President’s Note: A Call to Action for Women’s Rights and Leadership

My cordial greetings to everyone, most especially to the VSU key officials–the 5 Vice Presidents and Chancellors, Faculty Deans and Department Heads, Office Directors and Unit Heads, all faculty and staff, most especially to all the women in our workplace–please accept my warmest Monday morning greetings! 

As we officially open the National Women’s Month this year, we recognize the strength, resilience, and limitless potential of women in every sector of society. From the homes we build to the industries we transform, from classrooms to boardrooms, from farms to laboratories, women have shaped history and continue to define the future. Our contributions as women are instrumental to the nation’s progress, yet too often, our voices are unheard, our struggles are left unseen, and our efforts are unrecognized. Today, we challenge that narrative. 

Our theme, “Babae sa Lahat ng Sektor, Aangat ang Bukas,” is a call to action that speaks of a future where women in all walks of life have access to opportunities, where barriers that once held us back are dismantled, and where our contributions are acknowledged not as exceptions, but as a norm. This vision is not just for women but for the entire VSU academic community and the whole nation in general, because when women rise, communities prosper, industries flourish, and generations thrive. 

We must ask ourselves: How do we move forward? How do we create a Philippines where women are not just participants but leaders, decision-makers, and changemakers? The answer lies in breaking the cycle of inequality and strengthening policies that protect, uplift, shift mindsets that limit what women can achieve. 

The Magna Carta of Women, Republic Act 9710, laid the groundwork for empowering women by guaranteeing rights, amplifying voices, and securing access to resources. However, laws alone are not enough. Rights on paper must translate into real opportunities in workplaces, schools, communities, and government institutions. We need stronger frameworks that protect against discrimination, policies that open more doors for women in leadership, and systems that recognize our contributions.

For too long, women have been told to wait–to wait for fairness, to wait for recognition, and to wait for our turn. But why should we wait when we have already proven our capabilities time and again? Why should we remain in the shadows when we have long been the light guiding families, communities, and nations forward? 

Women have long been the backbone of our society. We are educators shaping the minds of the next generation, entrepreneurs driving economic progress, scientists innovating for a better tomorrow, and public servants leading with compassion and vision. Yes, despite these contributions, gender disparities persist. Pay gaps remain, leadership positions are still dominated by men, and harmful stereotypes contribute to limit women’s choices. Are we willing to let these injustices define our future? Or are we ready to push forward and claim the spaces that have long been denied? 

The answer is clear: We must push forward. We must rise together. Our institution, and even our country, cannot afford to ignore the power and potential of half of its population. When women lead, we become stronger, policies become more inclusive, and societies become more just. 

We need to champion women’s leadership not just in traditional roles, but in fields where they have been historically underrepresented. We need more women in science, engineering, technology, politics, and executive positions. We need young girls to grow up seeing role models who look like them, and to prove that no dream is too big and no ambition is out of reach. 

We must also recognize the invisible labor that women have carried for generations like the caregiving, the household management, the emotional labor that sustains families and communities. This labor is not secondary, but foundational. And it deserves respect, recognition, and support. 

To the women here in VSU and to all of us out there: Lead with courage. Take up space. Challenge the status quo. Speak, even when your voice shakes. Innovate, create, and break barriers. The world will not always be fair, but history has shown that women do not wait for fairness, we fight for it, build it, and claim it. 

To all the men in this room and beyond: Be allies, and not bystanders. Empower women in your lives not just with words, but with action. True equality is not a battle of genders but a movement toward justice, toward progress, and toward a society where every individual, regardless of gender, has the right to dream, achieve, and lead. 

Let us not be content with incremental change. Let us demand transformation. Let us work towards a Philippines where no woman has to fight for a seat at the table because she is already at the head of it. 

As the former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright once said, “It took me quite a long time to develop a voice, and now that I have it, I am not going to be silent.”

And I say, neither should we. The future is ours to shape, and we will not wait for change because we will be the change. As we officially kickstart our activities set for this month-long celebration, let this moment be a catalyst for transformation, for action, and for a future where no woman is left behind. 

Maraming salamat, at patuloy tayong magsulong ng isang makatarungan at pantay na bukas para sa lahat. 

Thank you for this opportunity. Good bless and mabuhay! 

This speech is aligned with the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4: Quality Education; SDG 5: Gender Equality; SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth; SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities, and; SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions. 

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