QUEZON CITY – In its continuing effort to advance gender responsiveness in its programs and operations, the Institute for Labor Studies (ILS) conducted a capacity building on Gender and Development (GAD) Planning and Budgeting, GAD Accomplishment Report, and GAD Funds Audit on 20 October 2025 at the ILS Office in Quezon City.

The activity aimed to strengthen the capability of ILS employees and members of the Institute’s Gender and Development Focal Point System (ILS-GFPS) in identifying and prioritizing gender-responsive programs, activities, and projects that strengthen gender mainstreaming across the Institute’s operations.

Atty. Judie Rose Tugado-Dimayuga, a member of the Philippine Commission on Women’s (PCW) National Gender and Development Resource Pool (NGRP), served as the resource speaker. She discussed GAD concepts and legal mandates, common issues in the preparation and submission of the GAD Plan and Budget (GPB) and GAD Accomplishment Report (GAR); as well as the process of GAD fund auditing. Her session also guided the ILS GFPS in finalizing the ILS GPB for FY 2026.

The output of the training will serve as a key input to the ILS GAD Plan and Budget for FY 2026, which is set to be submitted to the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) this October.

Earlier this year, in April 2025, the ILS formally established its own Gender and Development Focal Point System (ILS-GFPS), in line with PCW Memorandum Circular 2011-01, which provides the “Guidelines for the Creation, Strengthening, and Institutionalization of the Gender and Development (GAD) Focal Point System.” 

The ILS-GFPS serves as the Institute’s primary mechanism for accelerating gender mainstreaming and promoting women’s human rights within its systems, structures, policies, programs, and processes. It is composed of an Executive Committee headed by Executive Director III Jeanette T. Damo, and three Technical Working Groups (TWGs): Policy, Advocacy, and Communications; Programs, Partnerships, and External Linkages; and Capacity Building, Administration, and Finance.

Through continuous gender capacity-building initiatives, the ILS continues to strengthen its gender mainstreaming mechanisms and eventually earn its first-ever GADTIMPALA Award from the PCW in the coming years.

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