GAD Beginnings
In 1999 the first call for the Gender and Development budget from General Appropriations Act (GAA) was issued in 1995 by then President Fidel V. Ramos. In response to this WVSU organized a Committee on Women and was involved in the nationwide research on “Sexual Harassment in the Campus”.
The Committee on Women used the Pambansang Sentro ng Wikang Filipino (PSWF) as its temporarily office . Dr. Lourdes Aranador was the university President and Nancy S. Surmieda was designated as Coordinator to handle the GAD program at the university.
From then on, GAD Office, spearheaded the tasks to carry out gender mainstreaming activities of the university in the areas of instruction, research, extension, and medical services.. WVSU was a Coordinating Committee member of Ugsad-Regional Gender Resource Network.
The University Drop-In Center was established as per BOR Resolution in 2002 as a child-minding center under the supervision of the Gender and Development Program. The Center attends to children (ages 2-4) of faculty, staff and alumni at a minimal cost. The Center’s operational expenses is funded by the GAD Budget.
The GAD was able to create guidelines for Anti-Sexual Harassment, Committee on of Decorum and Investigation, and GAD Policy. Other designated Directors of the GAD Program were Dr. Mary Ann Dela Vega, Prof. Voltaire Jacinto, and Dr. Jeanette J. Simpas.
WVSU Gender and Development (GAD) Program
Gender and Development Programs in all Higher Education Institutions were established and institutionalized through international commitments and National Mandates.
The Gender and Development (GAD) Program of West Visayas State University was established to carry out gender mainstreaming in the areas of instruction, research, extension, and medical services. As an office task to lead the mainstreaming efforts of the university, the WVSU GAD is under the supervision of the GAD Focal Point System headed by the President and the Executive Committee led by the Deans and other members of the top management. The Technical Working group (TWG) was led by the director and each Campus and college has a designated Focal to lead, advocate, innovate, and initiate activities that will put gender perspective in the policies, projects, and activities of the university (CMO 15-2015).
Believing that academic institutions play a vital role in addressing gender disparity in the academic community, the GAD Program of West Visayas State University commits itself to institutionalizing gender mainstreaming; promoting human rights and gender equality; integrating gender concepts and equality in the instruction, research, extension; provide skills and capability gender sensitivity training and seminars to stakeholders; support and recognize women leadership; explicitly condemn all forms of gender-based violence and discrimination, and hold accountable the perpetrators of violence.
Vision
The Gender and Development Office envisions the WVSU Academic Community as the model for gender equality practices through the promotion and implementation of programs, projects and activities that are gender-friendly and gender-fair.
Mission
In the pursuit of its vision, the Gender and Development office shall:
Quality Objective
The Gender and Development (GAD) is committed to oversee capacity development on gender mainstreaming with appropriate programs, activities, and projects to address priority gender issues in the major programs/functions of the university: Instruction, Research, Extension and Medical Services which are client and organization-focused.