Assalamu alaikum wa Raḥmatullahi wa Barakatuh.

To the Local Government of Albay, the Budget Officer representing Governor Edcel Grex Lagman, and City of Legazpi Vice Mayor Oscar Robert Cristobal, maraming salamat po sa mainit na pagtanggap sa amin sa Department of Budget and Management (DBM);

To the Association of Local Budget Officers in Region V Inc. (ALBOREV) headed by President Henry Quiñones;

To my DBM colleagues, most especially to the DBM-Regional Office V led by Regional Director Antonio Villanueva Jr. whose support has been invaluable to the success of this activity. Maraming salamat po sa ibinigay ninyong oras for public service.

To our local budget officers and Public Financial Management (PFM) practitioners; and all our participants, Marhay na aga po sa gabos! (Good morning to everyone!).

Before anything else, nais ko pong batiin ang lahat ng magayong kababaihang naririto ngayon ng Happy Women’s Month! Saludo po ako sa inyo at ako po ay lubos na natutuwang makita na napakarami po nating female budget officers at PFM practitioners dahil naniniwala po ako sa kagalingan ng kababaihan sa pag budget. Siyempre kasama na ako doon.

Likewise, I am so excited to be here in Legazpi. It is actually my first time here at ito raw po ang City of Fun and Adventure! Mamaya po, we will visit the Cagsawa Ruins. At alam niyo po, mahilig ako sa maanghang na pagkain kaya magkakasundo po tayo at excited na akong makatikim ng totoong Pinangat, pati na rin ang inyong nag-iisang Sili Ice Cream! Kaya salamat po sa PFMCP at sa PHILLBO, makukumpleto ko po ang sa Bicolandia bucketlist ko!

Pero ngayon, trabaho po muna tayo. And so, first, allow me to sincerely thank all of you for taking the time to join our PFMCP despite your busy schedules. Through your participation in this program, I see how you value PFM and how eager you are to contribute to achieving our nation’s goals through proper budget and management. It truly warms my heart to see such an astounding number of enthusiastic participants for the PFMCP for LGUs here in Legazpi City.

As you may know, we, at the DBM, are persistently working hard toward enhancing our PFM system. Part of our efforts to do so involves developing the capacities of our PFM practitioners—as you are the front liners in delivering quality services to the people we have sworn to serve. And I am proud to share that we have already empowered more than 4,500 PFM practitioners—and counting—nationwide, since our program started.

I cannot emphasize enough the crucial role of PFM practitioners in bridging the needs of our fellow Filipinos and the government's responses, especially in crafting a truly inclusive and people-centered budget. And this is what the Bagong Pilipinas is all about—shaping a government that is truly responsive to the needs of the people; one that is visionary and accountable to its constituents; and one that fulfills its promise of prosperity to everyone. Our growth and prosperity will never be truly inclusive without our local governments.  

Kaya naman kami po ay nagsumikap na buuin ang PFM Competency Program na ito, kasama ang PHILLBO, na targeted at nakatuon lamang sa ating mga LGUs. Covering topics on budgeting, procurement, cash management, accounting, even auditing and contract management, we have specifically designed this training program for LGUs to deepen your knowledge of PFM with the ultimate objective of promoting good governance, financial accountability, and effective resource management in your respective localities.

And so we hope that this program will assist you in fully utilizing your respective National Tax Allotment, among other budget allocations. We want to ensure better and strategic planning as we strive to improve our processes for budget preparation and budget execution. That is why in the past two days, you were given updates and information under the Foundation and Budgeting Tracks.

Meanwhile, we are fortunate to have PS-DBM Executive Director Atty. Dennis Santiago and GPPB-TSO Executive Director Rowena Candice Ruiz to discuss procurement. Napaka-importante po ng procurement track na ito dahil kailangang makabisado ninyo ang procurement processes upang ma-improve ang inyong budget utilization. Kaya kahit po ang ating mahal na Pangulo, Pangulong Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., ay kinikilala ang kahalagahan ng procurement.

At dahil nais ng DBM na gawing mas efficient at mas transparent ang ating procurement, sinisikap po natin na magkaroon na ng new and improved Government Procurement Reform Act. And I am proud to report that House Bill No. 9648 or the New Government Procurement Reform Act (GPRA) has been passed in the House of Representatives and underwent third and final public hearing in the Senate on February 28, 2024.

More exciting news: gumawa na po ang PS-DBM ng e-marketplace! Ang e-marketplace ay parang Shopee o Lazada para sa  sistemang mas madali, mas mabilis, at mas masaya na ang procurement.

And because we want to be sustainable, we also have a Green Public Procurement Strategy. Sisiguruhin rin po natin ang reduced environmental impact ng ating mga procured goods at infrastructure projects.

Alongside our procurement wins, we have also ramped up our digital transformation, resulting in the full adoption of the Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS) through Executive Order No. 29. Through this, our PFM processes will be digitalized, with the Budget and Treasury Management System (BTMS) serving as a centralized database for all government financial operations.

We have also already started working on our budget for FY 2025. As you know, the FY 2024 budget was already signed into law by PBBM on December 20. This amounts to Php 5.768 trillion, wherein Php 1.004 trillion is allocated to Local Government Units. Of this amount, Php 52.36 billion is allotted for the development of Region V, including a total of Php 11.22 billion earmarked for Albay. So I hope that all these will be fully utilized para makita po natin ang kagandahan ng Bagong Pilipinas dito sa Bicol Region!

Makakaasa po kayo na mas pagbubutihin pa po namin sa DBM at sisiguruhin namin na ang National Budget ay tunay na para sa Pilipino, upang patuloy na maihatid ng ating gobyerno hindi lamang ang capacity-building kundi ang mga serbisyo at proyekto mismo na tumutugon sa pangangailangan ng ating mga pinaglilingkuran.

This PFM Competency Program will help you create and execute the necessary Programs, Activities, and Projects that will make your respective LGUs thrive because ultimately, that is the wisdom of the Mandanas-Garcia Supreme Court Ruling: to empower our LGUs to serve the people in your localities faster and better.

Kaya sama-sama po nating paigtingin at pagitingin ang ating mga LGUs sa pamamagitan ng wasto at tapat na pagsasagawa at paggamit ng ating mga budget tungo sa Bagong Pilipinas kung saan walang Pilipino ang maiiwanan, at kung saan ang gobyerno ay pinagkakatiwalaan ng mamamayan.

Together, let us secure a future-proof and sustainable economy to achieve our Agenda for Prosperity.

Maraming salamat po. Dios Mabalos, Albay!

Mabuhay po ang Region V! Mabuhay ang ating host city, Legazpi! Mabuhay ang Pilipino at ang Bagong Pilipinas.

Wabillahi Tawfiq Wal Hidaya, Wasalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu.