MommaCon 2021: How to empower the Filipino mother

by The 101 Staff / September 14, 2021

Mirela Sula, founder of the Global Woman Club, once said that if you want women to have a voice, give them a microphone. Because of the Internet, the global voice of women has upended the status quo, giving rise to movements such as #MeToo to bring to light what was once considered taboo.

(1) If you don’t like where you are, you move. You’re not a tree.

As she gave the closing remarks in day one of MommaCon, she summarizes her advice to women — mothers — that they are masters of their own destiny. The elephant in the room: there’s that burden on the mother to weather the storms of change without thinking of herself, especially in the Filipino family setting. In today’s society, mothers should know that it is perfectly okay to love themselves because one cannot give what she does not have. As the traditional “light of the home” a mother’s wick can also burn out.

(2) Your strongest weapon is yourself

Mirela’s sentiment was echoed by THE Myrna Tang-Yao, president and CEO of Richprime Global — she’s better known as the woman who brought the Barbie doll to the Philippines. If there have been global movements in the entertainment industry to bring inclusivity to the big screen with movies like Moana and Coco, know that she was doing this way ahead of everyone else, by making sure that a Barbie doll could be relatable to every Filipino child because of the color of her skin and what she wore. She says that the Filipino woman’s strongest weapon is herself. And she doesn’t take this statement lightly — as a woman and a Filipina who was able to convice Mattel executives to introduce the Filipina Barbie to the world.

(3) The truth is never shameful

One of the highlights of the first day of MommaCon was the panel on Rainbow Parenting — how do you raise kids to be more accepting? How do you raise children as an LGBT couple?

Ice and Liza Dino-Seguerra were joined by Paul Mendoza Pena discussing the trials and joys in LGBTQ+ parenting as well as raising awareness of inclusivity with the next generation. Liza Dino-Seguerra believes that the truth will set you free and there’s no need to hide what is true, especially for kids. According to the panel, love is love regardless of gender and sexuality — so the concepts of love and family must never be labeled within the confines of a traditional box. Parenting is, after all, a process.

Empowering the modern day Filipina has always been at the forefront of TeamAsia’s founder, Monette Iturralde-Hamlin. One of her projects is a yearly conference — a meeting of the minds of mothers from various diaspora of the country to talk about real issues up front and center.

MommaCon is happening now, from the two weekends of September 11 and September 18 2021. Sign up now for the second weekend!