Revised Implementing Rules on the Gender and Development (GAD) Guidelines for DOTr-Central Office

August 6, 2018

DOTr DEPARTMENT ORDER NO. 2018-18

 

I. OBJECTIVES

It is the policy of the Department to achieve, promote and sustain gender equality, women empowerment and improvement on the quality of lives of both women and men through the integration of gender concerns into development programs and projects in the transportation sector. In pursuit of this purpose, this Order is hereby issued with the following objectives:

1. To provide guidelines and procedures for the establishment, strengthening, and institutionalization of the GAD Focal Point System (GFPS) of this Department;

2. To define the roles and responsibilities, composition and structure of the GFPS to enable it to function as a mechanism for catalyzing and accelerating gender mainstreaming in the agency towards the promotion of Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment;

3. To institutionalize and mainstream GAD in the National Transportation Plan and in the Annual and Medium-Term programs, activities and projects;

4. To implement a Development Study/Social Impact Analysis, and GAD Checklist for Infrastructure Projects as provided further in Section IV of this Order;

5. To ensure that the GAD programs, activities and projects of the DOTr Central Office, Regional Offices, Attached Agencies and Corporations are in accordance with the Harmonized Gender and Development Guidelines for Project Development, Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation (Harmonized GAD Guidelines for PDIME); cSaATC

II. DEFINITION OF TERMS

"Client-Focused GAD Activities" — refers to activities that seek to address the gender issues of this Department's partner private stakeholders and the riding public;

"Development" — means the sustained capacity to achieve a better life for all, equally for women and men;

"Gender" — refers to (1) the socially-determined differences between women and men such as roles, attitudes, behaviors and values; and (2) the roles, attitudes, and values assigned by culture and society to women and men;

"Gender and Development (GAD)" — refers to the development perspective and process that is participatory and empowering, equitable, sustainable, free from violence, respectful of human rights, supportive of self-determination and actualization of human potentials. It seeks to achieve gender equality as a fundamental value that should be reflected in development choices and contends that women are active agents of development, not just passive recipients of development;

"Gender Analysis" — refers to a framework to compare the relative advantages and disadvantages faced by women and men in various spheres of life, including the family, workplace, school, community and political system. It also takes into account how class, age, race, ethnicity, culture, society and other factors interact with gender to produce discriminatory results;

"Gender Audit" — refers to a form of "social audit" or "quality audit" which determines whether the organization's internal practices and related support systems for gender mainstreaming are effective, reinforcing each other and are being followed. This tool or process assists organizations in establishing a baseline, identifying critical gaps and challenges, and recommending ways of addressing them;

"Gender Equality" — refers to the principles asserting the equality of women and men and their right to enjoy equal conditions realizing their full human potentials to contribute to and benefit from the results of development, and with the State recognizing that all human beings are free and equal in dignity and rights;

"Gender Equity" — refers to the fairness and justice in the distribution of benefits and responsibilities between women and men;

"GAD Focal Point System" — is an interacting and interdependent group of people in all government instrumentalities tasked to catalyze and accelerate gender mainstreaming. It is a mechanism established to ensure and advocate for, guide, coordinate, and monitor the development, implementation, review and updating of their GAD plans and GAD-related programs, activities and projects (PAPs);

"GAD Budget" — means the cost of implementing the annual GAD Plan, which may include agency PAPs designed to address gender issues and promote women's empowerment and gender equality;

"GAD Plan" — a systematically designed set of programs, activities and projects with corresponding budget carried out by agencies over a given period of time to address gender issues and concerns in their respective sectors and constituents; cHDAIS

"Gender Mainstreaming" — refers to the strategy for making women's as well as men's concerns and experiences an integral dimension of the design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of policies, programs and projects in all social, political, civil, and economic spheres so that women and men benefit equally. It is the process of assessing the implications for women and men of any planned action, including legislation, policies or programs in all areas and at all levels;

"Gender Responsive" — means the consistent and systematic attention to the differences between women and men in society with a view to addressing structural constraints to gender equality;

"Organization-Focused GAD Activities" — are activities that seek to (1) create the organizational environment for implementing gender-responsive policies, programs, and projects; and (2) address the gender issues of employees particularly those which affect women's performance as government workers like sexual harassment, low participation of women in human resource development undertakings and decision-making structures and processes, and lack of support to ease women's multiple burden such as day care in the work place;

