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Christina “Enggay” Chua
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COTABATO CITY --- The
Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) here has passed Ordinance No. 4395, which enacted
the Gender and Development Code.
Councilor Christina Chua, who chairs the SP committee
on women, said the ordinance shall be known as the “Gender and Development
(GAD) Code of Cotabato City.”
“The enactment of the GAD Code is in consonance
with the existing national laws and policies and international commitments that
encourage local government units in addressing the issues related to gender and
development,” said Chua.
Chua said local laws and policiesin Cotabato City
include: Ordinance No. 3698, series of 2009, “An Ordinance Providing for the
Women’s Development Code of Cotabato City and for Other purposes;”Resolution
No. 5417, series of 2013, “A Resolution Expressing Support to the Creation of
Women and Children’s Desk in the City of Cotabato;” Cotabato City Children’s
Code;” and the“Cotabato City Manual of Operations.”
“The Local Government of Cotabato City upholds the
rights of all persons and respect their dignity as human beings. Men and women
shall be recognized as full and equal partners in development.All efforts that
the city will undertake towards international, national, and local social and
economic development based on equitable growth and ecological conservation
shall involve the full potential of women and improve the quality of their
lives,” she said.
Further, Chua said the city government shall
promote women’s empowerment, gender equality, women’s rights, and
gender-responsive development as indispensable social interventions in the task
of building a progressive yet peaceful and harmonious community.
“Specifically, it adheres to the following
principles: that human rights are shared equally by men and women, regardless
of gender preferences(s); that women are full and equal partners of men in all
spheres of life; that human rights must be promoted, protected, and fulfilled;
that women’s empowerment towards gender equality must be pursued in all aspects
of local governance to ensure that women and men equally contribute to and
benefit from development; and that local development must be rights-based and
gender-responsive to ensure that human dignity, social justice, and equality are
upheld,” she said.
Chua further said the Code shall provide the city a
genuine policy direction to formulate program and strategies that will eliminate
gender biases in all policies, systems, and procedures and maintain gender
fairness and adherence to the principles of empowerment and equality by
instituting measures aimed at eradicating all forms of abuses against women and
their children.
It was learned that the code shall integrate gender
concerns in sectoral development plan, policies, and programs to fully address
discriminations and inequalities as well strengthen GO-PO-NGO partnership to
maximize the effectiveness of awareness campaign, programs and services
addressing GAD concerns;encourage, support, and expand the participation of
women in the planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of
development programs and projects; and mainstream gender concerns at any
academic level.
Chua said the code shall also provide
gender-responsive relief and rehabilitation programs with special focus on
women and children’s need; involve both men and women in family-planning
programs, maternal and child care, nutrition and other health and sanitation
concerns; set up crisis intervention centers and shelters in the city for
survivors of violence against women and children and other social conflicts; promote
gender sensitivity in local media and advertising agencies; and encourage the
participation of women in decision and policy-making positions.
“Aside from that, it would also enable indigenous
women to participate in development programs and gain access to non-traditional
sources of livelihood, credit financing, productive skills, and labor saving
technologies,” said Chua. (GILMHAR A.
LAO– MINDANAO EXPOSE’)
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