GAD is Good 3: Creating Safe Spaces, All the Time!

Last September 14, 2026, the UP Diliman National Service Training Program (NSTP) of the UP College of Architecture (UPCA), in collaboration with the UP Diliman Gender Office, held the third installment of its Gender and Development lecture-seminar series, GAD is Good 3: Creating Safe Spaces, All the Time! at the Benito Sy Pow Auditorium, UP College of Architecture.

This program sought to guide students in exploring the development of sexuality and basic gender concepts, including issues related to sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression (SOGIE). It contextualized the evolution of gender-related laws and mandates in the Philippines, examined common issues and violations in gender development, and discussed their harmful effects on individuals and communities.

Equally important, the session aimed to deepen students’ gender sensitivity and foster a culture of respect, empathy, and inclusivity. Through critical discussions on gender and social equity, students were encouraged to contribute to the creation of safe and inclusive spaces, whether in educational institutions, communities, workplaces, or the built environment, where diversity is valued, individual dignity is upheld, and all people can participate meaningfully without fear of discrimination, harassment, or exclusion.

Bringing together perspectives from gender advocacy, lived experiences, and the built environment, the program featured three advocates who explored how gender shapes people’s experiences of and interactions with the spaces around them.

L.Ar. Rosanne Marie Aldeguer, Executive Director of Bai Laya, presented The Making of (Safe) Spaces: Gender, Development, and the Politics of Space, examining how gender and social relations shape the production, use, and experience of spaces. Her presentation invited students to critically reflect on how environments can reinforce inequalities or become platforms for inclusion, empowerment, and social change.

L.Ar. Selena Balbino Santos, UPCA faculty member and member of the Society of Trans Women of the Philippines Inc. (STRAP), discussed Transgressive Spaces: Discrimination of Transgender People in Public Spaces. Her presentation highlighted the challenges transgender people face in accessing and navigating public spaces, emphasizing the importance of recognizing lived experiences and addressing discrimination to foster environments grounded in safety, dignity, and respect.

Meanwhile, Ar. Ysabelle Paula Peñas, architect-researcher at Isa.Pamana Consultancy Studio, presented It’s GAD to be Good!: Queering Design in the Built Environment. Her presentation explored how queer perspectives can challenge conventional assumptions in architecture and design, encouraging students to rethink how the built environment can better accommodate diverse identities, needs, and experiences.

The session was moderated by Asst. Prof. Norman June Brito, the UPCA College Secretary and one of the principal proponents and organizers of the original GAD is Good initiative. His involvement underscored the continuity of the program as a platform for dialogue, learning, and advocacy within the College, helping connect the speakers’ insights to the broader objectives of Gender and Development education.

Through the collaboration with the UP Diliman Gender Office, student-participants received informative materials and free reproductive health resources during the event. This initiative reinforced the importance of accessible health resources in promoting informed decision-making, bodily autonomy, and personal well-being, while affirming the shared responsibility of the University and its community in creating safe, supportive, and inclusive spaces for everyone.

Through initiatives like GAD is Good 3, the NSTP Diliman and UPCA continue to encourage students to carry the principles of respect, equity, and inclusion beyond the classroom and into the communities they serve.

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