by Lovely Laudette D. Gamba

Butuan City (February 15) -- March is not just a month of graduation but also Women's Month!

Through Proclamation No. 224, the first week of March was declared as women's week and March 8, 1988, and every year thereafter, as Women's Rights and International Peace Day.

This was reinforced by Proclamation No. 227, providing for the observance of the month of March as Women's Role in history month. This is further strengthened through Republic Act 6949, an act declaring March 8 of every year as a working special holiday to be known as National Women's Day.

The law reinforced the impetus for the celebration by declaring every March 8, as s special working holiday and enjoining employees from the government and private sector to participate in activities conducted by their offices.

This year's theme "CEDAW ng Bayan: Yaman ng Kababaihan", revolves around the theme of the 52nd Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. This year's theme focuses on the need to generate resources to finance initiatives on gender equality and the empowerment of women.

This year's celebration will serve as a channel for the nationwide campaign to promote the use of GAD budget to finance gender equality and women's empowerment programs at the national and local levels. The occasion shall also serve as a venue for reviewing gender mainstreaming efforts relating to GAD budgeting and exploring possible partnerships and collaboration with non-government organizations, development institutions and private sector for resource generation initiatives.

Edna Hontiveros, Forward Filipina Chairperson and Co-Chair of the Regional Development Council – Gender and Development Coordinating Committee (RDC-GADCC) revealed this during the RDC-GADCC meeting recently.

Caraga's activities for the 2008 Women's Month celebration will start on March 3 to be highlighted by a funwalk and hataw. It will be followed with a Kalandrakas sa Kababaihan on March 11.

The Kalandrakas sa Kababaihan will be held at the Commission on Audit (COA) grounds at Montilla Boulevard, this city. It will be a whole day event comprising of different activities as a means of fostering camaraderie among GADCC members and women in general.

Activities for the Kalandrakas includes a lecture on Magna Carta for women, trade fair and medical services such as bone density screening, pap smear, self breast examination, testicular self examination demo and blood pressure screening.

There will also be reflexology and massage, bingo, beauty parlor and foot spa. Ukay-ukay goods will also be sold during the activity as well as videoke challenge and disco.

Finally on March 31, there will be a sportsfest on the PNP-13 grounds. The activity will be participated by the GADCC member agencies, local government units of Caraga, and the academe.