Manila, Philippines: March XX, 2024 – “Being a woman is a superpower,” AFP Spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla remarks during her session with Public Relations Society of the Philippines (PRSP) officers and members in Makati last week. In celebration of National Women’s Month, the country’s premier organization for public relations professionals held it first general membership meeting with a woman trailblazer as its guest speaker.
During her talk, Col. Padilla shared stories about her personal experiences being the first female spokesperson of the AFP, a battalion commander, a cybersecurity advocate, a former member of the Presidential Security Group (PSG), a frontliner during the Covid-19 pandemic response as information systems officer, among others – all while being a proud and devoted mother to her two wonderful sons.
Her impact as a communicator shines through not only in her capacity as an AFP spokesperson but more profoundly in her advocacy “Cyber for Peace”, where she actively raises awareness and champions the utilization of technology within communities to foster sustainable development. Because of her efforts in the tech and cybersecurity front, Col. Padilla has been recognized as one of the Top 10 Women in Cybersecurity in the Philippines in 2020, one of the Top 30 Women in Security in ASEAN in 2021, and most recently, as the 2023 Global Cybersecurity Woman Leader of the Year.
As more organizations and stakeholders continue to work together in the pursuit of a more inclusive society, Col. Padilla hopes to inspire and pave the way for increased female participation and transformative impact in traditionally male-dominated fields such as Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
Source: Public Relations Society of the Philippines (PRSP)
