Mandaue allots P37M for women's programs

The Mandaue City government has allocated P37 million for the Gender and Development Council to push for initiatives toward women empowerment, gender equality, promotion of women's rights and participation in gender-responsive governance.

Mayor Thadeo Ouano said that the city government recognizes the role of women in the development process, under the Gender and Development Program the city was able to provide access to capital assistance for a number of women's organizations in the city.

A child-minding center is now under construction to attend to the needs of the children of women employees of the city government as another Social Development Center is now being built to serve as a focal point for the city's gender-responsive initiatives.

Aside from attending to the needs of the women sector, the city government is also building a workshop to equip the disabled with skills for them to be more productive members of society.

Ouano said he believes the child cannot become a better person without the family. Recognizing this, he said the city's initiatives are directed towards strengthening the family as the basic social institution.

"Take away the family and everything else disintegrates. Undermine the academic institution and we will end up with children with no potentials. We will end up managing a city without champions. We must therefore bring out in every child the best that he can be," Ouano said. - Mitchelle P. Calipayan