18/02/2026
Deeply grateful to serve as Training Director for the UNDP-funded executive course: Strengthening Local Governance for Peace and Social Cohesion: Leadership and Governance for Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding for BARMM LGUs, facilitated in partnership with the Ateneo School of Government.
Over three intensive and highly engaging days, we brought together dedicated Local Government Unit (LGU) executives and legislators from the eight newly created municipalities in the Special Geographic Area (SGA), along with other municipal LGUs from Maguindanao, municipal planners, and officials from the Ministry of the Interior and Local Government (MILG) in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
The program provided a focused platform to explore conflict-sensitive policymaking, peacebuilding strategies, and approaches to fostering peaceful, cohesive, and resilient communities across the region.
This experience represented a meaningful full-circle moment for me. As a former Commissioner of the Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC), I actively advocated for and supported the inclusion of the 63 barangays from North Cotabato into the Bangsamoroโcontributing to the foundational steps toward greater autonomy and stability.
My sincere thanks to all participants for their commitment, trust in the process, and active engagement. Together, we advanced shared goals of inclusive governance and sustainable peace.
Grateful for the continued collaboration with UNDP Philippines and the Ateneo School of Government in building stronger institutions and communities.