A Clarion Call for Justice: Philippine Conference on Women, Peace & Security

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

When women rise, peace prevails. When women lead, nations transform.

This October 28-30, 2025, the Philippines stands at the threshold of a historic moment—one that will reverberate across generations and reshape the landscape of peace and security in our nation and beyond.

At the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City, approximately 600 voices will unite in a powerful chorus demanding what has been denied for far too long: the full, meaningful, and transformative participation of women in building lasting peace.

The Stakes Have Never Been Higher

In conflict zones across our archipelago and throughout the ASEAN region, women bear the heaviest burdens of violence and displacement—yet they remain systematically excluded from the peace tables where their futures are decided. This conference shatters that silence.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has issued a challenge that echoes through history: recognize women's critical role in building just and lasting peace. The Philippine government's answer is this groundbreaking gathering—a testament to our commitment that inclusivity and strengthened participation are not aspirations, but imperatives.

Four Pillars, One Revolutionary Vision

Building upon the momentum of the 2024 International Conference on Women, Peace and Security and the historic Pasay Declaration, this conference advances an unprecedented agenda through the National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security (NAPWPS) 2023-2033:

PILLAR I: Empowerment and Participation

Because peace without women's voices is not peace—it is merely the absence of war. We demand holistic and meaningful participation in every peace and security process, from grassroots dialogues to national policy tables.

PILLAR II: Protection and Prevention

Because women in conflict-affected areas face intersecting vulnerabilities that demand comprehensive protection. We will safeguard human rights across all diverse and intersecting identities, leaving no woman behind.

PILLAR III: Promotion and Mainstreaming

Because gender equality cannot be an afterthought. The government commits to embedding the Women, Peace and Security agenda into every peace and security initiative, making women's empowerment central to national policy.

PILLAR IV: Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning

Because promises without accountability are empty rhetoric. This revolutionary pillar integrates Civil Society Organizations into systematic oversight, ensuring transparency, adaptive learning, and contextually grounded assessment of our collective progress.

Who Answers This Call

The architects of change will converge: Department of Budget and Management Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman, OPAPRU Secretary Carlito G. Galvez Jr., Philippine Commission on Women Chairperson Ermelita V. Valdeavilla, OPAPRU Executive Director Susana "Toots" Marcaida, KAPATIRAN Chair Ma. Veronica "Ka Inca" Tabara, and Deputy BTA Parliament Speaker MP Atty. Laisa M. Alamia.

But they will not stand alone. Joining them are 600 delegates—government officials, grassroots women leaders, civil society organizations, feminist movements, youth peacebuilders, faith-based organizations, academic institutions, research institutions, media practitioners, private sector partners, regional partners from ASEAN Member States, and international development organizations.

This Is Our Moment

The Women, Peace and Security discourse will no longer be shaped by distant voices and imported frameworks. It will be grounded in local voices, rooted leadership, and community knowledge—the wisdom of Filipino women who have survived, resisted, and rebuilt in the face of unimaginable adversity.

For too long, women have been told to wait their turn. That time is over.

This conference is not merely a gathering. It is a declaration. It is a movement. It is the beginning of a new era where women are not just included in peace processes—they lead them.

The revolution will be inclusive. The future will be feminist. And peace, at long last, will be real.

Philippine Conference on Women, Peace and Security

October 28-30, 2025 | Philippine International Convention Center, Pasay City

Reference: Usec. Goddes Hope Libiran, Mobile No. 09612935602

#WomenPeaceSecurity #PHWPS2025 #PeaceIsFeminist #WomenLeadPeace

UE prof-filmmaker continues to shine bright on global stage

 

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The short film “Bakit Ako Sinusundan ng Buwan?” (Moon Under My Feet), written and directed by Richard Soriano Legaspi, has garnered another international acclaim after being officially selected to compete at the CAM International Festival for Documentary and Short Films in Egypt this December.

Legaspi has been a longtime faculty of the University of the East College of Fine Arts, Architecture, and Design (UE CFAD), teaching film and moving images through the college’s Visual Communication prohram, and a multidisciplinary artist. He is also the representative of UE CFAD to the Academic Film Society of the Film Development Council of the Philippines and an award-winning filmmaker.

The film follows a man (Jemuel Satumba) who finally returns to his hometown after years of working overseas. He hopes to relive his lost dreams and bring back everything that was taken away from him. Filled with misery and uncertainty, he revisits his past, only to discover that life went on without him.

Also competing at the CAM film festival is Legaspi’s short documentary “Maliliit na Hakbang” (Small Steps), which tells the story of the You-Kalele Kids Zambales, a group of children from San Felipe, Zambales, who dream of a future in music despite facing individual limitations and challenges.

“Bakit Ako Sinusundan ng Buwan?” won the Best Quest Film at the Family Film Festival in Canada last year. Legaspi has also received nominations for Best Short Movie Director and Best Short Movie for his latest work from the 38th Philippine Movie Press Club, Inc. (PMPC) Star Awards for Movies.

The film, which also stars Riya Miranda, Ahlex Leyva, Jovi Dayrit, Jayden Zachary Sanchez, and the late Bobby Tamayo, was produced by Red Room Media Productions under the Sine Halaga Film Festival of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts in partnership with the Negros Cultural Foundation, Inc.

