Safeguarding GAD Implementation Amid Mandatory Austerity and the National Energy Emergency

Safeguarding GAD Implementation Amid Mandatory Austerity and the National Energy Emergency

Date:	April 7, 2026
For:	All Heads of Executive Departments, National Government Agencies, Bureaus, Offices, State Universities and Colleges (SUCs), Government-Owned and/or Controlled Corporations (GOCCs), Legislative and Judiciary Branches, Constitutional Bodies, Other Government Instrumentalities, and All Others Concerned
Subject	Safeguarding GAD Implementation Amid Mandatory Austerity and the National Energy Emergency

1.0 BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

1.1 "It is the policy of the State to ensure the protection and security of women in times of disasters, calamities, and other crisis situations."

Consistent with this policy under the Magna Carta of Women (RA 9710), Section 13 of its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) affirms that women must be fully protected across all phases of relief, recovery, rehabilitation, and reconstruction. The MCW further mandates the State to provide immediate humanitarian assistance, ensure the adequate allocation of resources and address the specific needs of women from a gender perspective, including protection from sexual exploitation and other forms of gender-based violence.

1.2 The Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) emphasizes that gender concerns are not optional and must not be sidelined during crises, including the current energy emergency. PCW issues this Advisory to guide all government agencies in the continued implementation of Gender and Development (GAD) mandates while adhering to the energy conservation measures under Memorandum Circular No. 114 (s. 2026) and the declaration of a state of national energy emergency under Executive Order No. 110 (s. 2026), to ensure that necessary operational adjustments remain aligned with gender equality and women's empowerment objectives.

1.3 Consistent with the foregoing policy direction, it is reiterated that the GAD budget is not a separate, stand-alone, or "extra" fund, but an attribution of an agency's existing appropriations representing the cost of mainstreaming gender perspectives into its core mandates,¹ As such, it cannot be treated as a reserve for general austerity measures nor be reduced or redirected in ways that would undermine the agency's capacity to address gender issues, especially during crisis situations where gender vulnerabilities may be further intensified.

1.4 The goal of this Advisory is to ensure that the government's primary responses to the energy crisis are gender-responsive. This means that the basic needs of women belonging to the marginalized sectors,² are given top priority in the design of austerity measures of government agencies in this time of oil crisis. Access to justice by women and girls must not be impaired as a result of oil-related austerity measures.

1.5 The current energy situation may contribute to "energy poverty," or limited access to safe and reliable energy, and may also increase "time poverty"³ particularly among women and girls who often carry a disproportionate share of unpaid care and domestic work.⁴

2.0 GENDERED IMPACT OF THE ENERGY CRISIS

2.1 The PCW emphasizes that GAD initiatives are most critical during periods of national emergency. The energy crisis, characterized by surging oil prices and power instability, is not gender-neutral. Studies show that crises exacerbate existing inequalities and create new vulnerabilities for women, girl children, and marginalized groups. Agencies are encouraged to consider the following in their gender analysis:

• Economic Strain and "Energy Poverty": As primary managers of household consumption, women often bear the disproportionate burden of rising costs in basic commodities, energy, and utilities. Increasing expenses may force households to reprioritize limited resources, potentially affecting access to adequate food, health services, and education. In such situations, women frequently absorb these shocks through increased unpaid labor, resource management, and care responsibilities, which may further deepen time poverty and economic vulnerability. In some cases, these pressures may also contribute to adverse coping mechanisms, such as the withdrawal of girl children from school to assist in domestic responsibilities.
  
