GMA presents the country’s first figure skating drama 'Hearts on Ice'

  

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AT A GLANCE

• The country’s first-ever figure skating drama on primetime television is headlined by the fresh pairing of Sparkle actress Ashley Ortega as Ponggay and multi-talented actor Xian Lim as Enzo.
• Completing the star-studded cast are Amy Austria as Libay, the cold mother of Ponggay who doubts her dreams of becoming a figure skater; Tonton Gutierrez as Gerald, the rich and charming brother of Yvanna and Libay’s ex-lover; Rita Avila as Yvanna, the hostile mother of Monique and a rival of Libay; Lito Pimentel as Ruben, the supportive and loving father of Ponggay; Ina Feleo as Coach Wendy, one of the best figure skating coaches in town who sacrificed her career for love; Cheska Iñigo as Vivian, the controlling mother of Enzo and Yvanna’s ally in persecuting Ponggay.

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Xian Lim and Ashley Ortega

Beginning March 13, GMA Network brings to light another groundbreaking show with “Hearts on Ice.”

The country’s first-ever figure skating drama on primetime television is headlined by the fresh pairing of Sparkle actress Ashley Ortega as Ponggay and multi-talented actor Xian Lim as Enzo.

Completing the star-studded cast are Amy Austria as Libay, the cold mother of Ponggay who doubts her dreams of becoming a figure skater; Tonton Gutierrez as Gerald, the rich and charming brother of Yvanna and Libay’s ex-lover; Rita Avila as Yvanna, the hostile mother of Monique and a rival of Libay; Lito Pimentel as Ruben, the supportive and loving father of Ponggay; Ina Feleo as Coach Wendy, one of the best figure skating coaches in town who sacrificed her career for love; Cheska Iñigo as Vivian, the controlling mother of Enzo and Yvanna’s ally in persecuting Ponggay.

Adding excitement and inspiration to the series are Miss Philippines Earth 2020 Roxie Smith as Monique, a competitive figure skater and Ponggay’s best-friend-turned-enemy; Kim Perez as Bogs, the whimsical friend of Enzo and secret admirer of Ponggay; Skye Chua as Sonja, an excellent figure skater who bullies Ponggay and Monique.  

“Hearts on Ice” follows the story of Ponggay who aspires to fulfill her mother’s broken dreams of becoming a figure skating champion. Despite Ponggay’s leg impairment, she works hard to be a figure skater to receive validation and love from her mother.

Later on, Ponggay discovers an online content creator whose music brings out the best of her capabilities. As she begins to pursue her passion with the right music, Ponggay meets the snobbishly attractive Enzo who appears to be her anonymous online idol and the one who will soon make her fall in love.

Will they be each other’s strength and inspiration to continue dreaming? Does love really conquer all challenges?

Meanwhile, Ponggay’s determination will also be tested as she faces some wicked figure skaters who see her as a big joke in the industry. Until one day, she meets Monique, a talented figure skater from abroad. They form an unlikely friendship without knowing that their mothers used to be bitter opponents in the figure skating world.

How will their camaraderie slowly turn to hate and competition? How far can Ponggay go to achieve her dreams and make her loved ones proud?

“Hearts on Ice” is made possible under the supervision of GMA SVP for Entertainment Group Lilybeth G. Rasonable; VP for Drama Cheryl Ching-Sy; AVP for Drama Helen Rose Sese; Program Manager Edlyn Tallada; and Executive Producer Darling Pulido.

The creative team behind this inspirational drama is composed of Creative Director Aloy Adlawan; Content Development Consultant Ricky Lee; Creative Consultant Jojo Nones; Head Writer John Roque; Writers Liberty Trinidad-Villaroman, Marlon Miguel, and Brylle Tabora; and Brainstormer Louize Andrei Al-Sheri. 

