In support of maintaining a safe space for growth in gender and development, the Department of the Interior and Local Government Region 8 undergoes the Gender and Development (GAD) Seal Certification on August 31, 2023, at the Training Center DILG Region 8, Tacloban City.

The GAD Seal Certification is checked against eight indicators that would determine the GAD friendliness of the department, following DILG Memorandum Circular 2023-070. All the documents in the different indicators were validated by the National Assessment Committee, composed of Vengie Panlilo LGOO II from the Bureau of Local Government Supervision (BLGS), Shylack Limao LGOO II from DILG Region 12, and Engr. Vincent Malavi, Project Officer II from the Bureau of Local Government Development (BLGD).

Overall, DILG Regional Office 8 shows positive results on GAD responsiveness. Recommendations on effective management of documents were also determined by the assessors as part of the improvements.

The GAD Seal Certification shall serve as an incentive and recognition program within the department intended for internal recognition and promotion of institutionalizing gender mainstreaming. It shall serve as an avenue to assess the existing mechanisms of all concerned regional offices.