𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗠𝗢𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗚𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗥 𝗘𝗤𝗨𝗔𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗬, 𝗜𝗡𝗖𝗟𝗨𝗦𝗜𝗩𝗜𝗧𝗬, 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗜𝗟𝗜𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗦𝗢𝗖𝗜𝗘𝗧𝗬. In celebration of International Women's Day (IWD), the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Region 2 held gender and development orientation for the newly-reconstituted regional gender and development focal point system, and gender sensitivity training (GST) at the Regional Office in Tuguegarao City.

“In the discharge of our functions as civil servants, we should be reminded of mainstreaming gender and development (GAD) in our programs. When we talk on gender equality, we mean giving equal opportunity to stakeholders regardless of sex, religion, economic situations, among others,” Regional Executive Director Gwendolyn Bambalan of DENR Region 2 underscored during her lecture on GST last March 8.

Her topic focused on basic gender concepts that aimed at empowering employees to become gender sensitive and resilient.

Director Bambalan also encouraged the environment employees to become ‘agents’ of change and development. “Your role being empowered workers is important in effecting social change towards sustainable development in line with our goal to adopt climate-risk lens to planning and decision-making, and to prepare ourselves to environmental risks and hazards,” she added.

The IWD is celebrated annually every March 8 to honor the social, economic, cultural, and political accomplishments of women across the world. It aims to set a call to action to promote gender equality.

Meanwhile, a series of GAD brown bag discussions every Tuesday and Thursday in March from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. also highlights the month-long celebration of Women’s Month.

In the first Tuesday and Thursday sessions, Licenses, Patents and Deeds Division Chief Remedios Pauig discussed the Role of Women in the Family and Community, while Atty. Richard Jayson Garan, legal division chief, explained Republic Act No. 11313 known as the "Safe Spaces Act" or the Bawal Bastos Law.

Participants in the lecture series are division chiefs, assistant division chiefs, section chiefs, and GAD focal persons in the regional office.#