THE Department of Agriculture (DA) has been compliant with the Republic Act (RA) No. 9710 or the Magna Carta of Women through the appropriation of five percent of its total budget to Gender and Development (GAD) initiatives.

This was disclosed by DA Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban during the opening ceremony of the National Women’s Month Celebration (NWMC) the other day, wherein he committed that they will provide more opportunities for women, especially in the agriculture sector.

Domingo disclosed that the DA exceeded last year its mandated percentage as it allocated 17% or P11 billion for GAD out of the P59.8 billion budget.

“For this year, we increased our GAD budget by P6.2 (billion) – comprising P17.2 billion out of our total allocation of P87.07 (billion),” Domingo revealed.

With a higher GAD budget, Domingo disclosed that the DA will intensify its distribution of farm inputs and machinery, the conduct of training and other knowledge-sharing initiatives, and the provision of market opportunities and access to credit programs for women in agriculture to encourage them as major contributors to the country’s food security.

As of March 6, the DA-RSBSA has recorded at least 2,663,663 women farmers, fisherfolk, and agricultural laborers throughout the country.

They comprise 42.9% of the 6,211,882 RSBSA-registered farmers, farmworkers, fisherfolk, and agri-youth nationwide who are entitled to the government’s agricultural interventions.

Domingo added that the DA’s GAD programs extend not only to women agricultural workers but also to the employees of the Department, as its GAD budget is also used to implement gender-responsive programs that are capable of protecting them from sexual harassment and violence against women.

The celebration of women during the month of March started in 1988 when the late former President Corazon Aquino signed Proclamation No. 224 declaring the first week of March as Women’s Week and the eighth day of March as Women’s Rights and International Peace Day and Proclamation No.227 for the observance of the Women’s Role in History Month every March.

The celebration revolves around the theme, “WE for Gender Equality and Inclusive Society, with WE standing for women’s empowerment” to spark a renewed commitment to advocacy and to bank on the gains achieved during the 2016-2022 theme, “WE Make CHANGE Work for Women.”

This year’s theme, it is also aligned with the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028’s vision of revitalizing the Philippine economy through inclusive growth and equal opportunities for every Filipino.

AUTHOR PROFILE

Cory Martinez