Thursday, March 08, 2007 Focus on livelihood in brys. up next for commission By Linette C. Ramos Sun.Star Staff Reporter
THREE years after it was awarded the most women-friendly city in Asia and the Pacific, gender and development (GAD) programs continue to be replicated in Cebu City’s 80 barangays.
Cases of violence against women are dealt with in the barangay level, each of which has trained focal persons assigned to the GAD desk.
Now, the Cebu City Women and Family Affairs Commission wants to focus on health and economic programs for women and their families.
A total of P15 million was set aside for GAD programs under the 2007 Annual Investment Plan (AIP).
Some P3 million will be spent for the improvement of birthing centers in 20 barangays, and another P2 million will be spent for the construction of a day care center within the new City Hall legislative building.
5 percent
In the barangays, five percent of their annual budget is spent on day care center operations, youth programs and livelihood program.
Tessie Fernandez, executive chairman of the women’s commission, said that despite the award for being the most-women friendly city in Asia, a lot of programs still have to be implemented to promote women’s welfare.
Even the City Government has failed to comply with GAD requirements mandated by the Labor Code, including the provision of certain facilities.
“Under the Labor Code, for every certain number of married employees, there should be a center where women can leave or breastfeed their kids and it’s not practiced in the workplaces. But how can we run after these private workplaces when even City Hall does not have its own day care center?” she told Sun.Star Cebu.
Cribs for babies, waiting areas and toilet facilities for children at City Hall will also be provided soon.
Cebu City was the first of the three women-friendly cities in Asia and the Pacific given by the United Nations Fund for Women in Japan in 2004.
Sustainable
But the City faced tougher challenges after getting the award, including the need for barangay-based livelihood programs for women.
Fernandez said they are exploring economic activities that they can start and can be sustained by urban poor women.
Today, the commission will join in the observance of International Women’s Day, which carries the theme “Cedaw (Convention for the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women): Kabuhayan ng Kababaihan.”
Economic standing
“Aside from addressing violence issues, we also have to improve the economic standing of the women and their families. We are exploring that right now because unless we go into increasing their productive, we will still have problems because the most basic is their survival,” Fernandez said.
The commission wants to replicate the dairy products business in Barangay Sirao and the bag-making business using juice containers in Barangay Luz.
But economic activities will have to vary from one barangay to another to make sure they will have a market for their products, she added.
