Image credits: Sharon Lopez via Bitlanders
Due to the loads of activities that we need to finish in 2017, one of the events which was supposed to be conducted in December of the said year was moved to the second week of January 2018. The activity aims to enhance the knowledge of the municipalities within the province on the preparation of Gender and Development Plan for the following year (2019). The department aims to make sure that the programs are gender-responsive in compliance with the provisions on the Republic Act 9710 or the Magna Carta for Women. Being the alternate Focal Person of the Gender and Development (GAD) Program, I and my partner in our section were in-charged on the preparation of the said activity under the supervision of our program manager.
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On top of my task being the alternate focal person of GAD, I was also the head of the Bid and Awards Committee (BAC) Secretariat who was in-charge in the procurement of goods and services that we need for the said event. Before the end of 2017, I already prepared the invitation to bid for a venue and accommodation and posted the same on Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS). The sole bidder, Fernando's Hotel won't be able to accommodate us in their hall, 168 Bistro during the first day because they were booked for a wedding reception. As a result, we conducted the first-day activity on the adjacent restaurant, Una Pizzeria.
Related Post: The Government Procurement Process: What We Need To Know
Our First Day
Being the nearest cafe/restaurant to the main venue, the group agreed to have the first day at Una Pizzeria. It is an Italian inspired restaurant which typically serves pasta, bread, and wine which is located in Sorsogon city just across the Fernando's Hotel.
Image Credits: Sharon Lopez via Bitlanders
Looking closely, it was an old residential house turned into a restaurant. The place is quiet and has a good ambiance. No wonder, many employees, teachers and other individuals from other places are coming to this place especially in the afternoon after office hours.
Image credits: Sharon Lopez via Bitlanders
I used my Galaxy J7 phone to take a video showing the front view area of the place. Thank you for understanding that the author is not a professional photographer.
Video Credits: Sharon Lopez via Bitlanders
The place will give you a homey feel. Outside the main hall was a restaurant area where you can relax and order foods which will be prepared while you are waiting.
Image Credits: Sharon Lopez via Bitlanders
One of my favorites is their pannacotta.
Image credits: UNA Pizzeria Facebook Page
Una Pizzeria hall was slightly smaller than the one we were supposed to use. But everything went okay. The foods served were delicious and the place though smaller is also convenient. The first day was devoted to the registration of the participants and opening preliminaries. The activity started at 1:00 PM wherein the following activities were conducted: opening preliminaries, expectation settings, an introduction of the participants, a message from the provincial director and overview of the activity.
Image Credits: Sharon Lopez via Bitlanders
The main speaker of the event was the GAD focal person from the regional office who stayed with us until the end of the 3-day activity. She gave some opening introductions of the program and delivered a short discussion before we ended the first-day activity. The participants proceeded to Fernando's Hotel to stay there for the night.
We had a bright and beautiful day! The continuous raining in our place already stopped and the sun already shines throughout the day.
The Second Day
Image Credits: Fernandos 168 Bistro Facebook Page
I reached the venue a few minutes past eight in the morning. Although we are allowed to use the accommodation in the hotel, I preferred to go home because of the weak and intermittent internet connection in the Sorsogon area. I need to give time for my online activities and going home is the only way for me to do that. Additionally, I am not very fond of sleeping in other places so I decided to go home.
Video Credits: Sharon Lopez via Bitlanders
The video was taken before the activity started. We need to take down the backdrop from UNA Pizzeria and have it placed in 168 Bistro.
Image Credits: Sharon Lopez via Bitlanders
The program started at around 8:30 in the morning. I gave the recapitulation of the previous day's activity before we continued on today's program. The discussion was focused on the guidelines and process for the formulation of the Gender and Development. One of the goals of the department was to make sure that the program and projects to be implemented by the local government units are gender-responsive. While the discussion is going on, I was also busy preparing for my topic.
After the comprehensive discussion of the process and other related topics, the speaker requested the Secretariat to distribute the materials to be used for the workshop. A tool was named Harmonized Gender and Development Guidelines (HGDG).
Image Credits: Sharon Lopez via Bitlanders
The participants were divided into four (4) groups and each group was given a case wherein they would analyze using the tool consisting of several steps. After completing the workshop, each group was given time to present their outputs for critiquing. It was a long discussion due to the raising of several questions regarding the topic.
The second day was indeed a productive day because of several outputs that we were able to make. Of course, icebreakers were also given. Participants enjoyed dancing to the tune of several Zumba music like Dear Future Husband and other songs.
The Third and Final Day
We started at around 8:15 in the morning. The regional focal person continued with her discussion on the guidelines and other relevant matters. A new set of the workshop was given to the participants. After the discussion and workshop, she asked permission to leave because of similar training which she is also the speaker.
Image Credits: Sharon Lopez via Bitlanders
My assignment was to discussed Joint Memorandum Circular 2016-01 which is the Amendments to the PCW-DILG-DBM-NEDA JMC 2013-01 or the Guidelines for the Localization of the Magna Carta of Women.
After the discussion, we distributed the template to be used for the action plan which the participants need to submit in the coming week. Closing message was given by the cluster head. After which, we proceeded with the distribution of the certificates followed by photo ops.
The whole activity was successful and the participants were satisfied with the outcome of the training.
Thank you for sharing your valuable time reading this content.
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Written for Bitlanders:
by: Sharon Lopez
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Sharon Lopez is a graduate of Bachelor of Science in Commerce Major in Banking and Finance and currently working in the government handling programs on Business Friendly and Competitive LGUs.
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Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this blog post are that of the author and does not in any way represent the agency or department she currently belongs.
Additional Note: The opinions presented in this review may be subjective but does not in any way influenced by compensation in any form. The author does not receive remuneration for this review and the opinions are based mainly on her experience.
