Rationale

As support to the current administration’s thrust to promote gender equal governance, the PIA Gender and Development (GAD) Focal Point System (GFPS) is taking a step forward to capacitate its GFPS members and regional GAD focal persons’ technical expertise through an intensive five-day training and planning workshop.

The said activity includes lectures on gender sensitivity, gender-related issues such as HIV/AIDS, and GAD planning and budgeting which are mandate-specific.

This is an activity included in the agency’s 2017 GPB and will form part of the agency’s observance of the 2017 National Women’s Month celebration. The PIA GFPS ultimately targets to institutionalize its approach in GAD mainstreaming through a well-thought out and implemented GAD program.

DAY 1: GAD Chair's Opening Message

OPENING MESSAGE by Dir. Emelyn Q. Libunao

MAAYONG HAPON! Good afternoon, colleagues from the PIA Gender and Development Focal Point System Central Office and our dear GAD Focal Persons from their respective PIA Regional Offices. And of course, we recognize the presence of our former GAD-dess Ms. Betty Lou Peñera, who will be our speaker tomorrow. Kumusta Ma’am BL, how was your flight?

Many thanks also to our very reliable colleague, Ms. Mai Macapagat for the readiness to extend a hand to the GAD committee, in the absence of our Ms. Girlie Duldulao of ROD. And thank you everyone for responding to our invitation and for allowing us to pull you from your usual tasks in the field and in the office, away from your families for five days straight, just to make this activity possible. And of course, our biggest thanks to RD Efren Elbanbuena and team, our gracious host for this five-day activity.

Why are we gathered here? We’ve come here in Davao to share and learn new knowledge and best practices on gender and development in order to improve our understanding of the government’s programs that stress the roles of both men and women in all areas of development. We are fortunate that we were given the opportunity to hold this GAD Workshop in Davao, where we could observe exemplar and inclusive GAD programs, na talaga namang ipinagmamalaki ng ating President Rodrigo Duterte who hails from here.

In this week-long workshop, we hope that our eyes will be opened to different issues and concerns from the regions including the HIV/AIDS. I also hope that our mandate-relevant plans will be efficiently thought-out and soon be implemented following our timelines, and that our motivation of shouldering responsibilities as GAD advocates will be refueled by our speakers and colleagues.

To Ma’am BL, thank you for being with us very early. I know that your advocacy is fired on the pursuit of creating a gender-balanced society, even after your retirement in PIA few years back. As early as now we thank you for your time and willingness to be part of this mind-boggling workshop.

We have no time to waste for we will start the first session this afternoon. The overview of the rest of the program will be explained by William, one of our three leading men in GAD Focal Point System in the Central Office.

This workshop also serves as the first general assembly of all PIA Regional GAD focal persons, as officially designated by the Office Order No. 014 series of 2017, signed by DG Harold Clavite. Let us take this opportunity to strengthen our ties. Let us create a system to communicate more easily. We know that we have lots of work to do, but little by little, we can get them done. Your cooperation will be appreciated from this day forward. On the 20th, DG Harold will be with us to listen to our presentation of plans for fiscal year 2017 and 2018. I am grateful that our head of agency is keen on GAD programs. Remember the photo exhibit we mounted in the Central Office last December 2016? It was actually his idea—to figuratively bring together all PIA Regional Offices in a photo exhibit. And now we are ACTUALLY here, physically together in one room.

With this, I pray that God will guide us and fill us with wisdom so that anything that we plan and intend to achieve this year onward will all be for his greater glory. Belated Happy Easter to all. Enjoy the workshop and God bless us all!

Orientation & Workshop on HIV AIDS

President of Mindanao AIDS Advocates Association, Ms. Nidgie Tindoc encouraged the participants to be active in sharing the right information on HIV/AIDS.

DAY 2: Orientation on Gender Equality, Code of Ethics for Media and Guidelines to Protect Women from Discrimination in Media and Film

Overview of Gender Studies & Theories & History of Feminism

Gender is not something we are born with, and not something we have, but something we do (West and Zimmerman 1987)

Sex is a biological categorization based primarily on reproductive potential.

Gender Mainstreaming Evaluation Framework (GMEF) on Gender Budgeting and Planning

Gender Mainstreaming is an important AGENDA!

GM means:

• Processes and strategies to ensure the recognition of gender issues on a sustained basis • A strategy to ensure that the concerns for gender equality is considered in the mainstream • Inclusion of a gender perspective in the design and implementation of plans and programs to carry out agency mandates • Allocating adequate logistics for the conduct of gender-responsive activities in the regular agency programs.