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A Women’s Month Special Supplement
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Pap-pabalo The Philippine Information Agency region 2 would like to express its gratitude and appreciation to the many individuals and groups who, unselfishly, provided their time, efforts and even resources to make this affair a success. Thank you are, therefore, in order; - Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA)-Cagayan through Dr. Mildred S. Abella who provided the venue and food during the awarding ceremonies since last year; - Belen B. Lim and Architect and Mrs. Rolando Diwa of Northern Forum and Northern Digest, respectively, for publishing a supplement which featured the 2012 and 2013 honorees; - The awardees themselves and their families who believed in the sincerity of the award despite its being a paperless one; - The men and women of OPA who unselfishly extended their time and efforts to make sure everything is in order before and during the awarding ceremonies; - Various offices of the government and the private sector which provided full support to the honorees; - and those nameless and faceless individuals who, in one way or another, contributed to this award. Dios Y mabbalo nikamu ngamin, Iddu! Philippine Information Agency
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The Honorees Firlmy Grounded Atty. Maria Milagros Fernan Cayosa......................................8 Meet Vicky, chemical Engineer, Farmer Engr. Vicky Collado........................................................11 A Cultural Icon Erlinda S. Cortez...........................................................13 From office to home, fulltime Maria Angela Enriquez Cua...............................................15 Fulcrum of Cagayan Valley development Mary Anne Escobar Reyes Darauay.......................................17 Womanhood personified Atty. Mila Catabay-Lauigan...............................................19 Service from whom to tomb The Laura Matammu Story...............................................21 A disaster path well taken Norma Carag-Talosig......................................................23 Bridging the gap of international waters Violy Wong ...............................................................25 Other Side of Perla Hon. Perla Cabalza-Tumaliuan..........................................26 Green Warrior Perla A. Visorro.............................................................28
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History of Iddu Honor Role Awards for Women in Cagayan Valley
The Iddu Honor Roles Awards for Women in Cagayan Valley was borne out of necessity in 2012. Then, the Operations Division of the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) Regional Office No. 2 in Tuguegarao City, Cagayan observed that during the celebration of Women’s Month in the city and elsewhere in the region, seldom is an awarding for outstanding women held, despite the presence of so many women from the various disciplines.
The Division went to work. With the entire staff of PIA led by its Regional Director Purita S. Licas, they identified women who deserved to be recognized during the women’s month that year in Tuguegarao City. To PIA’s Operations people, it was a paperless award. There was no nomination form to fillup nor are there other forms of documents to be submitted to the agency. Admittedly, the selection was revolutionary in the sense that those selected to be recognized were women who have been national awardees themselves at one point or another in their careers. Others, including a woman tribal chieftain, were cited for their leadership in leading their own people towards progress and development.. “For as long as these women played significant roles in the lives of their fellow women- and society in general, they deserved to be recognized. Of course the PIA is not an award-giving body to say the least. Yet, these women have been part of decades-old coverage
by the agency. In short, these women grew with PIA and vice-versa, “a press released said. Ten women from the various were selected. They became the pioneer-awardees in 2012 included Milagros Rimando (Government Service), Jovita Ayson (Law Enforcement), Urdujah Tejada (Technology), Purita Licas (Media), Olivia Pascual (Local Governance), Excelsis De Leon (Social Services), Mildred Abella (Agriculture), Cely Baltazar (Agricultural Research) and Marita Mondejar (Tribal Government). The women were interviewed for the PIA writing pool to come up with a feature on each of them and to be compiled as a document. During the Women’s month’s celebration of the City government of Tuguegarao, the PIA staff simply distributed copies of the 10-page document. The feedback have encourage the PIA to again come up with the said honor awards in 2013. This time, the award needs a name to distinguish itself from the rest of the other existing awards. The Operations staff suggested the name” Iddu” which means “loved one” in the Ibanag language. Likewise, the Ibanag term was used to suggest that the award originated in the Premier Ibanag City of the North, Tuguegarao. The word ‘rolls’ in the words ‘ honor rolls’ was dropped and instead, was changed to ‘roles’ to reflect the accomplishments and significant contributions of the honorees. Names for consideration piled up as early as August of 2012 for possible awardees the following year. As early as January ...to page 5 of 2013, 10 names stood out from a
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History ...from page 4 short-list which is
likewise referred to other sectors for scrutiny. This time, another unwritten rule was to be followed for an individual to be included: no protest of any form is to be received by the PIA against any of the honorees before the awarding day. Two weeks were allotted to float the names of the winners through the members of the PIAbased media organization, the i-Club. An unexpected dramatic twist happened when the Provincial Government of Cagayan through the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist decided to shoulder the expenses for a formal awarding night held at the Victory Hotel in Tuguegarao City on March 28. Unlike the 2012 awarding, the honorees were surprised to see themselves at the front pages of two local newspapers during the awards night. Not only that, PIA churned in a separate publication similar to what was distributed in 2012. That night, the Northern Forum and Northern Digest distributed their special supplements to likewise honor the 2013 women awardees. Each received a whole page full length feature article. By this time, the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO),
