By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
As the network expands its reach and coverage to audiences across the archipelago, the People’s Television Network (PTV) continues to find ways to improve gender equality and social inclusion in the network’s programs and services.
This serves as the primary agenda of the recent Gender and Development (GAD) Focal Point System Responsive Planning and Budgeting, a three-day workshop seeking to improve the agency’s GAD-related plans and budget allocation and attribution for FY 2026.
On the first day of the workshop, participants analyzed problems related to egalitarianism within the agency, using Rapid Gender and Inclusion Scanning (RGIS) to identify obstacles encountered by women, LGBTQIA+ individuals, senior citizens, persons with disabilities (PWDs), single parents, indigenous groups, faith-diverse communities, and other marginalized sectors.
With the foundation for ample and appropriate interventions established on Day 1, the second day of the workshop focused on the Safety and Inclusion Facility Audit, wherein various network facilities were assessed to determine if these meet national standards for accessibility and inclusivity.
Among the infrastructure scrutinized by the workshop teams are gender-neutral signs and wayfinding markers, lactation stations, pathways and toilets, and safe spaces for people of different faiths to practice their faith.
The three-day workshop concluded with the drafting of the FY 2026 GAD Plan and Budget (GPB), which places the results of the RGIS and facility audit into consideration, to ensure that resources are properly allocated to generate specific, measurable, and attainable outcomes.
“The GAD Planning and Budgeting is an important part of making sure that PTV’s limited resources are used fairly to help the needs of the marginalized and vulnerable population,” PTV’s GAD consultant-trainer and certified GAD Resource Person of the Philippine Commission on Women Alvin Cloyd Dakis said.
“Magkakaiba-iba man tayo, pero sama-sama tayo sa pagtugon ng mga pangangailangan ng mga kababaihan, LGBTQIA+, senior citizens, PWDs, solo parents, at lahat ng nangangailangan,” he added. (avds)
