Ensuring Access to Information for Women:
PCW Wins at 2025 FOI Awards

The Presidential Communications Office (PCO) conferred the Freedom of Information Champion 2nd Runner Up Award to the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) in the Agencies/Bureaus/Commissions/Councils category during the 2025 FOI Awards held on November 28, 2025, in Muntinlupa City.

^{PCW Chairperson Ermelita Valdeavilla and PCW FOI Team together with PCO Undersecretary Mari Grace Preciosa Castelo and Assistant Secretary Mariel Eduarte.}

This milestone—the Commission’s first FOI recognition since joining the program under Executive Order No. 2, s. 2016—honors PCW’s significant contributions to advancing the FOI Program. It also highlights the Commission’s dedication to making information accessible to women and fostering transparency in governance. PCW extends its gratitude to the FOI-Project Management Office (FOI-PMO) for acknowledging the Commission’s efforts.

Chairperson Ermelita Valdeavilla, whose steadfast leadership ensures that transparency remains at the heart of all of PCW’s advocacy work and initiatives, received the award on behalf of the Commission.

“Let this honor be our continuing covenant: that no woman will be left in the dark, that no information critical to her dignity and survival will be withheld, and that the Philippine Commission on Women will continue to lead, not just by demanding accountability from others, but by embodying it in our activism to dismantle structures that prevent women from attaining a full and satisfying life,” Chairperson Valdeavilla reaffirmed.

The Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) emerged as this year’s category champion, another strong advocate for public transparency.

PCW Information Officer Jescel Aquino was also recognized as one of the 16 Best FOI Officers for her contributions to advancing the FOI program.

^{Awards received by PCW at the 2025 FOI Awards}

These recognitions reaffirm PCW’s conviction that true accountability begins within. The Commission continues to lead not only by advocating for transparency but also by ensuring women have full access to the information they need to live empowered, safe, and dignified lives while dismantling the structures that hinder them from reaching their full potential.

PCW also congratulates its sibling agency under the Department of the Interior and Local Government, the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), for securing the First Runner Up Award in the same category, as well as JSUPT Jayrex Joseph Bustinera for being named among the Best FOI Officers—further demonstrating the DILG family’s commitment to inclusive, accessible, and citizen-centered public service.