Catch the world premiere of Hearts on Ice — under the helm of esteemed director Dominic C. Zapata — this March 13, weeknights at 8:50 p.m. on GMA and at 11:30 p.m. from Monday to Thursday and at 11 p.m. every Friday on GTV. 

44 candidates vie for Mr. & Ms. Posture Philippines 2023

BY ANNALYN S. JUSAY

  

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AT A GLANCE

• Mr. and Ms. Posture Philippines is  organized by Mabuhay Chiropractic Clinics and takes pride in being the only pageant promoting the natural health lifestyle, with an essay round as one of the criteria for determining the winners.

• The pageant's creator, Dr. Michel Tetrault, noted the growing awareness of the people - particularly the young - to the benefits of chiropathy as a result of the holding of Mr. & Ms. Posture Philippines. Corollary to this, the University of Makati will soon offer a formal degree in chiropractics and the curriculum is being finalized by the Commission on Higher Education.

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The 44 candidates for Mr. & Ms. Posture Philippines strike a pose (Photo by Fab Manila)

A bigger and better staging of Mr. and  Ms. Posture Philippines is expected this year with the presentation and sashing ceremony of the 44 candidates in Makati City recently. This is a big jump from the 24 contestants who joined the pageant during its first year.

Mr. and Ms. Posture Philippines is  organized by Mabuhay Chiropractic Clinics and takes pride in being the only pageant promoting the natural health lifestyle, with an essay round as one of the criteria for determining the winners.

The pageant's creator, Dr. Michel Tetrault, noted the growing awareness of the people - particularly the young -  to the benefits of chiropathy as a result of the holding of Mr. & Ms. Posture Philippines. Corollary to this, the University of Makati will soon offer a formal degree in chiropractics and the curriculum is being finalized by the Commission on Higher Education.

Darling of the Press winners Hanna Michaela Amistad and John Paul Gundayao

"This is your future. We're just here to facilitate this. And why do you think this (chiropathy) is necessary? Because everybody has a spine, you need to have your spine checked for the same reason you need to have your teeth checked, except that we already have plenty of dentists here in the Philippines and not many chiropractors," Dr. Tetrault pointed out.

Also present at the event, which was hosted by Mabuhay Health Officer and Miss Progress International 2017 Jedaver Opingo, were the 2022 winners: reigning Mr. Posture JP Riego who thanked the pageant for opening doors of opportunities for him and Ms. Posture, Ma. Yzabelle Reonal, who credited her winning for changing her life and even treating her mild scoliosis.

Chosen as the Darling of the Press for 2023 are John Paul Gundayao from Tarlac and Hanna Michaela Amistad of San Mateo, Rizal.

Certificates are awarded to each contestant by Mabuhay Chiropractic Clinics founder, Dr. Michel Tetrault (second from right) and Mr. & Ms. Posture PH 2022 winners

Aside from Gundayao and Amistad, here are the remaining candidates of the 2023 Mr. and Ms. Posture Philippines who come from all over the country. Details of the finals will be announced soon.

Male contestants:

Alfred Natividad (Davao de Oro), Asa Agayo (Baguio City), Cirilo Lagnason Jr. (General Santos City) , Edviro Fuentes Jr. (Tacloban City), Emerson Gomez (Tarlac City), Evangel Monreal Jr. (Oriental Mindoro), Gavin See (Filipino-Chinese Community), Jastine Cornejo (San Pedro, Laguna), Lee Zarate (Municipality of Mawab), Joeser Sinfuego (Indigenous People's Community) , Julius Paquingan (Iligan City), Mark Joseph Mangampo (Binangonan, Rizal), Markel Belo Gamboa (Pasig City), Rashid Mir (Las Piñas City), Raymart Manlangit (Victoria, Laguna), Richard Masangkay (Sta. Rosa, Laguna), Roman Solito (Cavite Province), Sandro Cordova (Caloocan City), Shawn Khrysler Sulit (Quezon City), Victor Cheng (Nuro Upi, Maguindanao) VR Relosa (Bulacan), Zandro Gomez (Mandaluyong City)

