Bohol hosts gender, development training

TAGBILARAN CIY, Philippines  – Members of an alliance of local government units converged in this city for a 2-day training on “Gender and Development (GAD) Mainstreaming in Local Economic Development,” from last Feb. 23 to 24.

The event, hosted by the Bohol provincial government, was sponsored by the Local Governance Support Program for Local Economic Development (LGSP-LED).

According to Estrella Moya, advisor of the LGSP-LED Partnership for Panglao-Dauis-Baclayon-Bohol Marine Triangle (PADAYON-BMT), the GAD training was aimed at “breaking barriers” that limit women’s participation in local economic development.

The PADAYON-BMT is chaired by Dauis town Mayor Jaime Jimenez, while the LGSP-LED is an 8-year (2008-2016) collaborative program of the governments of the Philippines and Canada, through the DILG and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).

A statement from the sponsoring group said that the training was part of LGSP-LED’s strategy to guide selected LLGUs in designing and implementing programs that would ensure equal participation in decision-making and benefits of women in local economic development.

The participants of the training were representatives of national government agencies from the Bicol and Eastern Visayas regions, and of LGUs from Iloilo, Leyte, Camarines Norte, Naga and South Cotabato provinces, among others.  (FREEMAN)