Gender-inclusive initiatives should have a place in the government’s budget allocation, including those that empower women, Department of Budget and Management Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman said.

During a session with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington D.C., Pangandaman assured to promote gender equality and inclusivity within the national budget.

“It can be emphasized that the integration of gender tagging into budget allocation is not just a matter of equality, it’s a fundamental step toward building a more resilient and prosperous Philippines,” she said.

“By ensuring that resources are directed toward initiatives that address gender disparities and empower women, we can unlock the full potential of our economy and society,” she added.

Gender budget tagging ensures that government resources are effectively and efficiently utilized to support gender-responsive policies and programs that lead to more equitable and inclusive socio-economic development.

Included as a general provision in the yearly government budget is the gender and development (GAD) budget policy, which mandates that every government agency allocate a minimum of 5 percent of their total annual budgets for GAD programs, activities, and projects.

“A realization I had during the UN-CSW68 in New York is that a lot of interventions are going on. We [DBM] are focusing on what we can do on the expenditure side,” Pangandaman said.

The DBM chief earlier said that the country was able to spend an estimated $18.9 billion on gender programs in 2022.

For this year, the government aims to allocate P83 billion for gender and development, while P480 million will be allocated for people with disabilities, senior citizens, and gender responsiveness.

Pangandaman, along with the other members of the Philippine Economic Team, were in the United States to attend the 2024 Spring Meetings of the IMF and World Bank Group (WBG).

Accompanied by DBM Principal Economist Dr. Joselito Basilio, the DBM chief engaged in fruitful discussions with the Deputy Director and Senior Advisor on Gender of the IMF’s Strategy Policy and Review Department, Dr. Rishi Goyal, and his team on April 18.

The dialogue provided an opportunity to exchange insights on best practices and innovative approaches to advancing gender equality within economic policies and frameworks.