Former Davao City councilor Luzviminda Ilagan, the national chairperson of the Gabriela Womens Party, is one of this year’s five recipients of the city’s Datu Bago award, which will be given out later this month during the Araw ng Dabaw celebrations.
She is cited for her consistent commitment to the cause in the local and national levels, having assisted in the drafting of the Women Development Code of Davao City, pursuing programs and projects to uplift the status of women and helping numerous organizations in a determined effort to improve the situation of Filipino women. She is also a well-known lecturer and trainor of local government units and private companies.
A vanguard in the advancement of womens rights since 1980s, Ilagan, a retired faculty member of the Ateneo de Davao University, was an OIC councilor of the Davao City Council from 1986 to 1988 and an elected from 1998 to 2001.
As the president of the Solidarity Action for the Indigenous People (Sagip), Ilagan has been protecting the rights of indigenous women. She also sits in the board of several womens institutions, women crisis centers and academic organizations, locally and nationally. She has received the Mae Carvell Award given by Ventures International as spokesperson for women, the Women Helping Women Award given by Soroptimists International and the Blue Knight Award of the Ateneo de Davao University Alumni Association as an outstanding alumna in community development.
My leadership springs from womens undying spirits to continue our struggles against all forms of discrimination, and to perform our role as active and effective members of society towards national democracy and development, she said. (davaotoday.com)
Gender Issues