the Malacanang-direct agency of the PIA, has learned of the award. The 2013 honorees included were Crown Borja (Government Service), Alejandrina Correa (Rural Women), Josephine Decena (Entrepreneurship), Blessida Diwa (Tourism), Lolita Garcia (Local Governance), Edna Junio (Social Services), Belen Lim (Media), Chita Ramos (Culture and the Arts), Isabel Taguinod (Financial Management), Rosalinda Valdepeñas (Education). Former honorees were ecstatic months after the awarding in 2013. As a request from PIA, they are to verbally nominate future awardees from their own category for scrutiny by the agency. Director Licas and Cagayan Provincial Agriculturist Dr. Mildred Abella decided to institutionalize the award. Thus, for this year, under the rural women development projects, the provincial government once again supported the awarding ceremonies scheduled at Valley Hotel on March 27, 2014 at 6:00 in the evening. The harvest this year included were Perla Tumaliuan (Local Governance), Perla Vissoro (Environment and Conservancy), Norma Talosig (Disaster Management), Milagros Cayosa (Justice System), Angela Cua (Tourism), Linda Cortez (Culture and the Arts), Laura Matammu (Social Welfare), Maryanne Darauay (Government Service), Atty. Mila Lauigan (Local Legislation), Vicky Collado (Agriculture). Mrs. Cecil Dy, a local media mogul is this year’s guest of honor. (Benjie S. de Yro)
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Message Congratulations, Iddu! When we launched the same recognition awards in 2012 as part of the Women’s Month Celebration, the response has been overwhelming that two years after, we tried to outdo ourselves and we did. Our agency, the Philippine Information Agency, is not an award-giving body. But this is not actually an award where the honor is taken based on qualification points, but rather, a simple recognition of the efforts of our honorees. These are the women in Cagayan the PIA has covered all these years. The agency has been witness to some of their successes and failures in their quest for countryside development. While they come from various fields of endeavor, they have one thing in common; the development of themselves, their families and their respective communities. May the stories of these women in our midst become not only an inspiration to all of us, men included, but likewise a mirror to reflect upon ourselves how, in our own little way, we can contribute to the totality of progress and development in our ever-changing society. We salute these women as we salute the women all over the country as we celebrate this year’s Women’s Month. PURITA S. LICAS Regional Director
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Message When I learned about the Iddu Women Honor Role project of the Philippine Information Agency, Region 2, I had no second thought that this is a project which will come a long way after it has been staged two years ago. In fact, I feel a personal joy and pride as I was one of its first recipients when it was launched in 2012. I believe there are hundreds, if not, thousands of women out there deserving of recognition from their own peers. As a woman, it has been my aspiration to maximize efforts for my total development as well as my family’s and our client we vowed to serve. While service is a simple word, its panorama is quite vast that it takes one to look at it a different way. The award PIA and my office bestow on our honorees is hoped to start a movement for recognition to all women in Cagayan regardless of orientation, political beliefs and educational attainment. To all our Iddu, accept my congratulations. Mabuhay 2014 honorees!
MILDRED S. ABELA, Ph.D Provincial Agriculturist
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Firmly Grounded
By: Oliver T. Baccay
I
f badges, awards and recognitions should have been made part of a woman’s wardrobe, this adopted daughterlawyer of Cagayan Valley Region could have walk around on hunchback.
Supreme Court Chief Justice and Senate President Marcelo B. Fernan and Eloisa Nolasco Fernan, established her hold on Cagayan soil. She left the glamour and glitz of Cebu to settle in the much laid-back countryside
Known as the defender of the marginalized and an unshakeable advocate of family welfare, Attorney Maria Milagros Fernan-Cayosa, no doubt, can be one of the most decorated and popular women – lawyers in the country today. Mitoy, a term of endearment among friends, became a member of the prestigious list of lawyers in 1995 after passing the bar exams. She completed her Doctor of Jurisprudence at the Ateneo de Manila University in 1994 after a degree in Psychology at the University of the Philippines in 1984. Cebu’s loss is Cagayan Valley’s gain as Mitoy, sixth of the nine children of the late
living when she married Atty. Domingo “Egon” Q. Cayosa, Cagayan’s staunch environmentalist, human rights lawyer and a civic leader. In the region, Atty. Mitoy is one of the most sought after women leaders when it comes to the various regional affairs. Like her husband, she is also known as a passionate advocate of human rights. She zeroes in on cases which involve women, childred and other victims of abuses. As legal counsel of the region’s social welfare department for 11 years, she saw to it that due process is given to the clients. A Women’s Month Special Supplement
Defender ...from page 8
When she was chosen as one of the panel lawyers of the Judicial Bar Council to search for a new Chief Justice of the Supreme court, vice impeached Chief Justice Corona, Mitoy wrote history, Cagayano history actually. She became a household name and earned her own reputation, away from the shadows of her equally famous and revered father. She was, in a way, instrumental in the eventual positioning of the youngest Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno. It was history. But such honor did not come handy. When she conquered one of the seats in the Judicial Bar Council, she previously was the treasurer, secretary, director, and eventually President of the IBP Cagayan Chapter. In 2009, she was elected as the Governor
IDDU Honor Role for Women - 9 for Northern Luzon supervising Ilocos, Cordillera and Cagayan Valley regions.
