BEYOND BUDGET
Assalamu alaikum wa Raḥmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
As promised in this column last Nov. 6, allow me to cover, in detail, the groundbreaking and insightful discussions and partnerships forged during the International Conference on Women, Peace, and Security (ICWPS) hosted by our country from Oct. 28 to 30. As the first Muslim Filipina Budget Secretary and the designated spokesperson of the ICWPS, I joined delegates seeking to empower women for inclusive and sustainable peace, especially in conflict-affected areas.
WPS center for excellence
A key outcome of the ICWPS was the ceremonial signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity (OPAPRU) and the US Department of State-Office of Global Women’s Issues, which paves the way for establishing the Philippine WPS Center for Excellence.
I believe that more than just a symbolic gesture, the Center will be a tangible resource for research, advocacy, and capacity building toward empowering women, ensuring their full participation in peace processes, and providing them with the necessary tools to advocate for gender-responsive peacebuilding.
As OPAPRU Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. emphasized, we aim “to transform our country into a regional hub” in promoting the WPS agenda, noting it will be the fourth in the world after Colombia, Abu Dhabi, and Kosovo. I am positive that through this center, we can drive systemic change and create more inclusive policies for women, especially in conflict-affected regions.
Human security
At the Government of Japan’s (GOJ) “Human Security Towards a Resilient BARMM” session, I emphasized that the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. is determined to advance gender-responsive initiatives, sharing that our national budget includes a total of ₱96.9 billion allotment for social protection programs designed to combat poverty and safeguard our most vulnerable populations, especially in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) and ₱10.2 billion for essential resources to enhance women's health and the well-being of children. Further, the health sector has received the third biggest allocation in our proposed budget for next year, with ₱158 million under the Bangsamoro Umpungan sa Nutrisyon Program for severely malnourished children and pregnant or lactating women to ensure that no one is left behind.
I also seized the opportunity to express our profound gratitude and respect for the GOJ’s strong support and long-term commitment to peace, stability, and human security, particularly within the BARMM. The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund, launched two significant programs in the region: “The Project for the Protection and Empowerment of Women for Addressing Women’s Health Needs and Responding to Gender-based Violence in the BARMM” and “The Project Strengthening Services in Maternal and Child Health and Nutrition Improvement in the BARMM.”
JICA, as our staunch development partner, has supported our Public Financial Management (PFM) Competency Program in BARMM which capacitated 356 PFM practitioners where 53 percent were women, and provided a $6.8-million worth of construction equipment for road network improvement and disaster quick response operations in the region, among others.
Financing strategies
In this session, I gladly reported the 16.68 percent allocation in the entire national budget in 2023 for gender and development (GAD), along with the government-funded WPS initiatives to promote lasting peace and security in the country. I also underscored the need to further mainstream GAD in the national budget. More than agencies allocating five percent of their budget to GAD, they must ensure that from the budget preparation stage, the Women’s Budget or women empowerment programs, activities, and projects are the goal of that budget — for we know that women empowerment leads to equality; equality leads to peace; peace leads to economic development, and ultimately, to prosperity.
At the parliamentary roundtable on strengthening legislative support, I was especially proud to hear Sen. Loren Legarda discuss the vital role of legislators in advancing the WPS agenda, echoing my call for GAD mainstreaming and going beyond the five percent, as well as “tools to measure the impact if lives have improved well and by how many percent.”
OGP in WPS
I was glad we could incorporate the Open Government Partnership (OGP) as a side event at the ICWPS, where we highlighted the collaborative efforts of the government and civil society that helped place the Philippines as a global leader in open government. I likewise called for the children’s and youth sector’s integration in the narrative and initiatives to complete the WPS Agenda. As United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed echoed: Women and children are the most affected and displaced by conflicts; so, policies to protect them should be given primordial importance.
Beyond budget, the ICWPS is a testament to our relentless pursuit to mainstream gender responsiveness and institutionalize the WPS agenda globally. We, in government, are creating an enabling environment to empower women to become catalysts of positive and meaningful change. I encourage you to join us. Together, we can build a Bagong Pilipinas and a world where women are protected and empowered to lead the charge for peace and security.
(Amenah F. Pangandaman is the Secretary of the Department of Budget and Management.)