Over 1,000 women and resilience advocates gathered in solidarity for the first session of the 2025 Open Government and Participatory Governance Forum titled, “Women LEAD: Advancing Women’s Leadership for Community Resilience” on March 6, 2025, at the Music Hall, SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City.

As part of this year’s National Women’s Month celebration, the forum placed strong emphasis on the critical contributions of women in leading locally-driven, gender-inclusive, and innovative strategies that address climate and disaster challenges at the local level.

Pasay City Mayor Imelda G. Calixto-Rubiano officially commenced the forum with her welcome remarks, urging women leaders from various sectors to collaborate, coordinate, and commit to deliver public services with the highest standard of quality especially in the face of climate and disaster risks. 

Engr. Liza B. Silerio, Co-Chairperson of ARISE Philippines and Vice President for Corporate Compliance Group of SM Supermalls, then stressed the significance of gender equality and women’s empowerment in driving sustainability and resilience actions with risk-informed decisions. 

Building on this, Regional Director Maria Lourdes L. Agustin, CESO III formally launched DILG-NCR’s flagship program on resilient women, referred to as the Women Leading, Empowering, and Advancing Development or Women LEAD. 

“Layunin ng proyektong ito na isalin ang gender and development sa lahat ng isasagawang proyekto at programa upang isulong ang mas inklusibo at progresibong Bagong Pilipinas,” RD Agustin explained. 

In her keynote address, DILG Assistant Secretary for International Relations Lilian M. de Leon reiterated the Department’s commitment to fostering inclusive governance and gender-responsive leadership, recognizing women as key decision-makers in the process of strengthening community resilience.

Following this, Camille Alison Adle, Gender in Humanitarian Action and Disaster Risk Reduction Coordination Analyst of UN Women Philippines, presented several sex-disaggregated data highlighting the vulnerability and exposure of women in Metro Manila to climate and disaster risks. She then underscored the importance of increasing data on women and girls to help develop gender sensitive and inclusive programs on disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation.

To further gain insights, three women representatives from various sectors presented their experiences and best practices on leading climate and disaster resilience actions at the grassroots level and later on engaged in a short panel discussion moderated by Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting Specialist and University of the Philippines – National College of Public Administration and Governance Instructor Crystal Eunice T. Dela Cruz.

In her presentation, Las Piñas Persons with Disability Federation, Inc. President Maria Fe “Anafe” Maravillas narrated the organization’s journey in fighting for visibility and inclusivity, leading to the successful implementation of the Accessible Transport Mobile Service (ATraMS) Project for persons with disabilities. 

Subsequently, Bureau of Fire Protection Training Service Deputy Director SSUPT Joanne Vallejo shared the agency’s Oplan Ligtas na Pamayanan, a community-based fire safety program aimed at reducing fire incidents and improving community preparedness.

Finally, Youth Uprising Philippines Founder and Chief Executive Officer Robyn Camille Mijares showcased how Grow School Philippines empowers children and the youth to lead climate resilience actions by providing free and accessible environmental and agricultural programs to public schools across the Philippines in both classrooms and farmlands.

Towards the end, DILG-NCR Regional GAD Focal Person and Local Government Capability Development Division Assistant Chief Maria Jasmin D. Diaz provided a synthesis of the discussions, emphasizing the need to create more inclusive policies, improve mechanisms for women’s participation in decision-making processes, and address socio-economic barriers as part of broader climate and disaster resilience strategies.

To conclude the forum, SM Supermalls Senior Assistant Vice President for Corporate Compliance and SM Cares Program Director Atty. Pearly Joan J. Turley called on the participants to continuously champion advocacies, especially on human rights, gender equality, and women’s empowerment, geared towards building a more progressive and resilient Philippines.

The first session of this year’s OpenGov Forum, in celebration of the 2025 National Women’s Month, is a collaborative effort between the DILG-NCR and SM Cares, in partnership with the Philippine Commission on Women, Bureau of Fire Protection, SM Prime Holdings, Our Home, Women’s International Network on Disaster Risk Reduction Philippine Chapter, and ARISE Philippines.