Gender Empowerment Consultancy and Advocacy Firm-GECAF -OPC

ALAMIN, ITO AY MAHALAGA

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HE ROAD TO PPGD
GADvocates, pamilyar na ba kayo sa Philippine Plan for Gender-responsive Development o PPGD? Ito ang 30-year plan ng Pilipinas na naglatag ng malinaw na direksyon ng ating advocacy on gender equality and women empowerment. Itinuturing itong herstorical milestone dahil ito ang naging tugon ng ating bansa sa Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action o BPFA.
Pero bago pa maaprubahan ang PPGD noong 1995, maraming pinagdaanan ang ating mga kapwa GADvocates mula sa iba’t-ibang sektor para ipaglaban ang women’s human rights.

Congratulations!!! 👏👏👏✨

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

LATE POST

Seminar on CMO 3 Series of 2022: Guidelines on Gender Based Sexual Harassment and Committee on Decorum and Investigation (CODI)
📅 August 8, 2025 | Narra Hall Room 1, De La Salle Medical and Health Sciences Institute

Grateful for the opportunity to serve as a Resource Person in today’s orientation on CMO 3 Series of 2022 – Guidelines in Gender-Based Sexual Harassment and Committee on Decorum and Investigation (CODI). May this be another step toward creating inclusive, respectful, and empowered communities!

Women and girls in the Philippines spend almost 11 hours daily on unpaid care and domestic work, limiting their access to education and decent work. While progress in care policy has been made, stronger measures are needed to ease this burden and recognize care work as the backbone of society.
In response to this, PCW, in partnership with Oxfam Pilipinas and other key actors, is developing the National Care Economy Policy Framework to address unpaid care work through evidence-based and transformative policies.
On this International Equal Pay Day, we call for a future where care work is recognized, valued, and equally shared—so that women and men alike can pursue opportunities, enjoy decent work, and contribute fully to inclusive and gender-fair development.

Women and girls in the Philippines spend almost 11 hours daily on unpaid care and domestic work, limiting their access to education and decent work. While progress in care policy has been made, stronger measures are needed to ease this burden and recognize care work as the backbone of society.

In response to this, PCW, in partnership with Oxfam Pilipinas and other key actors, is developing the National Care Economy Policy Framework to address unpaid care work through evidence-based and transformative policies.

On this International Equal Pay Day, we call for a future where care work is recognized, valued, and equally shared—so that women and men alike can pursue opportunities, enjoy decent work, and contribute fully to inclusive and gender-fair development.

LATE POST
Gender Sensitivity Training (GST) Batch 4 of Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital
📅 July 24-25, 2025 | Country Chateau Hotel, Tagaytay CIty

Thank you so much to the GFPS headed by Dr. Cherie Arcilla- Basa, and to all the personnel of Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital. Let’s continue working together to create a more inclusive and equitable future for all. "TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE"- Dr. Renifer Francisco, President, GECAF-OPC

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LOOK: PCW has issued Memorandum Circular No. 2025-07, reaffirming Gender Mainstreaming (GM) as the mandated strategy and the Gender and Development (GAD) approach as the guiding framework for advancing gender equality and inclusive development across all branches and instrumentalities of government.

Anchored in the Magna Carta of Women or RA 9710, the Circular directs all national government agencies, SUCs, GOCCs, and other government instrumentalities to integrate GM across their systems, structures, policies, programs, and processes. It likewise emphasizes that frameworks such as Gender Equality, Disability, and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) and Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) are complementary perspectives that enhance, but do not replace, the GAD approach. By strengthening accountability, inclusivity, and intersectionality, this directive underscores the government’s commitment to ensure that policies and programs respond to gender concerns and the realities of diverse and marginalized groups, while requiring agencies to reflect these commitments in their GAD Plans and Budgets (GPBs) and GAD Accomplishment Reports (GAD ARs).

Read the full Memorandum Circular here: https://pcw.gov.ph/pcw-memorandum-circular-no-2025-07/

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