The Provincial Gender and Development Focal Point System of the Negros Occidental held a meeting today to approve 64 projects of 22 proponents amounting to P262.5 million to be funded by the 2024 GAD Budget.

About P 95.4 Million of the 2024 Provincial GAD fund will go to health-related programs and projects.

These include the P70 million for the Subsidy for Medical Expenses of Members and Dependents of the Negros Occidental Comprehensive Health Program or NOCHIP; P 17.2 million for 17 projects of the Provincial Health Office; P 7.2 Million for the Hospital Operations Department Admin and seven hospitals, and the P 1 Million for the Surgical, Health Advocacy and Medical Services of NikkiCares Foundation.

The 10 Scholarship programs of the Negros Occidental Scholarship Division were allocated P90,340,500 while the Training for Work Scholarship of the Negros Occidental Language and Information Technology Center will get P 33.2 Million.

Almost P15 Million were allocated for the eight sectoral support and empowerment and anti-Violence Against Women programs of the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office, including the support to Holy Family Home.

About P21 Million will be for livelihood support and employment projects. The Office of the Provincial Agriculturist and the Provincial Environment and Management Office (which will receive P6 million each), while P4 million will be allocated for the Technology and Livelihood Development Center.More than half of the P5.8 Million GAD budget for the Provincial Planning and Development Office will be used for the livelihood and economic support of various women constituents, while the Provincial Employment Service Office will have an allocation of P2 Mmillion.Gender and Development programs for the employees of the Provincial Capitol will we taken cared of by the various projects of the Provincial Human Resource and Management Office and the Office of the Governor with a combined allocation of P4 Million.The GAD Budget is 5 percent of the more than P5 Billion anticipated budget of the province next year.Present during the meeting today were PGFPS members who are PGNO department and office heads, and representatives of various sectors and National Government Agencies.*#AbanseNegrense