DBM Press Release
DBM-Ombudsman anti-corruption mechanism enables authorized investigators to connect procurement records, trace beneficial ownership, and spot patterns behind possible irregularities
The government has opened a new front in the fight against corruption: connecting the country’s procurement data directly with its premier anti-corruption institution.
The Department of Budget and Management (DBM), through the Procurement Service (PS-DBM), and the Office of the Ombudsman signed a Data Sharing Agreement (DSA) on Monday, 29 September 2026, establishing a secure mechanism that will give duly authorized Ombudsman personnel direct, role-based and read-only access to relevant procurement information in the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS).
The agreement means that when investigators need relevant procurement records for authorized official purposes, they will no longer have to depend solely on the traditional process of separately requesting documents and waiting for records to be transmitted.
Instead, authorized personnel will be able to examine relevant PhilGEPS information—including supplier and merchant registration records, beneficial ownership information for corporate registrations, procurement lifecycle documents, supplier participation and eligibility information, and permitted audit trails—subject to strict access, privacy, security, logging and monitoring controls.
The objective: make it faster and easier for the Ombudsman to follow procurement trails, connect related information, identify suspicious patterns, verify evidence, and support investigations, prosecution and corruption-prevention work.
Budget Secretary Kim Robert C. De Leon said the agreement recognizes that accountability should not begin only after wrongdoing has already occurred.
“The best accountability system is not simply one that catches wrongdoing after it happens. It is one that makes wrongdoing harder to commit in the first place,” Secretary De Leon said.
For Ombudsman Jesus Crispin C. Remulla, connecting procurement information can help investigators uncover relationships and patterns that may otherwise remain hidden when government records are scattered across different requests and offices.
“Think about who benefits when data is scattered. It is the contractor who bids under one company name today and another tomorrow. It is the official who splits a contract to avoid public bidding, counting on nobody putting the pieces together. It is the network of dummy corporations that all trace back to the same people. These schemes depend on distance, on the assumption that no one will connect the dots,” Ombudsman Remulla said.
He stressed that the agreement shortens that distance.
“Pinaiikli ng kasunduang ito ang distansyang iyan. Kapag nakikita ng Ombudsman ang buong rekord ng procurement, lumilitaw ang mga ugnayan. Ang parehong mga pangalan, ang parehong mga address, ang parehong mga padron. Kumukonti ang mga lugar na mapagtataguan.”
FROM REQUESTING RECORDS TO CONNECTING THE DOTS
Ombudsman Remulla explained that under the previous process, an investigator needing procurement information—whether a bid notice, notice of award, contract or supplier registration documents—would have to formally request the records and wait for their transmission.
That delay, he noted, matters in an investigation.
The DSA changes that by providing authorized Ombudsman personnel a direct electronic channel to relevant PhilGEPS information under clearly defined purposes and safeguards.
Secretary De Leon described the reform simply as “tamang impormasyon, sa tamang institusyon, sa tamang panahon.”
“When it comes to accountability, speed matters—but evidence matters even more. Kailangang may resibo. Kailangang may basehan,” the Budget Secretary said.
He emphasized that government may possess millions of procurement records, but information becomes truly useful for accountability only when the institution mandated to act can efficiently access, connect, analyze and use it.
“Data by itself does not create accountability. What government does with that data does. When the right information reaches the right institution at the right time—and when that institution has both the mandate and the courage to act on it—we do more than uncover problems. We learn from them. We correct them. And, hopefully, we prevent them from happening again,” Secretary De Leon said.
A DETERRENT, NOT JUST AN INVESTIGATIVE TOOL
Beyond helping ongoing investigations, Ombudsman Remulla said the system could itself serve as a deterrent to procurement abuse.
“The public has seen, in the past year, how much damage procurement abuse can do, and how far it can reach. To anyone who still thinks our procurement system can be gamed: understand that the Ombudsman is now looking at the same data you are submitting. Every document you upload to PhilGEPS is a document we can read. Act accordingly.”
The Ombudsman emphasized that access is not a license for indiscriminate searches or “fishing expeditions.” It will be role-based, limited to authorized personnel, logged and monitored, and governed by the Data Privacy Act and other applicable laws.
The agreement is anchored on Republic Act No. 10173 or the Data Privacy Act, Republic Act No. 12009 or the New Government Procurement Act (NGPA), and the constitutional mandate of the Office of the Ombudsman.
Both institutions will maintain confidentiality and security controls, designate their respective Data Protection Officers, and subject access to authentication, authorization, logging, auditing and regular compliance monitoring.
OVERSIGHT THAT ALSO IMPROVES THE SYSTEM
The DSA is not a one-way arrangement.
The Office of the Ombudsman may also provide PS-DBM with feedback arising from its use of procurement information—including inconsistencies, data-quality concerns and possible areas for system improvement—allowing weaknesses detected through actual investigative work to inform future procurement reforms.
Secretary De Leon said this is critical because accountability should do more than identify what went wrong.
