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Women's History Month: 4 inspiring modern Filipinas

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Meg Pio de Roda 

<p>The modern Filipina is one who finds strength in uplifting both herself and others. She is driven by passion, love, and a greater purpose. She lives neither to solely abide by nor defy the stereotypes set by those around her; rather, guided by her values, she defines herself and her path on her own terms.</p><p>As Women’s History Month comes to a close, here are four inspiring Filipina women of various fields -- educational equality, business, literature, and medicine, respectively -- who exemplify these definitions.</p><div><strong>1. ELEANOR PINUGU</strong></div><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B4g-PX5nCOh/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style="background:#FFF;border:0;border-radius:3px;box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15);margin:1px;max-width:540px;min-width:326px;padding:0;width:calc(100% - 2px)"><div style="padding:16px"><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:row;align-items:center"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;flex-grow:0;height:40px;margin-right:14px;width:40px"> </div><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:column;flex-grow:1;justify-content:center"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;margin-bottom:6px;width:100px"> </div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;width:60px"> </div></div></div><div style="padding:19% 0"> </div><div style="display:block;height:50px;margin:0 auto 12px;width:50px"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B4g-PX5nCOh/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style="background:#FFFFFF;line-height:0;padding:0 0;text-align:center;text-decoration:none;width:100%" target="_blank"><svg height="50px" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 60 60" width="50px" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd" stroke="none" stroke-width="1"><g fill="#000000" transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 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560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></a></div><div style="padding-top:8px"><div style="color:#3897f0;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:550;line-height:18px"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B4g-PX5nCOh/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style="background:#FFFFFF;line-height:0;padding:0 0;text-align:center;text-decoration:none;width:100%" target="_blank">View this post on Instagram</a></div></div><div style="padding:12.5% 0"> </div><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:row;margin-bottom:14px;align-items:center"><div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;height:12.5px;width:12.5px;transform:translateX(0px) translateY(7px)"> </div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;height:12.5px;transform:rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px);width:12.5px;flex-grow:0;margin-right:14px;margin-left:2px"> </div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;height:12.5px;width:12.5px;transform:translateX(9px) translateY(-18px)"> </div></div><div style="margin-left:8px"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;flex-grow:0;height:20px;width:20px"> </div><div style="width:0;height:0;border-top:2px solid transparent;border-left:6px solid #f4f4f4;border-bottom:2px solid transparent;transform:translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"> </div></div><div style="margin-left:auto"><div style="width:0px;border-top:8px solid #F4F4F4;border-right:8px solid transparent;transform:translateY(16px)"> </div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;flex-grow:0;height:12px;width:16px;transform:translateY(-4px)"> </div><div style="width:0;height:0;border-top:8px solid #F4F4F4;border-left:8px solid transparent;transform:translateY(-4px) translateX(8px)"> </div></div></div><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:column;flex-grow:1;justify-content:center;margin-bottom:24px"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;margin-bottom:6px;width:224px"> </div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;width:144px"> </div></div><p style="color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:17px;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:8px;overflow:hidden;padding:8px 0 7px;text-align:center;text-overflow:ellipsis;white-space:nowrap"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B4g-PX5nCOh/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style="color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;line-height:17px;text-decoration:none" target="_blank">A post shared by Mano Amiga Philippines (@manoamigaph)</a>.</p></div></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://www.instagram.com/embed.js" type="text/javascript"></script>.</p><p>&quot;To me, being a woman is embracing our unique capacity and intuitive abilities to make a difference and empower others. It is about helping break down barriers to make the world kinder and the path less challenging for the generations of girls after us.&quot;</p><p>When tracing her journey from being inspired to becoming an inspiration, one can&#x27;t help but come to a simple yet profound conclusion: Eleanor Pinugu is the epitome of paying it forward.</p><p>After the generosity of others allowed and encouraged her to complete her education as a scholar, Pinugu went on to play an integral role in the establishment and maintenance of Mano Amiga PH, a nonprofit school and community center that &quot;seeks to provide higher quality education, holistic formation, and sustainable livelihood for underprivileged communities,&quot; as well as in the co-founding of She Talks Asia, a &quot;women-focused community and impact agency that seeks to amplify conversations on diversity, equality, and inclusion.&quot;</p><p>Doing so has only solidified her belief in the &quot;power of education and holistic formation to uplift a person&#x27;s life,&quot; as well as strengthened her resolve to &quot;show girls and the rest of the world possibilities which were previously unimaginable.&quot;</p><p>It is in the acknowledgement and appreciation of her past that now drives her, not out of obligation but of passion and personal values, to fight for the futures of those -- particularly women -- who have not been so fortunate.</p><p>&quot;When we talk about advances in women empowerment, my worry is that we&#x27;re so quick to celebrate the victories but forget that not everyone gets to enjoy [them],&quot; she explained. &quot;In our fight towards achieving a level playing field, it’s important to really ask what we should be doing for those in poverty-stricken areas.