22 April 2016 – The Philippine Embassy in Nairobi conducted a Gender and Development Panel Discussion in celebration of International Women’s Day.
The panel discussion was moderated by Post’s Gender and Development Focal Person, Third Secretary and Vice Consul Francis Maynard S. Maleon, and the panel of resource speakers was composed of prominent Filipino women in Kenya such as Third Secretary and Vice Consul Majella Pua-Diezmos, Ibon International Regional Director Marlene C. Francia and retired UN Officer Ruth Batten.
In his Opening Remarks, Philippine Ambassador Bayani V. Mangibin said that the panel discussion for the day was arranged to coincide with the start of Overseas Voting for the 2016 National Elections as it has a common theme of empowerment.
Vice Consul Pua-Diezmos centered her talk on the achievements of the Philippines in the Diplomatic Field as she narrated how three female Philippine diplomats, Senator Helena Benitez, Senator Leticia Shahani, and Foreign Service Officer Rosario Manalo ran the pivotal the 3rd Conference on Women in Nairobi in 1985 which resulted in the landmark Nairobi Forward Looking Strategies. “The Strategies” provided a 15-year blueprint until 2000 which encouraged Women’s participation in peace and development. The international community credited the fight to the Philippines.
Ms. Francia narrated her history and experience as a photographer and videographer during a time when women in such careers were a rarity. She credits her family for having instilled in her that goals can be reached through hard work no matter what your gender is. She also considers herself lucky for having worked with men who never considered her as lesser than them because of her gender.
Ms. Batten described her early childhood which was a time when sexual discrimination, whether explicit or implicit, were still the norm. She narrated that there were times in her school when the girls were separated from the boys and while the latter were allowed to speak, the former were not.
After their introduction, hot button topics were introduced and the audience, composed of other members from the Filipino community, fully participated and engaged in the discussion. Topics that were tackled included improvements over the years in gender equality, differences between the treatment of women in Kenya and in the Philippines, the roles in the family of husband and wife. The men in the audience likewise raised issues of women wanting equality but not wanting the same responsibilities asked of men.
The scheduled one hour program extended to two hours due to the richness of the discussion among the participants.
The Gender and Development Panel Discussion in celebration of International Women’s Day is in line with the Philippine Government’s thrust to promote gender equality across all aspects of society. END