Gender and Development (GAD) Officers from the city government of Muntinlupa join the CUCPD Forum on Women in Peacebuilding. (Photo Courtesy: Janna Pineda/PIA-NCR) 

QUEZON CITY, (PIA) -- The Department of the Interior and Local Government - National Capital Region (DILG-NCR) on Friday, October 20, organized a Capacitating Urban Communities for Peace and Development (CUCPD) Forum to achieve gender parity in the peace process. 

The CUCPD primarily seeks to provide a platform to address the underrepresentation of women at different levels of decision-making, particularly those that are closely intertwined to peacebuilding. 

“By intensifying our efforts to reorganize the CUCPD Program, we at the DILG NCR, hope to create a platform for critical discussions on the issues faced by different sectors in situations of conflict to collectively work toward our goal of sustaining peace and development,” said DILG- NCR Regional Director Maria Lourdes Agustin.

The intended outcome of the forum is the improved institutional capacity of local government units (LGUs), especially the Gender and Development (GAD) officers, to identify and address the pressing concerns of vulnerable groups including the youth, women, labor, and urban poor sectors towards the goal of developing context-sensitive programs. 

“Through this forum, it is my hope that everyone can take on the challenge of developing long-term strategies that will ensure the protection of the fundamental rights of women, create measures to achieve gender equality in the workplace, and mainstream gender development through local legislation,” Agustin added, citing the need to facilitate the provision of inclusive social welfare interventions to achieve sustainable urban governance in the country. 

Marielle Marcaida, one of the topic presenters in the forum, discussed the grassroots initiative of the “Ronda ng Kababaihan” in the municipality of Pateros who conducted voluntary night patrols to serve as the instrument of peace and order during the height of the anti-illegal drug campaign. 

The volunteer community service demonstrated not only the gendered strength of women but also their maternal authority to become active partners in achieving social justice. 

In addition, Senior Adviser on Peacebuilding of the DILG Local Government Academy tackled the beneficial contribution of incorporating the perspectives of women in the attainment of successful peace negotiations and engagements as one of the pillars of positive peace. 

The intrinsic role of women in the security and peace process was also highlighted by Police Colonel Maricel Shmitt, the Chairperson of the Anti-Violence Against Women and Children Division (AVAWCD) of the Philippine National Police (PNP). 

Schmitt anchored the provisions of the Magna Carta of Women on the continuous elimination of the discrimination which hinders Filipino women from realizing their rights.

The CUCPD Program stems from the stipulation of Executive Order No. 70, s. 2018, which underscores the importance of institutionalizing a whole-of-nation approach to pursue the country’s holistic peace agenda. (PIA-NCR)