Cynthia Villar Hopes to Empower Women

Team PNoy senatorial candidate Cynthia Villar assured to help empower Filipino women because 50 percent of our population are women and more than 50 percent of our Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) are also women.

Speaking in yesterday’s celebration of the Women’s Month in Pampanga, Villar also divulged that 95 percent of the OFWs who were provided assistance by the Villar Foundation’s Sagip-OFW were women.

Villar, known as “Misis Hanep Buhay,” is the managing director of the Villar Foundation, which has been helping our OFWs from different countries in the past 20 years.

Some of these OFWs, Villar said, were maltreated by their employers, and worse, sexually abused and raped.

Because of this, Villar vowed she would not stop helping women and empowering them to become productive members of the society.

She remains thankful to Pampanga Gov. Lilia Pineda and other local officials for inviting her to the momentous event to recognize the important role being played by women.

“The women is the sector closest to my heart being a woman and a public servant,” stressed Villar. She said it is always a pleasure for her to interact and be with her fellow women.

“As you know, I personally advocate for the empowerment of women across all sectors. It is my belief that women play an important role in nation-building,” she said.

“And I am happy that the leadership of Pampanga under Gov. Pineda share my love for women,” she further said.

She said the country needs more empowered women because when “we empower women, we empower families and generations of people”.

She related that when she was congresswoman of the lone district of Las Pinas from 2001- 2010, she prioritized legislations that uphold the welfare of women and family.

Among these pieces of legislations are the Magna Carta of Women and the Anti-Violence against Women and Anti-Trafficking against Women and Children Law.

And as managing director of the Villar Foundation, Villar said she has been pursuing programs that would redound to the benefit of women.

Her “Hanep Buhay” campaign slogan promises job opportunities for women through her livelihood projects.

“Nanininawala kasi ako na hanep ang buhay pag may hanapbuhay,” pointed out by “Misis Hanep Buhay.”