AS the country celebrates March as women’s month, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources has welcomed a reported growing number of women holding management positions in the agency.
“In the present time, I am happy to say that we have much to celebrate as we have continuously empowered women within the department,” Assistant Secretary for Policy and Planning Service Corazon Davis said.
Davis has been tasked to head the agency’s gender and development focal point system.
With only 5-percent females in third level positions in 1987, the agency officials are now 26 percent women under the administration of Secretary Roy Cimatu, she cited.
Undersecretary posts, which were previously male-dominated, are now being occupied by two females, she said, adding they now have now five female assistant secretaries from only two in 1987.
She cited the increase in the number of management positions occupied by women—service directors from three to 13, regional directors from one to 12, assistant regional directors, from one to seven and provincial environment and natural resources officers from two to nine.
Despite such development, she said there are more efforts to be needed to be able to close the gender gap at the DENR workplace.
“This is not to say that there are no gaps, in fact, we must strive to increase the number of women who are involved in the decision-making process of this institution,” she said.
For this year, the women’s month celebration kicked off with the opening of the women’s market at the walkway of the DENR central office to support grassroots women producers and entrepreneurs.
Starting today until March 22, the agency will host the National Conference on Mainstreaming GAD that includes a roundtable discussion on disaster preparedness and natural resources management in communities. (RIO)