CHED Commissioner urges initiative beyond compliance as PampangaStateU ends 18-day EVAWC

Beyond mere compliance, Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Commissioner Dr. Michelle Aguilar-Ong encouraged students to take meaningful initiatives in the Orange It campaign as Pampanga State University (PampangaStateU) concluded the 18-day campaign to End Violence Against Women and Children (EVAWC) at the Dr. Ernesto T. Nicdao Sports Center on December 12.

The CHED commissioner, who also serves as chair of PampangaStateU’s Board of Regents, emphasized in her speech that the campaign should not only be treated as a symbolic requiremet but a strong statement.

“It’s a very strong statement, it’s yourself advertising to others that you are an ally, that you can be depended on,” she said.

She also shared personal encounters related to violence against women, with one highlighting the often unseen struggles women endure.

“It may be quiet on the outside, it may be sweet on the outside, but there are silent actions that are more than the bruises women face,” Ong added

Meanwhile, in his opening remarks, University President Dr. Enrique G. Baking cited the university’s external recognition from the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW), ranking seventh among state universities and colleges (SUCs) in client-focused GAD budget allocation and ninth in organization-focused allocation.

He concluded his message with a quote from Helen Keller: “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much,” underscoring that meaningful change emerges through collaboration, commitment, and courage.

Vice President for Student Affairs and Services and concurrent director of the Gender and Development Focal Point System (GFPS), Dr. Dolores T. Quiambao, stressed that preventing violence is a continuing moral responsibility rather than a one-time event.

“Preventing violence is not an event but a commitment—a continuing moral and civic duty,” she said.

The culminating program also featured the awarding of special citations for best practices and student, as well as the GADtimpala awardees. Both the Office of Student Welfare and Formation, for the non-academic unit, and the Lubao Campus, for the academic unit, were awarded the GADtimpala 2025.

This marks the Lubao Campus’ third consecutive year leading the event and was recognized as a hall of famer for the award.