The Bantayog-Hiraya Convergence Model: A Decolonial Framework for Assessing Regional Gender and Development (GAD) Institutionalization

The localization of Gender and Development (GAD) mandates in the Philippine governance landscape frequently produces a "policy evaporation" effect — a structural disjuncture wherein national directives dissolve before reaching meaningful regional execution. Existing evaluation frameworks, anchored predominantly in Western compliance logics, have proven insufficient for capturing the culturally embedded dimensions of GAD institutionalization within Philippine macro-policy coordinating bodies. This paper responds to that gap by introducing the Bantayog-Hiraya Convergence Model, a decolonial evaluation framework that operationalizes institutional maturity through indigenous semiotics rather than externally imposed performance metrics. The model is structured across four interconnected pillars grounded in indigenous semiotics: Bantayog (The Pillar/Monument), Gintong Hibla (The Golden Filigree), Abot-Tanaw (Immediate Horizon), and Hiraya (Transformative Vision). By grounding institutional assessment in Filipino relational epistemology — drawing on Sikolohiyang Pilipino, decolonial feminist theory, and indigenous Philippine semiotics — the model offers both a culturally resonant evaluative lens and a practical governance tool for advancing substantive GAD institutionalization in Philippine regional development bodies.