H.E. Ma. Hellen B. De La Vega (left) participates in the forum to celebrate International Women’s Day organized by Sydney-based Filipino organization Adhika Inc. on 14 March 2020
NSW, Australia (16 March 2020) – H.E. Ma. Hellen B. De La Vega, Philippine Ambassador to Australia served as the keynote speaker at the forum organized by several organizations in Blacktown, New South Wales to commemorate International Women’s Day on 14 March 2020.
Adhika Inc along with Plaza Filipino, Narra Co-op and the Masonic Friends of the Philippines organized the forum that featured Filipina experts in the fields of medicine, law, finance, politics and music. Ambassador De La Vega shared the policies adopted in the Philippines that advance women’s role in the labor force and in the society such as the 2017 executive order on modern family planning, the 2019 Expanded Maternity Leave Law and the 2019 Safe Spaces Act. The Philippines placed 16th among 153 countries in the 2020 Global Gender Gap Report of the World Economic Forum, the only Asian country in the top 20.
At the gala dinner also held on 14 March, the Ambassador said, “To be a woman living in either the Philippines or Australia is a position of strength. Both societies are supportive of women taking leadership roles.” The Ambassador invited guests to view “Today’s Filipina-Australian” at the Philippine Embassy in Australia Facebook page. The Embassy’s social media campaign promotes the #WomenMakeChange theme of the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) that will run until 28 March 2020. The PCW observes its 45th anniversary this year. END
The Hon Ezzedin Tago, Philippine Consul General in Sydney, delivered the opening remarks at the forum to celebrate International Women’s Day on 14 March 2020. He talked about gender parity at the Department of Foreign Affairs in the Philippines and the services of the Consulate on gender and development.
H.E. Ma. Hellen B. De La Vega, Philippine Ambassador to Autralia, gave the inspirational message at the gala dinner to celebrate International Women’s Day held on 14 March 2020 in Blacktown, NSW.
