𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐁𝐒 𝟑𝟏 𝐖𝐎𝐌𝐀𝐍: 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐖𝐎𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐇𝐎𝐎𝐃

𝙱𝚢: 𝙳𝚛. 𝚁𝚘𝚡𝚊𝚗𝚗𝚎 𝙼𝚊𝚎 𝙶𝚛𝚎𝚏𝚒𝚎𝚕 𝙳𝚊𝚣 𝙴𝚍𝚞𝚌𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝙿𝚛𝚘𝚐𝚛𝚊𝚖 𝚂𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝 𝙸𝙸 𝙳𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚐𝚊𝚝 𝙸𝚜𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝙳𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝗔𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗸𝘆 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘄 𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲, 𝗜 𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝘆 𝗲𝘆𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝘆 𝗼𝗹𝗱-𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿, 𝗼𝗳 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻, “𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘂𝗲𝗱 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗯𝘀 𝟯𝟭 𝗪𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻.” 𝗜𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗻 𝗿𝗼𝗼𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗱𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝘆 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴-𝘂𝗽 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀, 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗳𝘂𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝘆 𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗿𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝗺𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 - 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝗻𝗼𝘁? But what does it take to be a Proverbs 31 Woman? Have you heard about this long enough to care? What about it? How can we have more Proverbs 31 Women in this "fast-tracked" and "pull-apart" world subservient to patriarchy? What is the secret of womanhood? It had become my line of questioning that necessitates definitive answers, so let us dig deeper. Biblically, when a woman has a noble character, is wise, blessed, well-dressed, virtuous, selfless, and shares her blessings with others, she is a Proverbs 31 woman. But there is more to it than we must know. Being a Proverbs 31 woman is being a woman of wisdom, with her clothes exuding her dignity, strength, versatility, and commitment to God. But how can she remain committed? Is seeking refuge and warmth from Him enough? Maybe. Perhaps. Possibly. Nevertheless, discovering the embodiment of a Proverbs 31 Woman is challenging. It may take time, but as they say, time is the ultimate truth teller, and she discovers the truth when she trusts and enjoys the process. On the other hand, the slogan, “Babae ka, hindi babae lang,” comes to prominence in March, the month dedicated to women, also known as Women's Month, a time the world remembers the struggles of women throughout history. But why do we remember this? In a male-dominated society of the olden days, women had no rights, were made only for procreation, housekeeping, and marriage, and were seen more as beautiful ornaments or Barbie dolls than suitable partners of men. They can speak but only when pressed. But today, it is no longer the case. Women - "art on the sidewalk" no more! However, to what extent can we say we have gone past the perception of women as ornaments, dolls, or decorations? What have we achieved with our advocacy for women's empowerment? Can we consider all public and private offices gender-sensitive and GAD-compliant, not just on paper? Is everyone around you respect a person regardless of gender disposition? My point is: to address pressing issues like equality, better pay, fairness, misogyny, and violence, among others, and not just mere lip service during Women's Month. Women are at the forefront and considered a backbone of a better society. Because when we educate a woman, we educate a family, which is the foundation of society. Let us, therefore, uphold the pivotal role of women in the success and triumphs of our community and the development of our country. The thought of women having so much to offer excited my imagination. I cannot wait to see our government fully embrace and express this through legislation, initiatives, and policies. What a magnificent scene it would be! Well, it is not a mere idea. It is a plea, a joyous reminder. We tend to normalize fears, worries, and doubts piling up and threatening our foundation. We try to cement our societal roles, yet we make ourselves vulnerable to the pressures of doing more and having more - a saddening reality if you ask me. With a deep sigh of unhappiness, I realize how we persistently prove our worth and value in this competitive world. We try hard to be everything to everyone, hoping to have equal rights with men by leveling the playing field, like being informed and part of the wise decision-making in any system and departmental plans. A message from my workmate popped up from my Messenger asking me to give a short statement on International Women’s Day. I got carried away, and without hesitation, I wrote: "Today is a month-long celebration. Let us amplify our voices as a tribute to every empowered, resilient, and phenomenal woman, not only here in our province but also in the entire universe. "Let us honor our trailblazers and remember to mark and make our own history one step at a time every single day amidst confusion and disillusionment. "Cheers to all the amazing and fearless women of Dinagat Islands! Let us stand in solidarity, and hand in hand, let us shout, #ARIBAGenderIdentity! #ABANTE-BABAE!" Empowered. Resilient. Phenomenal. Amazing. Fearless. The list goes on indefinitely. But the final question is, “how do we gear towards a sustainable and progressive country as women?” Allow me to say and spark positive vibes in every woman reading this. May you have the will to uplift one another as we march on toward reaching our full potential, thus clothing ourselves with a fragrance of comfort that is very soothing and endearing. Learn to celebrate personal victories, have a positive outlook, break free from toxicity, and aim for healthier relationships. Let us conquer the world, dear women! Never underestimate the power of your mind. The law of attraction has its ways of moving us forward always. Train your mind to believe in your value and power. Aim for progression and not for perfection. When negativities knock you down, let determination wake you up. Don't give up until you reach the top, until your dreams turn into reality, not just in your nap. Greatness can be so overwhelming sometimes. Just don't get carried away; please make sure to remind yourself of that, too. Amid the storm, let us continue to strive for equal opportunities and chances not because we wear glasses but because we wear skirts, be it in employment, leadership, education, rewards, and recognition. Most importantly, no matter how you hobnob yourselves with experts, nothing beats a woman who relies on God to affirm her place in this world. Thus, the abovementioned attributes and instances magnify the art of womanhood. Waxing poetic, I basked on the intense thrill of having more elegant and noble Proverbs 31 Women in each community all singing to the tune of Miley Cyrus’ “I can buy myself flowers,” —a song I can consider a national anthem for independent women.   🅴🅽🅳 𝘕𝘉. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘯-𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘭, 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘯𝘦𝘸𝘴, 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴, 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴, 𝘱𝘰𝘦𝘮𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘦, 𝘋𝘦𝘱𝘌𝘥 𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘢’𝘴 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘸𝘦𝘣𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘦𝘸𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴. 𝘈𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵 (𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘰𝘴) 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘷𝘪𝘢 𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘭 𝘢𝘵 𝗽𝗮𝘂_𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗮@𝗱𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗱.𝗴𝗼𝘃.𝗽𝗵