UGDO bulletin - Women’s Month 2026: Celebrating gains, Championing Equality and Continuing Sustainability
02 Mar 2026 | University Gender and Development Office
Ateneo de Manila University supports the Philippine Chairship of ASEAN and the ASEAN Committee on Women, affirming the continuing fight against all forms of discrimination, inequality, and violence, particularly against women and girls, not just through conversations but also through systemic and evidence-based gender mainstreaming initiatives, policies, and programs.
Our journey continues towards a more just and equal, safe and empowered future for all through programs of leadership and mentorship for women and girls, grants for gender research, and regular review and revision of rules, guidelines, and protocols for and by our university stakeholders. We also continue to celebrate all women and girls through creative expression, sports, and in meaningful dialogue that bring new insight, diverse views, and continued hope for the future.
Some of the highlights that mark this year's celebration:
Month- and Week-long activities:
- The Department of Theology invites everyone to the Women's Mass and Fellowship on 6 & 28 March 2026.
- The John Gokongwei School of Management (JGSOM) Sanggunian will launch "Shared Care Spaces", an advocacy project that aims to normalize conversations around menstruation and demonstrate a tangible commitment to creating a more inclusive and supportive campus environment.
- CGE will set up Kaagapay sa Pagpapatuloy & Flourish, a freedom wall with messages of encouragement to survivors of SGBV.
- The University Gender Hub will conduct a series of Gender Sensitivity Trainings with partner communities as part of their Laudato Si Project
- The Ateneo Grade School will also conduct a series of activities and advocacies from 9 to 13 March.
Talks and Fora
- The Department of Political Science, together with the Ateneo Project for Asian and International Relations (APAIR) and UGDO, will host the 3rd Women Watch, focusing on women's leadership in diplomacy, on 18 March.
- The Ateneo Art Gallery will host an ArtSpeak session on 4 March, which will discuss how collectivizing and community collaboration breathe new forms of research amongst diasporic artists.
- The Coastal Cities at Risk in the Philippines-Office of the President (CCARPH) will host a series of forums addressing Anthropocene, women’s rights, climate, environment, and public health.
- Ateneo Intellectual Property Office (AIPO) & Ateneo Blue Nest will host a panel conversation on what it really means to navigate success, ambition, and leadership in male-dominated fields on 26 March.
- Ateneo Senior High School, in partnership with the Quezon City Gender and Development Council, will host a talk to equip young women with knowledge on sexual and reproductive health and online safety on 27 March.
Interested parties may contact the organizations, offices, and units directly for more details, as the events may still be updated and finalized. More exciting events may also be added to the calendar! Please refer to www.ateneo.edu/central/gender/ugdo/bulletins for regular updates.
4 February
Symposium
Women Securing Our Shared Future: Building Resilience Through Canada-Philippines Collaboration
Ben Chan Art Suite
8:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada (APF Canada), University Gender and Development Office (UGDO), University Partnerships and Internationalization (UPI), Ateneo Center for Social Entrepreneurship (ACSent), & John Gokongwei School of Management (JGSOM)
This mission was part of APF Canada’s 2019-26 Women’s Business Mission to Asia Series and showcased Canadian women entrepreneurs advancing sustainable and resilient solutions across food and energy security, infrastructure, and the digital economy — spotlighting the innovations they bring to strengthening and securing the global economy. The 10th mission will bring together Canadian women entrepreneurs with businesses in the Philippines and Singapore to promote gender-inclusive trade, support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and catalyze international partnerships between Canadian companies and these key markets in Asia.
11 to 12 February
Free HIV Testing with LoveYourself Inc.
University Gender Hub, 2F Gonzaga Hall
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Commission on Gender Equality (CGE), LoveYourself Inc., University Gender and Development Office (UGDO), & University Gender Hub (UGH)
4 March
Migration as Inquiry: Diasporic Arts Practices and Artmaking as an Archive
Ben Chan Art Suite
9:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Ateneo Art Gallery
In this ArtSpeak session, curator Anna Bernice delos Reyes will discuss how collectivizing and community collaboration breathes new forms of research amongst diasporic artists, particularly through her work as co-founder and co-director of Sa Tahanan Co. Founded in 2020 with artist Augustine Paredes, Sa Tahanan Co. platforms Filipino creatives in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and focuses on arts practice as a means of diasporic representation in creative and cultural industries.