"Performance-Based Budgeting" — is an approach to budgeting which involves a review of the agencies' existing budgetary programs and projects to ensure that these support their core mandated functions and produce the targeted outcomes and outputs;

"Rights-Based Approach" — refers to the recognition of every human being both as a person and as a right-holder. It strives to secure the freedom, well-being and dignity of all people, everywhere, within the framework of essential human rights standards, principles, duties and obligations;

"Sex-Disaggregated Data" — means (1) any data that is cross-classified by sex, presenting information separately for women and men, girls and boys, 1 and (2) statistical information that differentiates between women and men identifying the gaps in their positions or conditions; and

"Women Empowerment" — is a goal of and an essential process for women's advancement. It is the process and condition by which women mobilize to understand, identify and overcome gender discrimination so as to achieve equality in welfare and equal access to resources. In this context, women become agents of development and not just beneficiaries enabling them to make decisions based on their own views and perspectives. ISHCcT

III. CREATION OF THE GAD FOCAL POINT SYSTEM

To carry out the abovementioned policy, a body known as the GAD Focal Point System, hereinafter referred to as the GFPS, is hereby created and established.

The GFPS shall have the following functions:

1. Lead in mainstreaming gender perspective through policies, plans and programs; ensure the assessment of the gender-responsiveness of systems, structures, policies, programs, processes, and procedures of the Department based on the priority needs and concerns of constituencies and employees and the formulation of recommendations including their implementation;

2. Lead in setting up appropriate systems and mechanisms to ensure the generation, processing, review and updating of sex-disaggregated data or GAD database to serve as basis in performance-based gender responsive planning;

3. Coordinate efforts of different divisions, offices, units of the agency and advocate for the integration of GAD perspectives in all their systems and processes;

4. Spearhead the preparation of the Department's annual performance-based GAD Plans, Programs and Budget in response to gender issues of their constituencies and clients and in the context of their agency mandate, and consolidate the same following the format and procedure prescribed by the PCW, DBM and NEDA in the Joint Circular 2012-1. The DOTr-GFPS shall likewise be responsible for submitting the consolidated GAD Plans and Budgets of the department/agency, and as needed, in responding to PCW's comments or requests for additional information;

5. Hold GAD Annual Assessment and Planning Session; meet every quarter to discuss developments on GAD implementation;

6. Lead in monitoring the effective implementation of GAD-related policies and the annual GAD Plans, Programs and Budget;

7. Lead the preparation and consolidation of the DOTr Annual GAD Accomplishment Report and other GAD Reports that may be required under the MCW;

8. Strengthen the external link with other agencies or organizations working on women's rights and gender and development to harmonize and synchronize GAD efforts at various levels of governance;

9. Promote and actively pursue the participation of women and gender advocates, other civil society groups and private organizations in the various stages of the development planning cycle, giving special attention to the marginalized sectors; and CAacTH

10. Ensure that all personnel of the Department including the finance officers (e.g., accountant, budget officer, auditors) are capacitated on GAD. The DOTr-GFPS shall recommend and plan an appropriate capacity development program on gender and development for its employees as part of and implemented under its regular human resource development program.

IV. STRUCTURE AND COMPOSITION OF THE DOTr-GFPS

a) The DOTr-GFPS shall be composed of the Secretary, the Executive Committee (EXECOM), and the Sectoral Technical Working Groups (TWGs).

b) The EXECOM shall be composed of the following members:

a) Secretary (Chairperson);

b) At least third ranking official from Planning and Project Development;

c) At least third ranking official from Legal and Procurement;

d) At least third ranking official from Maritime;

e) At least third ranking official from Aviation and Airports;

f) At least third ranking official from Railways;

g) At least third ranking official from Road and Transport Infrastructure; &

h) At least third ranking official from Administration and Finance.

b.1) The Secretary shall issue a Special Order identifying the members and their designated alternates. Further, the Secretary may designate a member occupying the position of Undersecretary as Chairperson of the EXECOM.

b.2) The composition of the EXECOM may be modified through the issuance of a Special Order based on the organizational structure of the Department or when deemed necessary by the Secretary, provided that officials in charge of planning, implementation and finance matters are duly represented therein.

