11 December 2013 – The Office of Personnel and Administrative Services (OPAS) as the Department of Foreign Affairs Gender and Development (DFA-GAD) Secretariat conducted GAD lectures participated in by Embassy personnel including local hires and officers and staff of the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) and Overseas Workers’ Welfare Administration (OWWA) in Kuwait and Bahrain.

The lecture series is part of the DFA’s 18-day campaign to end violence against women (VAW).

Ambassador Lamberto Monsanto, Consul General Raul H. Dado, Labor Attache Cesar Chavez and Assistant Labor Attache Florencia Ardivilla were among those present for the seminar in the Philippine Embassy in Kuwait on November 29.  Ambassador Sahid Glang, Consul General Raquel Solano and Labor Attache Felixberta N. Romero led the roster of participants attending the lecture in the Philippine Embassy in Manama, Bahrain on December 01.

Atty. Dyan Kristine B. Miranda-Pastrana, Head of the Department’s GAD Secretariat presented the lectures, which covered the importance of gender and development in foreign policy and the delivery of assistance-to-nationals (ATN) services, VAW, guidelines in interviewing VAW victims and administrative guidelines on sexual harassment. DFA Assistant Secretary for Middle East and African Affairs Petronila Garcia and Executive Director Reynaldo Catapang of the Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs were also present in the GAD lectures during their official visits to Kuwait and Bahrain. END