Women's Empowerment and Good Governance Through - amarc

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Best Experiences for an Action Research Process
In the community of Mabuhay in Mindanao, the local women’s organization BaBAE decided to
make use of a small community radio station that was left idle by the local government. They
started a radio program and for the first time, issues such as cyanide fishing, malnutrition,
domestic violence, health and sanitation were discussed publicly in their community. Honeylyn
Joy Alipio who assists the radio radio production by women, said: “Producing their own program
enriched the knowledge of the BaBAE team members as they are researching the issues
and it boosts their confidence, to make their views heard.”
When health programs or government programs to reduce domestic violence are not being
implemented because the money is being used for other projects or it disappears into the
pockets of some politicians, women can usually not do much about it. To whom should they
complain? The provincial and national governments are far away and mostly uninterested. But
when they are able to inform the community what women are entitled to, over the local community
radio. When they demand transparency and accountability from the local government
unit. It becomes much harder for the politicians responsible of mismanagement to get away
with it.
The National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women (NCRF) launched a radio campaign
November 25, 2006 to inform the public about the existing laws that protect women from
violence and what victims of violence are entitled to get through government services. NCRF
distributed a CD with a series of informative radio plugs (spots) in different local languages all
over the country. While the commercial radio station was not interested in playing the plugs
for free, the small local commercial and community radio stations did broadcast the plugs. Isis
International-Manila helped in the dissemination of the CDs. We learned from the experience
that if we give the plugs to women who are in charge of their own program, they play the plugs
and even discussed the issue further by inviting responsible government officials to the studio.
When women were not in control of the program content, it became much more difficult to
place the radio plugs.
Community radio bears a great potential for women to monitor and advocate for the implementation
of good governance but often women in community radio do not have access to the
decision making on the content of the program being broadcast. In an email survey among
women broadcasters in community radio in Asia Pacific conducted by AMARC-WIN and Isis
International-Manila, we asked the respondents what changes they see necessary in their