Female contestants:

Angelica Arvin Camu Evora (Oriental Mindoro), Ardian Vienne Casulla (Pasay City), Arvi Hazel Custodio (Pangasinan), Ayumi Nicole Cayabyab (Tarlac ), Claire Regodon (Alabat, Quezon), Dessa Lontayao (Bicol ), Elena Cocal (Midsayap, North Cotabato), Erlinda Maasab Starbright (Indigenous People's Community), Grayzel Catipay (Iligan City), Jhenice Balabis (BPO Community), Justin Mae Gaspi (Bocaue, Bulacan), Kaithlyn Landicho (San Mateo, Rizal), Katrina Claudia Jamin (Bicol Region), Lianne Elizabeth Duque (Biñan, Laguna), Nicole Grencio (Parañaque City), Nicole Parayno (Fil-Am Community, USA), Patricia Mae Araneta )Las Piñas City), Resalina Toledo (Pasay City), Rose Jean Sanglap (Maguindanao), Seannel Adderrie Cruz (Parañaque City).

Four teen beauty titlists to compete abroad

by Annalyn S. Jusay

The four teen titlists are all smiles after their crowning and sashing ceremony

Four young ladies are excited to represent the country in various competitions abroad in their capacity as winners of Miss Teen International Philippines pageant.

The four teen titlists were presented to the media at the Milky Way Restaurant in Makati City last March 4. Leading the “crowning and sashing ceremony” were  the sponsor representatives Ram Villaluna of Archipelago Tourism Consultancy and Marco Quintans of Pro-Fit Universal, assisted by Miss Teen International Philippines national director Charlotte Dianco.

Princess Jasmine Estanislao with Ram Villaluna of Archipelago Tourism Consultancy.

The four queens are the following:Meredith Breña Anota, a 15-year old Grade 9 student from Pasay City South High School who is also an SK official in Bicutan, Taguig City where she lives. She has been active in environmental activities and was therefore chosen to represent the Philippines in the Miss Teen Earth pageant in India. 

Maria Socorro Luz Aspe will be going to Puerto Rico for the Miss Teen Universe pageant. She is 16 years old and a grade 11 student from UST Angelicum College. She wants to be a doctor someday.

Ancient Trinity Tabora, 19, will be going to faraway Ecuador for the Miss Teen World competition. Even if she has not graduated from college yet, this young queen takes pride in owning several businesses. She’s also a Showtime Sexy Babe semi-finalist.

Princess Jasmine Estanislao, 18, will be sent to the Miss Teen Model contest in Peru in June. She is a tourism management student at the Far Eastern University and was chosen to be the Philippine representative to the pageant because of her modelling experience.

The four expressed gratitude to everyone who supported them. They said they are training hard and expressed excitement for the opportunity to represent the country in the international pageants.

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The short program presenting the teen queens was hosted by young talents Ace Vito and Miss Teen International Philippines 2019 3rd Runner Up Yza Uy.The rest of the event sponsors are the following: Alta Skin Whitening System,PageantryFanatics, Fab Manila PH and Spring Fairy Entertainment Productions.

Why poverty and austerity are important

 

By Fr. Roy Cimagala *

THE reason can be found in that parable Christ told his disciples about the rich man, dressed in purple, and the poor man, Lazarus, who was lying at the rich man’s door, covered with sores and waiting to get even the scraps of food that fell from the rich man’s table. (cfr. Lk 16,19-31)

As the parable unfolded, both of them died. The poor man was carried by angels to the bosom of Abraham, while the rich man was buried in the netherworld. While at first sight, the parable might strike us to be unfair, since if God is a God of love and mercy, he should therefore be willing to save both of them.

But I suppose that without detracting from the universal love and mercy God has for everyone, the purpose of the parable is simply to teach us about the deadly danger of worldly wealth and the great redeeming value of Christian poverty and austerity.

