Such are the stories of Sherlina Hungay, Genie Nanson, Lovely Tello, and Marian Cadevida.

These women challenged the prevailing notion in rural areas that females are not fit to enter professions traditionally seen as male-dominated. There are still those who believe in the notion that only men should work, as it was the woman’s duty to stay at home.

But the four women proved their detractors wrong by having completed training in welding, which still remains largely a man’s profession, here in the Philippines.

The training was made possible through the Gender Incentive Grant (GIG) from the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) through the Millennium Challenge Account-Philippines (MCA-P) and implemented through the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (Kalahi-CIDSS), one of the core poverty alleviation programs of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

These women used the negative perception against women welders as motivation to work hard to prove to others, and themselves, that they had the capacity to rise to the challenge.

From housewife to welder

“Dati akong ‘taga’. Taga-linis, taga-laba, taga-luto (I used to be ‘taga’. I clean, I wash,  I cook),”  Sherlina, 33, joked.

As a Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program beneficiary, she was among the priority-trainees of a skills training provided by the Technical Education Skills Development Authority (TESDA) through the GIG from Kalahi-CIDSS.

When asked by the Pantawid Pamilya Parent Leader, “Kaya mo ba talaga (Do you really think you can do it?),  her response was, “Kakayanin ko ito para sa pamilya ko (I will do this for my family).”  

Sherlina had no prior experience in working, being a housewife who took care of her three children. She even considered the possibility of working as a domestic helper abroad to earn money for her family, as she and her husband struggle daily to make ends meet. Her spouse works as a job-order construction worker at the municipal government.

After the training, Sherlina had to pass the assessment so she can become a full-fledged welder.

She recalled how anxious she felt when she was waiting for the results.

“Sobra ang nerbiyos ko sa assessment baka hindi ako makapasa. Nakakahiya sa asawa ko (I was so nervous during the assessment because I might not pass. I would be so ashamed to face my husband).”

Her fears were unfounded since she passed the assessment without any problem.

Sherlina gave her testimony during the graduation ceremony that was given by Kalahi-CIDSS to the women-trainees.

“Kung ano ang kaya ng asawa ko, kaya ko rin (I can do whatever my husband can),” she proudly shared.

She continued, “Matagal na kaming mag-asawa, pero ngayon ko lang naramdaman na mataas ang tingin niya sa akin. Masarap sabihin sa sarili na napakita ko na kaya ko (We have been married for several years, but it was only when I was going through training that I felt that he had high respect for me. It feels good that I was able to prove to myself that I could do this).”

Now, Sherlina has this to say about herself, her tone proud: “ ‘Taga’-welding ako (I am a welder).”

‘Just watch me’

Like Sherlina, Genie, 27, of Barangay San Jose, has a family of her own, with two children.

Genie’s spouse was supportive of her joining the training, even though she admitted that her husband would have preferred that she joined the plumbing classes instead, as he was worried about her safety.

Still, he agreed when she told him her preference was welding because that was what she really wanted to do. In fact, she shared that he would always give her money for fare just so she could attend the trainings.

Her neighbors were skeptical that Genie would be able to complete the training. She narrated that right from the time when they learned that she would be joining the training, they began mocking her that she would not finish the program.

Genie, however, did not mind them, even though there were times that their comments were already offensive. Instead, she used this as her motivation.

The start of the training was difficult. Genie shared how she accidentally burned herself in one of the sessions, and how it took some time before she got used to the welding equipment.

Still, she persevered, and like Sherlina, passed the assessment.

It was this same persistence that pushed her to seek on-the-job training from the Kalahi-CIDSS Area Coordinating Team (ACT).

She shared, “Parati kong kinukulit ang ACT para isali ako (I persistently ask the ACT to include me),” referring to the invitation given to the trainees to have their training during the construction of the Kalahi-CIDSS sub-projects in or near the town.

This statement was affirmed by the Kalahi-CIDSS Area Coordinator, Ivy Colas, who said that Genie would always go up to different members of the team to request to be given the opportunity to use her welding skills in one of the different sub-projects that will be implemented in the municipality.

Genie’s persistence eventually paid off when two Kalahi-CIDSS infrastructure sub-projects, a school building and a bridge, were put on schedule for construction, and she was tapped as one of the welders who will be working on these.

She did not even back down when her neighbors threatened to watch her first day on the job as a welder.

“Sinabihan ako ng ilang mga kapitbahay na papanoorin nila ako kung kakayanin ko. Sagot ko, sige panoorin niyo ako (My neighbors told me that they will watch me if I can do it. I told them to just watch me),”

Her bravura is not just at the surface level. According to the Area Coordinating Team and Engr. Nelson Zapanza, the TESDA instructor who trained her and the other women in welding, Genie is a very skilled welder.

When she herself realized this, Genie developed confidence in herself, and she is grateful to Kalahi-CIDSS for this.

Above all, Genie is thankful for the lessons and the break she was given. She said, “May oportunidad na kami para maiangat ang sarili namin, para matuto kami (We now have the opportunity to learn and to improve ourselves).”   

Age is no barrier

Lovely Tello and Marian Cadevida, both 18, are also qualified welders, having gone through the same training as Sherlina and Genie.

It is not just their youth that Lovely and Marian have in common. Both joined the training because their families could not afford to send them to college.

Both signed up for the welding classes because they just stayed at home, occasionally helping out in household tasks.

As Lovely shared, “Gusto ko makapag-aral kahit vocational lang (I want to be able to study, even if it is just a vocational course).”

Marian, meanwhile, said, “Hindi ako nakatapak ng college. Sumali na lang ako sa welding training kesa nasa bahay lang ako. At least may matutunan (I was not able to go to college. I joined the training instead of just staying at home. At least I would be able to learn something).”

She even shared that she was unsure about her own abilities in the past. It was only when she was able to experience welding firsthand that she began to have faith in herself.

She narrated, “Akala ko nung una hindi ko kaya. Kaya ko pala maski babae ako.  Nalaman ko na kaya ko noong actual na (I thought at first that I would not be able to do it. I found out that I actually could, even if I am a woman, but I only learned this when I was actually welding already).”

Marian and Lovely not only could do welding, they were able to keep up with the other trainers, which include men and older women, proving that neither gender nor age are barriers in skills building.

Women in welding

There may only be a few women who joined the welding training but through these classes, the participants not only learned a new skill, they were also able to develop confidence in themselves.

Admittedly, these women still have a long way to go after the training. Even so, it is a good first step, especially since, according to Engr. Zapanza, welding is a profession that can suit both men and women.

As he said, what matters in the workplace is not gender, but rather skill and talent, and the trainees have a lot of that going for them. ###