Local Governments in Samar and Southern Leyte Convene to Translate Child Marriage Study into Local Policy
News | by Krizzia Esperanza
The Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF), in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), convened a three-day workshop for partner LGUs in Samar and Southern Leyte. The Final Child, Early and Forced Marriage and Unions (CEFMU) Study Results Dissemination and Policy Development Workshop, held August 24-26, 2026, at Bayview Park Hotel in Manila, aimed to transform research findings on CEFMU into actionable local policies.
The workshop engaged legislative and executive representatives from ZFF Expanded Youth Leadership and Governance Program (EYLGP) partner LGUs, who play complementary roles in policy development and implementation. Technical resource persons from the University of San Carlos-Office of Population Studies Foundation, Inc. (USC-OPSFI) and the Philippine Legislators’ Committee on Population and Development (PLCPD) provided expert guidance throughout the event.
Photo above: Participant presents group activity output mapping their communities’ existing policies, programs, and service gaps around the “four faces of CEFMU”: Fatima (child empowerment), Sarah (shifting socio-cultural norms), Jenna (strengthening services and systems), and Farrah (supportive policy and governance).
The first day focused on disseminating the final findings of the CEFMU study. Researchers from USC-OPSFI presented key findings from both the qualitative study conducted in Samar and Southern Leyte and the quantitative Longitudinal Cohort Study on the Filipino Child (LCSFC). The afternoon session transitioned from understanding evidence to identifying local policy gaps. PLCPD resource persons oriented participants on the local legislative process and advocacy access points, preparing them for the policy-writing sessions to follow.
On the second and third days, PLCPD provided a draft CEFMU policy as a starting point. The resource persons guided participants through the parts of the ordinance, explaining the structure, key provisions, and critical considerations for effective local legislation. LGU teams then engaged in writeshop sessions where they discussed and refined the model policy, adapting provisions to reflect their community’s unique realities, existing programs, available resources, and specific vulnerabilities. LGU teams presented their refined policies, receiving technical feedback from resource persons.
Photo above: Participants edit and refine the draft CEFMU policy provided by PLCPD.
The workshop concluded with an emotional commitment session where LGU representatives voiced their promises to champion the cause of vulnerable children and youth. As one participant declared, “I promise to stand firm with the girls and all the victims of the child marriage. And I will continue to raise my voice, to use myself to advocate.”
As participants departed with refined policy drafts and concrete action plans for advocacy and adoption, the workshop marked a milestone in the ongoing effort to end CEFMU in the Philippines. The activity, part of ZFF and UNFPA’s continuing partnership under the Joint Programme on Accelerating the Reduction of Adolescent Pregnancy (JPARAP), represents a model for evidence-based policy development that can be replicated across the country.