&quot;</p><div><strong>2. MARIFE ZAMORA</strong></div><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="ABS-CBN News/File" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/abs-cbnnews/a_images/azure/marife-zamora.jpg"/><figcaption><em>Photo by Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/File</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>&quot;A woman today is an agent of change… Her power lies in empowering others. She urges women to go for it, knowing firsthand that too often they talk themselves out of opportunities simply because they don&#x27;t meet an expansive set of predetermined criteria.&quot;</p><p>With every congregation of the Filipina CEO Circle -- an association of 65 Filipina CEOs that encourages Filipinas in the workplace &quot;to achieve their full potential and pursue their ambitions to… lead their organizations&quot; -- comes further proof of the irrefutable separation of feminism and female leadership from mere idealistic fantasy and wishful thinking.</p><p>Such was surely among the goals of Marife Zamora when she co-founded the group in 2016. &quot;What I would like to see is for more Filipinas to aim and go for the top job in the organizations they&#x27;re working at,&quot; she said. &quot;Women shouldn&#x27;t be afraid to be a leader in the workplace and in the home.&quot;</p><p>In matters like these, Zamora is the furthest one can be from &quot;all talk,&quot; with her list of past and present achievements extending far beyond this particular endeavor to include serving as chairman of Convergys Philippines, board director of both PLDT and Pru Life Insurance Corp. of UK, chairman of the board of Willis Towers Watson Insurance Brokers Inc., and president of Arzam Logistics Inc., among many others.</p><p>Armed with personal experiences and observations, she continues to push for the continued increase in gender diversity in leaders. &quot;The lack of women CEOs,&quot; she explained, &quot;[remains] to stymie progress economically and socially. It has been proven that firms with women in the most senior position are more profitable, more socially responsible, and provide safer, higher quality customer experiences.&quot;</p><div><strong>3. KATYA LICHAUCO</strong></div><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Katya Lichauco" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2022/life/03/31/20220331-women-history-month-4.png"/><figcaption><em>Photo courtesy of Katya Lichauco</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>&quot;To be a woman is to be unapologetically yourself… I think many people… believe that womanhood is one thing or another, but it&#x27;s our multifaceted nature that defines us.&quot;</p><p>From the suffragists&#x27; Susan B. Anthony to #MeToo&#x27;s Tarana Burke, history has time and time again served as proof of the sheer power of the female voice and of the societal advancements that inevitably accompany it.</p><p>Providing the modern woman with the still much-needed platform to make her sentiments heard has been at the front and center of the work of Katya Lichauco who, at only 24 years old, has undoubtedly made waves when it comes to turning a lifelong passion for writing and storytelling into an agent of change.</p><p>&quot;I believe that when girls know that they can speak up on issues that they are most passionate about, they will realize that they have the power to do something about them in fields they want to pursue,&quot; Lichauco shared. &quot;It is not enough to just give these women a platform… but to truly listen to them for feminism and change to actually be sustainable.&quot;</p><p>Not too long ago, she and a close friend published &quot;Big Deal: An Anthology of Filipino Women&#x27;s Stories and Art,&quot; in hopes of &quot;celebrating the myriad of ways there are to tell a story and recognizing the inherent beauty of women lifting up other women.&quot;</p><p>She currently serves as co-founder of the independent local bookstore Staff Picks and is a co-author of &quot;Fearless Filipinas II,&quot; a work she hopes will present young girls all over the nation, regardless of interest or circumstance, with role models who will empower them &quot;to venture out into the world knowing that they can achieve whatever they set their minds to.&quot;</p><div><strong>4. RISSA PINEDA-FRANKS</strong></div><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Rissa Pineda-Franks" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2022/life/03/31/20220331-women-history-month-3.png"/><figcaption><em>Photo courtesy of Rissa Pineda-Franks</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>&quot;Being a woman means being able to live true to my values and empower others for change.&quot;</p><p>A career in medicine, like many others, is a balancing act -- a seemingly endless effort to find some place of contentment between what you want and what you need, what you deserve and what you get, what you need to or should do and what you can.</p><p>But according to overall head of St. Luke’s stroke service and University of the Philippines College of Medicine professor Rissa Pineda-Franks, there is one particular struggle that stands out among the rest in affecting her and those in her line of duty.</p><p>&quot;My experiences stem a lot from the balance of career and family life,&quot; the mother of children aged 10 and 12 shares. &quot;Being a woman in my field makes it harder. It involves a lot of emergency and time-sensitive cases… It&#x27;s a reality and it&#x27;s one of the hardest things for me to balance.&quot;</p><p>While she voices her continued hopes for future opportunities to better balance being a mother and a career woman, Pineda-Franks does not fail to express her appreciation for society&#x27;s long overdue recognition of women -- particularly mothers -- who have managed to make notable contributions to the workforce.</p><p>Having spent over 20 years working in an industry that has witnessed a steady and notable increase in female representation in all sectors, there is no doubt that she speaks from personal experience when she confidently relates that &quot;there is more acknowledgement and credit to what women can do in this day and age.&quot;</p><p>&quot;[Society] can see that women can move, in the sense that they can put into action what they feel is right,&quot; she said. &quot;It is a two-way street: women feel like they can do it, and society perceives that capability.&quot;</p><p>In a world that has historically done everything in its power to make women feel small, leadership by example is invaluable. It is through this that the past is learned from, the present is inspired, and the future is empowered.</p><p>These Filipinas serve as living proof of all a woman, no matter the age or passion, is capable of becoming when she refuses to be set down and intimidated by ignorance and bigotry.</p><p>(Meg Pio de Roda is a high school junior who enjoys using her passion for reading and writing to explore the fields of environmental science, history, and sociology.)</p>

As Women’s History Month comes to a close, here are four inspiring Filipina women of various fields.