The Gender and Development (GAD) Program of West Visayas State University was established to carry out gender mainstreaming in the areas of instruction, research, extension, and medical services.
In 1999 the first call for the Gender and Development budget from General Appropriations Act (GAA) was issued in 1995 by then President Fidel V. Ramos. In response to this WVSU organized a Committee on Women and was involved in the nationwide research on “Sexual Harassment in the Campus”.
The Committee on Women used the Pambansang Sentro ng Wikang Filipino (PSWF) as its temporarily office . Dr. Lourdes Aranador was the university President and Nancy S. Surmieda was designated as Coordinator to handle the GAD program at the university.
From then on, GAD Office, spearheaded the tasks to carry out gender mainstreaming activities of the university in the areas of instruction, research, extension, and medical services.. WVSU was a Coordinating Committee member of Ugsad-Regional Gender Resource Network.
The University Drop-In Center was established as per BOR Resolution in 2002 as a child-minding center under the supervision of the Gender and Development Program. The Center attends to children (ages 2-4) of faculty, staff and alumni at a minimal cost. The Center’s operational expenses is funded by the GAD Budget.
The GAD was able to create guidelines for Anti-Sexual Harassment, Committee on of Decorum and Investigation, and GAD Policy. Other designated Directors of the GAD Program were Dr. Mary Ann Dela Vega, Prof. Voltaire Jacinto, and Dr. Jeanette J. Simpas.
In the pursuit of its vision, the Gender and Development office shall:
The Gender and Development (GAD) is committed to oversee capacity development on gender mainstreaming with appropriate programs, activities, and projects to address priority gender issues in the major programs/functions of the university: Instruction, Research, Extension and Medical Services which are client and organization-focused.