Cayetano to women: Keep fit

CEBU, Philippines — Senator Pia Cayetano urged women to keep fit when she visited more 500 women leaders in Mandaue City who are beneficiaries of the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

The beneficiaries, who are barangay health workers, barangay nutrition scholars, day-care workers, and women’s group leaders, received ?3,000 each through the office of the senator, while the Office of Mandaue City Lone District Representative Emmarie “Lolypop” Ouano-Dizon also distributed over 500 grocery packs for the beneficiaries.

In her speech, Cayetano urged mothers to prioritize their health by exercising like walking, zumba, cycling, and doing other fitness activities to stay fit and healthy.

She said that during Mother’s Day, she and her daughters worked out with padel, her favorite sport, which she already started to promote during her visit last March 7 to the sports clinic in Barangay Pardo in Cebu City.

Dubbed as “Padel Para Sa Lahat” Cayetano conducted a grassroots sports clinic for the local community.

The sports program was organized by Padel Pilipinas, the officially-recognized Padel federation in the country, in partnership with Play Padel Philippines.

A racket sport that is growing in popularity worldwide, padel combines elements of tennis and squash. It is typically played in doubles on an enclosed court about a third of the size of a tennis court.

Cayetano brought in a coach from Padel Pilipinas Federation and used a tennis court to introduce participants to the sport since there is yet no padel court in Cebu City.

“I played padel with my daughters, nag-workout kami. And that was my message also here in Mandaue, na women have to take care of themselves. Huli na tayo kung magpapa-doktor tayo, kailangan unang-una, take care of ourselves, mind and body,” said Cayetano in an interview.

Cayetano also said that her knowledge and inspiration for making laws comes from her being a mother.

“Kaya nga, all the way up to the United Nations, ang sinusulong talaga is more women in public service because yung mga aspeto ng buhay natin, kasama diyan ang mga kababaihan. So kung ang gumagawa lang ng mga desisyon ay mga lalaki, which magagaling naman, pero hindi mo makita ang pagbubuntis, ang hirap ng pagbubuntis, yung hirap na babalik ka sa trabaho, ang baby mo super gamay pa, hindi pa makakilos, you need to take care of your baby. We cannot make the laws that will strengthen the family and the community. So women and men have to work together,” she said.

“That’s why very strong talaga, hindi ko gi-deny na my job as a mother is important to me, and I use those experiences, and I encourage local government officials to use those experiences, to serve people better,” she added.

She cited that we have local government officials who are women, even the governor of Cebu.

“So we need to harness ang experience so that the more na makahatag ta ng mga policies na supporting women who work, women who work because naa sila trabaho na extra income sa balay or they need to be outside of the home working in an office or working in government, we need policies that protect women,” she further said. — (FREEMAN)