Mrs. Philippines 2017 tells women: Know your rights

CEBU, Philippines — “Know your rights as a woman.”

This was Mrs. Philippines Universe 2017 Marilou Tolico-Villanueva’s message to the women during her talk on Friday at a BPO-sponsored event in Barangay Lahug, Cebu City.

She said women, particularly wives, should not allow their partners to hurt them because in the long run, it becomes a habit and eventually an attitude or a character of their husbands.

“We have women’s rights and everyone should be aware of that,” said the 41-year-old beauty queen who hails from Cebu City.

Villanueva was invited by business process outsourcing firm ePerformax as speaker in its activity as part of the observance of Women’s Month. She said woman empowerment is not only about beauty and fitness.

She said it is also being able to gracefully manage and balance things from marriage to family life amid all the inevitable challenges, and being able to stand up and speak up for their own rights.

A mother of four and a wife for 21 years now, Villanueva said that being empowered does not have to be holding power or position of authority.

“It’s about being able to stay in grace under pressure, being able to understand people, being able to consider other people’s feelings, opinions and hardships, and being able to sympathize, being able to forgive and give more,” she said.

She also did not miss on tackling about the most pressing issue that women face, that is, abuse and violence.

“When that time comes, that you can feel you are being abused, you have to learn to say no and you have to learn how to say stop. You have to learn how to manage the situation and how to react to your partner’s behavior. Not to control but be able to communicate,” she said.

Villanueva founded Philippine Honorable Queens that supports women, making them empowered, uplifting their confidence as well as inspire them.

The organization collaborates with the government to reeducate youngsters through seminars or talks from schools to private firms.

The campaign revolves around “anti-domestic violence” crossing around the country and other Southeast Asian countries with other beauty queens to channel the message to all women to further protect them from abuses.

She said the organization also advocates for women empowerment not only touching on beauty and physique but promoting the essence of “real beauty.”

“Real beauty is having that kind of grace that we should be able to manage and not to control. Real beauty is being able to project yourself gracefully,” she said. And instead of struggling, she said one should rather learn to juggle. — FPL (FREEMAN)