ANKARA 08 March 2023 – The Philippine Embassy in Ankara celebrated International Women’s Day with the Filipinas at the temporary shelter on 08 March 2023. The Filipino shelterees survived the multiple devastating earthquakes in Türkiye in February.

The Embassy team and the shelterees clad in purple to commemorate International Women’s Day (Embassy Photo)

“At the heart and core of the Filipino family are women, who provide foundational support as mothers, wives, sisters, aunts, daughters, and nieces,” said Minister and Consul General Juan E. Dayang, Jr. in his message. He recognized the strength and resilience of the shelterees as women who are recovering from the earthquake and at the same time ensuring the well-being of their children and spouses.

Consul General Juan E. Dayang, Jr. giving his message to the shelterees (Embassy Photo)

The program was hosted by Ms. Hannah Joy M. Lico, a Filipino first-year medical student studying at Hacettepe University in Ankara. Third Secretary and Vice Consul Angela Margeaux E. Tolentino, Ms. Nina Narvaez, Assistant Labor Attaché of the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), and Mr. Ron Bartolome, Welfare Officer and Team Leader for Task Force Türkiye of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) also gave messages to the shelterees.

During the program, the shelterees were given roses and other tokens as a recognition of their beauty and strength. Select individuals and groups also performed song and dance numbers for the audience.

Dance presentations during the program (Embassy Photos)

The event reflects the Embassy’s mission to promote awareness of the National Women’s Month Celebration (NWMC) held every year in March. The NWMC theme for 2023–2028 is, “WE for gender equality and inclusive society,” which emphasizes the need for compassionate and harmonized networks toward gender equality and women’s empowerment. ##