NEWS | PSHS–BRC culminates 18-Day Anti-VAWC Campaign
by Ivan Anave
Scholars, faculty, and staff of the Philippine Science High School — Bicol Region Campus (PSHS–BRC) conclude the 18-day Anti-Violence Against Women and their Children (Anti-VAWC) campaign by conducting a whole-day event last December 12, 2022 at the campus gymnasium.
Through a program spearheaded by the PSHS-BRC’s Gender and Development (GAD) committee and the Supreme Student Government (SSG), the campaign theme “#VOWToEndVAW” was highlighted in the various activities conducted during the culminating day.
The event progressed in three parts with the opening program and contest proper in the morning, a movie-watching activity after lunchtime, and, finally, the awarding ceremony late in the afternoon for the Anti-VAWC competitions.
Days before the event, scholars started to prepare for the said competitions, which included an Audio-Visual Presentation (AVP) contest, the Statement Piece Runway contest, and a 1-minute Spoken Word contest among the 18 classes of PSHS–BRC.
“The campaign was a great way to raise awareness on the issues of VAWC. The competitions inspired us to do our part to end VAWC and contribute to current efforts being done to address these issues,” SSG Public Information Officer and Grade 11–BioChemistry student Isabella Therese Perez told The Bicol Scholar when asked about the role of the Anti-VAWC competitions.
During the program, the AVPs prepared by each class showcased the different highlights of the Philippines’s Anti-VAWC campaign from 2003 to 2015 while the Statement Piece Runway competition also presented a peak of the program with the various creative and political statement pieces donned on the runway.
Model of Grade 11–Physics’s winning statement piece, Janah Frio Siaton, stated that their “statement piece showcases a burlesque-themed ensemble to protest against sexualizing women due to the way they dress, and it is all about not seeking validation or approval from men — or anyone for that matter.”
Meanwhile, the Student Services Division Chief and GAD Committee Member Joy Melga B. Olazo, Finance and Administration Chief Jay P. Bassig, and SSG Vice President Reya Grazielle B. Gomez also left messages throughout the event to remind the PSHS–BRC community of the Anti-VAWC campaign’s goal and importance.
Finally, the awarding ceremony concluded with 11–Physics, 11–Biology and 10–Photon declared as the overall 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners, respectively.
