#MyDuterteStory: ‘He Empower Women in Davao City’ ~ Fran Sendiong-Dacono

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‪#‎MyDuterteStory‬ from the eyes of a beauty queen by

It is known to many of us that Mayor Duterte is a womanizer. Yes he is flirtatious – easily captivating women’s hearts through his words and great charm. Even my mother, aunts, grandmother and myself have big admiration for this man. Although being a womanizer is not good, we still accept him as he is because we know how much he has done to empower women in Davao City.

In 2009, I was scouted to join Mutya ng Dabaw, a local beauty pageant held during my city’s anniversary. It was a mix of excitement and fear when I got to know that I qualified for the contest. My main concerns were those horrible stories and dirty little secrets of beauty pageants..and the possibilities of exposing one’s body to the public in bikinis, being abused by handlers, being disrespected, exploited and become a DOM’s mistress. I really had so many what-ifs that time but eventually I realized that all these do not usually happen at all. Not in Davao City!

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I was wrong to make such negative assumptions because Davao City’s Mutya ng Dabaw is a one-of-a-kind pageant in the Philippines (perhaps in the world as well). I honestly thought that the pageant was all about glitz and glamour but in reality, it’s not. I would describe my journey in Mutya ng Dabaw Official similar to a stressful job interview, a thesis presentation and just like a political candidate being scrutinized based on the criteria of: personality, ability to communicate your ideas with substance effectively, your skills & talent, intelligence and the quality of proposed project design.

Yes! You heard it right! There was an advocacy presentation pa po with demo with powerpoint presentation at NCCC Mall that time. I remember my good friend, Resci Rizada, won that because of her “social change through social entrepreneurship” project. Bongga! We also went through a press interview aired on TV & radio and most of the questions were not about ourselves but on how we can solve the pressing issues of the city. Pak! Tinalo pa namin ang campaign period debates and one of them even asked me about my opinion on the city’s solid waste management while the darling of the press Vanessa Ruth Quiñones Chan discussed the programs she has for the children of Davao. Tlagang nosebleed! And even the talent portion was not just about pa-cute sing & dance but the winner, Elle Liao, showcased the Manobo ethnic dance celebrating their tribe and culture with the use of agongs and bamboos. Not only that, all of the Mutya ng Dabaw finalists went through a tough selection process na para bang Masterchef, PBB or Starstruck na kada episode may elimination.

There were series of panel interviews with the media people, fashion designers, lawyers, doctors, NGO workers and government officials. And during the coronation night… just a few hours before the program started, there was a nerve-wracking closed door interview with some influential people of Davao, a Gabriela rep, congressman and even several senators. When I asked the organizers as to why the pageant is challenging, they can only tell me that it is how Mayor Duterte envisions it to be.

Until now, I still could not believe how I managed to survive that rigorous process (with grace under pressure hehe). All I know was that Mayor Duterte Digong inspired me. His dedication, compassion and competence can also be observed from the people working under him just like Oscar Casaysay Patmei Bello Ruivivar. This is the reason why I, along with my fellow candidates, was also motivated to excel in the said competition. In one of my personal encounters with Mayor Digong during the pageant, he shared with us the vision of his mother (Nanay Soling) towards women empowerment. I clearly remember when he said that because he respects his mother so much (kahit daw maganda tingnan ang mga naka-swimsuit) eh he is supporting all her mother’s advocacies, in protecting and empowering women to become enlightened, strong-willed, outspoken yet charming, confident yet humble Davaoenas whose intelligence and skills are dedicated to community building, goodwill and development of the city. He told us that we should always do our best to become role models to younger women and become the beautiful ambassadors of the city. He also added that if anyone disrespects us then we make sumbong to him.haha

Yan ang pogi points ni Mayor kaya malakas siya sa mga babae. And did you know that Davao City has this Women’s Development Code and it is the first of its kind in the Philippines? Yes nauna pa po ang Davao City and very serious when it comes to upholding women’s rights, in facilitating full and equal participation of women and men for the city’s sustainable development and in integrating gender and development in all areas and levels of local governance. At meron din po’ng Ray of Hope Gawad Kalinga sa Maa City Jail, Sidlakan Center at kahit po Day Care for children and local govt. employees ang Davao (being the first and only in the country). All these are just few of the trailblazing initiatives of Davao City under the leadership of Mayor Duterte and the active participation of the barangay leaders, councillors and city government officials.

Ganyan po kami sa Davao City! My Mutya ng Dabaw journey was an eye-opener of how great our Mayor is. Ganyan niya pinapahalagahan ang mga babae sa Davao. At totoong womanizer si Mayor because he likes many women. He impresses women not with material gifts but with his humble achievements, his dedication and compassion for others. Ikaw ba di maiinlab sa kanya?

PS: If I were single now, I would have loved to date him but too bad I’m already married to this amazing man Menard Pete P. Dacono. Hehe

This is our Mayor, the one and only Mayor Rodrigo Roa Duterte. Ikaw? Anong kwento mo? Share ‪#‎YourDuterteStory‬ today!

‪#‎TBT‬ ‪#‎proudMutyangDabaw‬ ‪#‎Patnubay2009‬ ‪#‎Duterte2016‬ ‪#‎DU30‬ ‪#‎DuterteforPresident‬ ‪#‎empoweredwomen‬ ‪#‎newDabawenya‬

– Fran Sendiong-Dacono, Ms Patnubay, Mutya ng Dabaw 2009

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