KORONADAL CITY, South Cotabato (PIA) — The Commission on Population and Development (CPD) in the Soccsksargen region has urged its program partners to spend the five percent gender and development (GAD) fund on implementing their gender-responsive and gender-sensitive activities.
“For our program partners, let us use and invest the fund intended for gender and development in conducting different activities that will make our employees and clients more knowledgeable and appreciative of the concepts and principles of GAD,” Alvin Dwight Asentista, CPD population program officer and technical section head, said.
He believes that using such funds will pave the way for collaborative efforts to make the public appreciate and understand the concepts of gender and development.
Asentista also expressed confidence that the five percent GAD fund of every agency is helpful to raise awareness about sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression.
“For the public, let us be open in the discussion about SOGIE so that we can better understand and appreciate the uniqueness of everyone,” he said.
The CPD, formerly known as Population Commission (PopCom), has also beefed up efforts to implement the Responsible Parenthood and Family Planning Program (RPFP) in the region “to help couples realize their desired timing, spacing, and number of children” while taking into account their financial, emotional, and psychological capabilities.
Asentista also went on to say that their agency has been actively initiating “adolescent health and development through comprehensive sexuality education” in collaboration with the Department of Education in an effort to equip teenagers with information and, ideally, prevent teen pregnancy.
When it comes to capacity building, he said the main focus of their agency is to upskill and empower the LGUs in response to their “devolution transition plan,” which means that part of the functions of the CPD are now devolved to LGUs.
He further conveyed that CPD has long been providing technical assistance in RPFP and other population development programs to partners from local government units and national line agencies while also conducting advocacy training year-round.
Meanwhile, Midsayap Mayor Rolly Sacdalan assured that the municipal government is steadfast in its implementation of gender and development and that their other initiatives relating to GAD are carried out without a hitch.
Under his leadership, he noted the revised GAD Code of Midsayap has now been approved, and he was able to strengthen the municipality’s GAD Focal Point System, which he chairs.
“Nakapaloob sa revised GAD Code na ito ang pagtutok sa gender-responsive programs at essential deliverables bilang mahalagang mga kinakailangan para sa pagkamit ng ilan sa mga major goals ng 2030 agenda for sustainable development,” Sacdalan explained.
[Included in this revised GAD Code is the focus on gender-responsive programs and essential deliverables as important milestones for achieving some of the major goals of the 2030 agenda for sustainable development.]
Among the goals are poverty eradication, zero hunger, gender equality, decent work and economic growth, and the reduction of inequalities.
Last year, the municipality also became a recipient of the prestigious GAD Seal.
With these successive milestones, Sacdalan expressed his commitment to support the initiatives of the national government to institutionalize and promote gender and development in his town.
“We look forward to continuing progress towards gender equality and empowerment for all,” Sacdalan said. (SJDM – PIA Region 12)
