Mainstreaming Gender-Responsiveness, Child-Friendly, and IP Rights-Inclusive Principles in the 2025 BNEO GREAT Barangays Training

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) XI successfully conducted the 2025 Barangay Newly-Elected Officials (BNEO) for GREAT Barangays Program: Training on Basic Local Legislation, Parliamentary Procedures, and Alternative Dispute Resolution on November 17–19, 2025, at The Ritz Hotel at Garden Oases, Bo. Obrero, Davao City.

A key highlight of the three-day training was the deliberate mainstreaming of gender-responsiveness, child-friendly governance, and indigenous peoples’ rights—ensuring that barangay officials strengthen their role as frontline duty-bearers for inclusive and rights-based local governance. Atty. Edwin Dumalogdog of the Department of Justice Action Center (DOJAC) XI provided an in-depth discussion on the foundational principles of gender and children’s rights in the context of the Katarungang Pambarangay system. His session emphasized the critical responsibility of barangay officials to safeguard vulnerable sectors, promote gender equality, and ensure that barangay justice mechanisms remain accessible, sensitive, and protective of women and children.

Meanwhile, Atty. Jesus A. Villardo, III of the University of Southeastern Philippines (USEP) – School of Law enriched the training with a comprehensive discussion on the foundational principles of Indigenous Peoples’ (IP) rights. His session underscored the importance of recognizing and respecting the cultural identities, customary laws, and ancestral domain rights of IP communities in crafting local legislation and resolving disputes at the barangay level.

Through these integrated learning sessions, newly elected barangay officials gained a deeper understanding of how inclusive governance principles—rooted in gender equality, child protection, and respect for Indigenous Peoples—must be woven into local policymaking and community-based dispute resolution.