Philippine Embassy and Filipino Community in Chile Launch 18-Day Campaign to End Violence Against Women
A selection of photos from the Philippine Embassy’s official launch of the 18-Day Campaign to End Violence Against Women (VAW) on 26 Nov 2023.
SANTIAGO 30 November 2023 – Women empowerment through financial independence and personal safety and security were at the forefront of the Philippine Embassy in Chile’s official launch of the global 18-Day Campaign to End Violence Against Women (VAW), held at the Philippine Chancery in Las Condes on 26 November 2023.
The dual-purpose, whole day event was composed of a Pag-Ibig Savings and Housing Loan Presentation, delivered online by Pag-Ibig Resource Person and Members Services Officer, Ms. Andrea Gatbonton, closely followed by a Krav Maga Self-Defense Training by Chilean practitioners, Ms. Michelle Parra and Mr. Erwin Andres Vasquez Medina.
The Embassy organized these gender and development (GAD) activities to empower women OFs against VAW through financial independence and self-defense techniques.
Speaking to more than 40 Filipino community members in attendance, in addition to more than 130 others who watched the live broadcast via Zoom and Facebook live in Peru, Ecuador, and the Falkland Islands, Philippine Ambassador Celeste Vinzon-Balatbat underscored “the importance of financial freedom and independence, and maintaining a careful balance between the inflow and outflow of savings and income streams.”
Addressing an emerging trend in Chile wherein a number of OFWs tend to hastily transfer from one employer to another, the Ambassador similarly stressed “the value of taking care of one’s reputation and the collective image of Filipinos in the country, by taking the long-term view and honoring the rightful and just terms of their employment contract.”
The Filipinos in attendance benefited from key information on the benefits of Pag-Ibig membership; the profitability, safety, and accessibility of investing under the Modified Pag-Ibig 2 Fund or MP2; and, the advantages of the Pag-Ibig Housing Loan over other bank and mortgage instruments.
Ms. Gatbonton also readily answered a broad set of eager inquiries from the FilCom for almost an hour, despite the significant time zone difference between the Philippines and Chile.
The Krava Maga Training focused on how women OFs could protect themselves amidst an alarmingly increasing rate of petty crimes, even violent crimes, within and outside the Santiago Region Metropolitana. Krav Maga is an Israeli-conceived martial art, derived from a combination of aikido, judo, karate, boxing, and wrestling. It is especially effective in ensuring the safety of the women OFs, since it focuses on real-world situations and on the personal safety of the defender/practitioner. The FilCom activity’s instructor, Ms. Michelle Parra, is considered as one of the best Kram Maga trainers in Chile.
The Philippine Embassy and the Filipino community ended the full-day activity by enjoying Filipino dishes at a late lunch hosted by the Embassy. END
For more information, visit https://www.santiagope.dfa.gov.ph or https://www.facebook.com/PHinChile.