DFA Ladies Foundation Holds Lecture Series "DFA is SAFE" for Outsourced Personnel

DFALF Board of Trustees with the security and safety personnel during the “DFA is SAFE” lecture series on 24 March 2023. (DFA-OSEC SPU photo by Keiichi Fulcher)

DFALF Board of Trustees with the Department custodians and cleaners during the “DFA is SAFE” lecture series on 31 March 2023. (DFA-OSEC SPU photo by Keiichi Fulcher)

PASAY CITY 13 April 2023 — In celebration of National Women’s Month and as an effort to foster inclusivity within the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the DFA Ladies Foundation (DFALF) organized the “DFA is SAFE” lecture series on 24 and 31 March 2023.  Sixty outsourced personnel who serve as security and safety officers participated in said lectures.  

In her opening remarks, DFALF President Mary Jennifer D. Dingal acknowledged the important role of outsourced personnel in ensuring that the Department is a safe and secure haven, not just in terms of physical security and cleanliness, but also in terms of freedom from any threat of violence or harassment. 

DFALF Corporate Secretary Atty. April R. Casquejo and Assistant Corporate Secretary and Legal Committee Chair Atty. Chareloa Tereze Marcial led the interactive lectures, focusing on the premises and obligations stated in Republic Act 11212, also known as the” Safe Spaces Act” or the “Bawal Bastos Act”. The law, signed in 2019, prohibits gender-based sexual harassment in public spaces, including cyberspace and workplaces, and prescribes protective measures and penalties for violators. END

Security and safety personnel during the “DFA is SAFE” lecture series on 24 March 2023. (DFA-OSEC SPU photo by Keiichi Fulcher)

DFALF President Mary Jennifer D. Dingal awards a Certificate of Appreciation to DFALF Corporate Secretary, Atty. April R. Casquejo (center) joined by DFALF Board of Trustees: (L-R) Assistant Corporate Secretary and Legal Committee Chair, Atty. Chareloa Tereze Marcial, First Vice President Candy Cypress-Bauzon, Sociocultural and Emergency Committee Head Jacqueline Ong, Second Vice President Flaureen Dacanay, Information and Publicity Committee Head Charisse Malabanan, and Ways and Means Committee Head Grace Sia at the Lecture Series on 24 March 2023 at the DFA Executive Lounge. (Photo by Keiichi Fulcher)