Budget Secretary Amenah “Mina” F. Pangandaman shared how the Philippines is empowering women at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women.

As the head of the Philippine delegation at the 68th annual Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68), Pangandaman spoke at the first Ministerial Round Table on Tuesday, March 12, at the UN headquarters in New York City.

The CSW is a major event for discussions on gender equality and women's empowerment, bringing together governments, organizations, experts, and activists to address women's poverty and promote equal rights for all genders.

During the event, various topics were discussed, with this year's focus being on accelerating gender equality and empowering women and girls by addressing poverty and improving institutions and financing from a gender perspective.

The first Ministerial Round Table (MRT) talked about securing funding for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, with a specific emphasis on strategies to end poverty.

“The Philippines remains a committed partner in contributing to poverty eradication, acceleration of gender equality, and empowerment of all women and girls, as reflected in our Philippine Development Plan 2023 to 2028 and Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE) Plan 2019 to 2025,” Pangandaman during the first MRT.

In her speech, Pangandaman underscored the numerous initiatives led by the Philippine government to promote gender mainstreaming. This includes the 1995 Gender and Development (GAD) budget policy or “The Women’s Budget,” established for the implementation of projects and programs focused on GEWE. 

The law was supported by the Magna Carta of Women and consistent guidelines for developing annual GAD plans, budgets, and accomplishment reports.

The budget chief likewise noted that 24 percent of the Philippine government budget in 2022 was utilized to implement gender-responsive initiatives covering women empowerment and gender equality, as well as integrating gender-responsive elements into flagship programs.

Among the specific measures highlighted in the conference was the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), a conditional cash transfer program now benefiting 4.4 million households, advancing access to education and health services, financial inclusion, and empowerment of women and girls.

“This [4Ps] has grown from having a budget of only $5.37 million in 2008 to $1.9 billion this 2024. Graduates of this program also undergo the Kilos-Unlad program to ensure they will not fall into poverty again,” Pangandaman explained.

Another program emphasized was the Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program, which supports the vision of a gender-responsive Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector.

“With a $1.33 million budget in 2023, this [Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program] created 3,348 jobs for Filipino women. Relatedly, 68 percent of those who access MSME loans from our Small Business Corporation were women entrepreneurs,” elaborated the DBM chief.

“This further supports findings that reveal that women in the Philippines are more financially included in account ownership, savings, and credit indicators than men,” she added.

Also touched were the scholarships offered in the Philippines from secondary to postgraduate levels to combat gendered poverty by promoting science-based education. Said grant aims to produce more female graduates pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. 

In health, Pangandaman cited a substantial portion of the Philippine budget goes to securing the well-being and nutrition of pregnant and lactating women. The fund is geared towards delivering socio-economic services that are culturally appropriate and sensitive to gender considerations, monitored through a gender budget tagging initiative.

“[The Philippine Government] recently signed the 2024 to 2028 United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework that prioritizes joint initiatives for human capital development, inclusion, and resilience building,” she ended.