“If patterns emerge, we learn from them. If there are recurring gaps in data quality, we improve the data. If there are weaknesses in system functionality, we strengthen the system. If there are policy gaps that create vulnerabilities, we examine the policy.”
“Accountability should not only tell us what went wrong yesterday. It should help us build a government where the same thing is less likely to go wrong tomorrow,” he added.
PS-DBM Executive Director Atty. Genmaries S. Entredicho-Caong likewise stressed that greater transparency must be accompanied by responsible and lawful use of government information.
“This DSA is not simply about making data accessible; it is about ensuring that the data is accessed and processed responsibly, lawfully, and for clearly defined purposes,” ED Entredicho-Caong said.
She added that PS-DBM remains committed to providing relevant procurement information to oversight institutions regardless of who may be the subject of an investigation—including, when necessary, PS-DBM personnel themselves.
PROCUREMENT REFORM AS AN ANTI-CORRUPTION REFORM
The signing comes as the government implements the NGPA and continues the modernization of PhilGEPS and other public financial management systems.
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Philippines Resident Representative Christophe Bahuet said the timing makes the agreement particularly significant.
“I see this agreement as part of the NGPA—a part of this reform towards strengthening public finance management, towards strengthening accountability, transparency, efficiency,” Bahuet said.
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Philippines Country Manager Amielle del Rosario, meanwhile, emphasized that greater access must translate into stronger institutional capacity to analyze and act on information.
“Access to information is only useful if institutions are able to turn it into sound analysis. UNODC will therefore continue supporting both institutions in making effective use of these tools,” del Rosario said.
DBM thanked UNDP and UNODC Philippines for their continuing support for good governance, institutional reform and anti-corruption initiatives in the country.
For Secretary De Leon, the ultimate objective goes beyond digitalization or faster exchange of records. It is about protecting public money and rebuilding trust in government.
“Trust is built when transactions can be traced. When questions can be answered with evidence. When institutions are willing to be scrutinized. And when government is willing to correct itself when weaknesses are found.”
With the DSA in place, procurement data will no longer simply sit in government databases. It can become an active tool for oversight—helping investigators follow the trail, connect the dots, detect vulnerabilities, and make it increasingly difficult for irregular transactions to hide in the gaps between government institutions.
As Ombudsman Remulla put it:
“The Filipino people have waited long enough for a government that does not hide from them. Let us give them one.”
[END]
Event photos can be accessed here:
FILIPINO VERSION
NEWS MATERIAL
Department of Budget and Management
ika-29 September 2026
FEWER PLACES TO HIDE: OMBUDSMAN, NAGKAROON NG DIREKTANG ACCESS SA PHILGEPS PROCUREMENT DATA NG PS-DBM
Anti-corruption mechanism ng DBM-Ombudsman, nagbibigay-daan sa mga awtorisadong imbestigador na pag-ugnayin ang procurement records, tukuyin ang tunay na may-ari ng mga kumpanya, at makita ang mga padron sa likod ng posibleng iregularidad
Nagbukas ang pamahalaan ng panibagong hakbang sa paglaban sa korapsyon: ang direktang pag-uugnay ng procurement data ng bansa sa pangunahing anti-corruption institution.
Nilagdaan ng Department of Budget and Management (DBM), sa pamamagitan ng Procurement Service (PS-DBM), at ng Office of the Ombudsman noong Lunes, ika-29 Setyembre 2026, ang isang Data Sharing Agreement (DSA), na nagtatatag ng ligtas na mekanismo na magbibigay sa mga awtorisadong personnel ng Ombudsman ng direkta, role-based, at read-only na access sa mahahalagang procurement information sa Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS).
Ang kasunduan ay nangangahulugang kapag nangangailangan ang mga imbestigador ng relevant na procurement records para sa mga awtorisadong opisyal na layunin, hindi na sila kailangang umasa lamang sa tradisyonal na proseso ng magkahiwalay na paghiling ng mga dokumento at paghihintay na maipadala ang mga rekord.
Sa halip, magagawa ng mga awtorisadong personnel na suriin ang kaugnay na impormasyon sa PhilGEPS—kabilang ang supplier at merchant registration records, impormasyon tungkol sa tunay na may-ari ng mga rehistradong korporasyon, mga dokumento sa buong proseso ng procurement, impormasyon tungkol sa paglahok at pagiging kwalipikado ng mga supplier, at mga pinahihintulutang audit trail—na napapailalim sa mahigpit na kontrol sa access, privacy, seguridad, pagtatala, at monitoring.
Layunin nito na gawing mas mabilis at mas madali para sa Ombudsman ang pagsubaybay sa procurement trails, pag-uugnay ng related na impormasyon, pagtukoy sa mga kahina-hinalang padron, pagpapatunay ng ebidensya, at pagsuporta sa mga imbestigasyon, prosecution, at mga hakbang para maiwasan ang korapsyon.
Sinabi ni Budget Secretary Kim Robert C. De Leon na kinikilala ng kasunduan na hindi lamang dapat nagsisimula ang accountability kapag nangyari na ang maling gawain.
