The following are the reflections of the UP Law Students who conducted the barangay project: (click on the link to read the full article)
Ong, Tracy. "What I Learned."
There were many more stories shared that day and all slowly built up to debunk what another woman said earlier that day: “wala akong magawa.” It cannot be denied, of course, that there are women literally trapped in cycles of violence everyday. It haunts them, their children, their families. This, however, should not create a picture of a helpless woman, always in need of saving, saying “kawawa tayo.” Instead, such should just prompt women and society to recognize that there exists an ill in society in the form of discrimination against women, that for every act of violence against a woman, a human being has been wronged, and that she must be vindicated for her right to live in dignity. Women are smarter than what society makes them up to be, stronger than what men would like them to be. The answer to VAWC lies clearly within the women themselves. (read full article here)
Base, Ciela. "Women Empowerment: Putting an End to VAW."
To end violence, we must address the root cause of the problem. We need to focus on the individual. We must understand a woman’s concern, how she feels, what she values. (read full article here)
Santizo, Nicholas. "Ordinary Days."
But at the end of the day, what we were really able to do was to reach out to them and believe in them. We didn't really have to give them an in-depth discussion about the law. They would have likely forgotten about the intricate details of the law anyway. We didn’t really have to go and teach them about their rights, that is something we could have done by just giving them brochures and showing them movies. But the mere act of going to Muntinlupa to listen to their stories, and believing in them enough to tell them that they can make a difference in their lives and in their neighbour’s lives, is I think, that which will have a semblance of permanence. That is the real difference we made in their lives. That is the real difference we made in our lives. (read full article here)
Topacio, Alex. "When Study Meets Practice."
The seminar held at Muntinlupa City Hall was quite an experience. It was an opportunity for us to be in the helm and teach what we learned in law school; a total reverse of what we do at school. It gave us the taste of responsibility with regard to other people’s concerns – a thing we are not trained at. That what made it exciting. (read full article here)
Del Puerto, Jake. "VAWC, a Cultural Taboo."
Overall, we may have the laws but if we don’t have the people to support them, then these laws are nothing but pieces of paper stocked in some shelves. They become inutile like the people who turn a deaf ear to the screams of pain that women around them have for years bore. It is, thus, my wish that we as a nation think of violence against women and children as a cultural taboo and shame the people who perpetrate such, whether directly or indirectly. (read full article here)
Sabitsana, Michelle. "Making a Difference."
I may have overestimated the progress the local governments are making in the field of women empowerment. I may also have underestimated the power of the initiative of concerned citizens to achieve the same. It escaped my foresight that plain citizens or law students like us can make a difference. (read full article here)
