𝑱𝑯𝑪𝑺𝑪-𝑮𝑨𝑫 𝑶𝒇𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝑯𝒐𝒍𝒅𝒔 𝟑-𝑫𝒂𝒚 𝑪𝒂𝒑𝒂𝒃𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝑫𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒑𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝑻𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒏 𝑮𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝑴𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑨𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒂 𝑭𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒖𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏

The J.H. Cerilles State College–Gender and Development (JHCSC-GAD) Office, led by Dr. Trinidad C. Abapo, held a 3-Day Training Workshop on Capability Development (CapDev) on Gender Mainstreaming and GAD Agenda Formulation from May 8 to 10, 2025, at the New Roxan Hotel, Pagadian City. The event was participated in by the key personnel involved in implementing and overseeing GAD initiatives, including members of the GAD Focal Point System (GFPS), the Committee on Decorum and Investigation (CODI) team, Office Heads, Deans, and Program Chairs from across the JHCSC System.

Prof. Rosalyn Romo Echem, National GAD Resource Pool of the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW), was the resource speaker throughout the three-day training. Her expertise guided the participants in deepening their understanding of gender mainstreaming, GAD agenda formulation, and institutional responsiveness to gender issues.

President Dr. Edgardo H. Rosales stated in his inspirational message at the start of the training on May 8 that the event served as an official occasion to revisit and upgrade the college’s GAD Plans for 2025–2030. Furthermore, he expressed confidence that Prof. Echem’s expertise would help the college align its GAD plans with the institutional strategic plan.

On the 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝒅𝒂𝒚, Prof. Echem conducted a comprehensive review of GAD concepts through a question-and-answer session aimed at assessing participants’ understanding of the difference between gender equality and gender equity, examples of gender bias and gender-sensitive agencies, the definition of a gender-responsive agency, and distinctions between gender roles and sex roles as male and female.

To deepen the participants’ understanding, they engaged in a group workshop titled “The Gender Tree,” emphasizing that traditions, beliefs, and norms are the root causes of individual activities, roles, responsibilities, and social institutions.

A review of Gender Analysis—its levels and tools—was also tackled. Prof. Echem stressed that this analysis is essential for understanding social processes, responding with informed and equitable actions, identifying gender issues, and designing strategies relevant to proposed or existing Programs, Activities, and Projects (PAPs) of the college.

As part of the learning stimulation, another group workshop was conducted, where each group presented their interventions on addressing gender bias based on the scenarios assigned to them.

The GFPS Functionality Assessment Tool (GFAsT) was introduced, followed by a practical session on how to use it to assess the effectiveness and functionality of the GAD Focal Point System within JHCSC.

On the 𝒔𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒅 𝒅𝒂𝒚, the discussions on Gender and Development were further expounded. Participants applied their learnings through a workshop using the Gender Mainstreaming Evaluation Framework (GMEF) Organizational Assessment Questionnaire, which helped JHCSC assess its gender mainstreaming efforts in the areas of Enabling Mechanisms, Policy, People, and PAPs.

Prof. Echem also facilitated workshops on the Harmonized GAD Guidelines(HGDG) and Project Implementation, Management, Monitoring, and Evaluation (PIMME) . She explained that the HGDG must be attached during the proposal stage of PAPs, while the PIMME serves as a rating tool for already implemented PAPs.

The session also tackled the formulation of the GAD Agenda and GAD Framework, highlighting that:
Strategic Framework (Structure) + Strategic Plan (Details) = GAD Agenda.
As a result, participants collaboratively crafted a tentative GAD vision and mission.

On the 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒅𝒂𝒚, participants engaged in drafting the GAD Strategic Plan, presenting outputs that bridged planning and implementation based on the defined GAD Goals. President Rosales emphasized that the GAD Strategic Plan should be integrated into the college’s Strategic Performance Management System (SPMS) to ensure that gender-responsiveness is reflected in individual and institutional accountability.

To conclude the session, Prof. Echem shared a quote from Margaret Thatcher: “Plan your work today and every day, then work your plan.”
An open forum followed, addressing gender-related concerns and questions raised by the participants.

Prof. Echem expressed gratitude to all participants for their active involvement and shared her hopes for follow-up training sessions to support the implementation of the GAD Strategic Plan in line with the institution’s SPMS, further strengthening gender-related efforts within JHCSC.