IN HONOR OF Women’s Month, the San Beda Junior Marketing Association (SBJMA) produced a three-episode online series entitled “Laban, Mare!: Amplifying the Voices of Bedan Women in Leadership,” last March 26-30, while also coinciding with it the relaunch of the organization’s official YouTube channel.
The series’ pilot episode entitled, “Bedan Women Student Leaders in Action,” was released last March 26 which highlighted the leadership of women within the Student Council (SC). As such, featured in the episode were SC President Eunice Bermudez, Vice President for Internal Affairs Julia San Jose, and Vice President for External Affairs Kyla Cayetano.
The women student-leaders shared their personal journeys, the people who inspired them to take on bigger roles within the SC, and their different leadership styles. They discussed their experiences and aspirations for women representation and support in the University while collectively expressing their desires for equal opportunities for women student-leaders.
SBJMA’s second episode entitled “Championing Women Leadership in Civic Service,” was then launched last March 28 which featured Dr. Keisha Carisse Mangalili, the Program Manager for Food Security, Nutrition, and Universal Healthcare of Angat Buhay Foundation. In this episode, she shared her experiences as a leader in the social work scene and discussed her daily life at the foundation, her inspiration to become a woman leader, and her experiences during the pandemic with the program “Bayanihan E-Konsulta” that led her to continue answering the call for civic service.
As a parting message, Dr. Mangalili imparted her perspective on the importance of service leadership amid the challenges, while encouraging the audience to “continue the conversation” and “explore ways to make a positive impact in their communities.”
In its final episode, the spotlight shined on Maria Kristine Josefina G. Balmes, Deputy Executive Director for Operations at the Philippine Commission on Women. Aired last March 30, the episode explored the challenges and triumphs of women holding leadership positions in government, such as being an office and agency multi-manager, while advocating in Congress and the Senate. Furthermore, she also acts as a resource speaker, and provides technical assistance to government units, reflecting on her journey as a woman leader in government, addressing societal challenges rooted in perceptions of female weakness.
Following the event, Martina Magsino, the Head for Interactive Graphic Design for SBJMA and the Activity Chairperson, shared that the organization “opted to just put or use ‘Laban, Mare!’ as part of the relaunching of [their] YouTube account,” recounting the initiation of the series in the previous years that utilized Facebook as a platform for the series.
In this year’s series, Magsino added that it aimed to inspire and motivate women to embrace leadership roles regardless of gender by “[highlighting] how hard it is [to be a woman], but at the same time, how we survive as women who’s committed to leadership.”
As such, to achieve such a goal, the organization chose speakers representing student-leaders, Non-Government Organization (NGO) professionals, and government officials, with a focus on diversity and expertise, empowering women from various backgrounds to pursue leadership roles with confidence and determination.
Furthermore, in hopes for future events such as this, Magsino suggested the continuation of the series through different platforms like podcasts, with a strong, committed team. “And then, ayun lang, parang if… siguro if may advice, sana makabuo talaga sila ng team with… like a solid team that would be very efficient that will be very committed to play a role in that [future] event,” she said.
(with Jennifer Gwyneth Fabros)