Having a woman’s intuition and a mother’s instinct could be of great help for a person tasked to govern a local government unit. Just ask Mayor Nashiba G. Sumagayan of the municipality of Taraka in Lanao del Sur.
She’s presently raising six children, a mean feat by any standard, and in her own words “a wonderful badge of honor.”
Sumagayan said that to an extent, being a mother is an asset for any public servant. She asserts that a mayor who happens to be a woman and who also happens to be a mother will always prioritize the welfare of the people.
“The welfare of my constituents is in my hands. I can see how they depend on my leadership, so I do my best to attend to their needs as much as I attend to my children’s needs,” she said.
“We women tend to speak up and act more for the interests of the community because of our closer involvement in community life. It’s same with raising our own children. We speak up and work, putting aside personal needs and wants.”
Now on her second term as mayor of Taraka, a fourth-class municipality with a population of over 23,000, Sumagayan said any mother who has a career faces bigger challenges, especially when it comes to managing her time between work and children.
The 42-year-old mother said running the municipality and being a leader to her constituents is easier when one works with utmost sincerity and dedication.
Sumagayan was one of 12 children, and she credits her mother for instilling such important values to their very large brood.
“My mother’s principles in life, her way of raising her 12 children, her teachings to us, her fear of Allah swt and everything about her summed up the way I lived my life today,” she said.
The mayor passed on her mother’s teachings to her own children, as she taught them to keep their feet planted firmly on the ground “no matter how high or low their achievements in life are,” and to show respect for everyone.
“With that, I mean equal respect to everybody no matter what status the person is holding,” she said.
Sumagayan also stressed the importance of having a good education and a family with a strong bond that cannot be broken by trials and to continuously ask and thank Allah “for everything that He has offered and will offer us for the rest of our lives.”
The mayor noted she has been using these same principles in governing Taraka, as it is her wish for her constituents to learn from and adopt these tenets in their everyday life.
More women in Mindanao are being appointed or elected to public office, as voters are starting to recognize and acknowledge the benefits of having that distinctive “woman’s touch” in government.
Sumagayan noted that women today are more competitive, better educated and trained in leadership, thus many have chosen a career in politics.
“It’s become the trend in Mindanao. Women have developed the confidence and courage that they too have the edge to become good leaders in the community,” she said.
The mayor also acknowledged that today’s Maranao women have become more empowered.
Recalling the time when she was growing up in Marawi City, she noticed only a handful of women were gainfully employed or held important positions in government. But, she happily notes, it’s different today.
In Taraka, one often sees tarpaulins being put up to announce women passing board examinations or other feats.
“This is but an implication that women today are becoming more assertive, which is a good thing because women representation in the community, although slow, is finally happening,” she said.
Indeed, the welfare of women has taken priority in the mayor’s various advocacies, even as Sumagayan noted men still outnumber the women in the workplace.
“In my community, I see to it that women are given equal opportunity with men, both in employment and involvement in community affairs. I organized the women sector with the aim of giving them limitless opportunity. Seminars on women and children’s rights are given much emphasis,” she said.