A DAVAO City Councilor is calling on barangays to strengthen the implementation of Men’s Responsibility in Gender and Development Ordinance (MR GAD), stressing that gender equality is a shared community duty rather than solely a women’s concern.
First enacted in 2021, the MR GAD Ordinance aims to engage men as proactive allies in preventing gender-based violence, promoting responsible fatherhood, building healthy relationships, and fostering respectful attitudes toward women and the community.
Councilor Richlyn Justol-Baguilod, chairperson of the Committee on Women, Children and Family Relations, said during her privileged speech that the ordinance mandates barangays to organize men’s groups that will partner with the Barangay Council for Women and the City Government in gender and development advocacies.
“All barangays in the city are expected to facilitate the organization of men within their respective localities to serve as partners of the Barangay Council for Women and of the City Government in GAD advocacies and initiatives,” she said on August 11, 2026.
Based on data from the Integrated Gender and Development Division (IGDD), only 16 barangays organized MR GAD groups, while some barangays have undergone essential training, including Gender Sensitivity, Reproductive Health Rights, SOGIE orientation, HIV/STI awareness, and MR GAD orientations.
While these steps are promising, the councilor emphasized that organization alone is not enough. She urged barangays to sustain their groups through regular programs and activities, establish mechanisms such as Barangay Peer Organizers for Gender Interventions or Barangay Pogi, and expand youth engagement through JR GAD initiatives within the Sangguniang Kabataan structure of barangays.
“The interest shown by our barangays and the positive response during our orientations demonstrate that there is willingness and potential. What we need now is to turn that willingness into organized, sustained, and measurable action” she added.
Justol-Baguilod also underscored the need for accessible counseling and listening spaces for men, noting that support in areas such as relationships, family, fatherhood, and emotional well-being is vital to fostering healthier behaviors and more respectful community interactions.
“Gender equality is not only a women’s issue, it is a shared responsibility,” she stated.
“Let us work together to bring MR GAD to every barangay and make it a meaningful and lasting part of Davao City’s commitment to gender equality and safer communities. Because we cannot achieve genuine gender equality if half of our population is merely asked to listen. We must empower them to participate, take responsibility, and become part of the solution,” Justol-Baguilod added. CIO
