5 January 2026
By Nicole Trisha F. Panganiban
The Benilde Leadership Team (BLT), composed of the Brother President, Chancellor, Vice Chancellor, Provost, Vice Chancellor and Vice Presidents, advances commitment to Gender and Development (GAD) by participating in the GAD Executive Briefing last October 14, 2025. The session served as a strategic milestone in strengthening the College’s commitment to nurturing a culture of respect, inclusivity, and safe spaces within the Benildean Community.
The briefing was led by Benilde alumna Nicole Trisha F. Panganiban, a graduate of the AB-Consular and Diplomatic Affairs Program, who currently serves as the College’s Institutional GAD Focal Person. With extensive experience in national gender advocacy and policy work, she provided essential perspectives on aligning GAD with Benilde’s identity as a Catholic and Lasallian institution.
Across many organizations, questions often arise about how GAD can be effectively integrated within private entities, especially in Catholic schools. Benilde, however, is uniquely positioned to champion this integration. As an institution deeply rooted in values of inclusivity, accessibility, and care for the vulnerable, the mainstreaming of GAD naturally complements its mission. GAD reinforces Benilde’s ongoing efforts to cultivate respectful and equitable environments for all.
The active engagement of the Benilde Leadership Team during the Executive Briefing demonstrated strong institutional support for GAD. Their presence affirmed a crucial principle: successful GAD mainstreaming requires a top-down approach. When senior leaders understand and commit to gender-responsive policies and systems, it enables more effective, sustainable, and meaningful implementation throughout the institution.
By strengthening leadership awareness of GAD concepts and identifying concrete opportunities for integration across Benilde’s programs, operations, curriculum, and student life, the College reinforces its mission of fostering environments anchored on respect, dignity, and equality- values central to both Lasallian formation and national development initiatives.
With sustained leadership commitment, Benilde is poised to move from awareness to full institutionalization of GAD. The long-term goal is to ensure that GAD becomes not merely a compliance measure, but a defining characteristic of an inclusive, transformative, and future-ready Benildean community.
In time, Benilde aims to be recognized not only as God-centered, but proudly GAD-centered, a community where safety, inclusivity, and respect are lived values for all. 💚🌟
