Tacloban City, Philippines – In celebration of March as Women’s Month, the National Council of Women of the Philippines (NCWP), the umbrella organization for women coalitions in the country, is spearheading the conduct of Womenomics Expo on March 31, 2009, from 8:00am to 5:30pm at the Senate of the Philippines, GSIS Financial Center, Roxas Boulevard, Pasay City.
In a press release from Philippine Information Agency, Dr. Amelou Benitez Reyes, NCWP President, said that NCWP is initiating the Expo under the auspices of the ASEAN Confederation of Women’s Organizations and in partnership with the Senate of the Philippines and the Department of Interior and Local Governments.
“The Expo is a follow-up activity of the ASEAN Regional Conference on Womenomics held on November 20 – 23, 2008 at the Manila Hotel. It serves as the translation of the Manila Womenomics Call to Action (the Conference outcome document) into concrete development interventions to ensure that Womenomics will become an effective development strategy to alleviate poverty and to promote the economic empowerment of women at the regional, national and local levels.” Reyes said.
The Expo consists of Womenomics Bazar, One-Stop Skills Training on potential micro-enterprises that women can initiate; Womentoring enterprises and One-Town, One Product (OTOP) of local government units (LGUs); Round Table Discussion on How to Cope with the Global Financial Crisis; Lecture on Personal Financial Freedom: The Key to Successful Entrepreneurial Venture; and Forum on Fund Sourcing for Womenomics Initiatives.
Among the available one-stop skills training are food processing; perfume and detergent soap making; single commodity input, multiple output; and agribusiness.
For the Round Table Discussion on Coping with the Global Crisis, exclusively for LGUs, women leaders and other civil society leaders, invited as panelists are Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Peter Favila, Undersecretary Cecilia Yangco of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) Director General Augusto Syjuco Jr.
For the Forum on Womenomics Initiatives, Senator Jamby Madrigal and National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women (NCRFW) Chair Myrna Yao have been invited as the Guests of Honor. The resource speakers will be the representatives of the various funding agencies.
Five hundred pesos registration fee shall be charged to those who would like to have a kit containing the best seller book of Mr. Chinkee Tan, reading materials, souvenir program, certificate, food (lunch and two snacks) and reserved seats in all activities. Deadline for registration is March 30. Onsite registration fee is still P500 but without food.