Thursday, April 25, 2013

ONE BILLION RISING



Today's topic i would have written for the preceding is­sue, right after the launching of 1 Billion Rising activity in Manila, spearheaded by the known stage actress Monique Wilson. Boy Abunda attended the said event upon personal invitation of Eve Ensler - activity originator and writer of the famous "Vagina Monologues". These known people are but few of those who intensely and extensively work for advocacy to end abuse or any violence against women and to hopefully empower them.

On behalf of all the victim­ized women, i am grateful for these above mentioned personalities for standing up for them and providing strength and courage where both (courage and strength) left them. The different backgrounds each of them have do not matter that much. What binds them together is the common purpose - raise the dignity of women - because even if the Philippines is already fortunate, in as far as the bill of rights for women, among the developing countries, abuses continue to predominate. As I said before, what is seen on official records is but the tip of an iceberg. Most women suf­fer in silence. And they are them whom i cry and pray for the most. I am not talking about their respective children yet.

When i was connected in one of the local NGO's, and assigned specifically in a women's desk/section, i was sent for trainings/seminars and got to learn many things regard­ing the plight of women. But it is one thing to be comforted (na hindi pala ako nag-iisa) and another thing to decide - whether or not to follow the flow. Orphaned at three months old, i spent my lonely childhood in a broken adoptive family, that having been such, i coined a personal principle not to let my children suffer the same pain i suffered. So, i stayed in a marriage that was very, very difficult!

Yesterday while i was on my way home, i met and talked for a while with a young friend who told me about the agony she experienced when she found out about the womanizing of her husband. Because we had very limited time to talk about the details of it and the considering explanations why such and such happen, the least i could do was asked her if her husband is a good provider. When she answered in the affirmative, i told her to thank God for giving you a husband like that. And don't give up praying for his conversion, as nobody can change an evil for an evil. The call for us is "Love revolution".

Very sadly i wrote this while in my mind was run­ning a thought: kon pareho la kunta kan papa (the father who i came to know) an mga babayero nga asawa, medyo magaan gad unta an problema san mga asawa. My father was a very good provider for us. That is how i remember him to be, apart from his ultra temperance. We, his children, left us with the fondest memory of him with his best character despite his relentless womanizing, that ultimately brought him down. Mao man gud iton an kinabuhi, diri mo ngani tuhayon an dapat mo tuhayon sa imo kalugaringon, ma­balik ngatanan sa imo iton. Kaparte iton san sinisiring nga mga universal laws - an mga balaud nga diri ug diri gud nababag-o, sadto ug tubtub san tubtuban san kalibutan. But the children must always forgive, lest they will suffer the same fate or consequence/s and worse, kay an pagdumot ug kasina permanente nga sa karat-an kit gindadara.

Women, if you are in the same situation (of being mar­ried to a womanizer), do likewise. STAY and do something about your own self. His problem is his, not yours. Mayda ka kalugaringon nga krus nga imo ginpapas-an. By making his womanizing your problem, you are adding the weight of your own cross. Concentrate on your own wellness. HOWEVER, if you are experiencing more forms of battering as add on to your husband's womanizing, then do something radical about your situation. The children will experience the anxiety and bitterness of your decision, but all of those will be temporary. All those are effects of their (your children) sentimentality because they have not yet seen the world as it is. When they finally decide to wake up and understand, they will move on with their own lives and learn the lessons they got from both of you, their parents. Eventually they will be grateful you showed them courage and strength.

The celebration of women's month will be this coming March. The 1 Billion Rising had been decided to launch last February 14. Chances are, it must be in time for the celebra­tion of the Hearts' Day, maybe because tungod iton san siring nga linya: ang babae minamahal, hindi sinasaktan. Sanglit, babaye, ayaw na tuguti nga padayon ka na la nga susugaron. Buhat ug salbara an imo kalugaringon! Cel­ebrate your goodness as a woman of God everyday! 

The greatest of my love for all of the women - empow­ered or not yet.

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