MESSAGE
Flag Raising Ceremony
04 January 2023, DBM Boncodin Hall

Happy New Year, my DBM family! Assalamu alaikum.

I hope you were able to enjoy the holidays and spend quality time with your loved ones.

Today back to work na ulit. As we start the first working day of 2023, I am pleased that we have started it together, gathered here this morning as one big happy family.  Let us all welcome the year with gratitude and high hopes for a better future.

Allow me to take this opportunity to thank each and everyone – from the rank-and-file, who have shown tremendous effort in ensuring the DBM’s smooth operations, to the top management for providing guidance and expertise.

We did really well in 2022! And this is thanks to all of you!

The first half of 2022 of course was thanks to the leadership of someone we will honor today, Usec. Tina. Through her leadership and with your active support and our collective efforts, the DBM was able to withstand the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

And then you all welcomed me warmly. And again, thanks to you, we were able to not only survive but thrive amidst inflation, geopolitical tensions, and other economic and environmental challenges.

Some of our milestones include:

1. The Timely submission and historically the earliest or the fastest passage of the FY 2023 National Budget.  

We were able to submit the FY 2023 Proposed Budget on August 22, within the constitutional deadline. With the timely submission of the budget and the speedy action of the Congress, the historic Php 5.268 trillion National Budget for FY 2023 was enacted on December 16, 2022 – the fastest and earliest date that a national budget has been signed.

With a fresh budget for the year, we are armed to address the immediate concerns of our country such as inflation. Anchored on the theme, “Agenda for Prosperity: Economic Transformation Towards Inclusivity and Sustainability” and aligned with the Administration’s 8-Point Agenda, the budget will enable us to address the immediate and pressing concerns of all Filipinos in the near- and medium-term.

Also, with a fresh budget, government agencies can implement their planned programs and projects for the year, enabling timely delivery of public services to the Filipino people.  

Adoption of the Medium-Term Fiscal Framework (MTFF).

We are also thankful to Congress for adopting the country’s first-ever Medium-Term Fiscal Framework (MTFF) which will serve as the blueprint to reduce fiscal deficit, promote fiscal sustainability, and enable robust economic growth. It is through this framework on which the country's economic objectives were listed, such as achieving 6.5 to 8% real GDP growth annually between 2023 to 2028; 9% or single digit poverty rate by 2028; 3% National Government (NG) deficit to GDP ratio by 2028; less than 60% NG debt-to-GDP ratio by 2025; and the attainment of upper middle-income status by 2024.

Pursued digital transformation in PFM.

In pursuit of economic transformation and good governance, we have actively pursued the digitalization of public financial management (PFM) systems and processes. Since 2021, the DBM has embarked on the digitalization of the release of action documents to eliminate the unnecessary steps of printing, physical signing and forwarding of documents within the Department, and releasing of printed action documents to authorized department/agency liaison officers, as well as to ensure the safety of employees and external clients given the health risks brought by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2022,  we have expanded this endeavor to include other action documents, such as the Notice of Cash Allocation (NCA), which will help bring an estimated savings of Php 33 million per year with the reduced costs for security paper, printing, supplies, and transportation expenses for physical claiming of documents by agency representatives. Taking it even further, we inked a Memorandum of Agreement with three government servicing banks, namely the Landbank of the Philippines, Development Bank of the Philippines, and the Philippine Veterans Bank, for the implementation of the online release of the NCA.  

To aid LGUs improve their PFM systems, we have adopted the Enhanced Public Financial Management Assessment Tool (ePFMAT) and its electronic version for LGUs. Various DBM Regional Offices (ROs) have started the rollout of orientation and training workshops in their respective regions.

The digitization of the PFM Competency Program is also in full swing to ensure a safe learning environment for the PFM workforce.

Fostering transparency.

Through technology, we were able to make budget information more accessible to the public through sustained publication of budget documents and budget releases online and through the use of the Freedom of Information (FOI) portal. Consistently, the DBM has been awarded as one of the top requested and performing agencies in the eFOI Portal and recognized for its efforts in providing the public with convenience in requesting data from the government.

We have also utilized the social media platform to ensure the public’s accessibility to budget-related news. We have launched the Usapang Budget Facebook page which features updates on the plans, programs, activities and projects of the administration in a manner that is easily understood by the public. It now has 17,000 followers while our official DBM Facebook page has 130,000 followers.

Well-compensated workforce.

Aside from pursuing budget reforms and improving our PFM systems, we have also ensured that the government workforce is well-compensated for their hard work. The President approved our proposal for the one-time grant of the FY 2022 Service Recognition Incentive to be provided to qualified government employees at a uniform amount not exceeding Php 20,000.

For our Contract of Service (COS) and Job Order (JO) workers, we have recommended the grant of a one-time Gratuity Pay not exceeding Php 5,000 for each qualified COS/JO worker, which the President has authorized.

We’ve also made strides to ensure inclusivity through the Intergovernmental Relations Body (IGRB) that I co-chair. Through our efforts, the IGRB successfully held the first IGRB meeting with both the national and Bangsamoro governments in Davao City last December 1. The meeting tackled several policies centered on enabling inclusive and sustainable development in BARMM.

We also convened the Philippine Congress-Bangsamoro Parliament Forum (PCBPF), led by Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri and House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez for the National Government and Speaker of Parliament Ali Pangalian Balindong for the BARMM.