Lady staff of the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office in Isabela organized today community outreach to Agta families in Barangay Cabisera 10 in the City of Ilagan, Isabela.
As the staff takes time to reflect on Womenβs History Month, they reached the people at the grassroots level to provide free comprehensive human services such as food packs, clothing, and grocery items.
The group initiated the program for the less fortunate people in the community, particularly Aetas, to engage in a meaningful event that created a positive impact and expanded perspectives on the context of humanitarian concerns.
Agtas are one of the Indigenous Peoples residing in the mountainous parts of Luzon. They still depend on agriculture to generate income and sustain their basic needs.#
As part of womenβs month community outreach program, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Region 2 distributed tokens to beneficiaries of the Regional Haven for Women and Girls (RHWG) and Reception and Study Center for Children (RSCC) on March 21, this year in Lingu, Solana, Cagayan.
Through the assistance of Kalipunan ng mga Kawani sa Kagawaran ng Kalikasan (K4), Bureau of Forest Development Multi-Purpose Cooperative, and Lands Integrated Cooperative, almost 50 beneficiaries were provided basic needs such as clothing, towels, umbrellas, tumblers, papers, colored pencils, ballpen, blue-tooth radios and percolators.
In her message, K4 President Marina Malamug commended the efforts of the institutions for their hard work and commitment. She said the DENR is in support of the gender and development programs where empowering women, girls and children is one of its external activities.
Also gracing the event were Shirley Labugen and Rosario Corpuz, both center heads, and other DENR personnel.
The RHWG is an alternative form of family care to disadvantaged and abused women and girl victims or survivors, and their qualified dependent whose needs cannot be adequately met by their own families and relatives over a period of time; while the RSCC provides protection and rehabilitation services through temporary residential care to neglected, abandoned, abused and exploited children and those with special needs such as children at risk and who are in need of alternative family care.#
In celebration of Womenβs Month, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Quirino province conducted series of small group discussions with the provinceβs Bugkalot women informing them of their basic rights and the things they can do for environmental protection and conservation.
Women members of the Bugkalot Indigenous Cultural Communities in San Pugo in Nagtipunan town learned about Republic Act No. 9262 or the law that addresses violence against women and children, and basic environmental laws.
The participants also conducted a tree growing activity in their old community affected by soil liquefaction due to heavy rains brought about by Typhoon Ulysses in November 2020.
They pledged to maintain the planted Narra seedlings until these grow and eventually serve as barriers during calamities and will strengthen the soils in the affected area.
Forester Olivia Lazarte, gender and development focal person of PENRO Quirino, expressed her appreciation to the Bugkalot womenβs passion to restore their community through reforestation that will mitigate the effects of climate change.
"We thank you for your desire to reforest this area. The DENR will continue to provide you technical assistance in any way we can to protect your forests for your own good and for the benefit of the future generations," For. Lazarte said.
A tree growing activity in partnership with uniformed personnel, youth organizations, and other government agencies was also conducted in Dipantan, Nagtipunan for the same celebration.
Topics on public land disposition, and wildlife and other ENR laws were also discussed among the Bugkalot women in Landingan in Nagtipunan town, and DENR personnel in separate focus group discussions.#
Two of the most empowered women in Cagayan Valley have graced the first gender and development forum of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Region 2 yesterday as part of the Womenβs Month Celebration.
With the theme βInstitutionalizing Womenβs Rights and Protection Towards Healthy, Exceptional and Green Governance,β Vice Mayor Maria Olivia Pascual of Lal-lo, Cagayan shared the Legislative Actions in Ensuring Safe Spaces, Resilient, and Inclusive Governance Among Women and Men Residents of Lal-lo, while Dr. Ma. Raul Carmela Combate talked about empowered women leader.
Tagged as βBabaeng Maaasahanβ and awarded as the legislator with "Most Number of Ordinances and Resolutions Passed,β Vice Mayor Pascual is also the President of Zonta Club of Tuguegarao - a leading global organization of professionals which aims to empower women through service and advocacy and to build a better world for women.
In her talk, Vice Mayor Pascual shared how she ensured safe spaces, resiliency and inclusive governance among her constituents in Lal-lo town.
To ensure a safe community, she enacted ordinances on public safety, prohibition of carrying deadly weapons, prohibition of students and minors from entering recreational places during academic hours, and implementation of a drug-free workplace.
She also underscored how they practiced resiliency during the peak of the pandemic. βDuring the pandemic, we became more resilient by not only enduring the situation but how we transformed our actions,β she said.
On inclusive governance, the vice mayor shared some ordinances on how they involved the locals from children, youth, men, women and other stakeholders in their undertakings.
Dr. Combate, a well-known physician in the province of Cagayan talked about how to be an empowered woman.
According to Dr. Combate, it is important that women understand their purpose in life, how they make plans when faced with challenges and how should they treat others.
She also encouraged the participants to identify and master their type of leadership in order to empower others.
In her closing message, Director Gwendolyn Bambalan thanked the speakers for sharing their time and inspiring stories.
She reminded DENR employees that the true empowered indivuals are those who serve others. βPart of being empowered men and women is when we perform our duties well as public servants,β the regional environment chief underscored.
The forum was participated in by personnel of DENR regional and field offices, Environmental Management Bureau, and Mines and Geosciences Bureau.#
On International Womenβs Day, a collaboration between the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Region 2 and the Cagayan State Universityβs Biology Majors Organization has brought honor to the βmother mountainβ of Luzon also known as the Sierra Madre Mountain Range.
In an environmental lecture dubbed βTALAKAYAN IV: Addressing the Challenges of the Sierra Madre Mountain Range,β over 300 students and professors of the schoolβs organization learned about their role in conserving and protecting the mountain range.
DENR CV Regional Youth Focal Person Ralffe Concepcion enjoined the participants to become advocates of Sierra Madre and the environment by conducting environmental education in different platforms to generate public awareness, reporting illegal environmental activities, conducting tree-growing activities, and participating in policy-making discussions.
βEven when we are not living directly inside or nearby the Sierra Madre, we have a role to protect it as it serves as our shield against typhoon and other calamities,β he said.
Luzviminda Rosario of the PENR Office in Isabela also presented the rich fauna and flora, ecosystems, and different ecotourism sites found in the Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park. She emphasized the important role this protected area plays in the communities.
The basic laws concerning environmental management were also discussed by Senior Environmental Management Specialist Arthur Tanguilan of the Environmental Management Bureau.#