“Bakit Ako Sinusundan ng Buwan?” has been shown at the 5th European Philippines International Film Festival in Italy, 100 Persen Manusia Film Festival in Indonesia, Ahmedabad International Film Festival in India, Edo State International Film Festival in Nigeria, Fankeena Film Festival in Somalia, FerFILM International Film Festival in Kosovo, Festival del Cinema di Cefalù in Italy, Festiwal Filmów Przeciw Wojnie in Poland, Filipino Independent Film Festival in Netherlands, International Film Festival of Crete & Awards in Greece, Jaffna International Cinema Festival in Sri Lanka, and Lumina Film Festival in Thailand.

Legaspi’s production team for his short film is made up of cinematographer Albert Banzon, editor John Lanbert Rafols, production designer Elvin Jay Macanlalay, art director Jane Legaspi, musical scorer Jay-R Tabar, sound recordist Andrew Topacio, line producer Eloisa Espino-Sanchez, production manager Kristin Joy Bactad-Jor, assistant PM Cheyenne Dane Bellen, assistant cinematographer Rosendo Davad, assistant director Ryan Rudolf Valerio, production coordinators Ruston Banal and Gia Hasegawa, voice talent Ronwell Jason Bacani, and creative consultant Seymour Barros Sanchez.

Meanwhile, “Maliliit na Hakbang” won a Special Mention award at the Kota Kinabalu International Film Festival in Malaysia, Three Acts of Goodness award at the Three Acts of Goodness Micro Film Festival in Taiwan, and Special Citation for Children at the 33rd Gawad CCP Para sa Alternatibong Pelikula at Video documentary category. Legaspi got ample support from sister Jane, production manager Karr Cotamora, videographer Angeline Tabilog, musical scorer Nityaila Saulo, Valerio, Espino-Sanchez, and Sanchez.

The CAM International Festival, organized by the Egyptian Arab Society for Culture, Media and Arts, promotes cinema as a means of combating ignorance, terrorism, and poverty. 

POMC honors winning SEAnehan short films, SEAning paintings

 

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

 

The Presidential Office for Maritime Concerns, which serves as the secretariat for the National Maritime Council, has recognized the winners of the 2025 SEAnehan Short Film and SEAning Painting competitions at the Yuchengco Museum, RCBC Plaza, Makati City.

The POMC organized the event to raise public awareness on maritime issues, with the theme “Nagkakaisang Kapuluan, Panatag na Karagatan” (United Archipelago, Peaceful Ocean).

This initiative is part of the country’s annual Maritime and Archipelagic Nation Awareness Month (MANAMo), which is celebrated every September.

The SEAnehan Short Film competition, a partnership with the Film Development Council of the Philippines, aims to showcase significant stories of the Philippine seas and maritime life through filmmaking. Similarly, the SEAning Art Exhibit, which displayed the winning artworks at Centro de Turismo, was done in collaboration with the Intramuros Administration.

The SEAnehan grand prize went to Biyahe Production from Our Lady of Fatima University (OLFU) Pampanga with their documentary “Alon ng Pag-asa” (Wave of Hope), which sheds light on maritime realities in Mariveles, Bataan.

The Biyahe Production team includes Sean Ullysis P. Gutierrez, Vince Luigi R. Blanco, Ma. Andrea S. Deloria, Joshua C. Caraan, and Vincent Gabriel S. Bravo. They were guided by teacher-adviser Bryan Dave B. Perez and the rest of the OLFU-Pampanga AB Communication faculty led by Wenri E. De Guzman.

“Habi ng Kapuluan” by Reng Films, made up of Rainnier Toledo Singson, Izza Rhian Malabuyog Camacho, Merrick Angelicus Laza Benosa, and Raemond Morete Toledo from University of Baguio, placed second.

“Bantay Dagat” by Maritime Lenses, comprised of Gil G. Espia III, Cyrell D. Vito, Adrian Clyde S. Larano, Lyvemae F. Uy, and Gene Matthew H. Madayag from John B. Lacson Foundation Maritime University (Arevalo), Inc. took home the third prize.

De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde film faculty and FDCP Technical Consultant for Academic Linkages Seymour Sanchez, Cebu-based filmmaker, photographer, and critic JT Trinidad, and Pelikulove founder and president Ellen Ongkeko-Marfil selected the winning entries for SEAnehan from a pool of 31 films that depicted the beauty, challenges, and profound connection to the Philippines’ archipelagic heritage.

For the SEAning painting competition, Phoemela Xandre B. Yumul won the SEAning grand prize with her entry “Bangkang Dahon, Bayang Nagkakaisa.”

Reynaldo Barrero Jr.’s “Iisa Lang ang Ating Sagwan Patungo sa Kaunlaran” and Lance Kirby Yaneza’s “Pilipinas Atin Ito” secured the second and third prizes in the painting competition, respectively.

SEAning judges Janos Delacruz of BahaySining, Carminda David of Art Camp Gallery, and Bryan Anthony Paraiso of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines evaluated 32 artworks from Albay, Bataan, Baguio, Camarines Norte, Iloilo, Leyte, Nueva Ecija, Samar, and Metro Manila, among others.

Secretary Andres C. Centino, Presidential Assistant for Maritime Affairs and Head of the POMC, delivered the opening remarks and led the awarding of winners during the program.