Legarda urges Women, Peace and Security agenda to shape all government planning

Senator Loren Legarda on Friday urged Philippine policymakers to mainstream the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Agenda across every sector of government, arguing that the framework must guide planning, budgeting and accountability if it is to deliver real benefits to women on the ground.

Delivering the keynote at the 7th International Forum on Law and Religion at the University of the Philippines BGC Campus in Taguig City on 21 November, Legarda told legal scholars, civil society representatives, faith leaders and international partners that WPS should not be treated as a “single policy compartment.”

“The Women, Peace, and Security Agenda must not be treated as a single policy compartment. It must influence every sector and serve as a lens for how we allocate resources,” she said, adding that “the national budget is the most visible expression of what we value. It must carry the Women, Peace, and Security Agenda across all institutions.”

Marking 25 years since UN Security Council Resolution 1325, the forum—organized by the UP Law Center, the Philippine Center for Islam and Democracy and Brigham Young University’s International Center for Law and Religion Studies—brought together some 200 participants to review progress and press for deeper integration of gender and peace objectives in public policy.

Legarda, a four-term senator and long-time WPS advocate, reviewed the country’s legislative groundwork for gender equality and protection, citing her authorship of landmark measures including the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act, the Anti-Violence Against Women and Children Act, the Magna Carta of Women and the Expanded Maternity Leave Law. She said those laws provide a foundation for embedding WPS across national governance and regional cooperation.

In her forum address, Legarda also stressed the need for gender-responsive budgeting, pointing to the Magna Carta of Women’s 5 percent GAD (Gender and Development) requirement for government agencies as a practical mechanism to fund WPS priorities.

“These investments broaden opportunities for women to lead and improve outcomes across sectors. But families cannot live on promises. These laws must reach the barangays where mothers line up for vaccines, where girls walk long distances to school, and where women rebuild their homes after every typhoon,” she said.

Legarda pointed to overlapping policy areas where WPS must be embedded, such as climate governance and indigenous rights. She recounted efforts to ensure women’s representation in climate decision-making—citing the Climate Change Act of 2009 as an example—and called for that model to be extended across other policy arenas.

The senator also highlighted recent milestones in the region, including the launch of Southeast Asia’s first WPS Center of Excellence and the Philippines’ strong showing in the 2025 Global Gender Gap Report—ranked 20th globally and first in Asia on the index—arguing these achievements offer momentum for deeper action.

Concluding her address, Legarda urged continuous vigilance and political will: “Let us continue to push, insist, and ensure that the Women, Peace, and Security Agenda is non-negotiable.”