July 30, 2025 – Sorsogon City – In a proactive step towards advancing gender-responsive governance, the Schools Division of Sorsogon City has institutionalized the use of the Harmonized Gender and Development Guidelines (HGDG) Assessment Tool for all project approvals under its jurisdiction.

Formalized through Division Memorandum No. 227, s. 2023, the directive mandates all Division and School projects to undergo assessment using the HGDG tool, ensuring alignment with national gender and development (GAD) policies such as Republic Act No. 9710 or the Magna Carta of Women, Executive Order No. 273, and PCW-NEDA-DBM Joint Circular No. 2012-01.

Spearheaded by the “The Village Program,” the initiative introduces the Project GADability Tracker—a monitoring and evaluation mechanism designed to assess the gender-responsiveness of all proposed programs and projects. This move strengthens the Division’s commitment to integrating gender equality and women’s empowerment into its education programs and systems.

As stated in the memorandum, all project owners, school heads, and relevant division personnel must submit their project proposals for HGDG Assessment via the official link provided (https://forms.gle/qrpNqC3q3wVo2Y3u7). The Schools Governance and Operations Division (SGOD), through its GAD Focal Person, will be responsible for generating and issuing the corresponding confirmation scores.

Immediate dissemination and strict compliance with this directive are required to ensure that gender and development principles are embedded across all levels of planning, implementation, and evaluation of education programs within the Division.

Division Superintendent William E. Gando, CESO VI emphasized that this institutionalized process is a significant step in ensuring that all projects contribute not only to quality education but also to inclusive and equitable development.

This initiative places Sorsogon City Division at the forefront of localizing national gender-responsive frameworks in basic education, setting a benchmark for other divisions nationwide.