24/09/2025
PCW Advisory No. 2025-01 | Proper Utilization and Safeguards of the Gender and Development (GAD) Budget
The Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) has issued Advisory No. 2025-01 to provide clear and authoritative guidance on the proper utilization of the Gender and Development (GAD) Budget. This initiative responds to persistent misconceptions observed not only in government agencies but also among stakeholders regarding the nature and use of the GAD budget.
As mandated by the Magna Carta of Women (Republic Act 9710) and the annual General Appropriations Act, all agencies, local government units, government-owned and controlled corporations, state universities and colleges, and constitutional bodies must allocate at least five percent (5%) of their total budget for GAD programs and activities. However, the PCW has found that the GAD budget is often mistakenly treated as a separate fund, a contingency reserve, or even pooled for purposes beyond its mandate.
The Advisory clarifies that the GAD budget forms part of the agency’s overall budget and must be integrated into its core programs and services. Its use must be evidence-based and guided by proper gender analysis, supported by sex-disaggregated data, and linked to actual gender issues aligned with the agency’s mandate. It clearly articulated the prohibition of diversion of funds to non-GAD activities and external earmarking or pooling of GAD resources through directives outside of those issued by the PCW, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), and the Department of Economic Planning and Development (DEPDev). Moreover, it stresses that only these oversight agencies are authorized to issue governing guidelines on GAD planning and budgeting, and that agencies may not create their own rules without prior clearance from PCW.
Equally important, the Advisory underscores accountability and transparency in the use of GAD funds. Agency heads and staff are directly responsible for any misuse, which may result in audit disallowances and administrative or even criminal liability. Compliance through the timely preparation and publication of GAD Plans and Budgets (GPBs) and GAD Accomplishment Reports (GAD ARs) remains mandatory to ensure that the public has access to these documents.
PCW Chairperson Ermelita V. Valdeavilla emphasized that the Advisory is both a safeguard for public resources and a critical step in advancing gender equality:
“The GAD budget is not a discretionary fund but a safeguard for women’s rights and empowerment. Through the existing guidelines and the issuance of this advisory, we ensure that the budget allotted for gender and development is protected from misuse and corruption. If we succeed in this effort, we will be shielding trillions of pesos in public resources from corruption; making every peso count for the improvement of the lives of Filipinos, especially women. This is how we advance the vision of Bagong Pilipinas—by guaranteeing that every public fund is spent where it is truly needed, with integrity, transparency, and accountability.”
With Advisory No. 2025-01, PCW not only strengthens the enforcement of the Magna Carta of Women but also reinforces the national government’s broader reform agenda for integrity and inclusive development.
PCW Advisory No. 2025-01 | Proper Utilization and Safeguards of the Gender and Development (GAD) Budget
The Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) has issued Advisory No. 2025-01 to provide clear and authoritative guidance on the proper utilization of the Gender and Development (GAD) Budget. This initiative responds to persistent misconceptions observed not only in government agencies but also among stakeholders regarding the nature and use of the GAD budget.
As mandated by the Magna Carta of Women (Republic Act 9710) and the annual General Appropriations Act, all agencies, local government units, government-owned and controlled corporations, state universities and colleges, and constitutional bodies must allocate at least five percent (5%) of their total budget for GAD programs and activities. However, the PCW has found that the GAD budget is often mistakenly treated as a separate fund, a contingency reserve, or even pooled for purposes beyond its mandate.
The Advisory clarifies that the GAD budget forms part of the agency’s overall budget and must be integrated into its core programs and services. Its use must be evidence-based and guided by proper gender analysis, supported by sex-disaggregated data, and linked to actual gender issues aligned with the agency’s mandate. It clearly articulated the prohibition of diversion of funds to non-GAD activities and external earmarking or pooling of GAD resources through directives outside of those issued by the PCW, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), and the Department of Economic Planning and Development (DEPDev). Moreover, it stresses that only these oversight agencies are authorized to issue governing guidelines on GAD planning and budgeting, and that agencies may not create their own rules without prior clearance from PCW.
Equally important, the Advisory underscores accountability and transparency in the use of GAD funds. Agency heads and staff are directly responsible for any misuse, which may result in audit disallowances and administrative or even criminal liability. Compliance through the timely preparation and publication of GAD Plans and Budgets (GPBs) and GAD Accomplishment Reports (GAD ARs) remains mandatory to ensure that the public has access to these documents.
PCW Chairperson Ermelita V. Valdeavilla emphasized that the Advisory is both a safeguard for public resources and a critical step in advancing gender equality:
“The GAD budget is not a discretionary fund but a safeguard for women’s rights and empowerment. Through the existing guidelines and the issuance of this advisory, we ensure that the budget allotted for gender and development is protected from misuse and corruption. If we succeed in this effort, we will be shielding trillions of pesos in public resources from corruption; making every peso count for the improvement of the lives of Filipinos, especially women. This is how we advance the vision of Bagong Pilipinas—by guaranteeing that every public fund is spent where it is truly needed, with integrity, transparency, and accountability.”
With Advisory No. 2025-01, PCW not only strengthens the enforcement of the Magna Carta of Women but also reinforces the national government’s broader reform agenda for integrity and inclusive development.
Full text of the Advisory can be downloaded via http://bit.ly/PCWAD202501
