WOMEN EMPOWERMENT. Dagupan City Mayor Belen Fernandez and Senator Imee Marcos (fifth and sixth from left) pose for a photo with the participants of the Women's Summit in Dagupan City on Wednesday (March 20,2024). The summit was attended by over 3,000 women who availed of different services such as medical, dental, and legal. (PNA Photo by Hilda Austria)
DAGUPAN CITY – Over 3,000 women in this city availed of free medical, dental, and legal services held in a mall here Wednesday, targeted to gather information on how to further ensure women’s welfare.
In an interview on the sidelines of the Women’s Summit, Dagupan City Mayor Belen Fernandez said the event during the day catered to those aged 25 and above, but said a similar event will be held on Thursday for those enrolled in Grade 12 and college.
Aside from the different services given to the participants during the day, she said lectures on the Magna Carta for Women, Safe Spaces Act, Anti-Sexual Harassment Act, women empowerment, disaster preparedness, waste management, Cybercrime Prevention Act, feminine dental hygiene, and lecture for pregnant women or maternal care were discussed in the morning and afternoon sessions.
Fernandez said the target of this activity is to gather information on the pressing concerns of women in the city from all ages.
“The total result of the event will gather all the concerns of women to see how we can enhance services to women from health, legal, and civil registry services among others,” she said.
Senator Imee Marcos, the guest of honor and speaker during the opening of the summit, urged the participants to be empowered by knowing their rights since the government provides the necessary means and laws to protect women in the country.
She also urged the Sangguniang Kabataan (Youth Council) officials and members to focus on the issues of teenage pregnancy, mental health, and cyberbullying, which she considers as the pressing problems being faced by young people.
Meanwhile, Fernandez said the Justice Zone, a project of the judiciary wherein the local justice sectors come together to address problems in a locality, will be launched in the city on Monday.
“Once this is launched, we can help facilitate and speed up the cases of women in the city, specifically to give attention to the complaints from women who are abused,” she said in Filipino. (PNA)
