Creation of council for women pushed

CEBU, Philippines — Amid opposition from the Cebu City Women and Family Affairs Commission (CCWFAC), Councilor Rey Gealon insists on creating a Cebu City Council of Women allegedly to comply with the directive of Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) from way back.

Gealon is pushing for the approval of the ordinance creating the CCCW to ensure that more women would be involved in the economic, social, political, and cultural activities of the local government.

“This proposed ordinance is a diligent effort to comply with DILG's sound directive to create a council of women," Gealon told The Freeman.

Gealon cited several memorandum circulars from DILG in connection with the creation of local councils for women.

“This would be a policy-formulation body outside of the main organizational structure of the local government, in fact, of the nine members of the Board of Trustees, only one is from the LGU who cannot be elected as chairperson. As such, this is not a duplication of the powers and functions of CCWFAC at all,” Gealon explained.

The rest of the members of this body would be from active and accredited women's organizations across the 80 barangays of the city.

“Thereby giving life to the letter of the law towards genuine women involvement - concerned and conscious, involved and articulative of the issues surrounding them, and not mere bystanders,” added Gealon.

The council will “assert and trailblaze for policies and programs without fear or favor, away from the clutches of politics and patronage as the members are elected for a two-year term.”

“If we are gearing towards a Singapore-like Cebu City, then, by all means, must we comply with law whose intention is noble and commendable,” said Gealon.

Earlier, CCWFAC expressed its opposition to Gealon’s proposed ordinance. According to CCWFAC executive director Jojo Lingaolingao, the proposed new council is a redundancy as its functions are similar to what is being done by various other offices, including theirs. (FREEMAN)