Opening its celebration of Women's Month, the DA-Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR) conducted a Gender-fair Communication Orientation with Atty. Judie Rose Tugado Dimayuga, member of the Philippine Commission on Women’s (PCW) National Gender and Development Resource Pool, on 8 March 2024.
Atty. Dimayuga discussed and reviewed the basic gender and development concepts as it relates to gender issues in media and communication.
“Gender-fair refers to the methods, policies, or practices utilized to attain equality and equity in our society, eliminating discrimination, one of the prevalent manifestations of which is stereotyping,” she explained.
Thus, “Gender-fair communication is an inclusive and strategic tool for gender mainstreaming and a must-have skill for development practitioners. It uses communication as a tool to challenge stereotypes and helps promote gender equality,” Atty. Dimayuga added.
“Paano natin mapapasimple ‘yong ating research para ma-i-convey natin sa ating mga kababayan lalo na when it comes to reaching equality,” she said as she put things into the context of communication.
She also gave a brief overview of the laws, policies, and tools for the promotion and use of gender-fair communication, as well as talked about the standards of gender-fair communication and how this can be integrated into producing gender-sensitive content for the audiences. The salient features of the Gender-Fair Media Guidebook were also briefly introduced and discussed.
Following this activity was the launching of the Women’s Month Photo Exhibit on 11 March at the JR Escaño Hall. Featured in the exhibit are 14 photos interpreting the PCW-set sub-theme of the 2024 National Women’s Month Celebration — Lipunang Patas sa Bagong Pilipinas: Kakayahan ng Kababaihan, Patutunayan! — submitted by the bureau’s staff for its Women’s Month Photo Contest. The exhibit will run from 11-27 March, while winners will be announced on 1 April 2024.
In his message during the launching, DA-BAR director Junel B. Soriano reminded everyone that “the celebration of Women’s Month is not just about the achievements and contributions of women in the society but also about the fight for equal rights and opportunities for every person regardless of their Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression. Because this movement believes that every person, however you identify yourself in the gender spectrum, is a valuable asset of this society.”
Meanwhile, Zig Dulay’s critically acclaimed independent film Paglipay released in 2016 was screened on 15 March. The story follows Atan, a teenage Ayta who saves up to marry his childhood friend Ani, and in the course of it befriends Rain, a college student doing her thesis on pilaok (intermarriage among Aytas and lowlanders). The movie also depicts the traditional farming practices of Aytas and the threat to their livelihood. It also touches upon issues of gender biases in the community.