Province of Misamis Occidental GAD LLH: A Pillar in Influencing Province-wide Gender Mainstreaming
Misamis Occidental was among the seven (7) LGUs recognized by the PCW in March 2019 for the establishment and institutionalization of its Provincial GAD Office (PGADO) that exemplifies gender mainstreaming at the local levels through a gender-responsive and socially-inclusive governance.
Misamis Occidental Provincial Gender and Development Office
The Misamis Occidental Provincial Gender and Development Office (PGADO) plays a pivotal role to advance gender mainstreaming in the Province. It was set-up as a permanent unit directly under the Office of the Governor with the adoption of the Provincial GAD Code Implementing Rules and Regulations in 2014.
The PGAD Office is mandated to ensure the mainstreaming of GAD perspestive in the processes and systems of the LGU. It performs monitoring functions to ensure that provincial programs, projects, and activities and that of its constituent municipalities are gender-responsive.
The Office has an overall staff complement of thirteen (13) personnel headed by a Provincial GAD Officer and composed of three divisions namely, 1) Administrative; 2) Development Management; and 3) Special Services. The Administrative Division performs mainly administrative functions ensuring seamless conduct of day-to-day operations while the Development Management Division is in charge of gathering gender statistics and conduct of GAD-related capacity development activities. On the other hand, the Special Services Division is in-charge of the VAWC and GBV-related concerns lodged to the PGAD Office.
To achieve its mandates, the PGAD conducts massive and periodic capacity development activities on GAD not just for the personnel of the various provincial offices, municipalities, and barangays but also for line agencies present in the province such as TESDA and local Police Office. It also ensures the review of GAD Plans and Budgets of fourteen (14) municipalities before submission to the DILG for endorsement. The PGADO also takes charge of the collection and analysis of gender statistics and the conduct of monitoring and evaluation of activities to determine the impacts of LGU programs to women and men.
The PGADO also helped established the protocols and standards to address VAWC and GBV in the Province in coordination with the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office.
As a Gender-Sensitive Watch, it ensures the compliance of municipalities and barangays to the establishment of VAW Desks and reporting or referral mechanisms in cases of abuse. It also provides psychosocial services to indigenous groups and ensures implementation of the Provincial Early Childhood Care and Development programs and services.
The commitment of PGADO to ensure compliance of the Province, Municipalities and Barangays to the gender mainstreaming institutional mechanisms provided for in the Magna Carta of Women resulted in the increased submission of GAD Plans and Budgets and 5% allocation of LGU budget to GAD. On the other hand, the conduct of various capacity development activities on GAD and the establishment of necessary mechanisms to address VAWC and GBV resulted to decrease in the number of cases and has increased number of functional VAW Desks in the Barangays.
Indeed, the gender mainstreaming efforts of the Province contributed to the achievement and promotion of gender equality. The establishment of an enabling institution in local governance truly accelerates and strengthens GM in government planning and programming.
GAD LLH Coordinator:
Provincial GAD Office Head Maribel Gonzales
Email Address: pgado.misocc@gmail.com / com_gonzales@yahoo.com.ph
Mobile No.: 0918-917-9630
GAD Local Learning Hubs:
Abra de Ilog (Likha Iraya)
Aklan (ACCW and MOVE-Aklan Chapter)
Baybay City (BMIS and WEE Program)
Davao City (IGDD, OSC-VAW, CMC, and Ray of Hope Village)
Iloilo (Convergence for Women’s Economic Empowerment Program)
Mabalacat City (Early Childhood Care and Development Program)
Misamis Occidental (PGADO)
Naga (Bantay Familia, GROW Negosyo Program, and Breast Feeding Program)
Palawan (LWC)
Pangasinan (PCIC)
Quezon City (QCPC and Social Hygiene and Sundown Clinics)
Quezon Province (PGADO, LKB Program, and 2-in-1 Program)
