CEDAW/C/PHL/7-8
35. Gender mainstreaming has also been introduced in the judiciary. The State Party
through the Supreme Court’s Committee on Gender Responsiveness in the Judiciary
(CGRJ), in partnership with the Philippine Judicial Academy and the Philippin e
Judges Association, conducted a series of training programs to improve women ’s
access to family courts. The program trained family court judges, clerks of court and
interpreters, public prosecutors, public attorneys and representatives from concerned
government agencies and civil society organizations involved in child and women
service, on women’s legal rights. In Congress, the House Committee on Women and
Gender Equality and the Senate Committee on Women, Family Relations and Gender
Equality lead the formulation and passage of gender related bills.
36. A home-grown gender mainstreaming tool called the Harmonized Gender and
Development Guidelines for Project Development, Implementation, Monitoring and
Evaluation (HGDG) was developed to ensure the gender responsiveness of
ODA-assisted programs and to implement the MCW and RA 7192 (Women in Nation
Building Act). The HGDG is being used to assess the integration of gender in
government programs by both government and ODA partners. The 2009 monitoring
on compliance reported that 37% of ODA funds were for gender responsive programs
and projects or addressed gender issues. In 2013, 57% of ODA funds supported
programs and projects that were gender responsive and gender sensitive.
Monitoring the PPGD
37. The Philippine Plan for Gender Responsive Development (PPGD) has
consistently been promoted as a reference for government agencies and LGUs in
formulating their policies, plans and programs, particularly for those that they
include in their annual gender and development plans and budgets (GPBs). Two
short term plans, also called “time-slices of the PPGD” — the Framework Plan for
Women (2004-2010) and the Women’s EDGE Plan (2013-2016) were formulated to
facilitate its operationalization, and to guide PCW ’s monitoring of its
implementation. The Women’s EDGE Plan is now being recommended as a reference
of government in preparing their annual GAD plans and budgets.
38. An assessment of the PPGD implementation was commissioned in 2009 with
financial assistance from UN Women. The assessment aimed to (1) determine
whether or not PPGD has served as an effective instrument in addressing the
concerns of women for equality and development across six major spheres:
individual, family, socio-cultural, economic, political and legal; (2) gauge the extent
of implementation of the Plan’s three basic goals that include: [a] establishment of
mechanisms/structures for gender-responsive policy and program formulation and
implementation, [b] special attention placed on women in special circumstances,
and [c] continuing consciousness raising, advocacy and affirmative action; and
(3) assess whether or not PPGD has contributed to the attainment of the
international commitments of the country, particularly the Beijing Platform for
Action (BPfA) and the CEDAW.
39. The findings relative to the three objectives were summarized as follows:
(1) PPGD has indirectly served as an effective instrument in addressing the concerns
of women for equality and development, in terms of attaining certain outc omes in
six (6) key result areas (KRAs); (2) Enhanced mechanisms for gender responsive
policy making and programming are in place such as interagency bodies and civil
society organizations working together for gender advocacy; capacity building
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