24 April 2014- They came from different industries and sectors, even provinces and regions of the Philippines, yet their stories in China carried the same thread: dreams and goals, inspirations, challenges, and most of all, victories.
In celebration of Women’s Month, at the Dynasty Restaurant of the Renaissance Hotel on March 29, six top Filipino women in Shanghai and the officers and staff of the Philippine Consulate General in Shanghai came together in a round-table to discuss the achievement and contribution of Filipino women to the progress of the Filipino community and to that of Shanghai.
Consul Indhira C. Bañares, then Acting Head of the Consulate General, in her opening remarks presented the Gender and Development (GAD) initiatives of the Government and the activities that the Consulate General would implement in the year. She opened the discussion on the role of women in pursuit of economic growth and development; that while unquantifiable in some cases, their work contributes to the overall growth of a society. Women in different fields face difficulties and challenges in both societal and corporate cultures, yet how they respond to these determine the difference they make.
The six women who shared their stories were Grace Bunag-Nickel (academe), Annie Yap (banking and finance), Rafaela Chen (hospitality industry), Caroline Ong (creative industry), Lee Mie Yee (manufacturing), and Michelle Teope Shen (architecture and design).
Despite the odds, Bunag-Nickel opened the Philippine International School of Shanghai and saw enrolment rise from 12 to 33 students from only a few years ago. Yap arrived in Shanghai to manage a branch of Metrobank after the loss of a loved one, but she used this experience in passionately serving the bank’s clients and in assisting those in distress. Chen dedicated her time to train the Chinese in the hospitality industry and won a government award for it. Yee instilled discipline and showed compassion among her colleagues and staff of mostly Chinese nationality, and what should have been a short stint became a long-term management of Dai-ichi Electronics in Shanghai. Teope-Shen is an architect who volunteered to lead the Filipino community of Shanghai; she also dedicates her time to charity work for children with congenital heart disease.
True to their nature, the women expressed willingness and enthusiasm to support further activities of the Consulate General on gender and development. END