SALUTING WOMEN OF MANOLO FORTICH: WRAPPING UP WOMEN’S MONTH THROUGH 7TH SUMMIT

Babae sa lahat ng sektor, aangat ang bukas sa Bagong Pilipinas

Manolo Fortich honors the women who have played a major role in shaping the municipality over the years as it celebrates the 7th Annual Women’s Summit. Women from various sectors and barangays of Manolo Fortich gathered at the Municipal Gymnasium on March 24, 2025, to culminate the Women’s Month Celebration.

The Federation of Women of Manolo Fortich led the event, with representatives from each Women’s Association in the municipality, women personnel from the Local Government Unit (LGU) of Manolo Fortich, and attendees from both government and non-government agencies, all coming together to support the celebration.

In his message, Mayor Rogelio N. Quiño highlighted the vital contributions of women in every sector to the progress of Manolo Fortich, stating, “This month serves as a time and also a reminder to recognize and celebrate the huge contribution that our women make in shaping our beloved town, Manolo Fortich, as leaders, mothers, daughters, professionals, and caregivers.”

Guest speaker Rhona Pedraza-Abadilla, DILG Bukidnon Provincial Director, also emphasized the resilience of women and the deep respect they deserve, saying, “Women always pay the hefty price of reproduction, procreation, and production. And for this, we salute all women who tried to bring balance to their homes.”

The month-long celebration featured various activities leading up to the summit, including the Zumbabaehan on March 2 at the Municipal Gymnasium and the Milk Drive Activity on March 19 at the Technical Skills and Development Center, which successfully collected 17.7 liters of breast milk from lactating mothers who participated in the event.

Meanwhile, the summit included an awarding ceremony recognizing barangay association presidents and active members for their participation and outstanding performance in the previous year. The event also featured a raffle draw, a dance contest with six participating barangays, and a livelihood product display. In the dance contest, Barangay Guilang-guilang placed 3rd, followed by Sankanan in 2nd place, and Mampayag as the champion. For the livelihood product display, Barangay Dicklum secured 3rd place, Guilang-guilang took 2nd place, and Botika ng Bayan won 1st place.

In an interview, Jennylyn P. Lipiahan, team leader of Guilang-guilang’s livelihood product display, credited their success to teamwork, saying, “Nalipay gyud mi nga nakadaog mi kay ang among display, simple ra gyud unta ni siya nga kami mga babae sa among barangay women’s association nagtinabanga og dala sa mga food products. Dayun nakadaog mi, nahalinan pa gyud mi.”
This year’s summit was held in line with the theme, “Babae sa lahat ng sektor, aangat ang bukas sa Bagong Pilipinas.”