Saint Mary’s University has been accepted as a member of the Department for Economy, Planning and Development’s Stakeholders’ Chamber on the Sustainable Development Goals. The membership has been formalized during the oath-taking ceremony held at the DEPDev Office, Mega Tower, Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City, on July 22, 2026. Attending on behalf of Dr. John Octavious S. Palina, University President, was Dr. Christopher Allen S. Marquez, Director of the Community Engagement and Indigenous Peoples Studies Center. The Center serves as the focal unit for the University’s sustainable development initiatives. 

Dr. Reverie Pure Sapaen, Director, Governance Staff, and Head, SC-SDG Secretariat, emphasized in her opening remarks the vital role of advancing a whole-of-nation approach to strategic partnerships and the proactive implementation of the SDGs to create lasting change for the country. She added, “The SDGs cannot be accomplished through separate efforts. Institutions may differ, but must be driven with the common goal of improving the lives of every Filipino, and no one would be left behind”. 

Dr. Rosemarie G. Edillon, DEPDev Undersecretary and Chair of the SC-SDG, congratulated all the new member institutions that are non-government representations of the SDGs. She emphasizes the role of these non-government institutions by saying that, “the government cannot achieve the SDGs alone. Hence, nongovernment organizations can contribute to the national efforts, and in nation-building. She mentioned that “non-government organizations have translated high-level plans into tangible outcomes”. She also called for inclusive participation, bringing also the youth, women, PWDs, senior citizens, and other vulnerable groups into the conversation, to ensure a “matatag, maginhawa at panatag na buhay”. 

Ms. Joy Divinagracia, Chief of the Governance Division, presented the governance mechanism on the SDGs and strategic objectives, including the working groups: social, environment, economic, and peace security and governance. After the presentation, DEPDev Secretary, Dr. Artemio Balisacan, led the Induction and oath-taking ceremony. 

In her closing remarks, Rebecca Malay, outgoing co-chair, noted that 2030 is approaching but admitted there are still many tasks to be done. Hence, she emphasized collaboration and convergence, and the SDGs should be linked with human rights. 

The Stakeholders’ Chamber on the Sustainable Development Goals is the first institutionalized multi-stakeholder platform for sustainable development in the Philippines. The members are from civil society, business, academia, and the public sector, working collaboratively to drive the Philippines’ 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. It started in April 2022 with an inaugural batch of 42 member organizations. In 2026, the Chamber has 71 new member organizations, and SMU is one of the seven new members representing the academe.