WHEREAS, Republic Act (RA) No. 7192 otherwise known as the "Women in Development and Nation Building" and its Implementing Rules and Regulations mandates all government departments including all its agencies and instrumentalities and local government units (LGUs) to integrate women's concerns in national development.

WHEREAS, pursuant to RA 7192 and its IRR as well as to Executive Order No. 273 "Approving and Adopting the Philippine Plan for Gender-Responsive Development, 1995-2025," appropriate measures shall be undertaken to establish the institutional mechanisms which operationalize and sustain the implementation of its provisions.

WHEREAS, one mechanism is the establishment of Gender and Development (GAD) Focal Point which is tasked to catalyze, coordinate, provide direction to, monitor, and serve as technical adviser for programs/projects on women/ gender and development concerns within each agency.

WHEREAS, funds for the establishment of the GAD and other Focal Point activities shall come from the regular budget of the Department in compliance to a Joint Memorandum Circular No. 94-01 issued by the National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women (NCFRW), National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) enjoining the Heads of Departments, Bureaus, Offices, Agencies and Instrumentalities of the National Government including State Colleges and Universities to "integrate gender and development (GAD) in the agency plan and budget."

ACCORDINGLY, the following directives are hereby issued:

SECTION 1. Creation of DOE GAD Focal Point - A Gender and Development (GAD) Focal Point, herein referred to as the Focal Point of the DOE, is hereby organized in the Department.

SECTION 2. Composition of the Focal Point - The Focal Point shall be composed of the Director of the Energy Planning and Monitoring Bureau (EPMB) and the Director of the Administrative Services as Chairman and Vice-Chairman, respectively; with the Bureau and Service Directors as core group members. By virtue of their role in the overall agency planning and operations, the division chiefs of the following units or their duly designated representatives shall also be involved and constituted as the Technical Working Group and/or Technical Secretariat: Policy and Programs Coordination Division (PPCD), Management Information Division (MID), Human Resources Division (HRD) and Legal Affairs Division (LAD).

SECTION 3. Powers and Functions of the Focal Point - The bulk of the Focal Point's work involves direction setting, advocacy, monitoring, coordination and technical advisory on gender and development concerns. In terms of specific tasks the Focal Point is expected to:

1. Conduct a regular review of the agency's mandate, policy thrusts, key result areas, budget, programs, and projects to ensure that they are gender-responsive;

2. Formulate gender-responsive policies and develop implementing guidelines thereof;

3. Facilitate the conduct of gender-sensitivity training among top officials and other concerned personnel of the agency and adopt a continuing capability building program;

4. Hold regular reporting meetings/dialogues on GAD concerns with the Department Secretary through the Executive Committee;

5. Develop a monitoring and evaluation scheme to keep track of GAD mainstreaming efforts within the agency; and,

6. Represent the Department in GAD related activities (i.e. meetings, workshops, conferences).

SECTION 4. Effectivity - This Department Order shall take effect immediately.

Adopted: 19 July 1996

(SGD.) FRANCISCO L. VIRAY
Secretary