Gittel Saquilabon, exec. director of Sumpay Mindanao Inc. at 3rd MTWF at Shariff Kabungsuan

Presentation of the Draft Tri-people Women Orientation Paper and Consensus Building by Gittel Saquilabon, executive director of Sumpay Mindanao Inc.

Summary of the Mindanao Tri-people
Grassroots Women Agenda 2004

1. Distribute the Gender Code (which already exists), most particularly the implementing rules and regulations, to LGUs/POs and NGOs

2. Establish (organize) “Bantay Pamilya” at the NGO/PO levels in order to coordinate efforts with the LGUs (NGOs as pressure group)

3. Transfer of technology for the livelihood projects designed for women

4. Access the 5% of the IRA for Gender and Development (GAD) use in the municipality

5. Institutionalize rehabilitation projects among war evacuees

6. Advocate for the observance of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) during conflict and subsequent evacuation situations, particularly in relation to women and children

7. Institute literacy programs for women in remote areas

8. Strengthen programs in health, sanitation and personal hygiene

9. Strengthen programs in waste disposal

10. Strengthen local government network support for programs regarding violence against women, children and family

11. Lobby for the proclamation of March 8 (International Women’s Day) as a national legal holiday

12. Enhance reproductive health care service access, particularly to women in rural areas

13. Lobby for giving back of benefits to the Overseas Filipino Workers

14. Give space for balut vendors

15. Review policies and programs of the Department of Environment and National Resources (DENR)

16. Support the Moro and Lumad women’s struggle for ancestral domain and their right to self-determination

17. Intensify livelihood assistance for women organizations, such as hog dispersal and cooperatives within communities

18. Introduce scholarship programs for single parents and those with financial problems as well as for street children

19. Introduce health education for alternative medicine and Alternative Medical Centers within communities

20. Lobby for the reconstruction of roads in areas where the road systems have been damaged

21. Lobby for the allocation of a bigger budget in health rather than the armed forces

22. Lobby for the enactment of a legislation to control the distribution of drugs

23. Establish centers for psychologically and psychosocially disturbed women

24. Lobby for the giving of psychological and psychosocial treatment of deathrow women inmates


Developing the Grassroots
Tri-people Women Orientation

A. What are our issues?
What can we do?
What is our orientation?

B. Why MTWF should have its orientation?
- because we should have a stand on different issues (e.g. women’s participation in peace process, reproductive rights, discrimination, etc)
- define our framework and strategies

C. Ongoing process:
- Consultations with women organizations
- Special studies on:
o The different frameworks of Gender Relation
o The Historical Development of Women’s Movement
o The different Feminist Theories
o Women in Islam and women issues and concerns in Moro society
o Women issues and concerns in Lumad society
o Women in Peacebuilding
o Women and Migration

D. Gaps to be addressed in our women work:

1. Capacity building/skills needs:
- conflict management
- peace dialogue & negotiation
- leadership training
- public speaking
- entrepreneurial skills
- advocacy through media
2. Information:
- Publication
- website
- forums
- management information system
Research or study on culture and tradition of Moro and Lumad (per ethnolinguistic tribe)
Study on the different frameworks of the various stakeholders in terms of peacebuilding
Defining of clear strategies
- at the level of the different frame works to be identified
- at the level of the patriarchal framework
- at the level of the TRI-PEOPLE

Open Forum
Padilla proposed that the distribution of Gender Code is not an agenda but the laws embodied under Gender Code can be advocated as an agenda. She also said that Bantay Pamilya is a government structure which can be changed to an agenda to prevent of domestic violence through coordination of LGUs.
Developing entrepreneurial skills can be an agenda too instead of Ballot vendors. Maybe we need a styling committee. Also there are points there that need to be consolidated.
Saquilabon said that what is presented is the result of a meeting of 2004. Your proposal will be resolved by taking the next steps to consolidate and validate these proposed agenda in 2004.
Padilla demands a review of the Agenda 2004 and a discussion of the parameters in consolidating all these points for implementation.
Pax 1 shared a survey done. It appears that NGOs organized BCPC. This should also be an agenda of women to ensure that there is woman representation in a barangay council that will ensure that laws ensuring the safety of women and children be implemented like Bantay Pamilya.

Question Noted 1: how to access 5% GAD and the gender code?
Answer: it’s a national law; LGUs have no political will. These funds are diverted. In Davao, it’s implemented. There is an information drive about this to educate the people on this.
In Iligan city, organized and barangay-based women were federated. They sat and lobby for sectoral representation in the city legislative body. They work with the committee on women and children. But there is a need to be cautious because GAD budget is not a woman’s budget alone. Gender is also about male other than female. Poverty is a not experienced by women only but of men too. It needs a more logical convincing on how the GAD budget be access by women. There is a need to have a legislated council resolution or in the case of barangay, a barangay council resolution that this GAD budget be used for women’s development agenda.
In Lanao del Norte, we access the GAD budget is to lobby and sit in the barangay level. There are 3 barangays in Lanao del Norte were able to access the budget by lobbying.
In Upi, they also lobby in the office of the mayor, the organization is also accredited. The LGU also pushed the barangay to implement the 5% GAD law in the barangay.
Pax 1 said she is sad that she does not know about GAD budget. We are from Basilan and if I have not come here, I will not know aout this. I hope to have a copy of Gender Code and know more about GAD.