Wealth in itself is not evil as long as we do not allow it to corrupt us. In fact, poverty and austerity can be bad if they are lived in bitterness and anger, if not hatred against God. 

For wealth to be a good thing, it has to be lived with the Christian spirit of poverty and austerity. That means that wealth is used to give glory to God and to serve everybody else. It is not meant to be used for self-indulgence.

Money and richness can become a problem when we are led to get attached to them such that we cannot anymore give ourselves fully to God. They can blind us with respect to our duty to God and to everybody else. We may give the appearance that we are giving a lot, but if it is not the whole of ourselves, then it is not the total self-giving which God deserves and expects from each one of us.

Let us always remember that God wants the whole of ourselves. He wants our entire heart, not a divided heart. He wants to be everything to us, the first and the last, the Alpha and the Omega. He wants to be given priority over everything else, including our own life.

Especially these days when we are practically bombarded with so many tempting things, we should really be guarded, otherwise we end up completely materialistic and consumeristic, completely dead and numb to the spiritual and supernatural dimensions of our life as children of God.

We need to regularly check on what we have at the moment, what our real desires of our heart are, to see if indeed we are living the proper spirit of poverty and austerity that Christ himself lived. We know how easy it is for us to lapse into the opposite of poverty and austerity, like greed, envy, etc. With the way the world is developing these days, this practice of checking is very important.

Poverty and austerity allow us to love God and others properly. They clean our hearts of any trace of selfishness and self-indulgence. They make us simple, enabling us to develop many other virtues with ease. They rid us of unnecessary burdens in our life.

Poverty and austerity actually enrich us with a richness that is proper to us. It is the richness of being with God and in communion with everybody else. They enrich us with the love that channels the very love of God for us.

* Chaplain Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE), Talamban, Cebu City

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

Zahlreiche Unfälle auf glatten Straßen: Polizei in der Eifel und Aachen hat zu tun

Update vom 8. März, 14.03 Uhr: Schnee und Glätte machen Verkehrsteilnehmern zu schaffen. Die Straßen sind extrem glatt. Dutzende Unfälle meldet die Polizei aus Nordrhein-Westfalen, Rheinland-Pfalz, Hessen und Schleswig-Holstein.

Mehr als hundert witterungsbedingte Verkehrsunfälle sind allein in Aachen (NRW) laut Polizei registriert worden (Stand: 12.30 Uhr). In den meisten Fällen blieb es bei Blechschäden, doch es gibt auch Verletzte. In der Eifel (Rheinland-Pfalz) ist der Winterdienst im Dauereinsatz. Sechs Schulkinder wurden bei einem Unfall leicht verletzt, berichtet die Polizei Trier. Ein Fahrer eines Kastenwagens hatte die Kontrolle über sein Fahrzeug verloren und ist frontal in den Kleinbus auf der Gegenfahrbahn gekracht. Beide Fahrer mussten zur Beobachtung in ein Krankenhaus gebracht werden. Bis zu 10 Zentimeter Neuschnee sind über 400 Meter gefallen. In Staulagen lokal bis zu 20 Zentimeter, teilt der DWD mit.

Wintereinbruch in Deutschland: Schnee bis in tiefe Lagen. Der DWD hat eine amtliche Unwetterwarnung herausgegeben. © IMAGO/Rene Traut

In Schleswig-Holstein verunglückten mehrere Autos und Lastwagen. Ein Milchtransporter rutschte Mittwochfrüh bei Dellstedt in einen Straßengraben und verlor einen Teil seiner Milchladung. Der Fahrer wurde leicht verletzt. Die Bergungsarbeiten werden bis in die Abendstunden andauern. 