  These economic strains are further aggravated during periods of food insecurity, where women are often compelled to reduce their own food intake to ensure that children and other family members are fed. This underscores the need to sustain and strengthen nutrition support mechanisms, particularly feeding programs for children in economically vulnerable communities, as part of gender-responsive crisis mitigation measures.
• Exacerbated Unpaid Care and Domestic Work: Power disruptions and the high cost of labor-saving technologies significantly increase the time and physical labor women and girls spend on unpaid care and domestic work (e.g., manual laundry, manual food preparation). This reduces their time for productive work, rest, and personal development, further widening the gender gap in unpaid care.
• Mobility, Safety, and Exposure to Gender-Based Violence (GBV): Limited public transport and surging fares restrict women's access to workplaces and essential services. Moreover, reduced street lighting and energy-related service gaps heighten the risk of GBV, harassment, and exploitation in public spaces and transit hubs, particularly for women and girls.
• Compounded Vulnerabilities (Intersecting Issues): Following the intersectional lens of PCW MC 2025-07,⁵ agencies are reminded that crisis situations often intensify existing inequalities and create compounded risks for women belonging to marginalized sectors, including women with disabilities, elderly women, indigenous women, and persons with diverse SOGIESC, who may face additional barriers in accessing essential services, energy resources, and social protection mechanisms.
  
  Experience from the COVID-19 pandemic further demonstrated that economic strain, mobility restrictions, and disruptions in basic services may contribute to increased household stress, which in some cases resulted in heightened risks of domestic and gender-based violence. At the same time, constrained household resources may reduce the capacity of families to adequately meet the care needs of care-dependent populations such as older persons, persons with disabilities, and children, with women often absorbing these gaps through increased unpaid care work.
  
  These intersecting vulnerabilities highlight the need for agencies to adopt an intersectional and gender-responsive approach in the design and delivery of programs, projects, and activities, ensuring that crisis response measures remain accessible, inclusive, and responsive to the multiple and overlapping forms of disadvantage experienced by vulnerable groups. This approach is critical to ensure that interventions do not inadvertently exclude those with the greatest needs and that protection mechanisms remain in place for those facing heightened risks during crisis situations.

3.0 POLICY GUIDELINES AND MANDATORY ACTIONS

3.1 Continuous Implementation and Intersectional Design. Agencies shall ensure the non-interruption of GAD programs, activities, projects (PAPs), particularly those where women and girls are primary beneficiaries. Gender concerns must remain an integral component of the agency's primary response to the crisis rather than being treated as a secondary consideration. Sustaining these interventions is essential, not only for compliance with national GAD policies, but also for advancing the country's commitments to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 5 (Gender Equality) and the cross-cutting gender equality indicators across other SDGs, including those related to poverty (SDG 1), health (SDG 3), education (SDG 4), decent work (SDG 8), and affordable and clean energy (SDG 7).

Pursuant to PCW Memorandum Circular No. 2025-07, agencies are likewise directed to adopt an intersectional approach in the design, implementation, and necessary adjustment of their PPAs to ensure that the differentiated needs of women, men, and persons of diverse SOGIESC are effectively addressed. In this regard, PAPs that respond to priority gender issues-particularly those affecting women and marginalized sectors-must be protected from reduction, deferment, or deprioritization, in the implementation of energy conservation measures. In line with these principles, agencies are strongly encouraged to prioritize gender-responsive initiatives that contribute to SDG 5 targets, including the recognition of unpaid care work, improved access to essential services and economic opportunities, and strengthened protection and response mechanisms against gender-based discrimination and violence. Ensuring the continuity of these PAPs reinforces both national gender mainstreaming commitments and the Philippines' obligations under the SDGs, while safeguarding gains in gender equality during periods of crisis.

3.2 Adaptation of Modalities and Energy Conservation. In compliance with the energy conservation measures of MC 114 (s. 2026), agencies are advised to shift the modality of GAD-related activities to reduce fuel and electricity consumption:

• Prioritization of Online Platforms: Maximize the use of virtual platforms for GAD-related training, orientations, GFPS meetings, and stakeholder forums to eliminate travel-related fuel use and reduce on-site electricity demand.
• Deferral of Travel-Intensive Activities: Field visits, "lakbay-aral," or any activities requiring significant travel as identified in the President's Memorandum shall be deferred; however, agencies may explore shifting these to virtual formats if feasible.
• Streamlined Onsite Conduct: If an onsite activity is indispensable, it must be held within the mandated four-day workweek, observing the 24°C thermostat setting and other prescribed conservation measures.