The lady lawyer’s extensive exposures to local and national affairs paved the way to other affiliations to various organizations. As IBP Governor, she was a member of the commission on Bar Discipline and chaired the IBP’s Finance committee as well as the Children and Women’s Issues committee. She is also a member of the Philippine Bar Association and the ASEAN Law Association. She has extensive experience in both private and public sector, and served in the three branches of the government. She was office manager of the M. B. Fernan and Associates Law Office and assistant executive director of the Cebu Newspaper Workers’ Foundation. In the judiciary, she was private secretary and later special assistant to the Chief Justice at the Supreme
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10 - IDDU Honor Role for Women Defender ...from page 9 Court; court attorney of the Judicial and Bar Council. In the legislative branch of government, she was legislative staff officer and thereafter consultant at the Office of the Senate President from 1997-1998. She and her husband chose to engage in the private practice of law and organized the Cayosa Fernan-Cayosa Law Offices in Tuguegarao City. As the law firm’s managing partner, she specialized in family law and promoted women and children’s rights. At the University of Saint Louis Tuguegarao City, she was legal counsel and Corporate Secretary. She also taught law courses at the University’s School of Business Administration and Accountancy, and at the Colleges of Law of the former Cagayan Colleges of Tuguegarao, now the University of Cagayan Valley and the Cagayan State University. She is also tagged as the ‘Universal Lawyer’ as she gets involved in different human development programs in the region outside her duties, responsibilities and involvement as a lawyer. Proofs of these are her active
involvement in different civil society organizations which contributed to the region’s socio-economic development. She was a founding member of the Cagayan Valley North Convention and Visitors’ Bureau and of the University of the Philippines Alumni Association –Cagayan North, and past president of the Tuguegarao Ybanag Jaycees and was recognized with a Merit Award of Leadership. She was also the chairperson of the Cagayan Valley Region Child Welfare Specialist Group which is tasked with matching and counseling prospective adoptive children with qualified adoptive families in coordination with the DSWD; an accredited mediator for Court Annexed Mediation of the Supreme Court; and currently a trustee of the Ateneo Law School Alumni Association. The lawyer is also very visible in human development affairs in the region, even in street gatherings on justice and human rights advocacies. With these, there is no doubt that Mitoy is an achiever, unselfish lawyer, down to earth, very A Women’s Month Special Supplement
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Meet Vicky, chemical Engineer, Farmer By Charice Lorenzo, Office of the Provincial Agriculturist
J
ust what should be the essence of a woman living in the rural areas?
“To be productive and of service to fellow men,” quips Vicky Collado of Gonzaga, Cagayan.
‘To be productive’ can be double edged. It can mean that women in those areas should earn a decent living for her family. On the other hand, it can mean bearing children. Earlier, Vicky was employed at the National Irrigation Administration right after college. The first blow came when she gave birth to a stillborn baby followed by another who lived for only a month. Many would say that the ultimate goal of being a woman is to have children of their own but to experience what Vicky went through was traumatic, heartbreaking even, to say the least.
She wrote period to her young career if only to ensure a safe pregnancy. She went to work and established a sari-sari store from her separation pay. That move started it all. Past forward. Determined to curve her own niche in her community, she started to established her agri-based enterprisespalay trading, rice milling and piggery. She nearly gave up when a typhoon left her farm unproductive. It was the employment of the farm hands that made her decide to once again pursue her productivity. Her farm became a show window for the women folks in her community. Suddenly, the woman who left government service to be a mother dramatically transformed herself. Suddenly, her fellow women look up to her and suddenly, the men envy her business acumen. When the people pushed her to join politics, she was more than ready. She took advantage of her elected position as Sangguniang Bayan for three consecutive years by enacting ordinances and ...to page 12 resolutions all geared toward
From near depression, she made an immediate turn-around as she believed something better will happen. And it did. A Women’s Month Special Supplement
12 - IDDU Honor Role for Women Meet Vicky ...from page 11 the increase of productivity of women. Under her leadership, women of Gonzaga could hardly contain their excitement over the availability of livelihood projects and programs offered by the local government unit, line agencies and even non-government organizations. Her ability to persuade people has contributed to the enhancement of the total development landscape of her community, thus, her province. Her philanthropic heart has since started to beat for the less privilege in the area. She sends poor students to school, provided safe drinking water to an entire barangay and planted a thousand mahogany seedlings to a flooded barangay as a mitigation efforts against global warming. She started to serve as resource speakers not only in her town but in other areas as well. In fact, she joined a trade and investment mission to Thailand and Canada where she learned the technology dragon fruit production.
