GOVPH

Members of the Executive Committee and the Technical Working Group of the DOST-STII GAD Focal Point System pose for a photo during the virtual Executive Briefing on Gender Mainstreaming on 10 September 2020.

The DOST-STII "The agency (DOST-STII) could be the benchmark of other DOST agencies," Maria Fe Singson, Supervising Science Research Specialist and the Department of Science and Technology-Gender and Development Focal Point System (DOST-GFPS) member, said during the virtual Executive Briefing on Gender Mainstreaming, held on 10 September 2020 for DOST-Science and Technology Information Institute executives and GAD-TWG.

DOST-Science and Technology Information Institute (DOST-STII) was among the eight agencies in the DOST to have an endorsed GAD Plan and Budget (GPB). Singson also commended the agency for its timely submission of the Gender Mainstreaming Evaluation Framework (GMEF) scoresheet, citing its improved evaluation that has evolved over the past years.

Richard P. Burgos, DOST-STII director and GFPS chairperson said that this is due to the whole system’s collective effort and support from the management. He also emphasized that this is only the beginning of the agency’s GAD mainstreaming.

However, Singson stressed that the agency should continue its programs such as the gender-fair media trainings and language checker software development, as it is the only attached agency that focuses on science, technology, and innovation (STI) information content development and promotion.

The GAD Executive Briefing served as a refresher course on Gender Mainstreaming that helped the agency design the next steps towards their GAD goals. Furthermore, this briefing is among the activities included in the recently recalibrated 2020 GPB, which was endorsed by the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) in August.

DOSTv, the official television program of the DOST, and STARBOOKS were included as attributed programs, helping the agency reach the 5% GAD allocation on the overall budget despite of the reduced cost of most activities due to the pandemic.

To ensure continuity, the next steps that the agency plans to embark on is to properly utilize its data and formulate the GAD Agenda to appropriately craft its roadmap for the next five years.(By Christel Marie R. Castillo, DOST-STII)