WOMENS MONTH (Philippines 2017)

National Womens History Month can trace its roots back to March 8, 1857, when women
from New York City factories staged a protest over working conditions.
International Womens Day was first observed in 1909.
Congress established National Womens History Week to be commemorated the second
week of March in 1981.
In 1987, Congress expanded the week to a month.
Laws in the Philippines:

Proclamation No. 224 s. 1988 declaring the first week of March each year as Womens
Week and March 8 as Womens Rights and International Peace Day;
Proclamation No. 227 s. 1988 providing for the observance of the Month of March as
Womens Role in History Month; and
Republic Act (RA) 6949 s. 1990 declaring March 8 of every year as National Womens
Day.

2017 Theme: WE Make Change Work for Women

o WE stands for Women Empowerment empowering women enables them to
confidently and meaningfully engage with appropriate institutions to ensure that
they contribute to and benefit from development and changes. Thus, womens
empowerment will make the change that we are espousing or any development
effort responsive of womens concerns.
o Make Change Work = MCW = Magna Carta of Women making change work
for women necessitates strengthening the implementation of the MCW at all levels.
It means putting in place functional mechanisms as well as implementing and
making known to citizens, programs and services that address strategic gender
needs of women.
o We / us or kami / tayo in Filipino who is going to pave the way for an enabling
environment for women to be empowered? Who is going to ensure that the MCW
is implemented at all levels? Who is going to make change work for women? It all
of us, in our various capacities whether as government officials and employees,
members of the private sector, the academe, non-government organizations, or as
private individuals can be partners for a change that is gender-responsive. It
emphasizes our collective effort, collaboration and participation to ensure that
women will not be left behind in the pursuit of change.

Activities this month:

o Production and Distribution of IEC (Information Education and Communication)
Materials January to March 2017
o Serbisyo Para kay Juana March 8
o Online Advocacy: #BilangBabae I am a #PartnerForChange March 1-20
o We Make Change Work for Women Micro-Retailers March 10
o Announcement of National Womens Month Celebration (NWMC) in Flag Raising
Ceremony February 27
o Press Briefing on Estado ni Juana and the 2017 NWMC March 7
o CHANGE: A Womens Summit March 30-31
o We Make Change: Women Inspiring Women Series March 1, 8, 15
o Online Advocacy: #JuanaSays March 1-31
o 2017 Cine Juana Film Festival March 20-24
Source: http://pcw.gov.ph/WomenMakeChange