Towards Inclusive Governance: Evaluating Gender Mainstreaming in Local Government Units

This study evaluates the gender responsiveness of Cagayan Province's first-class municipalities in the Philippines through the Gender-Responsive Local Governance (GeRL Ka Ba) Assessment Tool. Institutional mechanisms, service delivery, monitoring and evaluation, and sectoral integration in social, economic, and environment programs were the focus. The results showed that three municipalities GAD-Enabling, and two were GAD-Starting. None of these municipalities reached the GAD-Sustaining level. No such municipalities attained the GAD-Sustaining level. Economic development and environmental management were low responsiveness, and social development programs were highly responsive, with selective gender mainstreaming applied. Budget and utilization patterns indicated a high correlation between exceeding the mandatory 5% Gender and Development (GAD) fund and performance scores, observing the importance of commitment of resources to ensure gender equity. Monitoring and evaluation practice, however, was uneven, limiting transparency, accountability, and adaptive policy-making. Outcomes of the study typically mirror the degree of Cagayan municipalities' progress toward mainstreaming gender issues in governance but also indicate the issues that continue to exist in institutional capacity, cross-sectoral balance, and monitoring mechanisms. The outcomes thus highlight the imperative on holistic and long-term intervention to shift from enabling to sustaining gender responsiveness. The research offers evidence-informed inputs to policy action at the local level and serves as the basis for the crafting of a five-year gender-responsive intervention plan to ensure inclusive governance in Cagayan Province.

Gender Responsiveness, Local Governance, Gender Mainstreaming, Cagayan Province, Inclusive Development

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