b.3) The EXECOM shall establish a Secretariat which shall serve as administrative support unit responsible in liaising all matters with the TWGs.

c) The Undersecretary/Assistant Secretary for each sector (aviation, Maritime, Railways, and Road) shall choose members of their respective TWGs, for consideration of the DOTr-GFPS.

c.1) The membership of each sectoral TWG may be composed of representatives from various offices from both operations and support units within the Department, provided that each must at least have members from planning, implementation and finance divisions; IAETDc

 Each representatives shall ensure that his participation to the TWG will not compromise or hamper his performance of his primary duties and responsibilities.

c.2) The sectoral representatives in the EXECOM shall be responsible for the creation and membership of their respective TWGs. The same official may serve as head or designate one within the composition of the TWG.

c.3) It shall be the duty of every sectoral TWG to coordinate with the Focal Point Systems of their respective attached agencies and corporations on all matters relating to GAD.

 

Figure 1: Organizational Structure of the DOTr-Focal Point System

V. ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

a) DOTr-GFPS Chairperson or Head of Agency

1. Issue policies or other directives that support GAD mainstreaming in the policies, plans, programs, projects and activities, budget, systems and procedures of the agency including the creation, strengthening, modification and reconstitution of the DOTr-GFPS; and

2. Approve the GAD Plan, Program, and Budget of the Department as duly endorsed by the Executive Committee, with the assistance of the Technical Working Groups, and ensure its implementation.

b) Executive Committee

1. Provide direction and give policy advice to the Secretary or its designated Chairperson to support and strengthen the DOTr-GFPS and the Department's GAD mainstreaming activities;

2. Direct the identification of GAD strategies, programs, activities and projects based on the results of the gender audit, gender analysis and according to the identified priorities of the agency in response to the gender issues faced by its clients and employees;

3. Ensure the timely submission of the agency GAD Plan and Budget, Accomplishment Report (AR) and other GAD-related reports to the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) and to Department of Budget and Management (DBM); DcHSEa

4. Ensure the effective and efficient implementation of the agency GAD programs, activities and projects and the judicious utilization of the GAD Budget;

5. Ensure that the GAD Checklist for Infrastructure Projects shall be considered in the project identification, project design, project implementation and management, and project monitoring and evaluation for rail, road, maritime and air transport;

6. Build and strengthen the partnership of the Department with PCW, GAD experts, advocates, women's groups and other stakeholders in pursuit of gender mainstreaming;

7. Recommend approval of agency GAD Plans and Budgets and GAD ARs prepared by the TWGs; and

8. Recommend awards or recognition to outstanding institutional GAD programs, activities and projects and/or GAD Focal Point Systems of its attached agencies or corporations.

c) Secretariat

1. Liaise and coordinate with the Sectoral TWGs on all deliverables and submissions for presentation and approval of the Executive Committee;

2. Repository of minutes of the meetings and other deliberations of the Executive Committee;

3. Assist the Sectoral TWGs in coordinating with other government agencies when necessary in aide of matters to be acted upon by the Executive Committee;

4. Attend the EXECOM meetings and records the discussions, deliberations, reviews and endorses letters, reports and other forms of correspondence to the EXECOM;

5. Prepare all necessary submissions as may be required from the Department by the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) and other government agencies, or stakeholders in relation to GAD; and

6. Perform such other duties as may be required by the EXECOM or the Chairperson.

d) Technical Working Groups

Organization Focused Activities

1. Conduct Gender Audit in all DOTr offices, attached agencies and corporations to identify gaps and gender issues;

2. Handle tasks on information and education, planning, research, monitoring, special projects and other activities as identified and decided upon by the Chairperson of the EXECOM; SCaITA

3. Jointly and continuously undertake education advocacy/national and regional information awareness campaign on gender and development;

4. Jointly and continuously train personnel and staff to produce experts on Gender and Development on the areas of information dissemination, project planning and development, project implementation, project monitoring and evaluation, programming and budgeting with the overall objective of gender mainstreaming;

5. Jointly develop sex-disaggregated database system and continuously improve or update the same in every project monitoring office, attached agency and corporation for inclusion in the central database system of the DOTr;

6. Jointly conduct Gender Analysis based on the results of the sex-disaggregated database;

7. Continuously participate in activities of other national government agencies, local government units, schools/colleges, universities or institutions, non-governmental organizations, foreign funded institutions based in the Philippines, international activities or commitments (UN, APEC, ASEAN and other related international organizations) relative to the Philippine participation or commitment on GAD chargeable against GAD funds in accordance with the usual accounting and auditing rules and regulations;

8. Submit Annual GAD Plans (Annex A) and Annual GAD Accomplishment Report (Annex B), duly recommended by the EXECOM and approved by the DOTr-GFPS Chairperson to the PCW pursuant to DBM/NEDA/NCRFW Joint Circular No. 2004-1.

