Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Regional Office II joins the National Women’s Month Celebration Kick-off Ceremony hosted by DILG Central Office on March 4, 2024 - proudly instilling values of gender equality and women empowerment among agency workers.

The celebration was attended by Regional Director Agnes A. De Leon and DILG Regional Office (RO) II personnel alongside other provincial and regional officers of the DILG in the country.

DILG Secretary Benhur Abalos, Jr. emphasized the works and capabilities of women in the Department and how they have been an integral part of the department’s mission of peaceful, safe, self-reliant, and development-dominated communities.

Secretary Abalos also called for taking steps towards a safer, more inclusive and progressive country for women and children, urging the DILG Regional Directors to help the Department of Health (DOH) to spread awareness against rape and violence. “We must continue to work to break barriers…the records are quite alarming,” he added.

Moreover, the kick-off ceremony also paved the way for Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) Secretary Suharto Mangudadatu and DILG Secretary Abalos to make into reality the “DILG-BOOST Project,” which is a skill-enhancing joint program geared towards providing free training to DILG employees in boosting graphic design and digital literacy capabilities of the said sector.

The Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between TESDA and DILG for implementing “BOOST-DILG” was signed at the kick-off ceremony, solidifying the two agencies’ commitment towards a more competent and skillful workforce.

For his part, TESDA Secretary Mangudadatu emphasized the real-world problems he has seen and the solutions the Department undertakes. He added that he envisions a future where every woman is not limited to gender stereotypes.

KYLE ANDREI T.  DARISAN