BAGUIO CITY – With the aim of integrating gender perspectives into its programs and projects, the Department of Agriculture’s Regional Agricultural Engineering Division (DA-RAED) actively participated in a Gender Sensitivity Training (GST) and Harmonized Gender and Development Guidelines (HGDG) Workshop on April 11-12, 2024 in Baguio City.
Throughout the GST sessions, participants delved into various aspects of gender sensitivity, including understanding gender roles and stereotypes, recognizing gender biases, and addressing gender-based discrimination. Moreover, the workshop provided a platform for exchanging discussions on the participants’ different perspectives on gender.
On the second day, Dr. Ferdinand Gonzales, Philippine Council for Women (PCW) – National GAD Resource Pool, facilitated the HGDG workshop. Participants analyzed a project proposal centered around an irrigation system, exploring its various aspects with a gender perspective. The outputs were presented followed by constructive critiquing for improvement.
The insights gained from the workshop would set the agency’s future policies and practices, ensuring that its programs effectively address the diverse needs and priorities of both men and women in agriculture.
In his closing message, Engr. Filemon A. Salvador, RAED chief, emphasized the need for a comprehensive change in their system of validation, planning, and budgeting processes within the division. He stressed the importance of integrating a gender lens into their activities and reports, as it may be pointed out during audits conducted by both ISO and COA auditors.
“We have been conducting a lot of activities from pre-construction meetings, validations, monitoring, and turn over activities. However, we have not been disaggregating data about men and women, even children and PWDs. These should be one of our improvements to capture what we learned on this training,” he added.
Furthermore, he highlighted the significance of promoting gender-responsive practices to local farmers during proposal preparation. As such, project proposals submitted in the office would already be gender sensitive.
Atty. Jennilyn Dawayan, DA Regional Executive Director, commended RAED for recognizing the importance of gender responsiveness in infrastructure projects. She lauded the initiative and hailed it as a pivotal step towards integrating a gender perspective within the division.
She highlighted the significance of going through the HGDG process by citing her personal experience of mastering the tool only on her third time. She cited such a process as crucial in achieving proficiency that would pave the way for progressive and inclusive gender development in the agriculture sector. By Chamanei Elias