Wazzup Pilipinas!?
Historic Consultation Transforms Policy Into Action Through Revolutionary "Pakiglambigit" Movement
In the heart of Butuan City, a revolutionary moment unfolded that could reshape the future of peace in the Philippines. From September 16-18, 2025, fifty-one extraordinary women leaders, community advocates, and peacebuilders gathered for what would become a defining moment in the nation's journey toward sustainable peace—the PAKIGLAMBIGIT Stakeholders' Consultation on Women, Peace, and Security.
This wasn't just another government meeting. This was a clarion call for transformation.
The Power of a Single Word
Pakiglambigit—a Cebuano word meaning "active participation"—became more than linguistic choice; it became a battle cry. In a region where women have historically been sidelined in peace negotiations despite bearing the heaviest burdens of conflict, this consultation represented a seismic shift toward true inclusion.
"We earnestly call upon you to recognize women's participation and consultation in peace building not as a token gesture of inclusion, but as a vital and non-negotiable cornerstone of sustainable peace," declared PCW Chairperson Ermelita V. Valdeavilla in her powerful video message. Her words cut through decades of marginalization with surgical precision.
From Shadows to Center Stage
The statistics tell a sobering story: across Mindanao's conflict-affected regions—Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, and Caraga—women and girls face an intersection of violence that goes far beyond the battlefield. Gender-based violence, human trafficking, recruitment of children into armed groups, environmental degradation, and the systematic marginalization of Indigenous peoples create a web of suffering that traditional peace processes have failed to address.
But this consultation refused to accept the status quo.
Twenty-one civil society organizations, including five women's groups, joined forces with thirteen regional government agencies and thirteen local government units. This unprecedented coalition brought together voices that had never been heard in the same room—from military officials to grassroots activists, from government bureaucrats to Indigenous leaders.
Four Pillars of Revolutionary Change
The consultation didn't just talk about problems—it architected solutions through the four foundational pillars of the Philippine National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security (NAPWPS) 2023-2033:
Pillar I: Empowerment and Participation became a declaration of war against exclusion. No longer would women be spectators in their own liberation. The plan demands women's leadership in peace councils, community mediations, and every level of decision-making.
Pillar II: Protection and Prevention transformed from bureaucratic language into concrete shields against violence. Strengthened referral systems, improved oversight mechanisms, and multi-stakeholder strategies emerged as weapons against gender-based violence and exploitation.
Pillar III: Promotion and Mainstreaming represented the systemic revolution—embedding gender perspectives not as an afterthought, but as the foundation of every government program, policy, and institution.
Pillar IV: Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) became the accountability backbone, ensuring that promises made in air-conditioned conference rooms translate into protection for women in conflict zones.
Voices from the Frontlines
The consultation's most powerful moments came not from prepared speeches, but from raw, unfiltered truth-telling. Participants courageously named the demons haunting their communities: weak enforcement of gender protection laws, underreporting of abuses, limited resources, and the persistent challenge of corruption that diverts peace-building funds from their intended purposes.
Michael Manaois from the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Mary Jean Panchito from the Department of Interior and Local Government, Dr. Macario Jusayan from the PCW, and Rene Gandeza from OPAPRU—each brought institutional perspectives that had rarely been challenged so directly by grassroots voices.
The breakthrough came when participants moved beyond identifying problems to crafting solutions: strengthening women's leadership in barangay Gender Focal Point Systems, creating safe spaces for civil society organizations, building capacity among community leaders, and advancing evidence-based action through improved data collection.
The 11-Point Revolution
Perhaps the consultation's most radical moment came with Elizabeth Yang's presentation of the 11-Point Civil Society Organization Agenda on WPS—a framework born from nationwide consultations that dared to imagine peace built from the ground up rather than imposed from above.
This agenda doesn't just call for women's inclusion—it demands their centrality. It envisions preventing conflict at its roots by addressing poverty and discrimination, building gender-sensitive governance systems, placing women at decision-making tables, empowering communities with peace-building skills, and strengthening civil society as the backbone of sustainable peace.
Beyond Tokenism: The Bangsamoro Blueprint
The consultation also showcased the Bangsamoro Regional Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security—a third-generation initiative running until 2028 that has already begun transforming how peace is conceived and implemented. Supported by Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and the European Union, this plan proves that international partnership can amplify rather than overshadow local leadership.
Bai Hyriah Raihanna R. Candao from UNDP Philippines demonstrated how the Bangsamoro Women Commission has moved from aspiration to implementation, creating tangible pathways for women's leadership in conflict prevention, peacebuilding, and governance.
The Commitment That Changed Everything
The consultation's climax came with the NAP-WPS Commitment Pledge Wall—a moment when rhetoric transformed into responsibility. Led by OPAPRU Executive Director Susana Guadalupe H. Marcaida, stakeholders didn't just sign their names; they signed away excuses for inaction.
"What is most important in the National Action Plan is localization," Marcaida emphasized with fierce clarity. "Mainstreaming means ensuring that programs truly reach the communities where they are needed the most. These should not remain only on paper, but must be felt by the people on the ground—the transformation and change that the National Action Plan promises."
A Beginning Disguised as an Ending
PCW Executive Director Nharleen Santos-Millar's closing words captured the consultation's true significance: "This consultation is not an ending, it is a beginning. This is the start of a stronger, united effort to build a peaceful Philippines, where women are not just included, but truly empowered to shape peace, security, and development."
The Pakiglambigit movement represents more than policy implementation—it embodies a fundamental reimagining of how peace is built. Instead of peace agreements negotiated by men in suits and imposed on communities, this approach recognizes that sustainable peace must be cultivated by those who understand conflict's true cost: the women who have lost children to recruitment, who have survived gender-based violence, who have held communities together when everything else fell apart.
The Road Ahead: From Consultation to Transformation
As stakeholders dispersed from Butuan City back to their communities across Mindanao, they carried more than action plans and policy frameworks. They carried a new understanding of their own power and a roadmap for wielding it effectively.
The success of Pakiglambigit will not be measured in government reports or international accolades, but in concrete changes: more women in peace councils, stronger protection mechanisms for conflict-affected women and girls, increased resources allocated to WPS implementation, and most importantly, a generation of young women who grow up believing their voices matter in shaping their nation's future.
The consultation has ended, but the revolution has just begun. In conference rooms and community centers across Mindanao, women are no longer asking for permission to lead—they are simply leading. And in their leadership lies the blueprint for a Bagong Pilipinas where peace is not just the absence of war, but the presence of justice, equality, and hope.
Pakiglambigit is no longer just a word. It has become a movement. And movements, once started, are impossible to stop.
Ross is known as the Pambansang Blogger ng Pilipinas - An Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Professional by profession and a Social Media Evangelist by heart.
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