Last updated on :
January 30, 2012

Some of the projects and activities of Bayanihan are supported by:

Commissie PIN

Philippine Women’s Center in the Netherlands

Stichting Bayanihan Celebrated 100 Years of Women’s Achievements:
“Let Us Celebrate Ourselves as Women, Be Empowered, Be Assertive”

By Lana Jelenjev Flores

 Assertiveness is the ability to honestly express opinions, feelings, attitudes and rights without undue anxiety and in a way that doesn’t infringe on the rights of others. Coming from a culture that prides itself on being hospitable and “marunong makisama” (knows how to get along), we Filipinos have a hard time asserting ourselves in a way that will not make others see us as being unfriendly and selfish. In a foreign land, where the culture is more outspoken, assertiveness becomes essential if we want ourselves to be heard and not trampled upon. But how do we cultivate such behavior when it is not ingrained in our upbringing?

Last March 26, 2011, Stichting Bayanihan, Centrum Voor Filipijnse Vrouwen in Nederland in cooperation with the Embassy of the Republic of the Philippines celebrated the 100^th International Women’s Day( IWD)  with the theme “Let Us Celebrate Ourselves as Women, Be Empowered, Be Assertive!”. The IWD celebration organized by Stichting Bayanihan began in 1995 with the aim of celebrating women’s achievements and to discuss important issues. This year’s centennial celebration was graced by more than 60 attendees- Board Members, volunteers, family and friends of Stichting Bayanihan, invited au pairs, and Vice Consul Maria Cynthia Pelayo from the Philippine Embassy, The Hague.

The celebration opened with a Salu-salo, typical to Filipino gatherings where food brought in by attendees are shared with each other. The result? - A banquet of delicious treats that the women enjoyed while mingling with each other.

The official opening began with the welcome remarks from Veronica Balbuena Moes, Bayanihan Chairperson. This was followed by an introduction on International Women’s Day 2011 by Diana Oosterbeek-Latoza, Coordinator and Social Cultural Worker of Stichting Bayanihan where she gave a picture of how the first international Women’s Day begun in 1911 and how it has progressed through the years. The challenge Ms. Diana gave in her speech was for us not to forget to draw attention to the challenges and issues related to gender inequality.

Following the introduction was the Presentation of the Gender and Development Project for Au pairs by Vice Consul Maria Cynthia Pelayo. She emphasized the plight of au pairs here in the Netherlands and how it is difficult for Filipina au pairs to be assertive especially since they have not been taught to be assertive at home. Vice Consul Pelayo also shared her personal experiences working as a diplomat and handling diplomatic requests. The points drawn from the au pair experiences and her own reflections stress the importance of finding the balance between giving in to the other person’s wishes and getting your wishes heard and acknowledged.

One of the celebration highlights was the presentation given by Atty. Pendong Jalandoni, lawyer specializing in Family Labour & Migrant Law, Schoolplein Advocaten. His informative talk on the Rights and Obligations of Au Pairs was highly engaging as questions from au pairs on various issues were tackled. Not only were the legal requirements of being an au pair discussed, the other topics of interests were: What to do when deviation from the contract happens (i.e. being asked to work more than the 30 working hours required), Changing of host families and Extending the Residence Permit.      

A vital part  of the celebration was the Asertivity Workshop spearheaded by Maya Butalid, psychologist specializing in Child, Youth& Cross-Cultural Psychology. She is also a coordinator on diverse projects on “Integratie, Stichting Nieuwkomer en Vluchtelingenwerk” as well as a Bayanihan trainer and coach of EmpAct, a training and coaching bureau for empowering women.

Ms. Butalid drew emphasis on the importance of finding harmony by being assertive. She discussed the different situations where being assertive is important and that saying “No” doesn’t mean being selfish rather it is a means to get in a “win-win” situation with the other party. This equalizing factor is important to differentiate between being assertive and being aggressive. The workshop stressed the importance of cultivating a new set of behaviors that is different from our upbringing on being  submissive and too modest.

Ms. Butalid’s talk on Assertivity was followed by the Assertivity Workshop for the Au Pairs which she spearheaded and also the Assertivity Workshop for the other attendees which was facilitated by Bayanihan Volunteers- Rochita Loenen- Ruiz, Lana Kristine Jelenjev,  Cecilia Lansang, and Cora Campenhout- Alarcon.

The event was also filled with small-group workshops that were aimed at enhancing the self-esteem and confidence of the participants. The workshops “Looking Your Best Inside and OUT” which was sponsored by Oriflame Cosmetics and “Klank en Klaar” Harmony Workshop by Indra Bhattoe were immensely engaging that most of the participants felt that the day’s event needed a follow-up.

Of course, it would not be a celebration if there were no awarding, group sharings and raffle prizes. The au pairs who attended the Assertivity workshop by Ms. Maya were given Certificates of Attendance,  the groups from “Klank en Klaar” Harmony Workshop presented lively and entertaining “Stemimprovisatie met teambuilding”, and on behalf of the Philippine Embassy, Vice Consul Cynthia Pelayo presented Diana Oosterbeek-Latoza and Maya Butalid with certificates of appreciation for their work and for their involvement in the first Gender and Development Workshop on Empowering Filipina Au Pairs which was held at the Philippine Embassy last December 2010.

Adding to the spirit of festivity, prizes were raffled away with the proceeds from the tickets going to Stichting Bayanihan to help fund future projects.

The afternoon’s activities were a mixture of informative, inspirational and interactive activities. In 1911, a woman named Clara Zetkin (leader of the Women’s Office for the Social Democratic Party in Germany) together with 100 women from 17 different countries, representing unions, socialist parties, working women’s club and the first three women elected to the Finnish parliament, unanimously approved Zetkin’s proposal of celebrating on the same day each year, a Women’s Day- to press for demands and changes in society.

100 years later, Stichting Bayanihan together with its Board members, volunteers, family and friends, and sponsors came together to commemorate the ideals of working towards gender equality. The emphasis on Be Assertive is a great tool in helping women deal with various life circumstances. Assertion involves expressing beliefs, feelings and preferences in a way which is direct, honest, appropriate, and shows a high degree of respect for others and mostly for one’s self.

Bayanihan Foundation
 Netherlands
Mob. Tel. +31 (0)6 - 22 94 77 59
E-mail: info@bayanihan.nl

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