THE Provincial Government led Tuesday, October 8, led a two-day mandatory Gender and Development (GAD) Mainstreaming and Assessment Seminar for micro-cooperatives in the province at the Benigno Aquino Hall, Capitol Compound in the City of San Fernando.
The activity was jointly facilitated by the Provincial Cooperative Development Council (PCDC) headed by Board Member Anthony Joseph Torres, the Provincial Cooperative and Entrepreneurial Development Office (PCEDO) headed by Luningning Vergara, and the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA).
According to Abraham Pangan, PCEDO staff, the seminar aimed to help the micro-cooperatives develop gender equality plans for their respective cooperatives.
"Ang layunin po nito is to help micro-cooperatives na mag-come up ng mga gender equality plans sa sarili nilang mga kooperatiba, nang sa gayo'y 'yung operations ng coop ay mas maging harmonious and progressive," he said.
Among the topics discussed during the event were gender sensitivity, concepts, and issues; household and cooperatives; understanding gender equality; GAD mainstreaming in cooperatives; CDA Memorandum Circular 2013-22; and GAD planning and formulation.
Prior to this, Torres announced that there will be a cooperative month celebration in October wherein series of activities will be conducted.
He also mentioned that the provincial government is willing to provide assistance to meet the needs of the said cooperatives.
To date, there are already 212 cooperatives consisting over 50,000 members across the province. (PR)