Five  PATAMABA grassroots women leaders (Lourdes Gula, Primar Jardeleza, Josephine Parilla, Mary de los Santos, and  Leonida Antonio) captivated the audience with their stories during the Asia Pacific NGO Forum on Beijing+15, held at Miriam College, Katipunan Avenue, Quezon City, 23 October 2009.  In a session organized by Homenet Southeast Asia and  entitled   “Weaving the Wisdom of Grassroots Women Leaders  in Confronting Crises and Forging the Future”,  the women shared their decades of experience in leading their own organization, enlivening  their stories with  photos  and other illustrations. Workshop participants were also encouraged to interact with them  and to bring out the lessons learned from their stories in a creative way. 
            The said workshop focused on  issues and themes relevant to  “strengthening women-led homebased and other informal workers' movements in addressing the economic and environmental crises towards social protection and human security.”
            Following are excerpts from their stories:  Following are excerpts from their stories, the full versions of which may be accessed at  www.homenetseasia.org.

LOURDES ‘Baby’ GULA
Former child worker, more thqn 30 years in the youth, women and worker’s movements, now President of PATAMABA (National Network of Informal Workers)

“...With their numbers  still rising, some  26 million informal economy workers continue to suffer from the lack  of laws and policies that should have been protecting them.  State sponsored social protection interventions such as SSS and Philhealth  are still not reaching majority of informal workers in the country, more so, the homebased workers in the communities. That is why they continue to rely on family and the community to address risks… PATAMABA  sees the necessity of  continued  technical assistance, subsidies, and other means of support by national and local bodies for mutual benefit associations, community-based health   insurance and indigenous schemes such as ‘damayan’ and ‘paluwagan’ initiated by informal workers groups in the  communities.”

Maria Concepcion “Ka Mary” delos Santos

Empowered survivor, rural embroiderer and producer of organic products,  writer in her own right

“  I felt inadequate  if I  could  not organize my household (husband and children), and make them understand my involvement in the organization. What I did was to bring my husband to areas where we had meetings and seminars and I introduced him to our members and colleagues so that he would know what I was doing.  There he understood all about the organization.  Being a member and a leader of PATAMABA for almost seventeen years now is the happiest segment in my life: from a mere homeworker, I became a grassroots leader.  But, to struggle for women’s rights and empowerment of the poor like me is not an easy task.  I hope that I will be a member and a leader of PATAMABA for the rest of my life.  I learned so much from this organization of informal workers, especially in the struggle for gender equality.”  

Leonida “Ka Nida”  Mananguit – Antonio

Urban poor community leader, reproductive  health and Magna Carta of Women  advocate, Overseas Filipino Worker  who decided to come home for good, woman of all trades.

 “Being in the organization made me aware of  my  rights as a woman  and as a worker.  I blossomed to become a leader and women’s rights advocate.  I developed and enhanced my skills in production related activities which  gave me the opportunity to earn a living and save for my family’s future. Now I see  myself  as a strong woman with a gender perspective….What I consider as my gains in life, I thank  GOD above all, and my family, who  always stood by me and        understood my commitment and advocacy; my friends, and PATAMABA, my organization, which made me a better person and a strong woman. 

Josephine “Olive” Parilla
Mother of nine, and grandmother of six , slipper maker, local, national, and  global advocate of the rights of workers in the  informal economy.

 “At  eight years of age, I  helped augment  our  family’s  income  by gathering and selling wood, salt, sugar, rice cakes, bread, and fish. I also worked as a “sakada” (sugar cane worker) and porter/baggage girl. Life had been difficult.  My past experiences and exposure  with PATAMABA,  developed me into what I am now -  strong, innovative, and determined advocate of women and men  in the informal economy.   In 1992, I  organized  the “retaso recyclers” in Taytay,   smockers in Angono and bag makers in Bicol.  I also helped in the formation   of a group enterprise in Angono using the “leadrepreneurship” framework.  As the Sectoral Representative of the Workers in the Informal Sector at the National Anti-Poverty Commission, and in other multi-agency bodies, I facilitate in echoing the needs and sentiments of  informal workers like myself, and assist in advocating for policies and programs suited to our concerns.”

Primar “Prime” Jardeleza
Former sawali weaver, survivor of the many  floods of life,  educator, video documentor, organic intellectual.

“Before I joined PATAMABA,  I was gender blind, though I had formal education.  Gender awareness and sensitivity were not taught to students in my time. When I joined PATAMABA,  I became an organizer and educator.  I said to myself , ‘this is what I need to change a woman’s perspective in life along with the struggle for social change.... My experiences with  PATAMABA made me a strong and empowered woman.  I  was elected to national and local positions and served in various capacities as a committed member and leader since the 1990s up to the present.. PATAMABA is  my second family, my armor in times of distress. As a community organizer of women workers in the informal sector, the best thing I’ve learned is, to be able to effectively organize people in the community towards change, one must first organize her own family ”