DBM: Gender-responsive budgeting key to inclusive national development

During the opening of the three-day Philippine Conference on Women, Peace and Security (WPS), Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Amenah Pangandaman emphasized that the agency is ensuring every government budget reflects the diverse needs of women and girls.

According to the secretary, gender-responsive budgeting plays an important role in achieving inclusive and sustainable national development.

“The issues and challenges surrounding WPS touch every sector of society, reminding us that our path forward must be inclusive and collaborative. By listening to and learning from diverse experiences and perspectives, we can develop a truly holistic and inclusive approach to advancing our WPS agenda,” Pangandaman said.

“At the national level, our goal is to ensure that WPS is not merely included in our priorities, but also placed in front and center among the most urgent issues of our time,” she added.

Pangandaman said proper investment in the Gender and Development (GAD) allocation of agencies must be utilized effectively to achieve inclusive growth.

“To really transform lives, we must go beyond allocation and ensure their timely and meaningful implementation. This is why we are continuously strengthening our public financial management system, making it more digitalized, efficient, and transparent,” she said.

She added that the DBM is working closely with the Philippine Commission on Women to develop a gender accountability dashboard — a digital tool designed to track how government agencies utilize their respective GAD allocations.

The initiative aims to ensure transparency, timely fund releases, and measurable impact of gender-focused programs across government agencies.

“Because through transparency, we can effectively track our investments for the WPS agenda. Through accountability, we can ensure that our NAPWPS (National Action Plan on WPS) commitments are met and measured,” Pangandaman said.