It is a well-known fact that women are among the most vulnerable sectors of our society, especially during the outbreak of armed conflict or when communities are hit by man-made or natural disasters.

And with the advent of the digital age wherein the use of artificial intelligence (AI) has become the norm, there is a chance that women, especially in the countryside and places affected by conflict, could be left behind in the online revolution if they are unable to adapt and catch on.

Recognizing the Filipino women’s susceptibility to such threats and the need to address them, the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) and Aboitiz Foundation, Inc. (AFI) inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) last May 29, 2025.

The MOU was borne out of a recognition that the national government and the private sector must work together to capacitate and empower our country’s women in light of emerging realities in the peace, economic and technological front.

Given the many challenges that women continue to face, particularly the lack or absence of educational, job and livelihood opportunities, this public-private sector initiative could not have come at a better time.

Under this novel partnership, the OPAPRU and AFI have joined forces to implement Elevate AIDA, a program that will enable women in conflict-prone areas to work from the comforts of their home through remote job opportunities, freelancing, and digital entrepreneurship.

Ms. Ana Margarita Hontiveros-Malvar, AFI President, underscored the significance of the MOA when she said, “It is a really symbolic step that we take to be closer to that dream…[It] is a dream where hopefully every woman has the opportunity to learn, to grow, and to shape her future.”

In today’s fast-paced, AI-driven world, Ms. Malvar noted that is not enough for women to upskill and have access to the latest technologies but to “transform” themselves using the essential skills needed by the modern workforce and digital economies.

But the AFI executive has a bigger dream for the women who we will be engaging through the program, and that is, they will have the power to chart their future and say with confidence: “Kaya ko rin. May lugar ako sa makabagong mundo.”

Over the next three years, the Elevate AIDA Program aims to capacitate around 300,000 women across the country who not only desire to earn higher and have more sustainable incomes, but more importantly, to learn new skills and grow as highly-competent online professionals.

According to Philippine Commission of Women (PCW) Chairperson Ermelita V. Valdeavilla, the OPAPRU-AFI partnership is not only about capacitating women to adapt to the growing demands of the digital age but also to advance gender equality and protection.

Ms. Valdeavilla pointed out that the Philippines is the only country in the world with two Gender and Development (GAD) budgets, which means there is no longer a need to look for sources of funds for gender-related initiatives as they are already available for utilization.

She explained that because of the results-driven assessment of the GAD budget, it has a very strong accountability mechanism which will ensure that the budget will be efficiently and effectively used to uplift the socioeconomic conditions of Filipino women.

This is why we in OPAPRU believe that investments made for our women are also investments made in the name of peace. Women have demonstrated, time and again, that they can go beyond the role of homemakers and serve as leaders, peacebuilders and changemakers.

We are confident that through the Elevate AIDA Program, our agency, with the strong support of the private sector, will be able to advance the global Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Agenda through the WPS Center of Excellence.

Through the program, we aim to boost the incomes of beneficiaries, strengthen women’s leadership, contribute to the long-term stability of communities, and build on the gains of the normalization and resilience-building aspects of peace processes in our country.

We are, therefore, grateful to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and Special Assistant to the President Antonio Lagdameo whose steadfast commitment to foster unity and national reconciliation has been crucial in advancing the WPS agenda.

There is still a lot of work to be done as we continue to capacitate and empower our Filipino women. But with the partnership we have forged with the AFI, our women can look ahead to building a better and brighter future in this digital age.