In my previous column, I wrote about the significant roles women play in tourism and livelihood systems, yet their voices are muted and rendered invisible by society. But how do women build resilience in coastal communities, where storms are frequent, markets are fragile, and power and electricity stop?
In places like Cebu, and Polillo Island, Quezon, that question is not academic. It is lived. Typhoons disrupt transport. Power outages halt production. Markets fluctuate. Livelihoods hang in the balance. And in the middle of this uncertainty, women quietly hold families and local economies together.
Our recent study on women abaca weavers and agritourism workers in Polillo Island began with simple but urgent questions: Who are they? What roles do they play in the value chain? How does abaca contribute to their socio-economic lives? What enables and what constrains their leadership?
Polillo Island offers a powerful case. Seventy percent of its municipalities are highly vulnerable to landslides and frequent cyclones. It is a biodiversity hotspot under ecological stress. And it stands at a critical transition point, shifting from declining coconut livelihoods toward abaca-based agritourism. In this fragile but promising space, women’s participation is central.
Women dominate production and processing by stripping fiber, weaving strands, preparing products. Their hands carry the craft inherited through generations. Yet when decisions are made about pricing, markets, and tourism development, their voices are often fewer. Participation does not automatically mean empowerment. Presence in a meeting is not the same as power in decision-making.
One woman in a focus group said quietly: “We can grow abaca and raise our families, but sometimes it feels like no one sees what we do.” Invisibility is its own form of vulnerability. When work is unseen, confidence shrinks. Leadership feels distant.
And yet, abaca-based agritourism is more than supplemental income. It diversifies livelihoods, supports children’s education, and strengthens cooperative ties. Empowerment grows when women gain access to training, markets, and supportive institutions. It deepens when participation carries real authority; when women negotiate with buyers, shape tourism products, and step into leadership roles.
Our findings reinforce an important truth: income alone is not empowerment. Political empowerment happens when income is coupled with voice, decision-making authority, and the capacity to shape outcomes. Women in Polillo were already earning. Empowerment emerged only when they began influencing.
Empowerment also goes beyond finances. In small coastal communities, dignity, trust, and harmony matter deeply. Some women hesitate to access loans not because they lack ability, but because of fear of gossip or judgment. True empowerment must respect cultural realities. It is not only about financial inclusion; it is about belonging without stigma.
If empowerment is to last, it must be written into policies grounded locally that can link climate resilience, livelihood diversification, and women’s leadership. Processing and innovation hubs can move communities beyond selling raw fiber to producing market-ready goods. Agencies must align so women farmers and entrepreneurs are not left navigating fragmented systems alone. And cultural storytelling must elevate abaca not just as a commodity, but as identity and pride.
Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG 5) sets the goal of gender equality. But equality is the destination; equity is the route. Correcting structural power imbalances takes time. In the short term, awareness and policy adoption can make women’s work more visible. In the medium term, income stability and leadership roles can strengthen. In the long term, cultural and governance shifts can permanently embed women’s voices in agritourism.
Abaca is known as the fiber of strength. But in Polillo Island, it is the women who embody that strength.
Along our coastlines, resilience is not only about surviving the next storm. It is about who has the power to steer recovery, influence markets, and shape the future before another typhoon appears in the horizon.