Eastern Visayas Media Without Borders
Naval Biliran–The Pambansang Koalisyon ng Kababaihan sa Kanayunan (PKKK), together with the Government of Canada, Oxfam Canada, and local organizations, launched the Care Connect project in Biliran on July 24, 2025, emphasizing the need to recognize care work as real work and institutionalize care programs and policies at the local level. The project seeks to promote the recognition, redistribution, and reduction of unpaid care work in the country. Care work refers to activities that support the well-being of others—such as childcare, eldercare, and household tasks—often performed by women and girls and are essential to society and the economy.
Jeanette Kindipan-Dulawan, Oxfam Pilipinas Gender Justice Portfolio Manager, emphasized the collective vision of the project. “Ang care work ay hindi lang obligasyon ng babae—ito ay responsibilidad nating lahat. Sa pagtutulungan, mas makakabuo tayo ng lipunang may malasakit at pagkakapantay-pantay.” (Translation: “Care work is not just a woman’s obligation—it is everyone’s responsibility. By working together, we can better build a caring and equal society.”) Vlad Ionescu, Acting Head of Cooperation of the Embassy of Canada to the Philippines, reaffirmed the Canadian government’s commitment to addressing unpaid care work through its Feminist International Assistance Policy.
The Care Connect project is supported by the Canadian government. Mayor Grace J. Casil, represented by Councilor Leandro Enage, pledged the government’s support for care work and strengthening local policies that uphold women’s rights and protection. Jeruel Espinazo, Department Head of Agribusiness Management at the Biliran Province State University, also pledged to support the initiative through research that challenges harmful norms and promotes the value of unpaid care and domestic work, in partnership with PKKK. The activity was attended by over 40 participants from the government, civil society, and the education sector. Care Connect is a four-year project implemented in five cities and nine municipalities in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. ###
