The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
What’s a Gen Z crooner doing, singing covers of Greatest Generation’s Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin’s hits?
And then sharing them to Baby Boomers and Gen X in the crowd who get to their feet and dance to the mood of him either interpreting Michael Buble or Martin’s “Sway.”
To think this is only a part of the diverse contents of the program of a woman’s world.
That’s how eighteen-year-old Nathan Randall, a Fil-Am singing idol, a fixture in GMA Network’s weekend noontime variety show “All Out Sunday,” is able to integrate himself in predominantly females’ activities of a global women’s organization.
This is Membership Recognition 2026 party of the Soroptimist International (SI) of the Americas and Philippines at the Ayala Alabang Country Club in Alabang, Muntinlupa City.
Soroptimist, anyone?
Soroptimists are so-called because they are sisters (from Latin’s soror) the way we understand it as in a sorority, a club composed of girls and from another Latin word optima which translates to “best” or apex of greatness and sunny disposition.
Wholly, Soroptimist International, founded in Oakland, California 1921, is a global network of women, additionally meant from its website, as “dedicated to improving the lives of women and girls through education, empowerment, and advocacy.”
No wonder, this is echoed by SI Americas and Philippines Regional Membership Chair Farah Acierto.
“One of our thrusts is education of the members and women in general,” says Acierto in an interview.
In an inspirational talk, SI Governor Marivic Paras also emphasizes the significance of women empowerment in this day and age of conflicts in many directions.
In more ways than one, every woman at SI signifies a catalyst of change in a world peppered with strife and indifference.
A Soroptimist helps solve societal problems like a she’s peace offerer in her best way possible.
Therefore, the celebration and recognition of outstanding members of SI Americas and Philippines Region on its 60th year in the country is a timely and a fitting tribute this March–observed as International Women’s Month–not just to international but Filipino women as well.
Aside from honoring regional members, old and new, full-pledged and honorary, institutions and founders, this year’s event has an exciting and interesting contest designed for all.
The competition is called “Give Me Five Jingle Video” that crystallizes the vision and mission of it.
It is enthusiastically joined by not a few creative and enterprising minds who have mustered the vision of their group to bring forth in their audio-visual canvases.
According to Acierto, the aim of the search is to actualize the biennium’s five (5) Rs.
“The competition centers and evaluates the inclusion of the five Rs, the cornerstones of membership, namely, Rekindle, Reimagine, Revitalize, Recruitment, and Retention,” explains Farah, one of the energetic leaders of the org.
The winning entries include: SI Malabon, Grand Champion; SI Batangas Downtown, 1st Runner-up; 2nd Runner-up, SI Calauag in Quezon Province; 3rd Runner-up, SI Gumaca, also in Quezon; 4th Runner-up, SI Pampanga.
At this juncture, singer Nathan serenades the winners and other honorees, all multigenerational ladies of various clubs.
They are all delighted as the Gen Z pays them tribute through music while a colorful participation of Casa Danzarte, a terpsichorean troupe from San Pedro City in Laguna Province’s Casa del Nino Montessori performs a medley of dances to salute Filipino womanhood.
Once more, SI as a group, has displayed the inherent values in the feminine mystique of dignity, intelligence, skills, camaraderie and independence of women.
According to Acierto, aside from education as a the core thrust of SI Philippines, the socio-civic entity is also looking into gender equality and economic advancement in the sphere of women power.
Farah also emphasizes that membership in SI isn’t limited to the well-off females.
“We encourage girls and women from poor communities to our fold,” she says. (Boy Villasanta)