PNoy appoints Remmy Rikken to the Philippine Commission on Women

December 18, 2010, Manila – Remedios “Remmy” Ignacio-Rikken returns to the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) as its Chairperson.  As former Executive Director to the then National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women (NCRFW) during President Cory Aquino’s term, she re-oriented the agency from organizing women for welfare projects to mainstreaming gender equality into government policies. She helped develop the Philippine Development Plan for Women, which later became a companion piece to the Medium-Term Philippine Development Plan (1987-1992) and served as a model for gender advocacy for the region.

In 1981, Rikken co-founded PILIPINA, the national organization of Filipino women. She has been active in various grassroots organizations, including credit unions, community-based health programs, community theater groups and autonomous women’s groups. She is an economist and accountant by training.

Rikken is one of the founders of the Center for Asia-Pacific Women in Politics (CAPWIP), a regional forum working for political empowerment of women. She is also a member of the World Bank’s External Gender Consultative Group.

Having actively lobbied for the passage of R.A 9710 or the Magna Carta of Women (MCW), Rikken said she will focus on ensuring that the landmark law will be effectively implemented.