VP Duterte highlights female artists’ courage to break status quo

In celebration of Women’s Month, Vice President Sara Duterte on Wednesday commended women artists for using their craft to break the status quo and elevate the feminine voice when it comes to social transformation.

Duterte made the remark during the opening ceremony of “Gahum sa Buwak: Flower Power,” an art exhibit and event which feature works by women artists and fashion designers from Davao.

“This exhibit reflects women artists’ courage, ingenuity, and vision to serve as inspirations and initiators of sociocultural change particularly…as we advocate unity, reconciliation, and love of country as tools for community building and rebuilding,” she said.

The Vice President then stressed how the artists' work should remind the public to also find ways to strengthen relationships with nature and the environment, as the government continues to face issues related to climate change.

With this, Duterte said women could work together to make differences and provide inspiration to others, and to be more involved in building a society that is “inclusive, supportive, and constantly yearning for a more humane expression.”

“Thank you for using your creative work to elevate the feminine voice, breaking the status quo and paving a more vibrant, intricate, and interwoven women society. Your courage serves as an inspiration for us to continue looking for more unorthodox ways of understanding contemporary issues. It is the same courage that allows us to engage more women as voices and leaders to social transformation,” she said.

“It is my hope that we can inspire and liberate more people to address gender stereotypes, norms, and double standards—biases that are deeply embedded in the Filipino psyche,” she added.

Duterte earlier said she would support legislation that would protect LGBTQ+ relationships. — BM, GMA Integrated News