In Hessen meldete die Polizei in der Nacht vom Mittwoch mehrere Unfälle auf schneeglatten Fahrbahnen, die meistens glimpflich ausgingen. Im Werra-Meißner-Kreis habe der einsetzende Schneefall, laut der Polizei Nordhessen, keine größeren Auswirkungen auf den Straßenverkehr und die Anzahl der Verkehrsunfälle gehabt, So kam eine 19-Jährige mit ihrem Wagen beim Abbiegen ins Rutschen und kollidierte mit einem Verkehrszeichen. Ein 52-Jähriger rutschte in der Nacht in einen Straßengraben, ebenso erging es einem weiteren Autofahrer am Mittwochmorgen.

Alarmstufe Rot – Unwetter in Deutschland: Der Wetterdienst warnt vor Schnee, Sturmböen und Glätte

Update vom 8. März, 11.40 Uhr: Alarmstufe Rot! Der Deutsche Wetterdienst (DWD) warnt vor Orkanböen (bis 110 km/h) in Lagen über 1000 Metern vor allem in Bayern und Baden-Württemberg. 

Im Schwarzwald können von bis zu 130 Kilometern pro Stunde erreichen, teilte der DWD im Warnlagebericht für Baden-Württemberg mit. Der Wind frischt demnach am Mittwoch in der Südhälfte des Landes auf. Diese Kreise sind aktuell (Stand: 8. März, 10.54 Uhr) von der Unwetterwarnung betroffen.

• Alarmstufe Rot in Baden-Württemberg:
• Kreis Lörrach
• Kreis Waldshut
• Schwarzwald-Baar-Kreis
• Kreis Emmendingen
• Kreis Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald und Stadt Freiburg

• Alarmstufe Rot in Bayern:
• Kreis Oberallgäu
• Kreis Ostallgäu
• Kreis Garmisch-Partenkirchen
• Kreis Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen
• Kreis Miesbach
• Kreis und Stadt Rosenheim
• Kreis Traunstein
• Kreis Berchtesgadener Land 

Wintereinbruch in Deutschland: Besondere Wetterlage sorgt für kräftige Schnee und Schneeregenfälle

Erstmeldung vom 8. März 2023

Offenbach – In der Nacht auf Mittwoch (8. März) hat es im Westen Deutschlands schon kräftig geschneit. In Nordrhein-Westfalen und Hessen sorgte der Wintereinbruch für zahlreiche Unfälle. Lastwagen blieben auf den glatten Straßen hängen. Mehr als 10 Zentimeter Neuschnee verursachten auf der A44 in Hessisch Lichtenau (Werra-Meißner-Kreis) massive Probleme. Die Polizei sperrte Auf- und Abfahrt komplett ab. Im Westen ist am Mittwoch weiter mit Schneeregen und Schneefällen zu rechnen. Die breiten sich im Tagesverlauf weiter nach Osten aus. 

Starkregen und Schnee: Luftmassengrenze sorgt für extremes Wetter in Deutschland

Für den Märzwinter ist eine sogenannte Luftmassengrenze verantwortlich. Diese Luftmassengrenze liegt über der Mitte Deutschlands. „Auf ihrer Nordseite liegt Meeresluft polaren Ursprungs, in der sich das Wetter beruhigt. In den Süden wird dagegen immer mildere und feuchte Atlantikluft gelenkt und es kommt zu teils ergiebigen Niederschlägen“, erklärt der DWD.

Besonders in Nordrhein-Westfalen, Rheinland-Pfalz und Hessen schneit es kräftig bis in tiefe Lagen. Im Süden breitet sich dagegen milde Luft aus. Der DWD warnt vor Wind und Sturm. In tiefen Lagen ist mit starken bis stürmische Böen (7 bis 8 Bft) zu rechnen. Im Bergland Sturmböen (9 Bft). In exponierten Berglagen schwere Sturmböen bis Orkanböen 

Wetter in Deutschland: Luftmassengrenze trennt die kalte Luft im Norden von milderer Luft im Süden, wie die DWD-Grafik zeigt. ©  Screenshot Twitter/DWD

Aktuelles Wetter: Typischer Märzwinter in Deutschland?

