PCW educates trainers on “Mainstreaming Gender Perspectives in the Comprehensive Development Plan”
The Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) sponsored an Orientation-Workshop on Engendering the Local Planning System on May 24-28, 2010 at the Meralco Development Center (MMLDC) in Antipolo City. The Orientation-Workshop is a capacity-building activity for PCW staff and select LGU partners to become trainers and technical assistance providers for mainstreaming gender perspectives in the Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP).
Topics discussed during the Training-Workshop include the Joint Memorandum Circular No. 001 s. 2007, the circular details, the convergent roles in planning and investment programming, budgeting and expenditure management, revenue administration of by key national government agencies such as the National Economic Development Authority, Department of Interior and Local Government, Department of Budget and Management, and the Department of Finance and the complementation among local government units.
“Mainstreaming gender in the CDP is strategic, because it enables LGUs to respond to women’s economic empowerment when undergoing major local planning processes,” says GWP Manager Ms. Luvy Villanueva.
The CDP is the medium-term multi-sectoral development plan that concretizes the LGU’s vision within a term spanning three to six years. It is implemented through an instrument known as the Executive and Legislative Agenda, a three-year program of action based on the priorities and thrusts in the context of the vision, goals and objectives of the LGU. CDP also serves as a mutually reinforcing plan to the LGU’s Comprehensive Land-Use Plan.
“The training walked participants through a multi-step process to formulate a gender-responsive CDP. The process introduced LGUs to interventions that will allow the preparation, implementation and monitoring of CDP to become thoroughly gender-responsive”, Villanueva said.
Integrating gender perspectives into the CDP requires that training participants become well-versed in five program modules. These modules are the rationalized planning system, vision setting and ecological profiling, using sectoral inputs in ecological profiles, introduction to the local development indicator system, and local development programming.
LGUs are expected to produce gender-responsive CDPs under the GREAT Women Project partnership, supported by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). The GREAT Women Project partner sites are slated to deliver customized training on mainstreaming gender in the CDPs.
