Shahani shines for neglected sector

Given the crowds that went to the last night of former Senator Leticia Ramos-Shahani’s wake on March 27, it was clear that she would continue to shine as an inspiring star even in death.

This is not only for the diplomatic, legislative and educational circles where she excelled, but also for the neglected sectors she championed. Among these sectors are the women, small businesses and small farmers.

For each of these sectors, I experienced her competence, commitment and compassion.

Advocacies. For women, I saw her advocate the critical role of women in the new millennium. She asked me to help write her speech at the 1995 UN World Conference on Women in Beijing. Her argument, delivered with wisdom and wit, made sense.

During the Industrial Age, machines and strength were dominant. Men were then perceived as more important than women.

But with the entry of the new millennium, emphasis was given on information and skills. Three important new attributes were identified: multitasking, interpersonal sensitivity and discipline.

Evidence showed that women were often superior to men in these areas. Therefore, move over, men!

For small businesses, Shahani co-authored the Magna Carta for Small Enterprises (RA 6977). Among the most important features of this law were the creation of the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Council and the Small Business and Finance Guarantee Corporation. As then undersecretary for Trade, I was assigned to take charge of the creation of these two, which she guided with perseverance and patience.

Just as Shahani wanted 5 percent of the government budget allocated for women, she wanted at least 10 percent of all loans allocated for small enterprises. As a result, small enterprise loans increased by more than 3,000 percent within four years of the law’s enactment.

For small farmers, she devoted her last remaining years to help those in her hometown establish a carabao dairy project. Noting that more than 98 percent of our milk was imported, she helped address the problem by doing this project as a model for others to follow, while at the same time providing jobs for small farmers.

During her last months, she expressed interest in the soy milk project I brought to her attention. She felt this to be tailor-made for the rural sector, which suffers from both poverty and malnutrition. (With Shahani gone, Senate agriculture committee chair Cynthia Villar has expressed interest in looking into this, and perhaps continue Shahani’s milk advocacy.)

Accomplishments. Shahani would best be known for authoring the International Bill of Rights for Women passed by the United Nations General Assembly in 1979. But the story behind this is even more interesting. It showed her skill and persistence in achieving this landmark success for women.

Last March 25, in a eulogy given by Ambassador Rosario Manalo, details of Shahani’s successful championing of this UN-adopted position were revealed. In the male-dominated UN, no one wanted to cosponsor Shahani’s draft, except Russian delegate Tatiana Nikolaeva. This was during the height of the Cold War, and it was considered unwise to align with Russia. Nevertheless, Shahani skillfully and wisely took the risk. This is now history, and is uniquely her story.

Despite her battle against stage 4 cancer, Shahani continued to serve the nation. She shared her expertise and wisdom on current issues such as China’s presence in both Scarborough Shoal and Benham Rise, and even Marcos’ burial at Libingan ng Mga Bayani.
But what many will remember her for is not only her brilliant mind, but also her loving heart. She gave her love and attention to the underprivileged sectors.

After her death, Shahani will continue to inspire the underprivileged and serve as a model for government officials.

The author is chair of Agriwatch, former Secretary for Presidential Flagship Programs and Projects, and former Undersecretary for Agriculture, Trade and Industry. For inquiries and suggestions, e-mail [email protected] or telefax (02) 8522112.