[SPLIT News Alert] DAR officials and Project SPLIT coordinators create opportunities for women in agrarian reform

The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) officials and coordinators of the Support to Parcelization of Lands for Individual Titling (SPLIT) Project have committed to support and recognize gender perspective and issues in the design and implementation of the DAR’s plans and programs that will create opportunities for women in agrarian reform and ensure gender equality and women empowerment.

In a briefing conducted by the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) for the DAR third level officials and Project SPLIT coordinators, PCW Executive Director Atty. Khay Ann C. Magundayao-Borlado, Macario T. Jusayan and May Angelica A. Saludez from the Sectoral Coordination Division, commended the DAR’s best practices on Gender and Development (GAD), as they present an overview on the PCW, its mandates, key programs, priority sectors, gender issues, sectoral plans for women’s economic empowerment and the importance of GAD mainstreaming to achieve gender equality and women empowerment.

DAR Undersecretary for Support Services and National GAD Steering Committee Chairperson Rowena Niña Taduran said the goal of the DAR is to create an inclusive community to serve its employees and agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs).DAR Undersecretary for Support Services and National Gender and Development (GAD) Steering Committee Chairperson Rowena Niña Taduran said the goal of the DAR is to create an inclusive community to serve its employees and agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs).

“We hope to serve our women in conflict-stricken areas and ensure their access to our programs. We can only achieve this by having inclusive policies and programs,” Taduran said.

Taduran emphasized that the DAR will institutionalize the GAD Focal Point System from the central, regional, provincial, and municipal offices, which would include the institutionalization of DAR Women’s Desks and Women’s Desk Officers,

“We would also include the names of the women ARBs in land titling at land distribution, which we hope to create significant change and trust in empowering our women ARBs,” she added.

Taduran also noted that the revised Administrative Order No. 1, Series of 2011 on DAR Gender Mainstreaming is already