During the Spanish times we had Gabriela Silang  of Ilocano descent, who led people against Spanish Colonization.  She serves as an inspiration for the nationally recognized women’s group GABRIELA.  Can we say that she paved the way for Filipinas to rise above the cookie cutter mold of what women should be? Definitely.As women, the roles we fulfill are broad and require strength of heart, mind, spirit and energy.  We are fortunate to live in a time when women are recognized for their potential not only to be leaders of their own home but leaders of their community, town and even our whole nation.

In our very own province of Tarlac, we have had numerous women leaders.  Former Mayor Lita Aquino of Moncada set a good example of leadership.  She spearheaded the successful women’s cooperative of Moncada, which has helped many of her constituents. She was once the president for Tarlac LMP (League of the Municipalities of the Philippines) as well.  Moncada is now known to have the cleanest public markets in Tarlac.

Margarita "Tingting" Cojuangco, another female leader has served as governor of Tarlac.  Also a former presidential adviser, She is now president of the PPSC (Philippine Public Safety College) responsible for keeping excellent standards in educating the men and women who are our future policemen/women, firemen and criminologists. She is also called the Mindanao lady of Gawad Kalinga, an organization that builds homes for the less fortunate which she has taken as her priority philanthropic project.  

In Sison, Pangasinan we have Mayor Kimmie Cojuangco whose advocacies in education and agriculture have given way to big improvements in her municipality.  Realizing that the future of any community lies in the hands of those who educate our children, she has given teachers of her municipality motivation to improve themselves in their profession.  Her thrust in making Sison a self-sustaining municipality in terms of food production strikes the basic need of every human.

We can’t forget our incumbent congresswoman Rep. Nikki Teodoro whose bill on child protection laid the foundation for laws to ensure the safety of children all over our country.  Their welfare to her surprise was taken for granted but with her efforts, laws for their protection has been carved in stone. She is also behind Amor Village built in Anao, Tarlac.  Amor Village serves as a haven for childre with special needs who have been neglected and abused.  Golden Rooster Foundation is another project of hers giving assistance to families of soldiers who have been injured or killed in combat. I must mention that her mother-in-law Ditas Teodoro was once assemblywoman of Tarlac whose thrust was giving livelihood and improving the schools.

Lastly and certainly not the least, we have our beloved Auntie Cory.  Known to be a prayerful woman with a mild demeanor, she faced challenges in life with a humble heart strengthened by her faith in God.  Brought into the limelight due to the death of her husband former Senator Benigno 'Ninoy' Aquino she became the force that changes Filipino History. She is the first person ever to  lead a nation in a peaceful revolt, uniting them in the restoration of democracy of a country. This made her the first female president of the Philippines and the first female president of any country in Asia.  Under her leadership we saw the birth of the new Philippine Constitution safeguarding the country from dictatorship. She was also behind the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law wherein land was given to the farmers helping alleviate them from poverty. It must be mentioned that Tarlac saw a boom of development with regards to schools, roads and other infrastructure during her tenure. In our own town of Paniqui, she was selected by Time Magazine as their woman of the year in 1986, given numerous awards, nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize, recognized as one who changed history and considered to be one of the most influential figures in Asia.

It is a good time to acknowledge that Tarlac has such a rich heritage with regards to women leaders.  The women of Paniqui have so many figures to draw inspiration from.  In the small barangays we have our daycare workers who help our preschool children fight malnutrition and neglect.  In our own municipal office we have our vice-mayor Gin Linsao who works hard for her advocacies addressing climate change and women’s welfare. In our own Sangguniang Bayan we have a lady kagawad who we fondly call Tyang Aning.  We have Sylvia Soriano; head of our MSWD behind the numerous livelihood projects that helped empower the out of school youth and indigents. We cannot forget our teachers, how they fervently strive to improve the schools for the future of our children. There are so many women who touch the lives of people in our municipality in big and small ways.

In this vein we must say thank you.  Thank you to the Gabriela Silangs, the TingTings, the Ditas', the Litas, the Kimmies, the Nikkis and the Corys of our province, of our nation, for you have served as an inspiration to us.  We pray that our province produces more of those your caliber, women whose intentions are not for power but for service.  To truly leave a mark in life, you must start with your heart.

                                                                                                                                       -  Anna Varona-Rivilla