kababaihan-at-kapayapaan-issue-3

As regards their benefits as women integrees, the responseswere: equal benefits with regulars (47%), salary (24%),Philheath (18%), and general benefits (12%). Most of thewomen integrees (76.4%) also responded that they aregenerally okay or treated equally when asked about theircondition inside 5ID. The respondents also said that thereis no discrimination between women and men; thoughthere was mention of only single women soldiers beingallowed to undergo Training and Doctrine Command(TRADOC) outside of 5ID. In the case of their barracks, therespondents said their facilities are enough for them (i.e. 23bunk beds, four toilet and bath areas).I sat down with the women integrees after their respectiveperformances and asked about what they shared. Duringour conversation, most, if not all, affirmed that women andmen are treated equally. They go through the same tasksand are given the same opportunities.depicted themselves, as women integrees, side by side eachother, acting as stewards of the environment and peace.The second group performed the tanggi, a traditionalKalinga dance performed by women as the foregroundof their collage. The collage represented the culture ofpeace using the symbol of the tapis and the colors of thePhilippine Army with men and women from the varioustribes in the region working together to achieve it.A very prominent feature of their collage was a drawing ofa male soldier and an indigenous woman—“Ito ang simbolong integration, kasama at kaisa tungo sa kapayapaan (Thissymbolizes integration. We are united in our pursuit ofpeace),” the group said.There were observations that single women were sent totrainings outside of 5ID while the married ones had theirtraining only in Gamu. However, they did not see anythingwrong with this practice. It is simply a part of how thingsare.The women also said that CPLA integrees were notdiscriminated against since they went through the sameprocess as the regular recruits. But, according to theoldest woman integree in the group, discrimination wasfelt during the first batch of integration in 2002 when theintegrees then did not finish school before they becamesoldiers.At the end of the session, I asked them if they had any ‘wishlist’ —they looked at each other and one said that she hopesthat they will also be given the opportunity to becomeofficers someday.Weaving the narrative of women making peaceFor the final activity, the women integrees were askedhow they see themselves—indigenous women in the AFP—as agents of peace in the Cordilleras through a collagedepiction narrated through Cordilleran song or dance.The first group explained their collage through an ulalim,a form of story-telling that depicts narratives of heroismand adventures of the Kalinga people. At the base oftheir collage are the six provinces of CAR and above it aredrawings of their shared environment—the Chico River,water falls, rice terraces, forests, and mountains. They alsoWomen integrees in formationReflectionsAs the day came to an end, the women integrees said thatthey enjoyed the activity: “Masaya, ma’am… (We had fun...)”and “Sana mayroon pa ulit (I wish we could do this again)”were the common answers. I was all well and good—each learning from and with each other. Sisterhood wasapparent, no opposition, just affirmations.Of course, once again, just like any other conscientiousresearcher, I was aware that one day is not enough to gaindeeper understanding about who these women integreesare. I mean, I know where they came from but I do notknow what the conflict history of their community was.I know why they said they integrated but I do not knowthe reason behind their CPLA parents/relatives’ decisionto have them integrated—could there have been anydifference? I know I needed more time to understand but itwas also time to go…Typhoon Ruby already made landfalland we needed to get back in Manila.March 2015KABABAIHANatKAPAYAPAAN35