PCW chairman pays tribute to 50 years of women empowerment

(PLEASE CROP PHOTO - DELETE TEXT FROM NAME DOWN) PCW CHAIRMAN GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY REMARKS Philippine Commission on Women Chairman Ermelita Valdeavilla welcomes guests and participants on PCW's golden anniversary celebration at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City on Jan. 7, 2025. PCW PHOTO

Prefaced by the Philippine women's movements, the story of the PCW is co-written by five groups of authors who have shaped the commission's "herstory" over the past five decades.

This narrative continues to unfold and is categorized under "To be continued" as the PCW embarks on a new chapter in the Bagong Pilipinas era.

"There is no better day to breathe the language of gratitude to the people, organizations, and institu-tions who built a supportive environment that enabled our aspirations to take wings," PCW Chairman Ermelita Valdeavilla said in her welcome remarks on the commission's golden anniversary celebration held at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City on Jan. 7, 2025.

The first full-time chairman of the PCW, Valdeavilla assumed her role in June 2024 after 22 years of working with UN Women, the United Nations entity for gender equality and the empowerment of women, preceded by 20 years of holding various positions, including as executive director of then NCRFW.

Five Filipino women leaders laid the foundation of the commission: Helena Zoila Tirona Benitez, Leticia Ramos-Shahani, former first lady Imelda Romualdez Marcos, Irene Rian Cortes and Leticia Perez de Guzman.

Valdeavilla declared that the PCW remains a force to be reckoned with, acknowledging that while it is not afraid of failures, it firmly believes that success could be reversible.

She further encouraged its current personnel to stay, affirming that "the best is yet to come."