By: Joy Almazan, with input from the Administrative Service-Human Resource Development Division 

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has submitted on November 14, 2022 its consolidated Gender and Development Plan and Budget (GPB) for 2023 to the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) through the Gender Mainstreaming Monitoring System (GMMS) portal.  

The DBM’s GPB for next year is the fruit of a three-day training workshop attended by 35 GAD advocates and representatives from the DBM Central and Regional Offices last October 25 to 27, 2022 at the DBM Arcache Building.  

Crafted based on the results of the Gender Mainstreaming Evaluation Framework (GMEF), the Plan will focus on strengthening policies to support gender mainstreaming and on people, particularly GAD champions who will advocate the Department’s GAD efforts.  

The training was held in accordance with Section 37 of the Implementing Rules and Regulations of the Magna Carta of Women (Republic Act No. 9710), requiring all agencies to formulate their annual GAD Plans and Budgets within the context of their mandates. It was also guided by Memorandum Circular No. 2022-03 of the PCW, dated August 31, 2022, which directs government agencies to prioritize programs and projects that address gender issues outlined in the Gender Equality and Women Empowerment (GEWE) Plan 2019-2025. The identification of these gender issues and GAD programs/activities/projects (PAPs) should be based on the results of gender analysis and gender audit, especially the result of the Gender Mainstreaming Evaluation Framework (GMEF). 

To guide the DBM GAD representatives in crafting the GAD Plan and Budget for CY 2023, the DBM invited Ms. Renifer Francisco as training resource speaker. Ms. Francisco is the president of the Gender Empowerment Consultancy and Advocacy Firm (GECAF), an independent GAD Consultant, and a PCW Certified National Trainer. She explained the basic GAD concepts and principles, including the international and national mandates for gender mainstreaming, and thoroughly discussed the GMEF, Gender Equality and Women Empowerment Plan, and the guidelines on the preparation of the GAD Plan and Budget and GAD Accomplishment Report. 

The lectures prepared the participants for the workshops, during which they sought to identify gender issues and the corresponding GAD PAPs that will address those issues. The consolidated CY 2023 GAD Plan and Budget was based on their workshop outputs.