The power to empower

The Philippine Women Economic Network (PhilWEN), a coalition of women’s business organizations, shared an invitation to join the Philippine Delegation to the Asean Women’s Business Delegation to India that was being organized by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) Ladies Organization (FLO) last September. A series of events were to take place in Hyderabad and Delhi—business matching, plant visits, a visit to the historic FICCI HQ and the opening of Anshukam, “a national initiative for textiles and handlooms.” My interest was immediately piqued. Being a part of a delegation such as this would give me the opportunity to see and experience India and have a glimpse of its business and entrepreneurship landscape through the lens of the women of FICCI-FLO. “FLO was established in 1983, as a division of [FICCI] which is the apex body of industry and commerce in India.” It has 20 chapters representing 20,000 women—entrepreneurs, professionals, executives.

What followed were five days packed with opportunities to learn and engage with FLO. Each day was curated to give us a taste of Indian food, culture, and an appreciation of the Indian business landscape. We witnessed FLO’s main objective, “to encourage and facilitate women to showcase their talents, skills, experiences, and energies across sectors and verticals of the economy, for a truly inclusive economic growth trajectory” in action and came to understand their tagline, “The power to empower.”

Getting to know India through food. We were graciously welcomed into the homes of Uma and Pinky, where we were served delectable meals highlighting the specialties of Hyderabad cuisine. We got to taste the best biryanis and a variety of dishes, capping off our meal with a refreshing paan. If there is anything that can easily show you how varied the cultures are within India, it would be the food—the contrast of spices, ingredients, and cooking styles between southern and northern Indian cuisine were stark but each uniquely delicious.

Innovation at Telangana state. We also met with Mr. Jayesh Ranjan, special chief secretary of ITE&C and I&C at the Telangana State Secretariat who explained the state’s laws and how it champions “ease of doing business,” ensuring that all state employees efficiently process permits for businesses within the prescribed time frame. They have incentives in place to encourage businesses to invest in Telangana such as reduced power rates, training programs for manpower specific to your industry and providing infrastructure for innovation like the “Telangana Academy of Skills and Knowledge” (TASK), making Hyderabad a fast-growing business hub for tech and innovation in India. Telangana is just a decade old state but its economic progress exemplifies how political will can rapidly propel a whole state forward.

FLO industrial park. We visited the only industrial park in the world composed of 100 percent women-owned manufacturing businesses. A flagship project of FLO and FICCI, it is situated in Hyderabad on 50 acres of land and can accommodate 25 manufacturing plants. It is a perfect example of the impact an organization can have. Such scale can only be achieved through years of dedication, collective hard work, and determination to fulfill a life-changing vision.

Women must support other women. In Delhi, we visited the FICCI HQ and sat in the same auditorium where Mahatma Gandhi once spoke to the distinguished 97-year-old organization. During the awarding ceremony, where our own Pacita Juan and Cristina Concepcion were honored for their achievements in business and women empowerment, FICCI-FLO president, Joyshree Das Verma, mentioned in her speech, “when women come together, we are able to achieve much more than we can alone.” This was the greatest lesson of our trip. When women help each other, whether it be through mentorship, collective action, being active members of an organization working on economic inclusivity for women, or simply being a support system for other women, we are able to multiply our impact exponentially.

Past president Vinita Bimbhet said, “we hope to see a future where women are drivers of economic growth.” We have seen this at work in India, on a massive scale. With organizations like PhilWEN and its member organizations, we hope to see the same in our country. Almost half of the population of the Philippines is female. Empowering the population that rears children, makes budgetary decisions for the family and reinvests in society, stands to impact our economy positively. Women must collaborate to amplify their voices and advance their causes rather than compete with each other to smash the proverbial glass ceiling together.

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Rosario Juan is the chief extractor of coffee at Commune, serving 100 percent Philippine coffee since 2013; a member of the International Women’s Coffee Alliance and is the founder of the Coffee Home Brewers Community.

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Women Who Lead is an initiative of PhilWEN.