MULTI-AWARDED Mayor Beng Climaco is among 16 women leaders featured in the book titled “Compelled by Duty, Conscripted by Destiny: Portraits of 16 Asian Women at the Frontline of Democratic Struggle” by John Joseph S. Coronel and produced by the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats (CALD).
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| Photos from the book “Compelled by Duty, Conscripted by Destiny: Portraits of 16 Asian Women at the Frontline of Democratic Struggle” by John Joseph S. Coronel and produced by the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats, show Zamboanga City Mayor Beng Climaco and other women leaders. |
Climaco was prominently featured along with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-Wen, former Vice President Annette Lu, and Bi-Khim Hsaio, MP, of DPP; former Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri; Vice-President Leni Robredo, Senator Leila de
Lima; the late Deputy Speaker Dina Abad; Senior Minister Aung San Suu Kyi of Myanmar; former Women Minister Mu Sochua and Saumura Tioulong of the National Rescue Party of Cambodia; former Mongolian Environment Minister Oyun Sanjaasuren of the Civil Will-Green Party; Jayanthi Devi Balaguru, of Malaysian People’s Movement Party; Dr. Rachada Dhnadirek of the Democrat Party of Thailand; Legislator Emily Lau of the Democratic Party of Hong Kong; and Renho Murata, MP, of the Democrat Party of Japan.
The author branded the 16 leaders as “exemplary Asian women who epitomize grace under pressure and calm amid calamity.”
Climaco was recognized for her leadership, diligence, and courage under fire during the September 2013 siege of Zamboanga by Moro National Liberation Front rebels under Nur Misuari; and for overcoming social biases and prejudices as a woman in politics.
“In their stories, these laudable women overcome incredible barriers, not just in the form of political persecution committed by tyrants in authoritarian and semi-authoritarian regimes, but also in the form of social and cultural biases and prejudices that prevail among the general population, said Abhisit Vejjajiva, Chairman of the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats.
The author said: “Painting the portraits of the 16 Asian Women in the frontline of democratic struggle using as my brush, the power of the pen, is an honor and privilege -as well as an obligation. The lessons in life that they imparted are etched in my memory.”
Siege
The book discussed in detail how Climaco handled the siege which lasted over three weeks and displaced over 200,000 people. The street battles and house-to-house combat between security and rebel forces killed and wounded nearly 500 people.
“Her multifarious and multifaceted talents in politics, governance, management, psychology, education, military and religion were literally put to test during the crisis. And she proved to be the right mayor at a time when things in the city went wrong,” the author wrote.
The book also showed Climaco’s strong leadership and how she overcame all the political challenges to emerge as one of the best in the South.
“Being female is quite challenging in the field of politics. Cultural and religious mind-sets would prefer a male who is viewed to be endowed with strength and power genetically. Society is biased against women leaders who view us as weak and emotional. But this in itself is what is enigmatically fascinating about this stereotypical myth. Once women excel in the field of public service, we break the barriers that imprison society’s norms and limitless possibilities happen. I always say never ever underestimate the strength of a woman,” she said.
An advocate for women and children’s rights, Climaco said she was inspired by her grandmother, who was a principal author of the Magna Carta of Women (Republic Act 9710) (National Democratic Institute). “My grandmother, Isabel, who was a suffragist and a strong advocate of Filipino women’s rights, was also a teacher,” she said.
But a major influence in Climaco’s life is her uncle, Cesar Climaco, who was mayor of Zamboanga for 11 beginning in the 1950s. He attained national prominence during martial law as one of the fiercest and most fearless critics of Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos until he was assassinated in 1984, one of the many martyrs of the Liberal Party during the dark days of the conjugal dictatorship.
In the book, Maguindanao Representative, Sandra Sema, said Climaco’s leadership style has a “woman’s touch. She’s very sweet but she’s strong, diligent and systematic. It’s like how you would plan for your household. She identifies right away what is needed the most.”
Before being elected mayor in the May 2013 elections where she received the highest mandate in the city’s history, Climaco was a two-term city councilor from 1998 to 2004 after which she was immediately elected as vice mayor.
From being a local legislator and head of the city council, she became the city’s representative in Congress for two consecutive terms (2007 to 2013). During her second term in the House of Representatives, she became one of the six deputy speakers, overcoming the barriers of age and gender - she was both the youngest and the only woman who held that post during the 15th Congress.
She finished her secondary education in the United States and became a novice in a Catholic convent. She was an educator and guidance counselor with a Master’s degree in Family Ministry and Counseling from Ateneo de Manila University, the country’s leading Jesuit learning institution. She holds the rank of Lieutenant Colonel as a reservist in the army. She is married to former military general Trifonio Salazar.
Best mayor
Climaco was also chosen as among “Top 5 World’s Best Mayors” by the prestigious City Mayors Foundation. She was was named along with Valeria Mancinelli, Mayor of Ancona, Italy who is the Winner of the 2018 World Mayor Prize; Ros Jones, Mayor of Doncaster, UK; Nathalie Appéré, Mayor of Rennes, France; and Charlotte Britz, Mayor of Saarbrücken, Germany.
In its award to Climaco, the City Mayors Foundation heavily cited the local mayor for her commitment to offer Zamboanga harmony, security and prosperity. “During her first term in office, Climaco made it her priority for the victims of the attack to receive justice and compensation. She has also been determined to heal any divisions between the city’s Christian and Muslim communities. The Inter-Religious Dialogue Council, she convened, has been successful in promoting peace. In a city, which was often perceived as violent, there have been no bombings or kidnapping incidents since 2016. In 2017, Mayor Climaco’s administration won the award for the most improved local government,” said the philanthropic international research think tank dedicated to local government.
Outstanding
Climaco, who is running for congresswoman in District 1 in the May polls, was also recognized as the “Most Outstanding Mayor” by the Federation of Local Councils of Women in the Philippines in 2017. These awards and rankings were based on indicators and measurements such as economic dynamism, government efficiency, infrastructure and resiliency. These recognitions are feats never before achieved by any administration.
The City Mayors Foundation said the award is given every two years to mayors who have made outstanding contributions to their communities and have developed a vision for urban living and working that is relevant to towns and cities across the world. (Zamboanga Post)