When women lead, we steady
Can you recall a time when the odds were stacked against you? You felt concerned but calmly said, “I can manage.”
That’s resilience—tuning out panic, embracing responsibility, and trusting your inner voice of reason, often shaped by parents, mentors, or leaders who remind us to move forward.
Today, with gas prices soaring, energy conservation urgent, and costs for food, rent, and services rising due to the war in the Gulf—even felt here at home—we must keep going.
Enter adaptive capacity and resilience, embodied by women—quiet, confident forces of support. As Women’s Month ends, let’s follow their lead and heed their advice.
Quiet strength
My mom, Cora Reyes, has always been our family’s unshakeable pillar of strength.
In our youth, she stretched every peso into a haven of comfort and beauty. She filled our home with love—spotless, cozy, and alive with the aroma of her home-cooked feasts that we shared as a family. Less strict or outspoken than Dad, she led by example, teaching us patience and diligence through her actions.
A single knowing glance was enough. We hung on every word, listened to her matter-of-fact lessons, and followed her lead. Even now, when storms hit, we channel her quiet resolve—or simply call her for that instant anchor.
Steady calm
Stepping from home to our neighborhood streets, we find that same steady calm at the barangay hall corner.
Under Brgy. Capt. Kap Letlet Singson’s leadership, backed by dedicated women officers and volunteers, smart energy conservation measures were rolled out to tackle today’s challenges.
Operations shifted to the ground floor to cut electricity use; schedules slimmed to Monday–Friday with a skeletal weekend crew. They promote walking to the hall, while their thriving urban garden supplies fresh vegetables daily, helping reduce food costs.
Beacon of inspiration
In school, our late Dean, Prof. Grace Ramos, remains a beloved beacon of inspiration—the “pandemic dean” who embraced her daunting role with grace.
We remember her masterful organization: assembling the college executive board, streamlining facility management, and orchestrating every project and program with precision over those three pivotal years. It was expertise matched with heart.
Her era was defined by efficiency, an outcome-driven focus, ironclad accountability, diligent follow-through, and thoughtful risk planning. We admired and respected her deeply. Her legacy of results and resilience sharpens our insight and fuels our grit, especially for those who knew her warmth.
Amid mounting uncertainties, her steady example urges us to think boldly, plan wisely, and move forward with courage.
Architects of resilience
A municipality and province away from school lies a cluster of housing assessed by Ar. Sam Lisay of Build Change Philippines.
In the quiet strength of Filipino homes, she sees what many overlook: women, especially mothers, are the real architects of resilience, long before concrete and steel come in.
As a LEED professional and design architect, Lisay helps families assess risks: identify hazards, map exposures, and evaluate vulnerabilities. It is the mothers who turn these into action, deciding what goes from the family budget to house repairs.
“Economic recessions due to global conflict will affect many household capacities. Protecting families, livelihoods, and finances is also part of protecting the home,” she said.
When construction costs hit P25,000 pesos per sqm for low-cost housing, it is these women who navigate it, leading in detailing specifics—swapping wooden posts for concrete, adding beams, and creating spaces their families need.
Being nimble
Even in the high stakes buzz of organizations and offices, women’s resilience shines through, like that of Atty. Carmela Andal Castro’s.
A TOYM awardee and a family lawyer protecting women and children, she now directs Megawide Foundation. Despite tough economic times, Castro’s team sustains scholarships by trimming budgets smartly.
Her approach shows how women balance work, leadership, and family. She counsels her team and children alike to stay calm. Her advice: be conservative with resources, skip the information overload, and remember that “life still has to go on.”
“The best way to react to emergencies is to stay nimble. It’s important to be conservative in how we spend our time, resources, and energy,” she added.
Action-oriented leadership
Mayor Leni Robredo meets the crisis head-on with straightforward leadership that turns pressure into progress.
In Naga City, she launched a four-day compressed workweek via Executive Order No. 015, cutting office electricity and fuel by 25 percent. Measures include fuel rationing, carpooling, no-idle rules, and a fleet overhaul led by a Technical Working Group. Her performance-based budgeting, limited AC use, and maximized resources steadies a city amid uncertainty.
On social media, she continued to rally her constituents, adding that they have long piloted cost saving measures like carpooling prior to the crisis, which saw massive government savings. The local government is also fast-tracking energy conservation awareness. Proposals, she added, exist, such as if you bring extra appliances in the office beyond the basics, like another fridge, you pay for it. “It’s only fair to taxpayers,” she added.
Robredo’s vision also future-proofs Naga through solar and wind renewables, alongside innovations like the MyNaga App for citizen services and the country’s first AI City Planner (via a P6.7 million grant) for smarter transport, land use, and resilience.
Cutting through the chaos
In times of crisis, women leaders, mentors, and guides become our refuge, offering clear-headed advice that cuts through the chaos. We look to them for answers and support. They’ve shaped us, often when we least expect it. Their everyday examples make us stronger and more resilient, proving we can handle what comes next.
Celebrate these women daily—they’re the reason we say, “Yes, I’ve got this!”
The author is an accomplished architect and mother of three. Currently a PhD candidate and Assistant Professor at the University of the Philippines Diliman, she served as its Urban Design Studio Laboratory Coordinator from 2022-2025. Until now, she leading projects focused on urban design, urban lighting, women spaces and resilient coastal developments
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