To our partners, the organizers, stakeholders, and fellow champions of the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) Agenda, magandang umaga po sa ating lahat!
Hayaan ninyo po akong magsimula sa pamamagitan ng pagpapahayag ng aking taos-pusong pasasalamat sa inyong dedikasyon at pakikiisa sa ating Philippine Conference on WPS! Today and in the next three days, we will not only learn from each other—we will, in fact, be making history!
We celebrate several milestones as we gather today because it is:
- seven months after the establishment of the first-ever WPS Center of Excellence in the Asia-Pacific region; and
- one year after the first-ever ministerial-level International Conference on WPS, which was held right in this very venue in October of last year!
Indeed, the Philippines has achieved many ‘firsts,’ reminding us that we have always been a pioneer in advancing the WPS Agenda.
As we celebrate these, let us also renew our resolve to carry the work forward and build on our gains—to achieve a Bagong Pilipinas where every Filipino woman can thrive in equality, and where all of us live in peace and security.
Whole-of-society approach to peacebuilding
The issues and challenges surrounding WPS touch every sector of society, reminding us that our path forward must be inclusive and collaborative.
Kaya naman po, sa paghahanda para sa ating Conference, siniguro po nating lahat ng sektor ay may representasyon—mula sa ating mga kasama sa pamahalaan, civil society organizations (CSOs), private sector, indigenous peoples, at ang ating mga kabataan.
By listening to and learning from diverse experiences and perspectives, we can develop a truly holistic and inclusive approach to advancing the WPS Agenda.
National Government
At the national level, our goal is to ensure that WPS is not merely included in our priorities but also placed front and center among the most urgent issues of our time.
In last year’s ICWPS, I had the privilege of joining government leaders from Australia and the Philippines, and a CSO leader from Ukraine. Despite the differences in our contexts, one resounding message emerged—we must increase our investments toward achieving stronger outcomes in WPS indicators.
At the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), we make sure that every budget we submit to Congress truly reflects the diverse needs of women and girls across the country.
Gender-Responsive Public Financial Management
But to really transform lives, we must go beyond allocation and ensure their timely and meaningful implementation. This is why we are continuously strengthening our Public Financial Management (PFM) systems—making them more digitalized, efficient, and transparent.
To ensure that every peso is released on time and toward the right priorities, we are developing the Gender Accountability Dashboard with the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW), tracking how agencies utilize their Gender and Development (GAD) budget.
Local Governments
Moreover, we are underscoring the vital role of our local governments in implementing the NAPWPS as they possess not only the proximity but also the capacity to translate national plans into concrete programs and services that are responsive to the unique needs of their communities.
Towards localization, the Philippine government is strengthening partnerships with Regional Development Councils and their Gender and Development Committees. We commend the Cordillera Administrative Region for forming a technical working group to localize the NAPWPS, and CARAGA for its initiative to develop its own Regional Action Plan on WPS.
And as the Chair of the Committee on Devolution, we are committed to ensuring that our local government units (LGUs) are equipped to serve their constituents efficiently and effectively.
Sa pamamagitan ng programang ito, ang mga tagapamahala ng budget sa lokal na pamahalaan ay magkakaroon ng kakayahang makapagplano at maipatupad nang mas epektibo ang mga pondo para sa serbisyo na mararamdaman ng ating mga kababayan, lalong-lalo na po ng ating mga kabataan at kababaihan.
Civil Society
Of course, we also recognize the indispensable role of CSOs—our steadfast Partners for Prosperity, whose community-based efforts have translated the National Action Plan on WPS (NAPWPS) pillars into meaningful action on the ground.
We are proud to shine a spotlight on our WPS CSO Accelerators through our Conference gallery. They have initiatives on crisis response, capacity building, entrepreneurship, research, social justice, and cultural heritage—with one organization proudly serving since 1996!
Indeed, the CSOs are the true accelerators of WPS, because progress would not be possible without your innovative minds and commitment to social transformation. Palakpakan po natin ang ating mga CSOs!
WPS and Open Governance
Meanwhile, as Chairperson of both the Philippine Open Government Partnership (PH-OGP) and the WPS Center of Excellence Advisory Council, I am especially grateful that we are aligning the localization of the NAPWPS with the principles of open governance.
The Philippines has long been a pioneer in both the WPS Agenda and open governance—being a founding member of the OGP. This reflects our identity as a nation where peace, inclusion, and openness are deeply ingrained in our DNA, as the former OGP CEO Sanjhay Pradhan said. And so let us sustain and strengthen these mutually reinforcing agendas, ensuring that one empowers the other.
Because through transparency, we can effectively track our investments for the WPS Agenda. Through accountability, we can ensure that our NAPWPS commitments are met and measured. And through citizen participation, we keep our civic spaces open—so that all sectors can continue to work hand-in-hand towards a whole-of-society approach to inclusive peacebuilding.
Conclusion
Let this season enable us to reflect on our achievements over the past 25 years and chart our path for the next 25 years and beyond.
Together, let us advance the WPS Agenda—across every level of government and every sector of society in Bagong Pilipinas—where every policy becomes a real change in the lives of women, today and for generations to come.
Maraming salamat po.
