CAPOOCAN, LEYTE GARNERS INTERNATIONAL AWARD
FOR GENDER PROGRAM

The municipality of Capoocan, Leyte garnered a "High Achievement Award" in the First Contest of Gender Responsive Local Governments in Asia-Pacific. The contest was sponsored by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) based in Japan. As communicated in the letter from UN-HABITAT dated March 2, 2004, Capoocan got the international award for its impressive activities made toward women-friendly societies.

"This is a great honor and a most welcome reward to the efforts we have been making toward putting the issues and concerns of our women in Capoocan at the forefront of development," Mayor Marietta Porcincula stated.

On November 15, 2001, Mayor Porcincula issued Executive Order No. 2001-01 declaring "Pro-GAD Capoocan as a Gender and Development (GAD) Program of the Municipality of Capoocan, Leyte". Pro-GAD is a comprehensive measure that includes community organizing, education and training, socio-economic development, health, nutrition and family planning, advocacy and networking, campaign on Violence Against Women (VAW), and institutional mechanisms. The program is designed to address the issue of poverty, political marginalization of women, VAW and limited access to basic social services particularly on reproductive health. Pro-GAD is being implemented with the Center for Partnership Initiatives Development (CPID), a non-government organization.

The winning feature of Pro-GAD in Capoocan is its bottom-up approach. Gender issues are generated using a gender participatory process by which the community folks themselves identify, analyze and validate their findings. Pro-GAD is funded through the five percent share of the budgets of the municipality and barangays. For 2004, overall GAD Budget is P2,089,768.10.

After two years of implementation, tangible impacts can already be seen. The municipality could see a change in the attitude of men toward gender division of labor at home. Males who attended gender-sensitivity seminars "shared more household chores such as cooking and washing clothes and gave more time to child care, without having to feel like the stereotype "Andres".

With Pro-GAD, more women gained confidence in articulating women's issues and concerns as they were given the opportunities and avenues to participate in decision-making through various women's organizations, Municipal and Barangay Development Councils and other local special bodies. They were also provided capability building trainings to make their participation more meaningful.

Since the enactment of Pro-GAD, the municipality has passed seven (7) gender-related resolutions to protect women and enhance their participation in the development process. Livelihood projects have also been implemented to provide income for women and develop their skills in managing projects. Activities that improve women's health and hygiene were undertaken as well.

The intensive campaign against Violence Against Women (VAW) has protected the women from getting hurt and prevented most men from harming them. Capoocan has a have "women's danger zone maps" that indicate dangerous spots for women and girls from molesters and snatching while the municipality consciously makes efforts to improve safety. Awards are given to individuals or women's groups who have contributed to mainstreaming gender (e.g. Anti-VAW Billboard Contest and Best Practices of Barangay LGU). To enhance citizen's conciousness-raising, the municipality made it a point to celebrate special dates for women such as The Purple Rose Campaign (Feb 14, anti-sex trafficking) and the 16 Days of Activism Against VAW every December.

Reproductive health services had women as primary beneficiaries and then, their husbands. Girls were given orientation on adolescence and sexuality as well as skills trainings. The provision of one (1) Daycare Center in every baraagay unburdened the women in taking care of their children, even just for a few hours each day.

The learning gained by Capoocan through its Pro-GAD Program is something worth considering by other local governments in the region.