Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco graced a women’s forum at the Dusit Thani Hotel in Makati City where she joined her fellow women leaders in sharing their advocacies for the empowerment of women and girls.
As guest of honor at the 29th Mid-Biennal Conference organized by the Soroptimist International of the Americas-Philippines Region, Frasco emphasized the relevance of the conference’s theme which read “Women Transforming the World Through Education” as something that resonates well with her, as she relates well to the organization’s mission of enabling and empowering women to live their dreams.
“I am extremely honored and privileged to be here in the company of so many phenomenal women in our country who in their own way, in their communities, in their provinces, cities and municipalities, have effective change and have made it possible for women and girls to have better opportunities for economic advancement and education,” the tourism chief said.
The tourism head also encouraged the attendees–a crowd of 398 Soroptimist members who hail from different parts of the Philippines–to unlock their full potential, also sharing her successes as a former local chief executive.
“Before I became secretary of the Department of Tourism, education was the number one priority of my administration as Mayor of the Municipality of Liloan.”
“I can personally relate to your organization’s advocacy for education. Before I became secretary of the Department of Tourism, education was the number one priority of my administration as Mayor of the Municipality of Liloan. In Liloan, we started a scholarship program with only 48 students from disadvantaged families,” she said.
“Through this program, we have been able to produce engineers, accountants, nurses, scientists, and even lawyers.”
“Because of the relentless support that we gave our youth through government intervention, by the time that I left Liloan in 2022 we had already been able to support over 7,000 scholars from various communities and municipalities, and as of this year, the number of scholars in Liloan nears 10,000. Through this program, we have been able to produce engineers, accountants, nurses, scientists, and even lawyers, firmly believing that education truly has the power to level the playing field and give opportunities for our youth to ensure that their lives and the lives of their families are changed for the better,” Frasco added.
The Soroptimist International is a worldwide organization of professional and businesswomen with a mission to improve the lives of women and girls in local communities and throughout the world.
Also at the conference were DOT officials Undersecretary Myra Paz Abubakar, Undersecretary Ferdinand Jumapao, and Director Ronald Conopio.