Die Wetterlage ist für den März „total typisch“, so Diplom-Meteorologe Dominik Jung, Geschäftsführer beim Wetterdienst Q.met in einer Pressemitteilung mit. Der März sei wie der April ein Übergangsmonat. Es gehe vom Winter in den Sommer über. „Dabei liegen sich die alten kalten Winterluftmassen und die schon recht warmen sommerlichen Luftmassen aus dem Mittelmeerraum sehr oft direkt gegenüber. Das erleben wir in diesen Tagen bestens.“ (ml)

Japan to send team of experts to assist in oil spill removal ops

Published March 9, 2023, 9:25 AM

by Aaron Recuenco 

The Japanese Coast Guard (JCG) has committed assistance to the Philippine government in containing and cleaning the oil spill off the waters of Mindoro Island. 

In a statement, the Philippine Coast Guard said personnel from the JCG are expected to be deployed in the country to assist in the ongoing oil spill response operations, particularly in Naujan town of Oriental Mindoro.

photo: PCG

“According to Ambassador of Japan in the Philippines Kazuhiko Koshikawa, Japan will send a disaster relief expert team on oil removal and control to augment the country’s manpower and assets,” the statement read. 

Aside from Japan, the United States Coast Guard has already informed the Philippine government that it will assist in the same operation.

The oil spill occurred after the MT Princess Empress sank off the waters of Oriental Mindoro on Feb. 28. It carries more than 800,000 liters of industrial fuel oil.

The oil spill has already affected the coastal areas of at least eight towns of Oriental Mindoro while oil slicks were monitored in nearby areas. The oil spill also threatens to reach tourist spots in the nearby areas. 

Discussions are still ongoing to contain the spread of the oil spill, including the mapping out of strategies on what to do with the oil tanker. 

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In a statement, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources said the location of the vessel was already located through the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA) BRP Hydrographer Ventura.

Based on the DENR data, the vessel was located about northeast of Pola, Oriental Mindoro but it is “believed to have moved southeast from its last known position where it completely submerged.”

The site is about 1,200 feet or approximately 400 meters below sea level.

Cash-for-work

On Wednesday, March 8, the PCG started meeting with the Provincial Government of Oriental Mindoro to deploy as many people to help in the oil spill clean-up drive.

photo: PCG

During the meeting, it was agreed that the government will hire one person per family in all affected coastal areas under the “cash-for-work” program.  

“There will also be a massive and simultaneous shoreline clean-up on Friday, March 10,” the PCG statement read.

For other missions, BRP Bagacay (MRRV-4410) applied 1,200 liters of oil dispersant in the vicinity waters off Naujan, Oriental Mindoro. 

Meanwhile, shoreline clean-up teams, LGU representatives, and volunteers collected several sacks of oiled debris in Pola, Oriental Mindoro.

BLACKPINK sets Guinness World Records title as most streamed female group on Spotify

Published March 9, 2023, 8:43 AM

by Jonathan Hicap

The Guinness World Records officially declared that K-pop group BLACKPINK as the most streamed female group on Spotify.

Guinness World Records made the announcement on March 8, tallying that BLACKPINK’s “songs have a whopping 8,880,030,049 individual streams.” 

BLACKPINK in Hong Kong (Twitter)

It said BLACKPINK “overtook British pop group Little Mix by 400 million streams.” 

Their most streamed songs on Spotify include “How You Like That” (746,198,263 streams), “Kill This Love” (672,084,360) and “DDU-DU DDU-DU” (574,613,362).

“All four individual members of BLACKPINK have at least 66 million followers on Instagram, while the group’s joint account has racked up 53 million followers,” Guinness World Records added. 

BLACKPINK have several Guinness World Records titles such as “most subscribers for a band on YouTube as well as becoming the first K-pop group to reach No.1 on the UK albums chart (female) and the first K-pop group to reach No.1 on the US albums chart (female).”

