Friday, May 4, 2012

Q and A: Rep. Gina de Venecia on China' Trip

Hu Jing, Hu Hui (Mutual Respect, Mutual Benefit) : Rep. Gina de Venecia, President of the Association of Women Legislators, Inc. (AWLFI) met with Madame Chen Zhili, Vice-Chairperson of the Standing Committee of China’s National People’s Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing last April 20. The two leaders discussed women issues and the promotion of the Sino-Philippine friendship.


Manay, kumusta po yung trip nyo sa China?

Mabuti naman, Napakaganda ng ginawang pagtrato sa amin ng mga leaders doon, at talagang marami kaming natutuhan, at ganun din naman sila. Marami rin silang natutuhan sa atin, lalo na pagdating sa isyu ng women empowerment, kasi ang Pilipinas ang number one sa buong Asia, pagdating sa gender equality, because 97 percent of our businesses have women in senior management positions. Yan ay ayon sa study made by the Grant Thorton International Business Report.

Bale 14 kami. Kasama ko rito sina Senior Majority Floor Leader Janette Garin, Former Deputy Speaker Daisy Avance-Fuentes, Rep. Josefina Joson, Rep. Maria Theresa Bonoan-David, Rep. Bai Sandra Sema, Rep. Bernadette Herrera-Dy, Rep. Mercedes Alvarez, Rep. Rachel Marguerite Del Mar, Rep. Ana Cristina Go, Rep. Linabelle Ruth Villarica, Rep. Emmeline Aglipay, Rep. Nancy Catamco, Rep. Cinchona Cruz-Gonzales at ang pinakabata sa amin, si Rep. Abigail Faye Ferriol.

May mga criticisms po na namasyal daw kayo doon kasama ng ibang kongresista?

Paninira lang yun. It’s a working visit. Isa nga sa lugar na pinuntahan namin ay ang Sichuan province na sister province ng Pangasinan. Medyo emotional yung aming meeting dahil noong 2008, ay nakaranas din sila ng lindol. It’s an 8.9 magnitude earthquake na pumatay sa eighty thousand residents, kaya talagang kalunos- lunos. Ikinwento ko sa kanila na tayo man ay nakaranas din ng ganoong earthquake noong 1990, at sinabi ko rin kung paano tayo mabilis na nakabangon. At ang maganda, kahit mahirap tayong bansa, tumulong tayo sa kanilang recovery by sending 450 thousand dollars at medical team.

Ano naman po ang masasabi nyo sa mga pumupuna na bakit daw kayo nagtuloy doon gayung mayroong tensiyon sa   pagitan ng China at Pilipinas?

It took a lot of courage para gawin yung aming ginawa. Pero we chose to honor our  long- standing commitment  na dumalaw sa China upon the invitation  ng communist party mismo. Ang objective ng pagbisita namin doon ay para magkaroon ng exchange of ideas ang mga babaeng mambabatas ng Pilipinas at  ang mga women leaders ng China, tungkol sa mga strength and weaknesses ng bawat bansa pagdating sa women empowerment at kabuhayang pangkababaihan.
Tapos, bigla ngang nangyari yung stand off sa scarborough shoal. We were a little apprehensive, but we decided to go, dahil una, we are not war with China. May tensiyon, pero ally pa rin natin sila. It wouldn’t look good na bigla kaming magba-back out dahil baka mamis-interpret na nagback -out kami as a sign of protest, eh makadagdag pa kami sa gulo. Pinaghandaan kasi nilang mabuti yung aming visit.  At talagang kabi-kabila ang mga naka-schedule na meetings.

Pangalawa, ang pagpunta namin doon, was also a concrete move to show them that we have chosen the path of diplomacy, in resolving the tension.  In fact, malaki ang naitulong namin para maiparating sa mga high officials ng China ang ating sentimyento. Remember, wala tayong ambassador doon, at walang nagpapaliwanag ng ating side sa kanila, maliban sa Chinese ambassador na si Ma Qing, si DFA Secretary Roberto del Rosario, and the media.
Ang nagyari, we became unofficial envoys of peace, dahil hindi naman yon ang objective ng aming 9-day visit. But then, we have to explain our side, dahil kami ay mga legislators, and it is our bounden duty to contribute, no matter how small, sa pagbawas ng tensiyon sa pagitan ng dalawang bansa.

Sino sino po ba ang na-meet nyo doon?

●We had a meeting with Vice Minister Ai Ping ng International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. Doon, ipinaalala namin ang joint declaration ng Pilipinas at China, na nilagdaan nila President Benigno Aquino Jr. at China President Hu Jintao para ang 2012 at 2013 ay gawing “Philippines-China Years of Friendly Exchanges, pati na rin yung 36 years of our friendly relations since 1975. 

● May meeting din kami with Madame Chen Zhili, sya ang Vice Chairperson ng Standing Committee on China’s National People’s Congress (NPC) at Presidente ng  All-China Federation (ACWF). Ang meeting namin ay ginawa dun mismo sa kanilang Great Hall of the People sa Beijing.
Pinuri tayo ni Madame Zhili. Sabi nya, “Women leaders in the Philippines have done so much to promote women’s rights. You have two women presidents, while U.S. have none yet.”  And while the Beijing Declaration to achieving gender equality was formulated in China, ang sabi nya, “I think you did a better job in implementing it.”
And then, tungkol sa stand-off sa Scarborough Shoal, ang sabi ko,dapat gayahin si dating U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger na nagsabing “Hu Jing Hu Hui,” meaning ‘Mutual Respect, Mutual Benefit.’ Alam mo, pumayag sya. Ang sagot nya, “Hu Jing Hu Hui, Cong Tong Fa Zhan ( Mutual Respect, Mutual Benefit, Joint Development)!”

●Nakaharap din namin yung Doctor of Engineering sa Chengdu, sa Sichuan province, si Dr. Zhong Ya Ling of Sichuan Yalian Technology na nagco-convert ng coal para maging gas,  ethanol mula sa cassava at sweet potato. Excited yung mga congresswomen natin from Mindanao dahil may energy problem sila doon.

●May meeting din kami with Madame Long Jiangwen,  Vice- President siya ng China Association of Women Entrepreneurs (CAWE). This is a national organization that serves as the bridge between China’s government and the women entrepreneurs. Grupo ito na nagsasagawa ng pag-aaral kung anong livelihood project ang dapat i-pursue, at mino-monitor nila ang development ng bawat negosyong pangkababaihan.  

●Nagkaroon din kami ng meeting with the representatives of the All-China Women’s Federation, and  Deputy Director Shen Beili & Mr. Wu Shimin ng International Department of the Communist Party of China
 Marami kaming natutuhan dito, like yung Operation HOPE nila, na kahit 35 o 40 years old na yung mga babae, pinag-aaral pa rin ng libre para ang lahat ay maging handa sa mabilis na pagbabago ng China.
Compulsory din doon yung 9 years- na basic education sa bawat bata.

Binisita rin namin ang Dujiangyan Irrigation System. This was built two thousand years ago pero napapakinabangan pa rin ngayon.  Relevant ito sa atin, lalo na kay Rep. Josie Joson dahil may bill sya to create a regional water council na mag-iipon sa tubig ulan during rainy days para magamit sa irigasyon sa panahon ng tag-init.

●Sa Shanghai naman, nakipag-meeting kami sa Chairperson ng Shanghai Women’s Federation, si Miss Zhang Lili. Dumalaw din kami sa  Children's Welfare Institute, na isang orphanage at sa Pudong New Area Women Development Center, kung saan puwedeng mag-aral ang mga babae ng ibat ibang kursong vocational.



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