31/05/2026
𝗚𝗨𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗢𝗔𝗡𝗚 𝗡𝗛𝗦 𝗥𝗘𝗣𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗦 𝗕𝗘𝗡𝗚𝗨𝗘𝗧 𝗔𝗧 𝗪𝗖𝗪𝗦 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲; 𝗪𝗔𝗡𝗔𝗦 𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗡𝗦 𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗕𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗣𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗜𝗡 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗜𝗟𝗔𝗡𝗗
CHIANG MAI, THAILAND — Guinaoang National High School of the Schools Division of Benguet proudly represented Benguet and the Cordillera Administrative Region during The 12th World Conference on Women’s Studies (WCWS 2026) held on May 28–30, 2026 at The Empress Hotel, Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Anchored on the theme “The Power of Dialogue: Abolishing the Conditions of Voicelessness,” the international conference gathered more than 200 delegates from 37 countries and featured over 120 research studies focused on women’s studies, gender, and social transformation.
Representing Guinaoang National High School were student-researchers
Ms. Changmae Mangiwet Atngag
Ms. Xyra Jane Aban Salio-an
Mr. Jayme Lance Paulino Casionan
Mr. Hans Christian Songyo-en Soriano
Ms. Jan Jezhiah Diaz Calixt
Together with Mr. Wilbert Bugtong Wanas, Research Adviser.
The delegation presented four research studies grounded in women’s lived experiences, indigenous knowledge systems, and community-rooted narratives from the Cordillera and Filipino contexts.
Gendered Knowledge in Usalan Work: An Ethnography of Women Miners
Presented by Ms. Changmae Mangiwet Atngag, Ms. Xyra Jane Aban Salio-an, Mr. Jayme Lance Paulino Casionan, and Mr. Hans Christian Songyo-en Soriano, the study documented the labor, indigenous knowledge, and everyday expertise of women in small-scale mining communities.
Voices Across Distance: Dialogues of Migrant Mothers Navigating Transnational Parenthood in Hong Kong
Presented by Ms. Jan Jezhiah D. Calixto, the study explored the lived experiences of Filipino migrant mothers and the ways care and motherhood continue across borders.
Women’s Voices in Binnadang: Gendered Dialogue and Indigenous Communal Cooperation in a Kankanaey Community
Presented by Mr. Wilbert Bugtong Wanas, the study highlighted women’s voices and participation in sustaining indigenous communal cooperation in a Kankanaey community.
Breaking Silence: Voice, Agency, and Lived Experiences of Women Vegetable Farmers in Rural Philippines
Also presented by Mr. Wilbert Bugtong Wanas, the study brought forward the voices and lived realities of women vegetable farmers in rural Philippine communities.
Serving as research adviser of the student delegation while also presenting two research studies in the international conference, Mr. Wanas was awarded the prestigious Overall Best Presentation Award for the study “Breaking Silence: Voice, Agency, and Lived Experiences of Women Vegetable Farmers in Rural Philippines.”
The award was conferred during the closing ceremonies in recognition of excellence in oral presentation and for advancing women-centered scholarship grounded in local realities and community narratives.
The student researchers of Guinaoang National High School were likewise commended for confidently presenting before an international audience and for bringing the voices and experiences of Benguet communities into a wider scholarly platform.
Their participation and achievement reflect the continuing commitment of the Schools Division of Benguet in nurturing research culture, learner leadership, and education rooted in local knowledge and lived realities.
From the highlands of Benguet to the global stage in Thailand, Guinaoang National High School continues to affirm that Cordillera voices belong in international conversations.
The Schools Division of Benguet warmly congratulates Guinaoang National High School, Mr. Wilbert Bugtong Wanas, and the student researchers for bringing honor to Benguet and the Cordillera.
Mabuhay ang Benguet. Mabuhay ang gurong Pilipino at kabataang mananaliksik.
-LMY, reports and photos from Wilbert Wanas
