11 March 2016 -- It was indeed a singular privilege to meet in person and hear three Filipino-American women share stories of their personal journeys that brought them to the apex of their careers, and in doing so, raised the profile of Filipinos in the U.S. mainstream.
This was the scenario at the Distinguished Filipino Women 2016 event held at the Philippine Center’s Kalayaan Hall on March 08 hosted by the Philippine Consulate General in New York that honored three remarkable Filipino-American women achievers, namely Stella Abrera, the first Filipino-American principal dancer at the prestigious American Ballet Theater; Ms. Sheila Lirio-Marcelo, founder of the world’s largest, multi-million dollar online resource for finding and managing care, Care.com; and New York City Human Rights Commission Chair Carmelyn Malalis, Esq. The event was organized in line with the observance of International Women’s Day.
Guests at the event were given a glimpse of the personal struggles, challenges and inspirations that drove these women to where they are now. They each mentioned how the support of their parents and a strong family unit laid the foundation for them to reach for their dreams, and pointed to challenges that they faced in their personal lives that paved the way for the professional success that they attained. They also shared how the genuine desire to make a difference in society and to give back to the community continues to be their guideposts in reaching new heights in their respective careers.
In his remarks, Philippine Consul General to New York Mario L. de Leon, Jr. thanked the honorees for taking the time to participate in the event, and emphasized how the success that they have achieved in the U.S. mainstream brought honor not only to themselves but to the Philippines and the Filipino people as a whole, raised the profile of Filipinos in a positive way, and inspired kababayans both back home and abroad.
“We share in the honor that you have earned for yourself and for the Filipino-American community, which pays tribute to the remarkable qualities of the Filipino woman. Your stories are an inspiration to all of us, and we wish you even more success in your chosen calling,” the Consul General expressed.
Philippine Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York Irene Susan B. Natividad, who delivered the opening remarks, shared with the audience the important strides that the Philippines has made in addressing women’s issues. This included fully closing the gender gap in the fields of health and public education – the only country in Asia to do so – and ranking 8th out of 135 countries in terms of economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival and political empowerment of women. She also emphasized the critical role of women in the Philippines in the work towards attaining peace and security.
“What we have accomplished, however, is not enough as long as there are women and girls in the world who do not have access to education and health care, are victims of discrimination, and suffer from violence. We cannot sit back and say we have done enough,” DPR Natividad challenged.
Members of the audience had the chance to ask the honorees questions about their personal experiences and their advocacies. The questions ranged from issues of discrimination to sharing wisdom on achieving one’s dreams. At the end of the program, the honorees were given a special token of recognition for their exemplary achievement that “(inspired) the Filipino diaspora in the greater U.S. society.”
The “Distinguished Filipino Women” event is an annual activity jointly organized by the Philippine Consulate General and the Philippine Mission to the United Nations in New York. Held as an observance of International Women’s Day, its aim is to afford the Filipino-American community the chance to interact with Filipino-American women who have achieved remarkable success in their chosen fields of profession in the US mainstream, and to update them of the issues affecting women today. END