Vicky now wants to inculcate in the minds of her children and the young generation to keep interest in agriculture and value it. The need to feed a growing populace is compelling that appropriate attention must be given to agriculture wonders to provide sufficient food to everyone today and in the next generation to come. She believes that the country has all the resources and the technologies available and we must know how to use this responsibility. She may have a comfortable life now but she can still be sensitive to the burdens of less fortunate individuals. She vowed to use her talents and resources to help and serve the people and continue to be God’s instrument for development. After all, that should be the real meaning of womanhood, service to brethren. A Women’s Month Special Supplement
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Past Forward
Erlinda S. Cortes , A Cultural Icon
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o understand the Cagayano heart, mind and soul is to understand his pristine culture. One lady who embarked on such a noble and admirable undertaking of collecting a rich repository of Cagayan Culture is Lady Erlinda S. Cortez. Ma’am Linda (as fondly called by colleagues and friends) is a Professor of the Cagayan State
gained the warm appreciation and felicity of the people of the world. Through the years, Prof. Cortes has intricately and efficaciously toiled to build a name for Cagayan State University in the dimensions of cultural and performing arts, not only nationally but internationally as well. Cognizant to the tremendous role of culture and arts in the formation of the total and wholesome development of the human person, Prof. Cortes founded the CSU Culture and Arts Council. True to its mandate of promoting nationalism and preserving authentic and indigenous culture and arts, the Culture and Arts Council (CAC) under the indomitable leadership of Madam Linda has staged varied cultural shows showcasing ...to page 14
University. Her passion and genuine interest in culture and the performing arts was aptly recognize when she was appointed Assistant to the President on Socio-Cultural Affairs in 1989. Her appointment to this post was backed-by by her being an officer and member of various civic and social organizations and decades of active involvement in fostering social, cultural and literacy development of the youth. On top of these, she has had socio-cultural tours in Hawaii, Guam and United States where she A Women’s Month Special Supplement
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the unique culture of Cagayan and the Philippines in local, regional, national and international levels. The chorale Ensemble, of the pet projects of Madam Linda had a cultural tour in different States of America including Canada to present distinct Cagayanos dances and songs to our “kababayan” and multi-national audiences. Undoubtedly, this noble undertaking reaped honors and laurels for the Cagayan State University. Worth mentioning, is the promotion and enhancement of goodwill between CSU and the international communities including the generous support of these communities, the Chorale Ensemble brought home to CSU. The unpararelled feat of the CAC did not go unnoticed. For the penchant eye cannot miss the resounding contribution of this organization in the preservation of the rich cultural heritage of Cagayan, so that the coming generation of Cagayanos would
be able to deeply fathom the intricacies yet fascinating culture of their past and hence move ahead to the future. Thus, in fitting recognition of her immense contribution in the preservation of the rich cultural heritage of Cagayan and in the performing arts the Zonta Club of Tuguegarao Foundation, Inc., awarded Prof. Cortes a plaque of recognition as “Cagayan Outstanding Woman in the Arts on March 8, 1995. Most leaders leave an imprint to the human race. For Ma’am Linda, she will be passing on a monument of her legacy, her toils, her passion and dedication to the present and the next generation – a rare collection and repository of Cagayan culture and the performing arts. For the Cagayanos, her name will distinctly resound and resonate as a “Cultural Icon” of her time. Page (Excerpts reprinted from “Memoirs” The SocioCultural Office, Cagayan State Uni8versity, 19892003 page 9) A Women’s Month Special Supplement
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From office to home, fulltime By Thelma C. Bicarme
on.
T
he First Lady of Quirino province has a little secret to share. Read
Mary was able to adjust saying she is overwhelmed by the warmth of the people’s love and that she prefers to live in the province because of this. When the kids were growing, all she wanted was to support her husband. But fate has other plans for her. Suddenly, a major role landed on her lap when she was asked to run for Congress in the province.
In a no-holds-barred interview over the weekend, Maria Angela Enriquez Cua, wife to Congressman Junie Cua and mother to Congressman-son Dax, admitted she had a hard time adjusting her role from a career woman to full time housewife to Governor Cua, then the Congressman of the province. She said the transition of her ordinary life into that of a politician’s was not easy. As a young housewife, she used to get jealous with the people of Quirino whom she considered as ‘karibal’ to the attention of her husband who used to miss big and important occasions of their family because of his duties and responsibilities as representative of the people. Eventually,
She was hesitant but realizing the love of the people to her husband who expected a continuing flow of already established programs and projects, she was motivated to join the fray. As a a neophyte, she attended seminars organized by then Speaker Manny Villar and authored the nationalization of the Nagtipunan National High School law and likewise co-authored ...to page 16
Madam A Women’s Month Special Supplement
16 - IDDU Honor Role for Women From Office ...from page 15 important bills. As a wife, Mary Anne personally handles the needs of Gov. Junie. In fact, she personally buys and prepares his favorite salad. The house has become her kingdom where she reigns and made sure everything is in its proper place and perspective. Last year, she finally bowed out of the Regional Tourism Council as chair. Yet, tourism stakeholders believe she has left an indelible mark in the dream of the region’s tourist destinations of making it big someday. As a tourism czarina, she fully supports the priority programs of the Regional Development Council on the sunrise industry not only in her home province but
throughout the entire region. In Quirino alone, she initiated the planting of fire trees along the national road from San Antonio, Diffun to Nagtipunan town. The idea came from Congressman Dax, a concept he himself got from a visit in Palawan. Years from now, the trees will soon bear flowers. “I want the people to remember me as their friend, mother and partner who keeps in her heart a burning desire to develop fully the province we vowed to serve,” she said. For Mary Ann, development begins when ignorance ends.
