CALD Women’s Caucus meets in the island paradise of Batanes

The members of the CALD Women’s Caucus recently concluded its strategic planning meeting held last May 19-22, 2009 in the serene, lush island of Batanes. The meeting was organized to evaluate the previous initiatives of the Caucus, to further strengthen and develop the Caucus as an institution that integrates women’s focus in CALD activities and that continues to identify key issues and concerns of women in politics, and to establish an action-plan and time-line for its next projects. The four-day meeting was organized by the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats, hosted by the Liberal Party of the Philippines (LP), and supported by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation (FNF).

The LP leaders hosted a dinner reception during the arrival night in Manila. Hon. Erin Tanada, MP, Mr. Chito Gascon, Esq., LP director general, and Ms. Argee Gallardo, LP deputy director general for administration, were among those who welcomed the distinguished guests.

The participants of the meeting were representatives of CALD full-member parties namely: Ms. Jayanthi Devi Balaguru, Central Committee member and secretary general of the National Women’s Wing of the Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia (PGRM); Hon. Ly Srey Vyna and Hon. Vanchan Tok, Members of Parliament from the Sam Rainsy Party Cambodia; Ms. Jaslyn Go of the Singapore Democratic Party; Ms. Ingrid Liao, director of the Women’s Development Department of the Democratic Progressive Party Taiwan (DPP); Ms. Shalini Senanayake, co-ordinator of the Women’s Wing of the Liberal Party of Sri Lanka; and Ms. Evelyn Maduro and Mr. Roscoe Santana of the LP representing the liberal leaders of Batanes.

Dr. Neric Acosta, secretary general of CALD and Mr. Siegfried Herzog, resident representative of FNF Manila, served as facilitators of the meeting.

Hon. Dina Abad, chair of the CALD Women’s Caucus and former Member of Parliament in the lone district of Batanes, hosted the participants in Fundacion Pacita, a charming lodge which was once the home studio of internationally-acclaimed artist Pacita Abad. The place was refurbished by Pacita’s brother Hon. Butch Abad, former chair of CALD and Secretary (Minister) of Education, who envisioned the nature lodge to provide peaceful accommodations amid a verdant garden where every room was designed to resemble a gallery of masterpieces from both well-known and up-and-coming artists.

At start of the meeting, Hon. Dina Abad presented the brief history of the CALD Women’s Caucus and the projects it previously organized. She also explained how important it is for liberal women leaders to get organized so that the remaining restrictions on women’s political participation would eventually be lifted and that a women’s agenda for CALD would eventually be crafted. She shared the Caucus’ vision of encouraging the greater participation of women in leadership roles and added that through frequent dialogues and meetings, the women’s agenda would be further honed and strengthened.

It is, however, sad to note that the Caucus has been reactive rather than proactive. But Ms. Abad believes and is optimistic that the next steps of the Caucus would create traction and impact to the women in Asia.

Dr. Neric Acosta said that CALD sought to bring the participants together as an organization because women’s issues have not been given the kind of attention it deserves in the last 15 years of CALD’s existence. “CALD has just marked its 15th year anniversary and while we may have had many milestones, it is fitting that we have a milestone as well for a women’s agenda” he added.

The program of the meeting included four sessions that gave a substantive framework for the Caucus in terms of its trajectory as an organization and as a venue for the empowerment of women leaders.

Session I talked about the context where women are presently operating. Participants presented their respective backgrounds, political playing fields, and the gender-related issues they tackle. They also explained the current status of the women’s agenda in politics and in society.

Ms. Jayanthi Balaguru shared that women in Malaysia experience frequent contradictions in religion vis-a-vis civil law cases. The Sharia Law is at times used as a “tool” for repression and creates legal “grey” areas in custody, inheritance, and divorce issues among others.

Women in Cambodia, as Dr. Ly Srey Vyna shared, are under growing pressure. Cambodian women’s dreams are being hampered mostly by men. Even though women have the heart and skills for governance, the stereotype that they’re vulnerable and weak keep most of their aspirations constantly blocked.

Session II presented the constraints and challenges in setting up and advancing the women’s agenda. Participants shared each others experiences regarding the personal/psychological, policy, economic, and political impediments women currently face.

Participants agreed that women share the burden of struggling to achieve self-worth not only as a mother or as a family member, but also as a professional or member of the domestic workforce. The participants also realized that there are no safety nets for women in most policies concerning migrant workers and right to privacy.

Session III and IV required the Open Space method of facilitation in order for each participant to freely express their ideas and vouch for it. Open Space is a highly participative planning method in which participants self organize around an agenda they create and manage.

The third session was the call for action. During this session, participants presented concrete initiatives on how they can help the Caucus individually and as a party. The fourth session, on the other hand, presented the collective effort of how CALD as an organization of liberal and democratic parties help promote the Caucus and fulfil its objectives.

The Caucus also decided to hand-over its mantle of leadership to another CALD member party. Hon. Dina Abad nominated the Sam Rainsy Party to be the next chair-party from which the next chairperson will be chosen. Ms. Ingrid Liao of DPP seconded the motion. The plenary then approved Sam Rainsy Party as the new chair-party in-charge of the CALD Women’s Caucus. They also decided that the chair of the Caucus will have a period of two years per term and a maximum of two consecutive terms.

Moreover, the Caucus agreed to set-up a website of its own with the assistance of the CALD secretariat. Ms. Balaguru of PGRM volunteered to be the liaison for video interviews of women leaders in Asia which will be uploaded on the CALD Women’s Caucus website. The plenary also talked about the possibility of a women’s desk/secretariat to make the projects and initiatives of the Caucus more centralized and coordinated.

The CALD Women’s Caucus was founded in June 2006 in Tagaytay, Philippines. It is committed to the “Win with Women Global Action Plan” spearheaded by the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, a CALD partner organization promoting strategies for increasing women political leadership worldwide. Hon. Dina Abad, then vice president of LP for sectors, became the founding chair of the Caucus. In November 2006, she was also elected as vice president to the Bureau of the International Network of Liberal Women (INLW), an association of women from countries world-wide that supports the principles of liberalism.

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This post was written by CALD