Two Pinoys made list of most inspiring people

Rep. Janette L. Guarin

The Catholic Church in the Philippines may surely frown on this distinction achieved by two Pinoys, but this is a victory for the Filipino womenfolk.

It has been reported by a New York-based international women’s advocacy group called Women Deliver that it has included House Deputy Majority Leader Janette Lorento Garin and Sr. Mary John Mananzan in the list of 100 most inspiring people in the service of girls and women. They ranked 28^th and 59^th, respectively.

The website of Women Deliver had this to say: “This list recognizes women and men, both prominent and lesser known, who have committed themselves to improving the lives of girls and women around the world.”

Rep. Garin of Iloilo, who is a doctor by profession, was acknowledged for co-authoring the passage of the Reproductive Health Care and Population Development (RH) bill into law.

“In this deeply Catholic country, where opposition to family planning and sex education runs strong, and 11 women die each day of preventable causes related to pregnancy or childbirth, Garin’s RH bill would, for the first time, provide universal access to family planning methods as well as comprehensive sex education in schools,” Women Deliver said.

Sr. Mary John Mananzan

On the other hand, the advocacy group cited Sr. Mary John Mananzan for being “instrumental in developing a feminist and a third-world theology within the Catholic Church, criticizing the Church for being hierarchical and male-dominated. In her writing, she has highlighted the particular oppression of third world women through violence and gender discrimination.”

“In her groundbreaking career, Mananzan has worked to empower women and to combat injustice and oppression wherever she finds it – whether within the political system, or at the hands of the church,” the advocacy group added.

This heart warming news does not only come as an added boost for those wanting the freedom to embrace the RH bill for the sake of the family, but also to let the religious leaders reflect rightly that the well being of the country and its people is an affair of the state and not of the church.