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Fulcrum of Cagayan Valley development By Oliver T. Baccay
W
ho’s the better literal driver, the men or the women? The answer may start an endless discussion, backed by related researchers and heaven forbids, might even trigger the next world war of sexes. In the corporate world, believed to be the domain and eternal turf of men, times are a-changing particularly in the management of companies, be it government or the private sector. These days, it is no longer unusual to see the boss in skirt and blouse, hands akimbo, and driving her men to the pinnacle of development. Such is the case of the Regional Development Council (RDC) in region 2. It’s been four years since the RDC has no full-fledged chairperson in the absence of an appointee from the Office of the President. With this, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), the official secretary of the council, was forced to handle the job to manage the continuous quest for the region’s economic
development. As a result, a name reverberates, even louder than ever, in the entire length and breathe of bountiful Cagayan Valley: Mary Anne Escobar Reyes-Darauay. Before her temporary chairmanship to the highest policy making body in the region composed of local chief executives, regional directors and private sector representatives, Darauay was the secretary of the council and served several RDC chairpersons from 2005 to 2012. Maria, her term of endearment, has always been recognized as a government official who is well-equipped with the intricacies of document preparation, especially nerve-wracking resolutions as demanded by the council members. It may come as a surprise to the public but this Maria is the same person who had been playing a vital role in the achievement of economic and human development in the region. As Acting Regional Director, she has kept her midnight oil burning if only to fast track endless resolutions and nosebleeding related documents for the approval of council members. With the development ...to page 18 A Women’s Month Special Supplement
18 - IDDU Honor Role for Women Fulcrum ...from page 17 gained by the region earlier, she has been the acclaimed invisible hands in the region’s economic development policies and program formulations. A person whose outlook in life can be contagious, she exudes an air of selfconfidence coupled with an innate capability to lead. Afterall, she fits perfectly into the role. An economist from the University of Sto Tomas, she seems academically- insatiable when she tucked four master’s degrees highlighted by a master’s in regional and urban planning from the University of South Australia in 1998. After a stint with various government and private companies, she entered NEDA as senior economic development specialist in 1988 until her eventual promotion as assistant regional director for more than a decade. Today, she is at the beck and call of all development stakeholders in the region. During her first year as the officer-incharge of NEDA region 2, she reinvented the image of Cagayan Valle and branded it “Bountiful Cagayan Valley Region,” a tagline which re-introduced a united Cagayan Valley Region. It was designed to likewise attract more investors as she believed that the distinct
image brand will help a lot in marketing investment potentials of the region, locally and overseas. Yet along the way, she was behind the force in the crafting of the long-term Cagayan Valley Regional Development Plan, now the guide of the different agencies in achieving their targets. For all her worth, Director Mary Anne Darauay is no doubt one of the most loved and friendliest regional chief executives in the region as proven by the unity and camaraderie of the council members. Supporting a woman-leader like her in the lifting up of a burning torch towards economic growth and human development can be the ultimate challenge the region’s stakeholders will undoubtedly take.
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Womanhood personified By Gene V. Baquiran
B
efore the so-called women’s liberation movement came in vogue, a young Ibanag woman have broken the proverbial yoke of submissiveness to men. Today, she never regretted such decision and instead, went on her way to rub the feelings to other women she vowed to protect. For Atty. Mila Catabay-Lauigan, she has learned as early as when she was in the grades that men and women should be on equal footing- a belief she has mustered all these years. Such belief reached full bloom when she entered the exciting yet otherwise intriguing world of politics, a world earlier on ruled by men. These days, she prides herself as a master of multi-tasking and time management, she vowed to that at the end of everyday, she will be able o satisfy her clients and herself. Since she became a lawyer in 1995, this lawmaker as a woman has empowered hundreds of women from all walks of life in the different parts of the region and as far as the Ilocos. She maximized the use of media to reach the people. This is aside from her non-stop advocacies and continuing information and education campaign on the protection of women and children. For her, womanhood is the very foundation of every family, not only concern with household activities but go beyond it. “What makes women far better than men is their ability when it comes to multitasking and time management,” Lauigan admitted quoting a male foreign friend who told her earlier. ...to page 20
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20 - IDDU Honor Role for Women Fulcrum ...from page 19 An active member of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP)- Cagayan chapter where she was President from 2009 to 2010, she pursues her advocacies nonstop and unconditional particularly in the improvement of the criminal justice system, training police and investigators to respond to cases and how to preserve evidences, among others. Since 1995, she offered herself for free as speaker to different government and private training workshops sharing her expertise in judicial matters and women empowerment. As a three-term Board Member from 1998 – 2007 and from 2010 to present, she sponsored various resolutions geared towards the elevation of women to equal footing with men. These include the establishment of Violence Againt Women and Children’s (VAWC) Desk in the barangays, mandated
the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (Philhealth) to extend membership to Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) where dues will be paid by their respective employees and the project HOPE (Hub for Opportunities to People and Employment). Asked what she considers her three best achievements as a career woman, she enumerated them ,not in the order of importance as “having empowered other women, mastered the art of multi-tasking and time management and influencing others to be Gender Sensitive.” Unlike other high profile lawyers and politicians, Atty. Lauigan has always been a friend to everyone particularly those women, victims of violence, who needed free legal services. Despite her stature, she stubbornly refused to live overseas even if she can. For her, what you can take her out of Cagayan, you can never take Cagayan out of her. Come June this year, she will add another list to her ever-growing accomplishments as she will serve as Area Director of Zonta International District 17 this June. These days, Atty. Lauigan’s priority is on the provision of skills enhancement and livelihood to the women sector. Despite her several study grants abroad, she always comes back to where her heart belongs, the underprivileged women. If only for these, Lauigan stands taller than some men.
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Service from womb to tomb, The Laura Matammu Story By Thelma Bicarme
F
or the last 40 years, she has breath service for the marginalized, the abused and the often discriminated upon members of humanity, the descamisados, or the shirtless ones. She has seen misery in the eyes of a five-year old girl, and could even tell whether a woman is abused by simply watching her smile. For the last 30 years or so, Laura Agraam Matammu, Provincial Social Welfare Officer of Quirino has seen humanity at its worse state sometimes increasing its speed faster than even before social workers like her could lift a finger. As a motto of all social workers worldwide, the welfare of the people has always been the concern of women like Laura. Started as social worker of the then Ministry of Social Services and Development in the early 1980’s, Laura has always been a front liner in the various programs and projects of the social welfare department.
