GENERAL SANTOS CITY (PIA) -- General Santos City Mayor Lorelie Pacquiao urged women to keep pushing for progress while assuring them of the city government’s dedication to advancing the implementation of gender and development programs in the city.

Under Pacquiao’s leadership, the city government received the GAD Seal certificate last year, a recognition for its commitment to gender sensitivity and holistic approach to development by mainstreaming gender-responsive programs.

“Ang GAD Seal ay nagpapatunay na ang Heneral Santos ay hindi lamang focused sa pagpapatibay ng ekonomiya, ito rin ay bukas para sa lahat ng sektor ng mamamayan,” the local chief executive said.  

[The GAD Seal serves as proof that General Santos City is not only focused on strengthening the economy but is also open to all sectors of society.]

Implementing the GAD programs is the City Population Management Office (CPMO), led by Judith Janiola, who is a staunch advocate for women's empowerment and development.

Janiola expressed confidence in the city’s capabilities, citing its best practices and other innovative initiatives, including the dynamic celebration of National Women’s Month every year.

After the GAD Seal certificate, Janiola disclosed that the city government aims to further "spread its wings" on a national scale, aspiring to establish the GAD Local Learning Hub (LLH) by 2025.

“We are happy that GenSan is doing well because of our GAD Code. We are trying to influence everyone,” she shared in an interview with the Philippine Information Agency’s “Rated PIA” radio program, which airs and streams live via dxGS and PIA Facebook pages every Tuesday. 

“‘Yun ‘yung tinatawag nating may streamlining, lahat umaandar dahil sa sasakyan na ito,” she noted.

[That is what we call streamlining, since everything runs because of this vehicle.]

Janiola also explained that the GAD-LLH aims to institutionalize the sharing and replication of experiences, showcasing GAD-related innovations to enable the local government units to initiate and strengthen their gender mainstreaming efforts.

"Everything has a system; it’s being coordinated from one piece to another piece and harmonious ang takbo kung nako konek-konek sila [it runs harmoniously if they are interconnected],” she added.

Janiola expressed the hope that Gensan can attain its goal because it has existing GAD ordinances and policies already in place, providing substance to the implementation of the program, which has been touted as the city’s best practice for gender and development.

"Actually, the national level is eyeing us; through word, it spreads rapidly. And they are trying to copy the best practices that we can offer as well. [So] I am confident,” she further told the Philippine Information Agency.

The official also highlighted that the city’s celebration of Women’s Month introduced the "Laban Girl Power Para sa Kusina ni Juana" cooking contest, which featured the culinary creativity of women using banana blossom in dishes such as "sisig," "adobo," "lumpia," and pasta.

“This is also in line with the nutritional concerns [of our residents]. We would also like to promote the nutritional value of what we eat, lalo’t higit sa ating kabataan, sa ating pamilya [especially for our youth, our family],” Janiola emphasized.

As the nation celebrates National Women's Month, it is also crucial to reinforce awareness of the important laws on gender to prevent anyone from attempting or doing any form of gender-based harassment, regardless of gender, Janiola pointed out.

According to her, this includes the seemingly harmless act of catcalling or whistling, which can be penalized up to P500,000 and an imprisonment under Republic Act 11313, or the Bawal Bastos Law or Safe Spaces Act of 2019.

Janiola amplified the government's call to the public against all forms of gender-based harassment, emphasizing catcalling, behaviors such as stalking or following without consent, leering or approaching in a manner that causes fear, as well as gender-based online harassment such as spreading explicit images of others, gender-based bullying, and online misconduct on social media platforms like Facebook, are strictly prohibited under such a law.

"Depending on the gravity of the case, especially if accompanied by threats, imprisonment is definitely warranted, along with fines," said Janiola, warning the public not to challenge the law or its corresponding city ordinance. (HJPF - PIA SarGen)