19 June 2025
De La Salle–College of Saint Benilde launched its 2025 PRIDE Month celebration with a pioneering event that brought together faith, identity, and inclusion in a shared dialogue. Held on June 9 at the Duerr Auditorium, the seminar titled GOD and GAD: Rediscovering Spirituality in a Gendered World was organized by the Office of the Vice President for Lasallian Mission and Student Life–Gender and Development (OVP-LMSL–GAD), the Center for Lasallian Ministry (CLM), and the Benilde Student Government (BeSG).
Designed to affirm the dignity of every person regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, or expression (SOGIE), the session also explored how spirituality can be a powerful foundation for advancing inclusion and social justice—key expressions of the Lasallian mission.
The event opened with two intersecting sessions: a Gender and Development (GAD) orientation, and a catechism-based reflection on human dignity. GAD Specialist Ms. Nicole Trisha F. Panganiban provided a primer on basic gender and development (GAD) concepts, SOGIESC, gender biases, allyship, and gender-fair language, grounding these themes in institutional values and legal mandates. Her depth of experience, from the Philippine Commission on Women to delivering trainings to various agencies, LGUs, and foreign posts, added national and global perspective to the discussion.