 For purposes of monitoring, the DOTr-GFPS shall be furnished by the attached agencies and corporation of their submissions of the same;

9. Jointly monitor and evaluate implementation of the Department's Annual GAD Plans, Activities and Projects vis-à-vis the guidelines on GAD;

Client Focused Activities

10. Incorporate specific analysis/evaluation and recommendations on gender-related issues in the locally and foreign-funded transport development studies for inclusion in service level standards in service-oriented industries;

11. Ensure that the GAD checklists as provided in the Harmonized Gender and Development Guidelines Manual are complied with in every stage of project development as reflected in the GAD Score Board of each project of the Department; aTHCSE

12. Continuously conduct information dissemination and gender awareness campaign among the commuters/riding public, operators and/or owners of road public utility vehicles, ships, trains, railways, and aircraft;

13. Ensure that gender responsive policies and guidelines are implemented by operators and owners of ships, trains, railways, aircraft, and road public utility vehicles; in the passenger bus stations, terminals as well as in the provision of facilities and services that are convenient, safe, secured and clean for the use of men, women, children, elderly, and persons with disabilities;

14. Institutionalize a common format of sex-disaggregated database system in Passengers' Profiling/Recording for operators and/or owners of road public utility vehicles, trains/railways, aircraft, passenger stations and terminals and monitor the regular updating and submission of the same to the DOTr Central Data Base System; and

15. Conduct stakeholders' consultation on gender issues in transportation/infrastructure, identify programs, activities, and projects that would address these issues, which shall be reported to the DOTr-GFPS Chairperson through the EXECOM.

VI. MONITORING/FEEDBACK/IMPLEMENTING MECHANISMS

To regularly monitor the application of the Harmonized GAD Guidelines, the following mechanisms shall be implemented:

1. All GFPS of every Attached Agencies and Corporations of this Department shall report and coordinate to the sectoral DOTr TWGs concerned in preparation and implementation of their respective plans and programs.

2. The DOTr-GFPS through the Executive Committee shall officially submit to the Secretary an annual report of all proposed and approved GAD programs, activities, and projects as well as the corresponding results in terms of GAD Scores by specific stage of project development; and

3. The DOTr-GFPS shall see to it that the five percent (5%) annual allocation from the GAA under the NEDA/DBM/NCRFW Joint Circular No. 2004-1 be utilized exclusively for GAD related plans, programs/activities/projects.

VII. REPORTING AND TURNOVER OF PLANS AND PROGRAMS

For purposes of continuity on all present GAD plans and programs of the Department, all existing sectoral TWG members shall report to the respective Undersecretaries concerned on the status and developments thereof upon implementation of Item IV (C) of this Order. cAaDHT

VIII. REPEALING CLAUSE

All orders, memoranda, circulars and issuances inconsistent herewith are deemed repealed and modified accordingly.

IX. EFFECTIVITY

This Order shall take effect immediately.

For strict compliance.

(SGD.) ARTHUR P. TUGADESecretary

REFERENCES:

• Harmonized Gender and Development Guidelines for Project Development, Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation jointly issued by National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), and Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) formerly NCRFW (December 2010) Second Edition, Third Printing;

• Republic Act No. 9710 (14 August 2009) — An Act Providing for the Magna Carta of Women;

• Executive Order No. 273 (08 September 1995) — Approving and Adopting the Philippine Plan for Gender Responsive Development, 1995-2025;

• Republic Act No. 7192 (12 February 1992) — An Act Promoting the Integration of Women as Full and Equal Partners of Men in Development and Nation Building and for other Purposes;

• PCW Memorandum Circular No. 2011-01 — Guidelines for the creation, strengthening, and institutionalization of the Gender and Development (GAD) Focal Point System;

 

Footnotes

1. Framework for the Integration of Women in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC).