I was reading a past issue of the Reader's Digest and one of the feature stories was about how a woman from another neighboring country  made a difference in the lives of fellow women.  She was a victim of gang rape  just like the many girls who were deprived of justice.  Many of these women just fell silent but she fought for those who don't have the courage to fight for themselves and for their rights.  The women in her country were treated as second-class citizens and are not being sent to school since women their are expected to be jiust plain housewives anyway.

My initial reaction was that of gratitude.  I thank God that I was born in a country where women are equally recognized as that of men.  Though the Philippines is generally considered as having  a patriarchal society wherein the father is the authority figure in the family, the woman also has a substantial authority since she manages the finances and shares the egalitarian role of decision-making in the family.  The filipina woman also has the choice to work full time despite her responsibiltiies as a homemaker. 

I pity the plight of those women who are being treated with less respect in their own homeland.  It makes me feel so lucky to be a Filipina despite the many troubles that my country has been facing right now.