The 3rd Infantry Division (3ID) of the Philippine Army vowed support to end violence against
women (VAW).
This was after the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP),through its Gender and Development
Office (GADO), conducted a hybrid of face-to-face and online forum at Camp Peralta in
Jamindan, Capiz.
“Men are created stronger than women. And if men affirm to be good, there will be no
violence against women, which involves respect for all women,” said Brigadier General
Leonardo Peña, 3ID assistant commander.
Organized by the AFP-GADO, the December 6, 2023 forum was part of the 18-day nationwide
campaign to end VAW.
The forum aimed to revisit the laws and provide the 3ID with updated information on amended
laws protecting women and their children.
Among the speakers who presented online were Suzanne Vares-Lum, president of East-West
Center in Hawaii. As a retired major general in the United States Army, Vares-Lum discussed
women empowerment and the participation of women during and after armed conflicts.
Atty. Miles Gonzales Esquivel, executive director of the Miriam College Child Rights Advocacy
Center, talked about the Safe Spaces Act or Republic Act No. 11313 (RA 11313) and the Anti-
Sexual Harassment Act or Republic Act No. 7877 (RA 7877).
Lieutenant Colonel Lord Laurence Medina, GAD officer of 3ID Training School, tackled
responsible parenting while Major Beauregard Wanasen lectured on the Anti-Violence Against
Women and Their Children Act or Republic Act No. 9262 (RA 9262).
