While other local governments struggle to convene their local Gender and Development (GAD) mechanisms, the City of Tagum has devised an effective way for its GAD Focal Point System (GFPS) to regularly assemble.
Once every month, Tagum City Mayor Allan Rellon calls for a Joint Council Meeting. It is an addition to the agenda of the regular Executive Committee Meeting of the city. Department heads and civil society representatives sit down together to discuss matters requiring urgent attention, as well as provide a platform where various technical working groups (TWGs) and councils share updates on the status of their programs and projects. One of the TWGs actively participating in the meeting is the GFPS TWG. Through the Joint Council Meeting, members of Tagum City's GAD mechanism are able to gather inputs from all relevant departments, particularly on their GAD-attributed programs, projects, and activities (PPAs).
In 2013, Tagum City created its GAD Office subsumed under the City Mayor's Office. While relatively a small unit, its personnel are all in plantilla position. Considered a best practice, they have shown how having permanent personnel doing specific functions allows for a smooth and continuous implementation of GAD PPAs. Apart from this, the success of the implementation of GAD PPAs can also be attributed to the GAD Office working closely with the City Planning and Development Office for incorporation of the GAD plan into local development plans and the City Budget Office to check that all proposed PPAs follows the GAD plan and budget guidelines.
For its services to the people, the GAD fund is significantly utilized in the health sector. The City Health Office, through the Hugpong Serbisyo program, conducts IEC campaign on gender and reproductive health and Pap smear test for women in all barangays. Apart from these, Tagum City's GAD fund also supports infrastructure meant for safety and accessibility, as well as electrification projects in its far-flung barangays. The city recognizes that access to public infrastructure and utilities is an important gender issue.
Through the mindful management and utilization of the city's GAD fund, Tagum City can be a model to other local governments looking to put up their own permanent GAD offices, come up with strategies to convene various councils and bodies, and think of innovative ways to put their GAD fund to use.