Irene Santiago
Irene Santiago
Irene Morada Santiago is a peace negotiator from the Philippines. She is Chair Emerita and chief executive officer of the Mindanao Commission on Women (MCW). Santiago has negotiated peace between Muslim separatists and the Philippines government.
"I always look at power and powerlessness and inequality. It structures the nature of inequality and how people behave, as a result of that. So, in a sense, I am influenced by the structure but the structure also influences me."
"“One woman you take seriously is better than 1,000 that you don’t. But 1,000 women that you do take seriously is far better, of course. Women have life experiences that are different from men.”"
"“The difference between the women’s conference in 1975 and this conference in 1995 is that in 1975 women just tried to make their voices heard. Now, in 1995 we are putting our issues on the public agenda. And the women’s issues are not isolated, single problem issues. Women’s issues are the whole global agenda."
