Metro Manila – The Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) jump started the launching of the National Women’s Month Celebration in 2023. Benchmarking from the previous year’s theme “WE make CHANGE work for Women”, this year’s celebration showcases the milestone achieved by the country in closing its gender gaps through its theme, “WE for gender equality and inclusive society”.

WE stands for “Women and Everyone”. It also denotes “Women Empowerment”. It highlights the role of women in various institutions in nation-building to inspire and empower other women to take the role of a leader. The celebration also aims to promote a society that ensures inclusion, protection of fundamental freedoms, diversity, and social justice in which every individual, each with rights and responsibilities is capacitated and encouraged to take an active role to play.
NCMB, a women-led agency
The National Conciliation and Mediation Board is an attached agency of the Department of Labor and Employment that has been led by women leaders for more than 9 years. It was created by virtue of Executive Order No. 126 and was first headed by former Administrator now DOLE Secretary Bienvenido “Benny” Laguesma.
In 1996, the first woman administrator of NCMB took the lead in sustaining industrial peace in the country. Former Administrator and then DOLE Chief Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz took the role of becoming its Administrator until 1998.
In 2015, another woman leader assumed the top post of NCMB in the person of former Executive Director Shirley M. Pascual. She was appointed to the position until her retirement in 2018. Ms. Pascual is the former Director of the Board’s Management Support Services Department, now Internal Services Department.

Woman leader in the Digital Era
Since 2018, Executive Director Maria Teresita Lacsamana-Cancio has been carrying the torch of promoting harmonious relations in every workplace. Under her administration, the Board has facilitated 1,707 Labor-Management Committees/ Councils, operationalized 1,700 Grievance Machineries, and has handled 7,328 voluntary arbitration cases, 20,094 requests for assistance, and 3,035 conciliation and mediation cases.
She also formulated the Board’s Public Service Continuity Plan, Teaser Videos for its programs and services, Merit Selection Plan, Style Guide, Health and Wellness Programs, and the Succession Plans. ED Lacsamana-Cancio also revived the development of success stories and developed the Program on Awards and Incentives for Service Excellence of the Civil Service Commission (CSC) for its employees.
Under her leadership, the Board also started its digital transition for its programs and services for the issuance of Certificate of No Pending Case (CNPC), Filing for Request for Assistance (RFA), and conduct of online Labor-Management Cooperation (LMC) seminars. Furthermore, information systems such as the Alternative Dispute Resolution Information System, Human Resource Management Information System, and Strike Vote Balloting System began its development under her guidance. With her efforts to improve its processes, the Board achieved an Unqualified Opinion from Commission on Audit (COA) for three consecutive years.
Together with her to achieve the organizational goals are two equally-skilled women Deputy Executive Directors Teresita Audea and Maria Cristina Mangaliman.

What does it take for a woman to become a good leader in the Digital Era?
Resilient. This is one of the primary traits that every woman needs to have in order to be a good leader, Mangaliman said during an interview. Commencing her journey as a leader, Mangaliman first became an officer-in-charge in one of the Board’s branches in the Central Luzon region. Climbing up the corporate ladder, she expressed that one must learn to be adaptable to change especially with the advent of the digital era. We must have the ability to embrace change and respond to it effectively.
In spite of being a previous director of a branch, she still encountered challenges when she transitioned as Deputy Executive Director. “Dati hindi pa gaanong digital. Manual pa at hindi masyadong marami ang requirements. In a digital era, we need to transition our services from face-to-face to online and such transition requires transformation of processes.” Mangaliman said when asked about the challenges encountered in the digital era.
However, despite all obstacles, Mangaliman expressed that balancing time between work and personal life is also necessary to carry out the role of an executive.
In line with the month’s celebration, she encourages women, and even men, who are soon to become part of the workforce to focus on their goals. Mangaliman conveyed “Kahit hindi [lang] babae, kahit lalaki, dapat naka-set ang mind mo sa goals. We need to improve our skills to reach our goals. Kailangan pag-aralan din natin ang ibang trabaho. We can get tips or guidance from others in the organization regarding our work in order to navigate change”.

Formula for Work-Life Balance
“Prioritization in everything. Sa work [place], kailangan mong i-prioritze yung work mo kasi napaka-dami, para may matitira sa time mo for your family” Audea said when asked about the formula for a work-life balance. She stressed that 24 hours in a day is not enough to manage time between work and personal life, that is why prioritization is the key to a work-life balance. As the head of the Technical Services Department, Audea highlighted that being alert and ready is necessary when dealing with cases since constant monitoring is necessary due to the sensitivity of the job. However, when opportunity comes, she maximizes her time spent with her family. “Made-drain ka kapag puro work. Mawawala yung happiness. Kapag di ka happy, ‘di mo rin magagawa effectively ‘yong work mo.” she added.
The Deputy also underscored the role of women in case management. Historically, the composition of executives and conciliator-mediator in the office is mostly men, Since her assumption as Division Chief for Voluntary Arbitration Division and becoming a Conciliator-Mediator, she mentioned that the attributes and motherly nature of women in persuading parties for mutual settlement is also being recognized in conflict situation.
“To women who are aspiring to become a leader in the workplace and, at the same time, in the stage of building their own families, discover your own strengths and embody the idea of becoming a strong and independent woman.” Audea said as words of encouragement. “Marami kasing dadaanang challenges. Pag-sasabayin mo yung pagiging mother, [pagiging] wife, and [pagiging] executive. So yung motherly role and yung career or yung pr ofessional role, may shuffling ka dyan. Pag nasa office ka, yung independence mo ide-develop mo. You have to keep things moving on your own para hindi ka dependent sa iba.” she added.

END/ianne r. go