3.3 Strategic Readjustment and Safeguards of the GAD Plan and Budget (GPB). Agencies may consider readjusting their GPBs to better respond to emerging gender issues arising from the energy crisis, subject to existing budgeting, accounting, and auditing rules.

Funds from activities that are no longer feasible (e.g., travel-intensive or high-energy consumption activities) may be redirected to more cost-efficient and responsive interventions, such as virtual activities or targeted support programs.

Provided that: Such readjustments remain directly attributable to gender issues and are consistent with established GAD planning and budgeting guidelines, as well as applicable COA and DBM regulations.

3.4. Applying a Gender Lens to Emergency Policies. Technical staff and GFPS members must be capacitated to incorporate a gender lens in all emergency-related policies, such as austerity measures, fund releases, and new programs:

• Care-Responsive Scheduling: If office hours are reduced for energy conservation, agencies should consider flexible work schedules for employees with caregiving responsibilities.
• Targeted Welfare and Intersectionality. Consistent with PCW MC 2025-07, agencies shall ensure that energy relief and welfare programs specifically prioritize women-headed households, elderly women, women with disabilities, and ensure that emergency response policies recognize households of persons with diverse SOGIESC and ensure equitable access to relief, shelter, and recovery programs for all family types, including chosen families. These programs should not only mitigate the economic impact of oil prices but also seek to reduce the "time poverty" of women by facilitating their access to efficient and affordable energy services.

3.5 Guide on the Activities to be Implemented. For ease of reference and to support implementation, a non-exhaustive list of GAD programs, activities, and projects (PAPs) that may be prioritized, modified, or deferred during the energy emergency is provided as Annex A of this Advisory.

4.0 DOCUMENTATION AND REPORTING

4.1. All adjustments must be transparently documented. Reflect all readjusted activities in the GAD AR. Provide a clear narrative in the GAD AR explaining why activities were readjusted and how the new activities addressed gender issues exacerbated by the energy crisis.

5.0 GENERAL REMINDER

While energy conservation is a national priority, agencies are encouraged to ensure that such measures are implemented in a manner that remains responsive to the needs of women and marginalized groups.

Gender-responsive governance continues to play a vital role in promoting inclusive and resilient public service delivery.

For technical assistance, please contact the PCW through [email protected], [email protected] or its official digital channels.

Sgd.
ERMELITA V. VALDEAVILLA
Chairperson

Download a copy.

1. Advisory: Proper Utilization and Safeguards of the Gender and Development (GAD) Budget. https://pcw.gov.ph/advisory-proper-utilization-and-safeguards-of-the-gender-and-development-gad-budget/ ↩︎
2. As used in this Advisory, "women in marginalized sectors" consist of families in poverty situation as defined by the Department of Social Welfare and Development, including women who are solo parents and widows; female heads of household; women with disability; girls in crisis; women in conflict with the law; women in distant and indigenous communities; women survivors of disasters; women victims of armed conflict in the Philippines or overseas; women with no livelihood or economic support; survivors of violence against women. ↩︎
3. Time poverty refers to a condition in which individuals have insufficient discretionary time for rest, leisure, personal care, or social participation due to the demands of paid work, unpaid care work, commuting, and other necessary activities. It is considered a form of deprivation associated with limited control over one's time and may result in stress, burnout, and adverse well-being outcomes. Source: Human Act, Time Poverty: The Rising Cost of Time in an Unequal World, available at: Time Poverty: The Rising Cost of Time in an Unequal World ↩︎
4. "Powering Gender Equality." United Nations Development Programme, 18 June 2025, www.undp.org/stories/powering-gender-equality. ↩︎
5. PCW Memorandum Circular No 2025-07. Reaffirming Gender Mainstreaming as the Mandated Strategy and the Gender and Development (GAD) Approach as its Guiding Framework for Promoting Gender Equality and Inclusive Development within Bureaucracy ↩︎