The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Zambales, in partnership with the DILG Regional Office through the Regional Information and Communication Technology Unit (RICTU), successfully conducted the virtual refresher on Gender and Development Plan and Budget Monitoring System (GADPBMS) for the focal person and alternate focal person of the 14 Local Government Units (LGUs) of Zambales. This was held on January 20, 2021 via zoom online platform. The activity was also attended by DILG Municipal Local Government Operations Officers (MLGOOs).

 The activity was initiated to refresh the GADPBMS LGU focal person on how to access, navigate and encode their Gender and Development Accomplishment Reports (GADARs) and Gender and Development Plan and Budget (GPB) . Also, it aimed to ensure that the province of Zambales will be 100% compliant with the department's directive per DILG MC 2020-105 dated July 23, 2020 regarding the adoption on the use of GADPBMS.

During the activity, RICTU Resource Persons presented the features of the different users of the system, ensuring that every level of encoders are well-versed on their roles and responsibilities. With this activity, it is expected that LGU focal are now ready for this year's encoding and uploading of the 2020 GADAR and FY 2022 GPB.

Meanwhile, DILG Zambales Provincial Director Armi V. Bactad, in her message, expressed her gratitude to the Resource Persons from DILG RICTU 3 headed by Ms. Melerie G. Pineda, Information Technology Officer 1, together with the team members, Database Administrator Marlon Soliman and Data Analyst Nick Danielle Bracamonte for sharing their valuable time and knowledge of the system.

She also thanked the participants for attending and participating in this activity. She also assured that, the DILG Zambales thru our MLGOOs will always be there to extend assistance to all the LGUs in the province, she stressed that it is one of the main reasons why we, at the DILG have our MLGOOs in their locality, that we will work hand in hand and ensure the progress and development in every LGU in the province of Zambales.

DILG Zambales hopes that with this capacity-building activity, the LGUs will continually strengthen their capacities in formulating and implementing their GBPs, in reporting their GAD ARs, and in pursuing their GAD advocacy work.