LUCENA CITY—The head of over 9,000-strong Kalipunan ng Liping Pilipina (Kalipi) in Quezon province wants success stories to happen for ordinary women of the whole province.
“I want more ordinary stories of success to happen for Kalipi members, as they serve as inspiration for all women of the province, to the governor and to me,” Alona Party-list Rep. Anna Villaraza-Suarez, wife of Gov. David Suarez, told a jam-packed crowd of mostly women on March 31 at the Quezon Convention Center here for the celebration of Women’s Month.
The provincial women’s month celebration was attended by Quezon provincial government officials, led by Suarez; Quezon Mayors League, led by its president, Mauban mayor Ferdinand Llamas; and women leaders from several sectors celebrating their shared struggle, hopes and triumphs, with the theme “We Make Change Work for Women.”
Villaraza-Suarez—clad in a simple white dress for the festive occasion of Quezon women in pink T-shirts—cited Rebecca Real of Sariaya, who engaged in farming and succeeded to make her three daughters all members of the police force; and Maria Valerio of Tagkawayan, with seven kids who graduated in engineering, accountancy, nursing and marine transportation.
She narrated lessons during her first election- campaign foray in May last year when her husband was out of the country for two weeks.
“Humugot ako ng lakas sa kababaihan noong kampanya at doon ko nalaman ang aral ng halaga ng pamilya,” she said. She told the gathering of her livelihood programs and ongoing projects, such as the launching of Gulayan sa Bakuran; 114 Juana food carts; the establishment of a P10-million livelihood-training center in Mauban, the P18-million funding set up in all district hospitals for Quezon indigent patients; the scholarship program that has produced college graduates; and the launch of the Quezon First 1,000 Days of Life Program, which aims to ensure women and child safety and health for the first 1,000 days starting from conception of the mother up to the age of 2 years of the child.
She and Suarez touted Q1k program as the first in the entire country to be launched for a packaged intervention program of child and women health care that involves proper nutrition, regular medical checkup, vaccination and clean water to ensure the next generation grows up healthy and primed for success.
Piloted three years ago in 12 towns of Quezon, Q1K has already benefited 321 babies focused on the prevention of child malnutrition that results to loss of potential opportunities for the growing child.
The governor and the Alona party-list congresswoman led last month a three-day summit on Q1K in Tagaytay to assess and ensure the continuity of the program.
Meanwhile, awards were also given during the provincial women’s month celebration to outstanding municipalities of the province that won on gender and development focal-point system last year.
Provincial Gender and Development (GAD) officer Ofelia Palayan cited Mauban, San Narciso, Unisan and Agdangan for the outstanding awards and received plaques and P35,000 cash prizes.
Mauban also bagged the special awards for best GAD implementer in social infrastructure, social-waste management, resource allocation, and utilization and environmental management. Pagbilao got the same award for health services and disaster preparedness; Candelaria in public employment services; and San Narciso and Agdangan for resource allocation and utilization.