Assalamu alaikum wa Raḥmatullahi wa Barakatuh.

I am honored to celebrate National Women's Month with Filipino women everywhere in the world.

This month, we respond to the call for Women Empowerment and remember why we should stand tall and stand strong as women.

We remember all the women heroes we have had in our nation's history and thank them for blazing the trail for women leaders.

As the second female to helm the Department of Budget and Management, I would also like to honor in a special way the first female Budget Secretary: the late Secretary Emilia Boncodin who introduced groundbreaking reforms on budget and procurement, and inculcated a culture of transparency in public financial management.

And I would also like to give a shout-out to my fellow women in the Cabinet: Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte; Tourism Secretary Maria Christina Frasco; Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga; Migrant Workers Secretary Susan Ople; and of course to our First Lady, Atty. Louise Araneta Marcos. You are prime examples of empowered women and you serve as an inspiration to women everywhere who are standing for equality. Your presence and leadership in the Marcos Jr. Administration is also a testament to the commitment of President BBM to inclusivity, and to making sure that the best leaders have a seat at the table, regardless of gender.

Truly, we are committed to the theme of the National Women’s Month celebration for 2023 to 2028: “WE for gender equality and inclusive society.” This is already embedded in the 8-Point Socioeconomic Agenda and the Philippine Development Plan. This is also reflected in the “Women’s Budget” or the Gender and Development (GAD) budget policy directing all government departments and agencies to allocate a minimum of five percent of their total annual budgets under the General Appropriations Act.

So this National Women’s Month, we renew our commitment to uplifting women, especially Filipino women, everywhere: the Lea Salongas, the Hidilyn Diaz’s, the Pia Wurtzbachs, the Paz Marquez-Benitez’s, the Santanina Rasuls, your mother, your daughter, your sisters, and girlfriends.

We all have the power to contribute to a genuinely inclusive society that values gender equality.

Mabuhay ang mga kababaihan!

Wabillahi Tawfiq Wal Hidaya, Wasalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu.