WOMENS MONTH 2023
Posted:January 8, 2024
Public Relations

Women’s Month in the Philippines is celebrated every March. Since 1988, Filipinos have dedicated the entire month to celebrating the achievements of the country’s women and raising awareness about domestic violence, sexism, and other hardships that women face daily. This event includes celebrating International Women’s Day, promulgated by the United Nations as a time for people worldwide to discuss civil and human rights and equality for women. In the Philippines, the observance of the National Women’s Day on March 8 of every year is anchored on the following legal mandates:

• Proclamation No. 224, series of 1988, declaring the first week of March each year as Women’s Week and March 8 as Women’s Rights and International Peace Day;

• Proclamation No. 227, series of 1988, providing for the observance of the Month of March as Women’s Role in the History Month; and

• Republic Act No. 6949 of 1990, declaring March 8 of every year as National Women’s Day;

The 2023 National Women’s Month Celebration marks a juncture in the advancement of women’s rights as it launches a new recurring theme from this year to 2028: WE for gender equality and inclusive society. It sparks a renewed commitment to the advocacy and banks on the gains achieved during the 2016-2022 theme, WE Make CHANGE Work for Women, which emphasized the need for compassionate and harmonized networks towards gender equality and women’s empowerment. https://pcw.gov.ph/national-womens-month/

The Cagayan de Oro City Water District (COWD), being a Government Owned and Controlled Corporation, has long been actively supporting women empowerment in the work setting. Over the years, female employees have been given equal opportunities in all aspects as with men employees in the district. As COWD has always been a gender-responsive organization, it supports the observance of the National Womens Day by enjoining all its employees to wear any purple-colored clothes on March 8, Wednesday, to manifest COWD’s solidarity to the campaign -- as the color purple officially signifies justice, dignity and loyalty to the cause.

To celebrate womenfolk for their immense value to society, COWD through the Public Relations and Information Division distributed hygiene kits and flyers as IEC materials to women of each of the four partner barangays in the poblacion area namely 5, 9, 11 and 12. Each hygiene kit contains purple wash cloth, sanitary pads, wet wipes, germ protecting soap, ethyl alcohol and 2023 Women’s Month Flyer. Relevant facts about women and the importance of celebrating women were highlighted in the said flyers.

On the other hand, selected COWD employees together with COWD Board of Director representing the Women’s Sector, Director Janet Floirendo, also participated in the Thanksgiving Mass, Motorcade and Zumba spearheaded by the City Government to kick-off the 2023 National Women’s Month celebration.