The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has achieved significant recognition from the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) for its exemplary allocation and utilization of the Gender and Development (GAD) Budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2024. This commendation reaffirms the DILG’s strategic commitment to transforming GAD mandates into tangible, on-the-ground action, which is central to the Bagong Pilipinas agenda of good governance.

PCW monitors the gender-responsiveness and GAD budget allocation and use of government entities, including Line Agencies, National Government Agencies (NGAs), Government-Owned or Controlled Corporations (GOCCs), and State Universities and Colleges (SUCs).

According to PCW’s FY 2024 GAD budget monitoring and review, DILG ranked 10th for NGAs with the highest client-focused allocation, 4th for Line Agencies with the highest client-focused allocation, and 8th for Line Agencies with the highest organization-focused allocation.

The DILG’s success is rooted in translating policy into LGU performance. Client-focused initiatives include Gender Equality, Disability, and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) mainstreaming workshops and essential advocacy campaigns. Organization-focused efforts include strengthening the GAD Focal Point System (GFPS) and jointly issuing guidelines for the localization of the Magna Carta of Women.

The Department also institutionalizes GAD best practices through the GAD Seal program, which recognizes regional and provincial offices that successfully integrate gender-responsiveness into local policies, systems, and structures.

The top agencies honored by PCW are Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Health (DOH), Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), and Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), consistently ranking in the top 10 of 14 categories in the GAD budget performance review, demonstrating cross-government commitment to inclusivity.

Other government entities recognized are national government and line agencies including the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Agriculture, and Department of Education; GOCCs such as Social Security System and National Housing Authority; and, SUCs such as West Visayas State University, Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University, and the University of the Philippines System, among others.

First introduced in the 1995 General Appropriations Act as “The Women’s Budget,” the GAD budget policy mandates all government entities to allocate at least 5% of their total budget to support annual GAD plans and programs. This provision is anchored on Republic Act No. 9710 or the Magna Carta of Women

In support of the government’s pursuit of accountability and inclusivity under President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.’s Bagong Pilipinas, the DILG affirms its resolve to uphold the dignity and rights of all Filipinos by improving gender-responsiveness of government policies, plans, and programs.

Original Article At:https://www.dilg.gov.ph/news/DILG-recognized-for-GAD-budget-performance-in-2024/NC-2025-1226