Manila, March 19 -- The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) said women from the upland provinces of the country are generally considered as empowered, most of them able to provide for themselves and knowing how to seek protection when abused.

"Many of the women in the Cordillera are highly empowered with at least 3 out of 10 earning more than their husbands and 90 percent of our women knows how and where to seek help when abused," said Maria Aplaten, DSWD-CAR regional director and chairperson of the Regional Gender and Development Committee (RGADC) of the Regional Development Center, in an interview on Wednesday.

She said that in her agency alone, more women are leading the...