#letmetelyu: “I Love La Union because women are protected through relevant legislations, and they get an improved quality of life through responsive government support.”
We are under uncertain times, but we are certain to build a Stronger La Union.
#letmetelyu: “I Love La Union because women are protected through relevant legislations, and they get an improved quality of life through responsive government support.”
“I was the lone woman in the Provincial Board during my first term in public office,” former La Union Board Member Victoria Aragon fondly recalls. This has inspired her to push for women empowerment during her nine-year stint in public service.
In 2007, as she debuted in politics, she laid the works for an ordinance that aimed to serve as the mother legislation for women in the province. Soon after, the La Union Gender and Development Code was passed into law.
Even after retiring as a public servant, her desire to serve flames on. At 68, she now heads a national organization called WIN, or Women Involved in Nation-Building. “We provide training for female public servants for them to embody honor and excellence in their duty for the country.”
She also serves now as a consultant to Gov. Pacoy Ortega on social development. With her vast experiences as a social worker-turned-public servant, she provides wisdom in the province’s initiatives on social welfare.
“I actually received various offers for posts in the national government, all of which I declined,” Aragon humbly reveals. “With my age, I just want to spend my time here in my humble home in Bangar and do what my heart really desires – community work.”
She also has founded the Paratong Women Neighbors Association, comprised of about 50 ladies and mothers in Aragon’s fishing village. The women produce inabel products – blankets, bags, apparels -- which they directly supply as souvenirs for large women gatherings by organizations such as the WIN and the Federation of Asia Pacific Women Association. “The women do not only have alternative source of income, but they also become instruments of sustaining our hometown’s tradition of loom-weaving.”
The pandemic halted the group’s abel production, “but women are ingenious and resourceful. We make ends meet just to provide for our children and our families.” Aragon now helps the women find alternative ways of earning, such as picking ornamental stones and vegetable production. “Women are strong. We can always get by,” she says, full of hope and optimism.
We, in the Provincial Government, share the same level of hope and optimism for the women sector. We shall continue to provide support to uplift the quality of life, protect the rights, and promote and empower women.
Be one with us in our journey towards building a Stronger La Union!
