Gov’t focusing more on gender and development programs — DBM

The share of the national government budget dedicated to Gender and Development (GAD) has grown significantly in the Marcos administration, the Department of Budget and Management said.

“In terms of the share of the GAD in our national government budget, it has been increasing from 3 percent in the previous administration to as much as 16 percent in the present administration,” Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said during the International Conference on Women, Peace, and Security 2024.

The budget chief noted that approximately P4 billion was allocated for gender-responsive infrastructure projects, along with P2.1 billion for social protection programs that support women, youth, and children in 2022.

READ: Pangandaman cites PH gains in advancing women’s rights in UN meet

According to government data, about P807.64 billion or 23 percent of the P3.513 trillion budget for national government agencies were allocated for GAD initiatives last year. However, only P442.5 billion or 13 percent has been used for these programs, showing that there are significant challenges in implementing GAD plans and projects.

For this year, it allocated P83 billion, up by 8.9 percent from last year’s P76.2 billion for social protection which includes GAD, internally displaced persons, and disaster relief assistance.

Pangandaman noted that approximately 65 percent of government agencies have been implementing gender-responsive projects led by the Department of Public Works and Highways.

“We are happy with that development. However, there are still a lot of issues that we have to look into, the taxonomy and how you actually really enumerate and identify what kinds of projects and programs that will have to be tagged as a women’s gender budget,” Pangandaman said.

Under the Magna Carta of Women, all government departments and agencies are required to allocate a minimum of 5 percent of their total annual budgets for gender programs, projects, and activities.

Moreover, she highlighted the country’s Public Financial Management Roadmap (PFMR) 2024-2028, which aims to transform how public funds are managed.

“We have introduced a new roadmap just a month ago. This is the [PFMR] which includes three plus. The first plus is climate, the second plus is disaster, and the third plus is gender.”

She added that this effort will also focus on local government units, ensuring better compliance and effectiveness in addressing gender-related needs.

Pangandaman also said that gender perspective was also included as a provision in the new government procurement law.

“We want to acknowledge the contribution of small and medium enterprises, we note that most of the SMEs in the country are women. So we are happy that now, as part of a new update and development, our new government procurement law also includes that in our agenda,” she added.

The New Government Procurement Act (RA 12009) which was signed earlier by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. requires procuring entities to prioritize inclusivity in all procurement activities. This means focusing on gender equity, ethnic diversity, poverty alleviation, and labor standards.