6 March
Women's Mass
Faber Hall 101
5:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Department of Theology, Office of Campus Ministry, University Gender Hub (UGH), & University Gender and Development Office (UGDO)
Towards an Economics of the Anthropocene: How a Cultural adaptation shaped the economic assemblages of the Great Acceleration and enabled China’s energy transition
CCARPh Office, Sandbox, Innovation Wing, Areté (Hybrid)
9:00 AM - 12:00 NN
Coastal Cities at Risk in the Philippines-Office of the President (CCARPH), Department of Economics, Ateneo Center for Economic Research and Development (ACERD), & Department of Sociology and Anthropology
Speaker:
N. Gabriel Navarro, formerly of UNDP-China, Cambodia, Afghanistan, and North Korea
Panel of reactors:
Dr. Rafaelita ‘Fita’ M. Aldaba, Senior Adviser at the Department of Education
Mr. Silvestre Z. Barrameda, Jr., National Resilience Council
Dr. Fernando T. Aldaba, Ateneo de Manila University
Dr. Ramon L. Clarete, University of the Philippines
Dr. Germelino M. Bautista, Ateneo de Manila University
Dr. Philip Arnold “Randy” P. Tuaño, Philippine Institute for Development Studies
9 March
Safe & Seen: Voices of Young Women
An Open Dialogue with Grade 07 Girls
Ateneo Junior High School
8:40 AM - 9:25 AM
Ateneo Junior High School - Guidance and Counselling & University Gender Hub
Feminism sa Kanto: Ang Kuwento ng Kababaihang Filipino
ASHS Main Bldg. 1F Foyer
March 9 to March 31
ASHS Sandigan Lakambini
This advocacy project will feature a series of educational six-minute videos highlighting the diverse contexts and lived experiences of Filipino women.
The featured episodes were developed in collaboration with various organizations and committees, focusing on topics such as sexist jokes and harassment, feminist literature, intersectionality and indigenous women, reproductive health in the Philippine context, and ASHS as a safe and inclusive space.
Shared Care Spaces: JGSOM Sanggunian Initiative for Women's Month
Ground Floor, CTC & SOM Bldg.
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
John Gokongwei School of Management - Sanggunian
This advocacy project will feature interactions at the temporary free pad stations located in selected areas of the campus, where selected students, faculty, and staff who take a pad will be invited for interviews. The initiative aims to normalize conversations around menstruation and demonstrate a tangible commitment to creating a more inclusive and supportive campus environment.
Color Day!
Ateneo Grade School
Wear a Bright Color Top
Kindness Tree
Ateneo Grade School
Living the gains of having girls in the school by responding to a set of questions.
Championing Equality
Ateneo Grade School
Featuring Interviews with Parents - who are into non-stereotypical professions.
Hall of Fame
Ateneo Grade School
Continuing to sustain programs for girls by featuring the wins of our female athletes.
10 March 10
Kaagapay sa Pagpapatuloy & Flourish
Leong Hall Foyer
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Commission on Gender Equality (CGE)
An on-site freedom wall will be set up for entries of messages of encouragement to survivors of SGBV, and in exchange, they will receive a paper flower bouquet. This initiative aims to foster a safe, inclusive, and survivor-centric space to show community support for survivors.
Shared Care Spaces: JGSOM Sanggunian Initiative for Women's Month
Ground Floor, CTC & SOM Bldg.
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
John Gokongwei School of Management - Sanggunian
This advocacy project will feature interactions at the temporary free pad stations located in selected areas of the campus, where selected students, faculty, and staff who take a pad will be invited for interviews. The initiative aims to normalize conversations around menstruation and demonstrate a tangible commitment to creating a more inclusive and supportive campus environment.
