecting the option of begging. We chatted with Maurita near her makeshift dwelling.

A fire that burned her home; this was the latest struggle she met. When the column came out, Eileen inquired what support she and CDN could provide.

Now let me include an Alay Kapwa member’s sharing on the gospel regarding Jesus touching and healing of the determined leper. Gloria narrated that her close friend’s mother was very sick, dying. She decided to go to Gasa sa Gugma of the Sisters of Mother Teresa.

When she told the sisters there about the very poor sick woman, one of them immediately went with her to be with the sick woman. Gloria was worried because the surroundings of the dying woman were dirty and smelly and so was the patient.

The nun hugged the woman and prayed, offering this special moment to Jesus. With Gloria she brought this woman to Gasa sa Gugma; here nuns cared for the patient till her death a few days later.

Doing SHE VOICES has been very stimulating, such a blessing. The experience has made me listen more intently, look more closely and deeply, feel more intensely — opened my heart, to embrace the world of experience like a lover.