News & Events

In celebration of the upcoming Women’s Month this March 2021, Let’s Talk It Over (LTIO) features a webinar entitled “WOMENtrepreneurs in the Digital Era”. This webinar is a proud collaboration between the University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) - Faculty of Management and Development Studies (FMDS) Master of Public Management Program and the UPOU Office of Gender Concerns; and the Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology. This webinar is aligned with the theme “WE Make CHANGE Work for Women: Juana Laban sa Pandemya: Kaya!”. Join us as we hear inspiring and educational stories from women who have thrived in the [...]

The University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) welcomes Dr. Joane V. Serrano as the newly appointed Director for the Office of Gender Concerns (OGC), effective this 12 August 2020 until 28 February 2021. Dr. Serrano is an Associate Professor of the Faculty of Management and Development Studies (FMDS). She earned her Doctor of Philosophy Major in Development Communication at the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) and her Master of Management Major in Development Management and Bachelor of Science in Development Communication from the same university.                    Dr. Joane V. [...]

The Office of Gender Concerns conducted an online discussion on June 5 2020 at 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM,  through the vide-conferencing platform Zoom, to open the conversation about Sexual Health. The discourse was led by Dr. Maria Rowena Raymundo, UPOU's Master of Distance Education and Graduate Certificate in Distance Education Program Chair, Assistant to the Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs on QA , and board-certified Obstetrician-Gynecologic Surgeon, subspecializing in infectious diseases.  Dr. Rowena Raymundo discussed her PowerPoint presentation about the meaning of sexual health; sexual health across an individual’s lifespan; relations of the aspects of sexual health to a person’s [...]

The Office of Gender Concerns conducted an online video-conference through the platform Zoom, on April 16, 2020 at 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM, to open the discussion about mental health and gender during the Enhanced Community Quarantine amid COVID-19 pandemic. The director of the Office of Gender Concerns, Asst. Professor Rameses De Jesus, presented a report on studies and statistics that illustrate the relationship between gender and mental health. All employees who joined the Café Talk were also encouraged to share their insights and experiences that would move the discourse forward. The discussion included exchange about stereotypes and expectations of men [...]

  The UPOU Office of Gender Concerns is happy to report meeting the mandate of devoting a minimum of 5% of its total budget to gender and development endeavors, for the third consecutive year! The UPOU GAD Accomplishment Report has been reviewed and endorsed by the Philippine Commission on Women on April 14, 2020.  The OGC thanks the UPOU family (all unit leaders, all constituents) for the warm support and participation in working towards achieving goals, projects, and activities that advance gender equality. The work continues, and we are excited to continue working with you!

UPOU-OGC holds seminar on Purpose of Gender Mainstreaming and Management of Resistance to Gender Work The University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) Office of Gender Concerns (OGC) conducted the seminar entitled “Purpose of Gender Mainstreaming and Management of Resistance to Gender Work: Fostering Collaboration Towards Gender and Development” on 12 March 2020 at the UPOU Headquarters AudioVisual Room. Ms. Karen Lagat-Mercado served as the resource speaker. She is the Head of the Municipal Gender and Development Office of Los Banos, Laguna, and a technical Gender and Development (GAD) expert in the Calabarzon Gender and Development Resource Pool. Ms. Lagat-Mercado’s discussion [...]

The UP Open University (UPOU) Office of Gender Concerns (OGC) started the celebration of Women’s Month with a Kick-Off Event on 4 March 2020 at the UPOU Headquarters Main Building Lobby. The program started with a game of charades that showed the actions of the attendees’ associated with being a man and a woman as a warm up. This was followed by a Gender-Bias Bingo that was intended to make the guests reflect on the gender-based biases happening around them.  The Kick-off Program closed by the unveiling of the Freedom Wall.  Everyone was invited to express their thoughts by answering two [...]

OGC Director, Asst. Prof. Rameses De Jesus, and project staff, Shaznay Sumiran, attended the UP System Gender and Development Committee Meeting, held on February 27, 2020 at UP Diliman and attended by Coordinators and representatives of UP gender offices.

The Office of Gender Concerns (OGC) conducted an open discussion about gender issues on February 5, 2020 from 2:30 PM to 3:30 PM. The goal of the event is to amplify the conversation about gender-related topics to promote people’s awareness. It also aims to eliminate people’s reservations on asking and learning more about gender, sexuality, and inequality issues. The OGC has previously released information materials about gender equality, the concept of intersectionality, end of violence against women, and the fight against sexual harassment. As people have been exposed to these matters, the event served as a venue to ask their questions [...]