Kindness Tree
Ateneo Grade School
Living the gains of having girls in the school by responding to a set of questions.
Championing Equality
Ateneo Grade School
Featuring Interviews with Parents - who are into non-stereotypical professions.
Hall of Fame
Ateneo Grade School
Continuing to sustain programs for girls by featuring the wins of our female athletes.
11 March
Kaagapay sa Pagpapatuloy & Flourish
Leong Hall Foyer
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Commission on Gender Equality (CGE)
An on-site freedom wall will be set up for entries of messages of encouragement to survivors of SGBV, and in exchange, they will receive a paper flower bouquet. This initiative aims to foster a safe, inclusive, and survivor-centric space to show community support for survivors.
Shared Care Spaces: JGSOM Sanggunian Initiative for Women's Month
Ground Floor, CTC & SOM Bldg.
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
John Gokongwei School of Management - Sanggunian
This advocacy project will feature interactions at the temporary free pad stations located in selected areas of the campus, where selected students, faculty, and staff who take a pad will be invited for interviews. The initiative aims to normalize conversations around menstruation and demonstrate a tangible commitment to creating a more inclusive and supportive campus environment.
Kindness Tree
Ateneo Grade School
Living the gains of having girls in the school by responding to a set of questions.
Championing Equality
Ateneo Grade School
Featuring Interviews with Parents - who are into non-stereotypical professions.
Hall of Fame
Ateneo Grade School
Continuing to sustain programs for girls by featuring the wins of our female athletes.
12 March
Kaagapay sa Pagpapatuloy & Flourish
Leong Hall Foyer
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Commission on Gender Equality (CGE)
An on-site freedom wall will be set up for entries of messages of encouragement to survivors of SGBV, and in exchange, they will receive a paper flower bouquet. This initiative aims to foster a safe, inclusive, and survivor-centric space to show community support for survivors.
Kindness Tree
Ateneo Grade School
Living the gains of having girls in the school by responding to a set of questions.
Championing Equality
Ateneo Grade School
Featuring Interviews with Parents - who are into non-stereotypical professions.
Hall of Fame
Ateneo Grade School
Continuing to sustain programs for girls by featuring the wins of our female athletes.
13 March
Kapihan
Venue TBA
5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
Commission on Gender Equality
In a kapihan session, students and women leaders from different backgrounds discuss topics and share experiences on contemporary women's issues in relation to their respective sectors.
Kaagapay sa Pagpapatuloy & Flourish
Leong Hall Foyer
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Commission on Gender Equality (CGE)
An on-site freedom wall will be set up for entries of messages of encouragement to survivors of SGBV, and in exchange, they will receive a paper flower bouquet. This initiative aims to foster a safe, inclusive, and survivor-centric space to show community support for survivors.
Kindness Tree
Ateneo Grade School
Living the gains of having girls in the school by responding to a set of questions.
Championing Equality
Ateneo Grade School
Featuring Interviews with Parents - who are into non-stereotypical professions.
Hall of Fame
Ateneo Grade School
Continuing to sustain programs for girls by featuring the wins of our female athletes.
16 March
Safe & Seen: Voices of Young Women
An Open Dialogue with Grade 08 Girls
Ateneo Junior High School
8:40 AM - 9:25 AM
Ateneo Junior High School - Guidance and Counselling & University Gender Hub
CEDAW and the Rights of Women: Challenges and Solutions
CCARPh Office, Sandbox, Innovation Wing, Areté (Hybrid)
3:30 PM - 4:30 PM
Coastal Cities at Risk in the Philippines - Office of the President (CCARPH) & Department of Sociology and Anthropology
Speakers
Amb. Rosario G. Manalo (Online), Dean of the HZB School of International Relations and Diplomacy in the Philippine Women’s University
For those interested in attending, email: ccarph@ateneo.edu, cc: eporio@ateneo.edu
18 March
Women Watch: Women’s Leadership in Diplomacy
Leong Hall Auditorium
1:00 PM - 3:30 PM
ADMU Department of Political Science, Ateneo Project for Asian and International Relations (APAIR), & University Gender and Development Office (UGDO
Diplomacy is one crucial field traditionally dominated and reserved for men—but times have changed, and women’s interest and participation in this field have grown over the years. Despite this change, issues of underrepresentation and exclusion still dwell and persist.
