Gender and Development (GAD)

The Samar State University Gender and Development Office (GAD)  is a unit under the Vice-President for Planning Research and Extension, the Unit’s day- to-day operations are administered and supervised  by the Director of Gender and Development, which is established to mainstream gender  into the mandated functions of  the University to promote the principle of equality between men and women. It adheres to the principle that development is for all and ensures the equal distribution of opportunities, resources, and benefits among faculty, personnel and staff as well as students.  It aims for gender justice and works toward the realization of a University free of gender bias and discrimination, gender oppression, and gender violence such as sexual harassment.

            It also promotes gender awareness and gender sensitivity in teaching, research, extension production, and the administration of the University while it promotes, coordinates and monitors the integration of gender concepts and issues in teaching and curriculum development in the external campuses of the University.

            For a number of years the GAD Office has supported the development of the University through the organizing and conducting of seminars and workshops on gender sensitivity and helped create awareness of gender issues in the curriculum.  The seminars and workshops enabled the faculty and staff to enrich their knowledge and incorporate them in their teaching.  Moreover, the GAD Office served the constituents through activities such as human rights seminar, reproductive health rights, livelihood programs and gender sensitivity programs which are conducted in the main and external campuses.

 At present the GAD programs are fully established in the main campus and for the external campuses  of the University. 

The following are its six program components.

  1. Discussion forum  is practiced. Before a meeting starts there is  sharing of experiences regarding  people and the community.  There are presentations of programs, evaluation of activities conducted, research and other outputs.  It is the venue for discussing  gender issues and concerns regarding its clients and organization.
  2. Curriculum Development. To strengthen and widen the promotion of gender equity and equality among the students of the University an integration of gender issues and concepts within the existing curricular programs and courses particularly NSTP.
  3. The program includes the study of researches of the areas of concerns such as  gender, gender roles in development, health, enviroment, fishery and agriculture.  It facilitates the conduct of empirical studies on gender and development.
  4. Conduct studies and activities to equip individuals in the community with skills necessary for the development of their potentials.
  5. The program maintains a library resource and publish informational materials to dissiminate information and awareness.  It likewise publish series of outputs of  GAD Researches.
  6. Networking and Linkages.  The last program is the establishment of  links with other centers, scholars, and advocates in order to reach out to other members and to the community as a whole.

GAD Focal Point System

The GFPS shall perform the following functions:

  1. Lead in mainstreaming gender perspective in agency/department policies, plans and programs. In the process, they shall ensure the assessment of the gender-responsiveness of systems, structures, policies, programs, processes, and procedures of the agency based on the priority needs and concerns of constituencies and employees and the formulation of recommendations including their implementation;
      • Lead in setting up appropriate systems and mechanisms to ensure the generation, processing, review and updating of sex-disaggregated data or GAD database to serve as basis in performance-based gender responsive planning;
      • Coordinate efforts of different divisions, offices, units of the agency and advocate for the integration of GAD perspectives in all their systems and processes;
      • Spearhead the preparation of the agency annual performance-based GAD Plans, Programs and Budget in response to gender issues of their constituencies and clients and in the context of their agency mandate, and consolidate the same following the format and procedure prescribed by the PCW, DBM and NEDA in the Joint Circular 2012-1. The GFPS shall likewise be responsible for submitting the consolidated GAD Plans and Budgets of the department/agency, and as needed, in responding to PCW’s comments or requests for additional information.
      • Lead in monitoring the effective implementation of GAD-related policies and the annual GAD Plans, Programs and Budget;
      • Lead the preparation and consolidation of the annual agency GAD Accomplishment Report and other GAD Reports that maybe required under the MCW;
      • Strengthen the external link with other agencies or organizations working on women’s rights and gender and development to harmonize and synchronize GAD efforts at various levels of governance;
      • Promote and actively pursue the participation of women and gender advocates, other civil society groups and private organizations in the various stages of the development planning cycle, giving special attention to the marginalized sectors; and
      • Ensure that all personnel of the agency including the finance officers (e.g. accountant, budget officer, auditors) are capacitated on GAD. Along this line, the GFPS will recommend and plan an appropriate capacity development program on gender and development for its employees as part of and implemented under its regular human resource development program.
  1. The GFPS Head of Agency shall :
    1. Issue policies or other directives that support GAD mainstreaming in the policies, plans, programs, projects and activities, budget, systems and procedures of the agency including the creation, strengthening, modification or reconstitution of the GFPS; and
    2. Approve the GAD Plan, Program and Budget of the agency as duly endorsed by the Executive Committee, with the assistance of the Technical Working Group, and ensure its implementation.
  1. The Executive Committee shall:
    1. Provide direction and give policy advice to the Agency Head to support and strengthen the GFPS and agency’s GAD mainstreaming activities;
    2. Direct the identification of GAD strategies, programs, activities and projects based on the results of the gender audit, gender analysis and according to the identified priorities of the agency in response to the gender issues faced by its clients and employees;

Ensure the timely submission of the agency GAD Plan and Budget, Accomplishment Report and other GAD-related reports to the PCW and to DBM;

  1. Ensure the effective and efficient implementation of the agency GAD programs, activities and projects and the judicious utilization of the GAD Budget;
  2. Build and strengthen the partnership of the agency with PCW, GAD experts, advocates, women’s groups and other stakeholders in pursuit of gender mainstreaming;
  3. Recommend approval of agency GAD Plans and Budgets and GAD ARs; and
  4. Recommend awards or recognition to outstanding institutional GAD programs, activities and projects and /or GAD FP members.
For more information, please contact:

DR. MARILYN G. LANZARROTE
Director, GAD
Research Innovation Center, Samar State University 
Catbalogan City, Samar, Philippines

Telephone No. 
E-mail Address:  

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