Sunday, May 18, 2008 Fathers become star at 1st Int'l Day of Families
FATHERS became the main focus of the first International Day of Families held last Saturday at the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) regional office Conference Hall.
Men from different government offices and organizations, and some women gathered to celebrate the first International Day of Families, which has the theme, "Fathers and Families: Responsibilities and Challenges."
According to DSWD Regional Director Porfiria Bernardez, the aim of the celebration is to create an awareness of the government's projects for the fathers, and to highlight the importance of the roles of the fathers in the family.
In line with the theme, the DSWD introduced their "Empowerment and the Affirmation of Paternal Abilities (Erpat)" project.
Arsenia Tejada of the DSWD regional office said the Erpat aims to appreciate the roles of the fathers, and to help the fathers in the improvement of their paternal performances. "This envisions responsible Filipino fathers, committed, disciplined, knowledgeable and highly appreciative in carrying out effective paternal rules and responsibilities," she said.
The main goal of the Erpat is to train fathers in different areas that are related to their roles. There will be eight modules which will be used to train fathers.
The first module is entitled, "Understanding Myself as a Person," which aims to help a father understand himself first. "One has to understand himself first before he can become effective," Tejada said.
The second module is "Accepting Your Role as a Father" which tackles on the development of one's paternal identity.
The third, "Becoming Your Wife's Best Friend" discusses about strengthening a husband's relationship with his wife, and family planning.
The fourth, "Fathers as Child Caregivers," aims to change the mindset that only mothers are obliged to nurture the child.
"Fathers as Advocates in the Prevention of Family Violence," is the fifth module which will teach the fathers how to prevent domestic violence.
The sixth is "Fathers as Advocates in Promoting a Drug-Free Home."
The seventh, "Fathers as Advocates in the Prevention of HIV-AIDS," which will talk about safe-sex and other related issues.
The last is "Promoting Family Spirituality," which could contribute to the values development of the whole family.
Remo Moraleda, an Erpat volunteer from Baguio, shared his testimony on how the program helped him improve on becoming a father. He also shared three things he learned, which are to find one's true purpose, to walk the talk, and to have ReMo, which means real moments, to find happiness.
Virgilio Ngase, another Erpat volunteer, said he learned much from the program because he became a more responsible father and husband.
Ferdinand Caramto of the DSWD shared his testimony and lessons he learned. He said it is important to remember, not the rice crisis but the RIC, which is the acronym for Responsibility, Independence, and Courage.
