The City Government of Isabela, under the leadership of Mayor Sitti Djalia Turabin-Hataman, successfully concluded its two-day Gender and Development (GAD) Concepts and Mandates Orientation held from November 6–7 — reaffirming the city’s continuing commitment to strengthen gender-responsive and inclusive governance. This training was specially designed for members of the Isabela City Development Council (CDC), the body that formulates development plans and coordinates programs among barangays and sectors.
The activity opened with registration and preliminaries, followed by Welcome Remarks and Overview delivered by Engr. Gay Palagtiosa, EnP, and a message of support from DILG-ICFOU CLGOO Arnel Alvarez.
The morning session featured Session 1: GAD Concepts and Session 2: GAD Mandates, both facilitated by Gregory Louis Magbanua, Gender and Development Specialist II of the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW), and capped with an engaging open forum.
Afternoon sessions covered Session 3: Overview of the GAD Focal Point System (GFPS) and Session 4: Gender Analysis, followed by Session 5: GERL ka na ba? Tool and GAD Agenda, led by Engr. Merewyn Sadjail.
On its second day, the training continued with Session 6: Introduction to the GAD Database (Beyond Sex-disaggregated Data) by Engr. Sadjail, followed by Session 7: GAD Plan and Budget discussed by Magbanua.
Mayor Turabin-Hataman, who also serves as Chairperson of the GAD Focal Point System (GFPS), shared her journey as a community worker and founder of PINay Kilos (PINK). She underscored that GAD funds are accessible to both CSOs and barangays, encouraging collective participation in advancing gender-responsive programs at the grassroots. The participants joined a workshop and open forum to consolidate learnings and raise clarifications.
The event concluded with a closing program with a message of support from Councilor Ameen Camlian, who, despite his busy schedule, attended and delivered his message of support reaffirming the City Council’s commitment to gender equity and justice. This was followed by testimony sharing and committment by Myra Abbas, a kagawad of Barangay Marang Marang and the President of Marang Marang Women Assocuation as well as Pastor Ronald Paulino, president of Isabela City People’s Council. This was followed by the distribution of certificates, and photo documentation.
Also in attendance were members of the Local Council of Women (LCW), alongside several barangay captains who actively participated in the discussions—showcasing strong multi-sectoral collaboration toward gender mainstreaming.
The two-day orientation, supported by the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW), served to strengthen local capacity in integrating gender perspectives in planning, programming, and implementation—further supporting Isabela City’s vision of a governance model where development is equitable, inclusive, and people-centered. (Words by R. Albani, IsaTV/Photos by M. Santos, CIO)