Keynote
Hon. Ma. Theresa P. Lazaro, Secretary of Foreign Affairs
Panelist
H.E. Amb. Emma Hickey, Ambassador, Embassy of Ireland in the Philippines
H.E. Dr. Amaryllis Tiglao-Torres, Philippine Representative on Women, ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children (ACWC)
23rd Paz Marquez Benitez Memorial Lecture
Paz Marquez Benitez and the Enduring Light of “Dead Stars”
Escaler Hall
2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
This event forms a part of the centennial celebration of the pioneering short story, “Dead Stars,” first published in September 1925 by author, editor, and educator Paz Marquez-Benitez. Fictionist and literary critic, Dr. Rosario Cruz-Lucero, will deliver the lecture delving into the story’s transformative impact on Philippine literature and its continuing relevance a century hence. Complementing the lecture will be a Dramatic Reading of “Dead Stars” along with an Exhibit of archival materials from the ALiWW collection through which the audience can gain a more personal glimpse into the life and work of Paz Marquez Benitez.
21 March
GST and Onboarding with Office of the Assistant Vice President for Graduate Education (OAVP-GE) Personnel and AMPC
SocSci 264 Multi-Purpose Room
10:00 AM - 12:00 NN
University Gender and Development Office (UGDO), University Gender Hub (UGH), & University Decorum and Investigation Office (UDI)
26 March
WHEN WOMEN LEAD: Navigating Startup and Venture Capital in the Philippines
Leong Hall Auditorium
5:30 PM - 7:00 PM
Ateneo Intellectual Property Office (AIPO) & Ateneo Blue Nest
This Women’s Month, we’re bringing together women in startups, venture capital, and entrepreneurship for WHEN WOMEN LEAD — a panel conversation on what it really means to navigate success, ambition, and leadership in male-dominated fields.
If you’re a woman who’s curious about startups, dreaming of building something of your own, exploring business, or simply wanting to be in a room with other ambitious women, this is for you.
We’ll be opening pre-registration as we prepare seating arrangements designed to help you better meet fellow founders, aspiring entrepreneurs, and alumni joining us at Ateneo for this special gathering.
Gender Sensitivity Training with Our Lady of Perpetual Succor College:
A Laudato Si’ Project
Our Lady of Perpetual Succor College - Marikina City
1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Our Lady of Perpetual Succor College & University Gender Hub
27 March
Girl’s Day Off: An Open House with Women Employees
University Gender Hub, 2F Gonzaga Hall
12:00 NN
University Gender Hub (UGH), University Gender and Development Office (UGDO), & Office of the Vice President for Health, Care, and Wellbeing (OAVP-HCW)
Safe Girls, Empowered Girls
ASHS Blackbox Theater
2:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Ateneo de Manila Senior High School & Quezon City Gender and Development Council
This talk aims to equip young women with knowledge on sexual and reproductive health and online safety, fostering their growth, resilience, and empowerment.
Sana-mania: Can Japan's First Female Prime Minister Fix Its Gender Dynamics?
Faura AVR
3:30 PM - 5:00 PM
Japanese Studies Program
Women's Mass & Fellowship
College Chapel
5:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Department of Theology, Office of Campus Ministry, University Gender Hub (UGH), & University Gender and Development Office (UGDO)
28 March
Gender Sensitivity Training with Barangay Balong Bato:
A Laudato Si’ Project
Barangay Balong Bato
9:00 AM - 12:00 NN
1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Barangay Balong Bato, Office of Social Concern and Involvement (OSCI), & University Gender Hub
19 April
March of Women: Fun Run
Ateneo Baseball Field
5:30 AM
Commission on Gender Equality (CGE) & University Gender and Development Office (UGDO)
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