THE National Government (NG) has allocated more funding for gender and development (GAD) under the Marcos administration, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said.
“In terms of the share of the GAD in our National Government budget, it has been increasing from 3% in the previous administration to as much as 16% in the present administration,†Budget Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman said during the International Conference on Women, Peace and Security on Monday.
“We are happy with that development. However, there are still a lot of issues that we have to look into.â€
This is in line with Republic Act (RA) No. 9710 or the Magna Carta of Women, which mandates all state agencies and corporations, as well as local government units, to allocate at least 5% of their yearly budget for gender-related programs, projects, and activities.
Around 65% of government agencies have been implementing gender-sensitive infrastructure projects, Ms. Pangandaman said.
“The recent number shows that in 2022, some P4 billion has been allocated for infrastructure budget that is gender-responsive,†Ms. Pangandaman said.
She also noted that around P2.1 billion as allocated in 2022 for social protection including women, youth, and children.
For 2024, the national budget has allocated P83 billion for gender and development, internally displaced persons, and disaster relief assistance. This is an 8.9% increase from the P76.2 billion earmarked last year, according to a document posted at the DBM’s website.
The Budget chief added that the newly enacted Public Financial Management Roadmap for 2025 to 2028, centers on climate, disaster, and gender.
“We are now starting on working on this platform to be able to improve the compliance of our gender budget to our national budget not just in the National Government but also in our local government units,†she said.
Ms. Pangandaman also noted that RA 12009, the New Government Procurement Act, which seeks to modernize and address bottlenecks in the country’s procurement process, includes a gender perspective.
The government has been working on the Implementing Rules and Regulations for the law, which is expected to take effect next year. Around 60% of the NG’s budget goes to procurement, according to Ms. Pangandaman.
The Philippine government expects to generate financial support and to gain the best practices for its women, peace, and security agenda from participating countries at the conference.
“At this time when women face nontraditional security concerns — such as threats to health security, cybersecurity, and climate change, among others — it is crucial for us to recognize that the future landscape of women, peace and security is no longer confined within the traditional borders of countries and cultures,†Ms. Pangandaman said. — Beatriz Marie D. Cruz