Unlike other professions, she is forced to dip her finger into the woes of humanity upon birth of an individual in her community until the time the same individual is called by his Creator. It was not an easy job, as all social workers would tell us. “It has always been fulfilling to do little things to relax tight situations of our clients,” she said. As early as when she donned her blazing red uniform, our simple yet jolly Laura immediately transforms herself as a mother to an abandoned child, a comforter to an abused wife, friend to a lost teener, a caring apo to an elderly and a friend to every persons with disabilities. In fact, she performs all these functions like a pro. “Been there, seen this and that but nothing compares to the fulfillment that ...to page 22 A Women’s Month Special Supplement
22 - IDDU Honor Role for Women Service from womb ...from page 21 after a hard day’s work, you know, you may have touched somebody,” Laura, looking at a herd of cattle descending the golden pasturelands of her province, noted. Laura leads by example. The uniqueness of her leadership could be gauged by the way her staff handles their clients 24/7. This uniqueness comes shining through particularly during disasters and calamities, man-made or natural. Matammu is described by her staff and clients as a woman with a big heart, a leader whose unique character has earned her an unblemished reputation from and among those she has worked with. In fact, her award as the “longest Serving Nutrition Action Officer by the DOH-NNC and Outstanding Partner in the “I Love Quirino” Program of the provincial government has been long overdue. For
Laura, she looks beyond awards and recognitions because as a woman service provider, these should come only as a bonus. These days as in the past, Laura is probably the busiest individual in Quirino planet as she attends to almost everybody from the break of dawn till sunset. Yet, she never complained as she is happy with what she does. At the home front, Laura changes her role so fast to serve her children, Ariel, Alvin and James Paul and husband Santi. To the three, however, she has always been the epitome of a good mother, a supportive mother-in-law and a doting grandmother to Bonux.. After all, one do not have to be a biological mother to children to become a model mother to your adopted children. Ask Laura. She has the answers.
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A disaster path well taken By Oliver T. Baccay
N
o longer is public safety and disaster management the domain of men in the Philippines. At least in the Cagayan Valley region, you don’t see a man in uniform to lead it. Instead, you have a dimunative yet tough, soft-spoken and serious disasterresponsive lady incident commander. Under such circumstances, the commander must not only be critical but should possess a unified strategic skills and capabilities to ensure public safety. Norma Carag-Talosig comes from the picturesque and idyllic barangay of Lemu, Enrile, Cagayan. As Regional Director of Office of the Civil Defense (OCD), she holds the reign of the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC) of Cagayan Valley as Chair. She is a holder of Career Service Executive Officer rank and currently the secretary of the Cagayan Valley Association of Career Executives (CV-ACE), the organization of the regional executive officials from various regional line agencies and government owned and controlled corporations. In 1979, this Itawes lady chief left the teaching profession for good and work as civil defense employee. Her management acumen and burning desire to really help her
countrymen to come out scot-free from any form of disaster did not escape the prying eyes of her bosses. While she started as one of those nameless and faceless employees, she was designated as assistant regional director from 2000 to 2005. Since then, there’s no stopping this Itawes girl from her career path. In 2005, she finally got her directorship and initially served Region IV-B up to 2009. But as they say, you can take the woman out of her town but you can never take the town out of the woman. In 2010, she returned to her beloved region, bountiful Cagayan Valley, as a fullfledged director up to the present. Her eagerness to serve without borders and reservations made our heroine join the pioneer batch of the ‘Incident Command System (ICS) Cadre’ training by the United States Department of Agriculture-Foreign Service (USDA-FS), a series of upscale rigid trainings from 2011 to 2013. Last year, she successfully graduated from the course and became one of the national cadres on ICS who have the capability to train different groups of disaster responders from the regional level ...to page 24 A Women’s Month Special Supplement
24 - IDDU Honor Role for Women A disaster ...from page 23 down to the municipal local government units. As a privilege, she belongs to the ‘National Incident Management Team’ who could be deployed in severely disaster-stricken areas in the country to augment rescue group managers. With this, Talosig started capacitating LGUs on different subject matters related to disaster preparedness, mitigation, response and recovery through partnership scheme. With her trainings on disaster management and risk reduction, she was instrumental to the conceptualization and adoption of the long-term Cagayan Valley Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Plan of 2013-2019. The plan covers the program of activities to be conducted regionwide to ensure safety of the populace and communities through preparedness, mitigation, response and recovery. Not one to rest on her laurels, Director Norma was also instrumental in the formulation of the region’s ‘Protocol on Warning and Disaster Reporting’ which unifies efforts of the regional government and non-government agencies in the issuance of bulletins, warnings, forecasts, education and information on any impending disaster. By now, any thinking disaster-exposed observer would admit that the project resulted to minimal or zero casualty during calamities in Cagayan Valley. The director also initiated the unification of rescue groups in the region and named them Federation of Cagayan Valley Rescue Groups to develop the culture of ‘bayanihan’ in disaster ravaged municipalities anywhere in the region. Under her tangerine sleeve disaster uniform is a champion producer as she