“Spotify currently has over 480 million users worldwide, making genres like K-pop a lot more accessible to global audiences,” it said.

Sara Duterte says capability, not gender, was main reason why Pinoys elected her VP

by Raymund Antonio

Despite receiving more than 32 million votes, the highest in the country’s election history, during the 2022 national elections, Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte on Wednesday, March 8, claimed that there were Filipinos who did not vote for her simply because of her gender, and that more Filipino men voted for her than women. 

Vice President Sara Duterte delivers a speech on the International Women’s Day celebration organized by the Philippine Council for Women and United Nations Women in Taguig City on Wednesday, March 8, 2023. (Screenshot from PH Council for Women/Facebook)

In a forum with the theme “Breaking the Code: Equality for All Through Technology and Innovation” at the Samsung Theatre in SM Aura for the International Women’s Day celebration hosted by the Philippine Commission on Women and United Nations (UN) Women, the official shared how she managed to survive a male-dominated election. 

“But I have to tell you that I never saw myself by my gender, I never presented myself ever when I campaign, when I go out and talk to people and say na, ‘Piliin ninyo ako (Choose me) because I am a woman.’ I never show myself by my gender. I only see myself as a person, an individual with my unique qualities,” she told the audience. 

The Vice President shared that a focus group discussion (FGD) during the 2022 campaign period revealed that “people do not vote for me because I am a woman, and more men voted for me than women.”

In her speech, she underscored the importance of education, financial literacy, and economic empowerment for women, especially those in far-flung areas in Mindanao. 

“Gaya po ninyo, naniniwala rin ako na kapag ang mga kababaihan sa isang komunidad ay nabigyan ng pagkakataong maging produktibo, kapag sila ay nabigyan ng edukasyon at nagkaroon ng kapangyarihan ng kaalaman, at kapag sila ay nahasa na mamuno, kaya po nilang baguhin ang mukha ng kanilang komunidad (Like you, I also believe that when women in a community are given the chance to become productive, when they are educated and empowered with knowledge, when they are trained to lead, they can change the face of their communities),” Duterte said. 

As the former mayor of Davao City, the official shared the  transformation story of Paquibato District, which used to be a “stronghold” of the New People’s Army (NPA) there. 

She reflected on how the district became a “landscape of peace” by simply empowering the women there through livelihood programs, financial literacy, and by setting up a market for their produce. 

Through her Peace 911, “a government-initiated but civilian-led peace initiative that required people to help us help themselves,” they were able to turn Paquibato District around. 

“Today, it is important for us to advocate for an inclusive digital education that will provide opportunities for women and girls to overcome any inequality affecting their development and involvement in the community,” Duterte said, expressing hopes for several programs, such as the Innovations for Women Enterprises or iWomen Project, Women-Helping-Women: Innovating Social Enterprises (WHWise) Program, and the newly launched Mag Negosyo Ta ‘Day program.

Meanwhile, Duterte also stressed that while the country tries to “narrow the gender gap to digital accessibility,” it should likewise protect Filipinas, including girls, from violence committed against them at home, in their workplaces, and in online communities.

As an Education chief, which she holds in a concurrent capacity, the Department of Education (DepEd) launched Learner Telesafe Contact Center national hotline, where learners can report cases of abuse including online child sexual exploitation.

And while teenage pregnancy is still a problem in the country, Duterte said this could be addressed by allowing teenage mothers to continue their education through Alternative Learning Systems (ALS), open universities, and Alternative Delivery Modes. 

“Let me emphasize that the pursuit of gender equality is not solely a women’s issue. Filipino men are encouraged and have been advocating for gender equality, too,” she stressed. 

“By helping women access economic opportunities, for example, we empower them to be financially independent, improve the standard of living of their families, and are better able to ensure the good health and education of their children,” the Vice President added.