ARMM’s first lady at work

Being a working mother is a daunting task especially if you’re in a position of power to affect change in a society.

Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao First Lady Sitti Djalia Turabin-Hataman, however, makes the task of juggling work and family look easy.

As the wife of ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman, the 36-year-old Hataman is hands-on in fighting for women empowerment in the region.

Hataman’s crusade for Moro women empowerment started back in 2007 when she founded Pinay…Kilos!, a civil society movement which sought to intensify women’s rights in the country.

“Investors are now starting to come in (to ARMM) like Del Monte and Berjaya. We were able to develop 10 hectares of land for palm oil,” Hataman says.

“We’re very ready (to compete with other developed regions in the country) because we are blessed by nature bounties like Lake Lanao, our culture, fertile land that is conducive to rubber, rice and palm oil and we are stable,” she added.

“I think an empowered Moro community will give rise to an overall empowered Moro society. And at the frontline of our communities are our homes, households, the maintenance and development of which is greatly lodged in the women,” she says.

According to Hataman, the women’s movement in general has gained more solid ground with the recent passing in the Congress of the RH Bill and with its counterpart in ARMM also being signed into law last December.

In addition, she notes that the awareness of the Moro women has greatly improved as compared to a time in the past when it was only limited to livelihood and having food on the table for their families.

Today, Hataman says that Moro women are getting more involved in various social issues such as those on health, human rights violations and displacement in times of conflict, culture and tradition, and illegal drugs.

She, however, stresses there is still a lot of ground left for women empowerment in the country, most especially among Moro women, to improve on.

“For the Moro women, although we see more in public offices, occupying crucial positions, we still need to hear more success stories, on their performance, the level of their influence and impact in their communities. It is not enough that we see women occupying positions, what matters is what they do while they’re at it,” Hataman notes.

“The same with the private sector, more Moro women are on the frontline, particularly in development work. Many NGOs are actually led by women. But we still need to continue developing our women and providing them platforms so they can engage in nation-building right in their communities,” she adds.

After being engaged in various civil society groups, Hataman was appointed in 2010 as the executive director of the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF), a post she held for over two years.

“I can proudly say that I am the first executive director of the commission, that also makes me the first woman to occupy the position, at the age of 34,” she says.

“But though the office is new, (created in 2009) it took over an old institution, the Office on Muslim Affairs, so introducing reforms was not easy,” she adds.

Despite being faced with various challenges, Hataman was able to leave a legacy of transparency and accountability in the agency.

In her two-year tenure in NCMF, Hataman was also able to convene and chair the Bids and Awards Committee, install convergence and teamwork among the different bureaus, and create the NCMF Calamity Fund.

“When I was appointed, I was faced with decades-old mentalities and practices. They’d say, ‘this is how we’ve been doing it.’ But I think I left them with the realization, that it’s possible to try new things, to innovate, especially in terms of maximizing resources for programs that will have beneficial, long-term impact on our constituents,” she notes.

At present, Hataman assists in some of her husband’s programs in ARMM, particularly those which are in partnership with the NCMF.

“As a wife, I’d say I’m the captain of his (Gov. Hataman) cheerleading team but I am also his number one critic,” she says.

“Sometimes, people look up to him so much that they fail or are afraid to tell him of his mistakes or shortcomings. I always make sure that I provide him that necessary feedback. I have always believed when a leader fails or refuses to hear criticisms, that’s the beginning of his/her downfall,” she notes.

Above all else, Hataman makes sure that her responsibilities at home are not forgotten despite the huge obligation resting in her shoulders as ARMM’s First Lady.

“We love to eat outside and watch movies as a family. Our children are also into different kinds of interests: football, music, robotics, swimming. So I try to watch them practice and perform whenever I can. Sundays are especially reserved for them,” she says.