This year’s celebration of National Women’s Month in March saw the Civil Service Commission achieve several milestones in promoting gender equality in government service, CSC chairperson Karlo Nograles reported.
Nograles said the agency’s month-long series of activities, which was highlighted by the “Piknik sa Kalikasan” on March 31, reinforced their collective commitment in strengthening the full participation of women in all levels, especially in decision-making and leadership posts.
“We should take pride in this unique culminating activity as this reflects decades of gender advocacy efforts of the CSC and the leading role that the Commission plays in promoting gender equality in the entire bureaucracy, be it in the aspect of policymaking, technical assistance, or the implementation of our various programs and projects,” he said.
Nograles said CSC’s gender and development mainstreaming efforts have led to the establishment of programs and policies in support of landmark laws for the protection of women in the workplace.
This includes the promulgation of the disciplinary rules on sexual harassment cases that is considered as a landmark issuance of the CSC.
The issuance provides consistent and uniform rules and procedures on investigation, prosecution, and resolution of sexual harassment cases in the government.
The policy is also aimed at providing a safe and inclusive workplace for civil servants.
The CSC also marked a number of milestones for the provision of work-life balance through the adoption of flexible working hours and expansion of leave privileges for both men and women, he said.
“Along with being a gender-responsive human resources institution, our goal is to ensure equal opportunities for all,” Nograles said.
Meanwhile, CSC Assistant Commissioner Victoria Esber gave an overview of the Prime HRM, or Program to Institutionalize Meritocracy and Excellence in Human Resource Management, where she emphasized the need to use a gender lens in the core HRM areas of recruitment, selection and placement, rewards and recognition, performance management, and learning and development.
During the second half of the program, country delegates shared their best practices and programs on gender mainstreaming in the public sector. – PNA
