Consistent with its unwavering adherence to uphold women’s rights and gender equality, the Senate Electoral Tribunal proudly joins the National Women’s Month Celebration this March, with the multi-year theme “WE Make CHANGE Work for Women,” and this year’s sub-theme “Agenda ng Kababaihan, Tungo sa Kaunlaran,” which is “a celebration of Filipino women’s power to take the narrative, raise priority issues that matter to them, and call for concrete actions.”

To meaningfully commemorate this annual event, the Tribunal, spearheaded by its Gender Focal Point System, planned and executed various activities this March. The official website of the Tribunal not only displayed the Philippine Commission on Women-prescribed Women’s Month poster, but likewise adopted “purple” as background color in its headings. Tuesdays were reserved to anything purple, as all personnel gladly wore anything that is purple. Redesigned Go Bags, containing malong for gender responsiveness, were also distributed.

In response to the call of the Philippine Commission on Women for government agencies and stakeholders to celebrate the gains and be proactive in preventing backsliding from what have been achieved in gender equality and women’s empowerment as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the culminating activities focused on the mental well-being of Tribunal personnel. In its first in-person workshop since the pandemic started, a personality and self-care assessment session and an art therapy class were successfully conducted in the Province of Rizal on March 24. The invaluable insights shared during the workshop truly demonstrated the sincere eagerness of the 31 female and 36 male employees to discover themselves and take steps to enhance their physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual well-being.

Clearly, these worthwhile activities underscore the Tribunal’s avowed policy of continuous skills development and sensitivity to employees’ wellness and welfare, as well as its firm commitment to implement gender mainstreaming programs and projects.