Visayas Women’s Summit Underscores Women’s Health Rights and Political Empowerment

Posted on March 28, 2025

Visayas Women’s Summit Underscores Women’s Health Rights and Political Empowerment

As part of the National Women’s Summit in celebration of the 2025 National Women’s Month, the Philippine Commission on Women’s (PCW), in partnership with the University of the Philippines Cebu, convened key stakeholders for its Visayas leg. The two-day event brought together students, faculty, women’s organizations, and advocates to address critical issues on women’s sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR) and political empowerment. Complementing these discussions, the event also featured Halad sa Kababayen-an, a community outreach initiative that provided essential government services to women in marginalized sectors. Anchored in this year’s NWMC sub-theme, “Babae sa Lahat ng Sektor, Aangat ang Bukas sa Bagong Pilipinas,” the summit reinforced commitments to gender equality and the advancement of women’s rights through both policy discourse and direct community engagement.

^{PCW Chairperson Ermelita V. Valdeavilla delivers a video message for the Visayas Women’s Summit}

^{Dr. Annabelle Maglasang, UP Cebu Guidance Services Specialist and GAD Office Coordinator, welcomes the participants and provides an overview of the Summit}

^{Dr. Sylvia Estrada Claudio and Dr. Rhodora Bucoy as the resource speakers for the plenary discussions}

*^{Participants during the Flag-Raising Ceremony.}*

Plenary discussions featured experts such as Dr. Sylvia Estrada Claudio, UP Professor Emeritus and SRHR advocate, who emphasized women’s reproductive rights as fundamental human rights. Former PCW Chairperson Dr. Rhodora Bucoy, now a Trustee of the UP Center for Women and Gender Studies, addressed challenges in women’s political participation, citing barriers in governance and the need for institutional reforms to increase women’s representation.

^{Dr. Sylvia Estrada Claudio during her discussion, Advance SRHR for All: Ensuring Comprehensive Health Rights for Women and Girls}

*^{Dr. Rhodora Bucoy during her discussion, Women in Politics and Decision-Making: Breaking Barriers towards Transformative Politics}*

Breakout Sessions: Key Takeaways

Breakout sessions highlighted calls for stronger collaboration between legal and medical sectors, gender rights education, and destigmatizing reproductive health. Participants called for curriculum reforms to promote gender sensitivity, increased access to women-centered healthcare, and policies supporting menstrual health.

^{Participants engage in Breakout Sessions to discuss key takeaways from the plenary discussions and propose recommended actions related to the topic.}

For political empowerment, recommendations included establishing women-led organizations at the barangay level, expanding women’s legislative representation, and ensuring gender-sensitive policymaking. Participants also pushed for voter education initiatives and greater youth engagement in advocacy to normalize gender equality discussions in schools and communities.

*^{Students, faculty, women’s organizations, and advocates at the 2025 Visayas Women’s Summit, together with resource speakers and the UP Cebu GAD Office.}*

*^{NWMC banner for Halad sa Kababayen-an: Visayas Women’s Summit displayed outside of the UP Cebu campus.}*

The National Women’s Summit is a three-part regional series held across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. The NWMC kick-off event on March 5 at the Mall of Asia in Pasay City marked the Luzon leg of the summit. Following the Visayas leg, the series will conclude with the Mindanao leg on March 27 in Butuan City, organized through the PCW North Mindanao Field Office.