This work has not been peer reviewed by the University of the Philippines Rainbow Research Hub or its project members. The views expressed are solely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the Hub or its project members.
2026 Philippine Queer Studies Conference
POSTER PRESENTATION
Faith-driven peacebuilding: Navigating sexual and reproductive health and rights in the Philippines
Robbin Dagle, Irene Narcisa Cañete, and Jayeel Cornelio
This article highlights the role of faith in sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) as a peacebuilding advocacy in the Philippines. In response to religious conservatism in the country, SRHR advocates typically frame their work according to secular principles of well-being and public health. Doing so avoids confrontations with the religious sector, especially with respect to the rights of the LGBTQ+ community. But as this article shows, faith animates SRHR advocates themselves. We examine the case study of ILAW Shared Community, a non-governmental organization known for its SRHR advocacy in Iligan, a culturally and religiously diverse city in Mindanao. Based on interviews with ILAW’s stakeholders, we show that despite the secular discourse of their advocacies, faith is an inescapable reality for the work of ILAW as a peacebuilder in the field of SRHR advocacy. We refer to this as ‘faith-driven peacebuilding,’ the response of secular organizations to the demands of an environment where religious convictions shape the dominant discourse to issues that matter to them. This manifests in three ways: Faith demands recognition. Faith demands respect. And faith demands that safe spaces be built. In this sense, we argue that ILAW’s advocacy exemplifies how faith-driven peacebuilding must also be understood not just as the work of faith-based organizations but also as a process that even secular organizations have to undergo to effectively confront faith-based issues.