continuously burns her midnight oil to defend the region’s contenders in the National GAWAD Kalasag award. The award is a search for excellence in disaster risk reduction and humanitarian assistance which resulted in the two-time national champion win of Santiago City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council in the city category (2011-2012), and Cauayan City Rescue 922, another twotime national champion in the government emergency management service category (2012-2013). Under her supervision and scrutiny, other disaster councils won in the national level. They included the Municipal DRRM Council of Penablanca, Cagayan and Tumauini, Isabela, both two-time 2nd placers in the national level for the municipality level; the Matucay Elementary School and Allacapan Vocational School in Allacapan, Cagayan as 2nd placers for the schools, urban and rural category national level; and the Brgy Tallang DRRM Council as three-time 3rd placer in the national level of barangay council category. As a boss, she is best described by her staff as democratic and sometimes too lenient of a supervisor for comfort. To her, a noble leader should always have “attitude over skills and knowledge”. “She always encourages us to be innovative and explore our potentials towards the development of our professional competency to benefit the agency and clientele,” a junior civil defense officer said. For Norma Talosig, it is not enough that you experience disasters. Just like in personal lives,one should face the storm and come out of it, unscathed. A Women’s Month Special Supplement
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Bridging the gap of international waters Violi Wong’s amazing story of the Classic American dream come true began with her arrival in the USA from her native Philippines in 1989. From humble beginnings working two jobs to support her family, she has risne to national and international prominence as a marketing leader, coach and mentor, and team-builder who has shown many others the path to success and fulfillment. Violi is a visionary who is passionate visionary about helping others realize their dreams. She loves to positively impact people’s lives in health and wealth. Violy has over 18 years of experience in marketing, management, building companies, and developing international markets. She has built sales and marketing organizations in North America and throughout South East Asia including the Philippines, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia. She is the co-founder of two international marketing companies, Equanimity International and BioStyle Internation. Violi has provided her marketing and revenue growth expertise to, among others, 4-Life Research, Lexus International, Waiora International, and CEOSpace as Club President. She is President and CEO of Valeli Corporation, a global marketing consulting firm. She serves as global Marketing Advisor for FKC International, Inc., based out of City of Industry, California, and was responsible for marketing and business development for FKC’s North America operation. With Violi’s invaluable contribution, FKC grew from 40 M USD in sales to over 100M USD in three years.
She currently serves as BOARD OF Directors of several nonprofit charitable organizations, including Ballesteros Residents Association of Southern California and Cagayanos International Association. She is also the founder and director of the ASIA-USA Foundation, leading a medical mission to her home village of Paygan in April, 2012. She has been an active investor in real estate, start-up and small businesses, and he assisted many small business owners in finding capital and resources to start their businesses. She graduated from Philippine School of Business Administration majoring in Marketing and Management.
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Other Side of Perla
H
istory is not one of her favorite subjects in school. Yet, she did write history when she became the first Cagayano and in the entire Cagayan Valley to be elected as National Treasurer in the prestigious Philippine Councilors League, March 7, this year. That is aside from an equally-important national position as Public Relations Officer of the same organization. That‘s double win for Cagayan and region 2. In Perla Cabalza Tumaliaun, what you see is not easily what you get. Perpetually known as bubbly, youthful strategist, livewire and a cute loudmouth, this country girl from Barangay Atulayan in Tuguegarao City continues to defy traditions. As early as 1993 when she was awarded the Outstanding Louisian Knight, the signs of a woman leader, out to outshine those made of lesser stuff, have been there. That started her winning streak during her life in the academe which was successfully replicated when she finally tried the air of
politics in the mid 2000s. As chair of three committees, her favorites, actually, Perla can never be accused as doing nothing to effect change as far as issues on health, nutrition and sanitation, women and family welfare and public information is concern. At the Sangguniang Panlungsod, she is a member of nine committees and vicechairs three more committees. Her entering the political arena therefore is no miracle. It has been seeded as a student of the University of ...to page 27 A Women’s Month Special Supplement
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Other side ...from page 26 Saint Louis. However, it pays that she is into business, a sector which can be a requirement in entering politics. That would be self-explanatory. The various civic and professional organizations where she is an active member speak of how well she can manage people in the local and national level. To the residents of Tuguegarao, she is truly a Perlas Ng Bayan, a political branding she concocted during the last two elections which contributed to her winning. To the national political arena where she now belongs, Perla will definitely shine the brightest and can even pave the way to more roads wanting to be taken. (Benjie S. de Yro)
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Green Warrior
By Angely Lubo Mercado
S
he may have created so many critics in the name of environment conservancy yet she flawlessly earned the unconditional respect of those rallying behind it. Her warning: cooperate or perish. For Perla Visorro, a character all her own, the struggle against abusers of environment have reached a feverish pitch as early as when she was a speech and drama professor in Baguio City. Then, she has been exposed to alarming environmental issues and damages in the vast natural resources of the country as well as those of Northern Luzon. That would include Cagayan Valley. A self-proclaimed protector of the environment and a woman who thinks, plans, speaks and acts as if God-given resources are second skin, this Cebuana has created quite an image of herself in nearly all the areas she was assigned to.
