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Ni ROMEO ALLAN BITUYAN II
KUNG may dapat manguna makibaka para sa patas na jarapatan ng mga kababaihan, sila yaong mga babaeng kawal ng hukbong sandatahan.
Ito ang buod ng mensahe ni House Deputy Speaker Camille Villar (Las Piñas City) kasabay ng pagdiriwang ng National Women’s Month.
Ayon kay Villar, malaki ang papel na ginagampanan ng kababaihang bahagi ng tinatawag na ‘uniformed personnel’ ng pamahalaan sa pagpapanatili ng kaayusan, kapayapaan at demokrasya sa bansa sa kabila ng patuloy pa rin ng mabigat na hamon na maipaglaban ang pagkaka pantay-pantay sa lipunan.
Sa kanyang talumpati sa 2nd Infantry Division of the Philippine Army (PA), sinabi ni Villar na batid niyang dapat mag-doble sikap ang mga kababaihan para patunayan ang angking kakayanan gampanan ang tungkulin ng mga kasamahang lalaki, kabilang ang pagsagupa para sa bayan.
“What makes the achievements of women soldiers more impressive is the pressure they experience as they are immersed in the Armed Forces which has been considered for a long time as an only-male profession. It is not just about individual accomplishments but a reflection on the capabilities of women as a sector,” ayon pa sa Las Piñas City lady solon.
“I hope that as you embark on the activities you have organized for this year’s women’s month, you find the time and resources to pay it forward by encouraging girls to follow your path, guiding other women who are afraid and who face uncertainties, to shatter their own ceilings… This is your challenge. This is your vocation as women warriors. To continue the fight for gender equality,” mariing pahayag din niya.
Sinabi ni Villar na ang tungkulin na ginagampanan ng women soldier ay hindi lamang limitado sa pagtupad sa kanilang combat duties.
“Aside from combat duties, women have been invaluable in the security and development sector as well as in peace building activities of the government. They have contributed in making government policies more responsive to issues and concerns of women, thereby strengthening the role of women in nation-building,” aniya.
Iginiit din ng ranking lady House official na dapat mapalawak pa ang papel ng mga kababaihan partikular sa larangan ng pulitika, negosyo at iba pang larangan na una nang tinutukoy bilang male-dominated sectors lamang.
“I remember when I first entered the boardroom for a meeting with our corporate officers, I felt the doubts from almost every senior officers in the room who probably thought that I — a young and inexperienced woman — does not possess what is necessary to run a big business. But I was never rattled. Instead, it gave me the motivation to do my best and prove them wrong. I told myself, never let anyone turn your sky into a ceiling. And even if you see a ceiling, shatter it,” paglalahad naman ni Vilar hinggil sa kanyang personal na karanasan.
Samantala, pinasalamatan at pinuri naman ni Villar si Philippine Army’s 2nd Infantry Division chief, Maj. Gen. Roberto Capulong sa pagkilala sa malaking papel ng Filipino women sa pagsisilbi sa bansa at hukbong sandatahan.
“The 2nd Infantry Division, of course, has been the bulwark of our nation’s defenses against the enemies of freedom… The Philippine Army should also be proud of the fact that it is at the forefront of women empowerment and inclusivity,” sabi pa ng mambabatas.
Nabatid na unang tinanggap ang mga kababaihan sa AFP sa ilalim ng Republic Act 3835, na ipinatupad noong 1963, subalit ang kanilang gawain ay limitado lamang sa non-combat at administrative duties.
Noong 1993, ipinasa ng Kongreso ang RA 7192 na nagbibigay pahintulot sa mga sundalong babae na na maging trained combat soldiers. Sa datos noong taong 2020, ang Army ay mayroong six female officers ang naitalaga bilang battalion commanders, 795 naman ang female officers, at 3,777 ay women-soldiers.
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