TRECE MARTIRES CITY, Cavite- According to Philippine Commission on Women (PCW), the Philippines has the smallest rates of gender disparity in the world. Based on the report of the Global Gender Gap Index 2020, the country remains on top in Asia, in terms of closing the gender gap. It ranked 16th place out of 153 countries for gender equality.
To support the program of the government stipulated in the Magna Carta for Women, the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) in Calabarzon launched a video contest held last March 2020 in celebration of the women’s month.
Anchored to its theme, “We Make Change Work for Women," the activity aimed to identify successful women in agriculture sector through video presentations developed by Farmers’ Information and Technology Services (FITS) Centers and become an avenue to promote awareness on gender equality, Violence Against Women and their Children (VAWC) and Gender and Development (GAD).
Seven (7) FITS Center submitted video entries showcasing the story of success and challenges of the outstanding ‘agriwomen’ in their community.
However, due to the pandemic, the contest was postponed in March. As of July, the video entries garnered 43,803 views, 4,868 likes, and 1,404 likes.
Last July 15, the Center led an online awarding ceremony where the ‘agriwomen’ featured in the top 3 videos were invited to share their stories in "AgriWomen Talk" segment.
ATI IV-A Center Director Ms. Marites Piamonte-Cosico gave a video message during the online awarding ceremony, together with ISS Chief Dr. Rolando V. Maningas and CDMS Chief, Mr. Romeo D. Rodil.
In her message, CD Cosico encouraged every gender to support the Magna Carta for Women and eliminate discrimination and VAWC.
FITS Center Naic, Cavite bagged the 3rd place with special awards, ‘Highest Number of Likes’ and ‘Best Storyline.' Meanwhile, FITS Center Morong, Rizal ranked 2nd place and received the award of ‘Best Cinematography.' It was a proud moment for FITS Center Cavinti, Laguna which landed the top spot for AgriWomen 2020 video contest. The winners received certificate of recognition and cash prizes.
Edited by: MGJ