In fact, her name alone signifies one of the sea’s most valuable treasures, the pearl. Like her namesake, she can be a gem to an area she vowed to protect. Pushed by her innate and unquestionable commitment to protect mother earth, Visorro uses her communication expertise to the hilt to effect
social change among all sectors. She’s virtually everywhere, thus earning for her name respect and admiration not only in the region but outside of it. Looking back at her career, backed by an impressive academic credentials, this woman from Dumaguete could have been the Chancellor of the University of the Philippines in Baguio if only she chased further a promising and challenging academic career as Professor of Speech Communication and Theatre Artsundoubtedly her first love. Back then, her love for theatre arts is undisputed and definite where she developed hundreds, if not thousands, of stage actors to refine their unique actingniche. But wait, she didn’t only train students to reach their performance level in theater productions. She molded them to use the medium and become instrument of social change. Yes, she is a perfectionist when it comes to encouraging students to pursue their desires, to fight what is right, and to speak out so as to be heard. Admittedly, she wanted her students to be molded as critically radical on social issues. In the mid 1980’s, UP students were captured in the old Baguio dailies staging protests through drama during those hot summer days in Session Road, Clenched fists were up ...to page 29 A Women’s Month Special Supplement
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Other side ...from page 28 against environmental malpractices in the Cordilleras. They were her students, earlier on coached in the ABCs of theater arts as a protest medium. But she did not stop there; she did not want to confine herself and spoil her talents in the four corners of the academe; there’s more to be done. Finally, at the height of her teaching career, she closed her books and neatly folded her costumes in theater, a decision she never regretted since then. She switched careers in her mid 40’s to finally devote her whole life to her true calling---working with the non-government organizations, giving less to herself while sharing more to others who are in need. At the height of the EDSA fever in 1986, she began her journey to a land she would later called home, the bountiful Cagayan Valley. She first found her niche at the Plan International where she undertook child welfare and rural development projects in the provinces of Cagayan, Isabela, Quirino and Nueva Vizcaya from 1986 to 1996. With her 10 years as program manager, she had known the very ills of society, be it social, political, economic and more so on the environmental front. Her experiences with Plan International pushed her further to establish her own nongovernment organization without thinking
how much it could financially cost her to hire additional personnel and rent an office. She did. After taking a few steps back and evaluate so far what she has done in the past and where it is all headed, she successfully founded the Cagayan Valley Partners in People Development (CAVAPPED), a NGO engaged in rural development work; that is social development and environmental protection and biodiversity conservation in region 02.
As President/Chief Executive Officer, she slowly created a network of her own. With combined communication expertise and a solid NGO work experiences, her own NGO now serves as the lead NGO in Cagayan Valley which facilitates the conduct of various Natural Integrated Areas System (NIPAS) processes for the proclamation of Northeastern Cagayan as protected landscape and seascape area. “Your own awareness on the issues is the best tool to win the support of the community in your cause,” she said, saying social consciousness is necessary to trigger a sense of outrage among the affected communities to make an action in protecting the environment. These days, her CAVAPPED is recognized as one of the most credible and transparent established NGOs in the country. Undeniably, she is one of the aces of environment advocates ...to page 30 A Women’s Month Special Supplement
30 - IDDU Honor Role for Women Other side ...from page 29 particularly the conservation of the Northern Sierra Madre Nature Park landscape and seascape. With her energy and proficiency in writing and researching that seemed unlimited, she had done various papers on environment management and protection and even on assessment of the disaster preparedness of high-risk barangays in region 2 which captured the fancy of local policy-makers. “The only way we can win more support is to educate, inform and inspire more people so that together we can influence key actors to support us,” she added, not minding the threats or dangers she may encounter. Her writings indeed put pressure on the politicians, academe, corporations, church, youth and all sectors of society to do their bit and start taking their responsibilities seriously. Winning the votes of the members of the Regional Development Council, she now chairs the Regional Multi-Sectoral Forest Protection Committee, a committee rarely headed by a woman. Aside from her other commitments in other sectors, she leads the protection of the physical resources within the untenured and tenured forestlands from any form of forest destructions, including the effective enforcement of other forest laws and regulations. It is worthy to note that under her
leadership, the committee was able to conduct successful anti-illegal logging operations based on information/tips from unidentified informants. Despite her frame, she still joins her committee to trek suspected denuded forest covers and even takes part on the operations in monitoring the entry and exit points of forest products in the region. Yet, for her, her legacy does not end here because her life up to the end has been devoted and committed for a cause, empowering the vulnerable effects of social change no matter what. “If you truly believe in a cause you are doing, you are but a sound fury signifying nothing,” she emphasized. Indeed, just like her name formed in the depths of the sea, Perla’s environment causes is timeless, classic and treasured across all sectors of Northern Luzon society. Like the rafflesia she discovered in Cagayan, Perla is bigger than than any one has ever thought.
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PROGRAMME Prayer Acknowledgement of guests......................................... BENJIE DE YRO PIA, Information Officer Welcome Remarks...................................................... Dir. PURITA S. LICAS PIA, Regional Director Looking Back............................................................. OLIVER T. BACCAY PIA, Information Officer Response .................................................................. 2012 and 2013 Honorees Inspirational Message.................................................. Dr. MILDRED S. ABELLA Provincial Agriculturist, Cagayan Introduction of the Guest Speaker................................. Dir. PURITA S. LICAS Message of the Guest Speaker....................................... Dr. CECILIA LA MADRID-DY Chair, Regional Tourism Council Awarding of Plaque of Appreciation.............................. Dr. CECILIA LA MADRID-DY Dir. PURITA S. LICAS Dr. MILDRED S. ABELLA Awarding of Honorees
Ms. SALVACION BACCAY Ms. ANGELY L. MERCADO Masters of ceremonies
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