Let’s be blunt: while too many offices treat the fight against violence against women as a perfunctory memo, Customs District X just walked the talk—and did it with fists clenched and colors blazing.

District Collector Atty. Manuel O. Zurbito Jr. didn’t just tell his people to support the 18-Day VAW campaign—he led from the front, marching his entire district into a sea of bright orange like a battalion declaring: Violence against women ends here.

And make no mistake, this bold move mirrors the no-nonsense leadership style of Commissioner Ariel F. Nepomuceno, whose brand of governance has been shaking up the Bureau. Nepomuceno has been hammering one message across all districts: Customs must be more than bureaucratic paperwork. It must stand for justice, community, and protection.
District X heard it loud and clear.

Because the truth is ugly: PSA numbers show one in four Filipinas has suffered violence from a partner. One in four. That’s not a statistic—it’s a national disgrace. And while many institutions tiptoe around the issue, Zurbito’s team decided to throw subtlety out the window and wear their advocacy on their sleeves—literally.

This wasn’t some quiet, polite gesture.
This was Customs drawing a line, challenging every agency, LGU, and private institution to step up their game instead of hiding behind slogans and press releases.

District X’s orange wave didn’t just show support.
It exposed everyone else who hasn’t lifted a finger.

Commissioner Nepomuceno has been pushing the Bureau into a more courageous, socially accountable direction, and District X is proving him right. They’re not waiting for the problem to magically fix itself—they’re calling it out, confronting it, and owning their role in the whole-of-nation fight for a VAW-free Philippines.

Because at the end of the day, violence thrives in silence.
And in District X, under Zurbito and Nepomuceno’s watch, silence is no longer an option.

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