“The best accountability system is not simply one that catches wrongdoing after it happens. It is one that makes wrongdoing harder to commit in the first place,” ayon kay Secretary De Leon.
Para kay Ombudsman Jesus Crispin C. Remulla, makatutulong ang pag-uugnay ng procurement information sa mga imbestigador na matukoy ang mga ugnayan at padron na maaaring manatiling nakatago kapag magkakahiwalay ang government records at kailangang hilingin sa iba't ibang tanggapan.
“Think about who benefits when data is scattered. It is the contractor who bids under one company name today and another tomorrow. It is the official who splits a contract to avoid public bidding, counting on nobody putting the pieces together. It is the network of dummy corporations that all trace back to the same people. These schemes depend on distance, on the assumption that no one will connect the dots,” sinabi ni Ombudsman Remulla.
Binigyang-diin niya na pinaiikli ng kasunduan ang distansyang ito.
“Pinaiikli ng kasunduang ito ang distansyang iyan. Kapag nakikita ng Ombudsman ang buong rekord ng procurement, lumilitaw ang mga ugnayan. Ang parehong mga pangalan, ang parehong mga address, ang parehong mga padron. Kumukonti ang mga lugar na mapagtataguan.”
MULA SA PAGHINGI NG RECORDS TUNGO SA PAG-UUGNAY NG MGA IMPORMASYON
Ipinaliwanag din ni Ombudsman Remulla na sa dating proseso, ang isang imbestigador na nangangailangan ng procurement information—maging bid notice, notice of award, contract, o supplier registration documents—ay kailangang pormal na humiling ng mga rekord at maghintay na maipadala ang mga ito.
Mahalaga ang naturang pagkaantala sa isang imbestigasyon, ayon sa kanya.
Binabago ito ng DSA sa pamamagitan ng pagbibigay sa mga awtorisadong personnel ng Ombudsman ng direktang electronic channel tungo sa kaugnay na impormasyon sa PhilGEPS, alinsunod sa malinaw na itinakdang mga layunin at safeguards.
Inilarawan ni Secretary De Leon ang repormang ito sa simpleng paraan bilang “tamang impormasyon, sa tamang institusyon, sa tamang panahon.”
“When it comes to accountability, speed matters—but evidence matters even more. Kailangang may resibo. Kailangang may basehan,” the Budget Secretary said.
Binigyang-diin niya na maaaring may milyon-milyong procurement records ang pamahalaan, ngunit nagiging tunay na kapaki-pakinabang lamang ang impormasyon para sa accountability kapag mahusay itong naa-access, naiuugnay, nasusuri, at nagagamit ng institusyong may mandato na kumilos.
“Data by itself does not create accountability. What government does with that data does. When the right information reaches the right institution at the right time—and when that institution has both the mandate and the courage to act on it—we do more than uncover problems. We learn from them. We correct them. And, hopefully, we prevent them from happening again,” saad ni Secretary De Leon.
PANLABAN SA PANG-AABUSO, HINDI LAMANG KASANGKAPAN SA IMBESTIGASYON
Bukod sa pagtulong sa mga kasalukuyang isinasagawang imbestigasyon, sinabi ni Ombudsman Remulla na maaari ring magsilbing deterrent ang sistema laban sa pang-aabuso sa procurement.
“The public has seen, in the past year, how much damage procurement abuse can do, and how far it can reach. To anyone who still thinks our procurement system can be gamed: understand that the Ombudsman is now looking at the same data you are submitting. Every document you upload to PhilGEPS is a document we can read. Act accordingly.”
Binigyang-diin ng Ombudsman na ang access ay hindi pahintulot para sa walang pinipiling paghahanap o “fishing expeditions.” Ito ay ibabatay sa tungkulin, lilimitahan sa mga awtorisadong personnel, itatala at imo-monitor, at pamamahalaan alinsunod sa Data Privacy Act at iba pang umiiral na batas.
Nakaangkla ang kasunduan sa Republic Act No. 10173 o Data Privacy Act, Republic Act No. 12009 o New Government Procurement Act (NGPA), at sa constitutional mandate ng Office of the Ombudsman.
Pananatilihin ng dalawang institusyon ang mga hakbang para sa confidentiality at seguridad, magtatalaga ng kani-kanilang Data Protection Officers, at sasailalim ang access sa authentication, authorization, logging, auditing, at regular na compliance monitoring.
OVERSIGHT NA NAKATUTULONG DIN SA PAGPAPABUTI NG SISTEMA
Hindi one-way arrangement ang DSA.
Maaari ring magbigay ang Office of the Ombudsman sa PS-DBM ng feedback batay sa paggamit nito ng procurement information—kabilang ang mga hindi nagtutugmang impormasyon, mga alalahanin sa kalidad ng data, at mga posibleng bahagi ng sistema na kailangang pagbutihin—upang ang mga kahinaang natutukoy sa aktuwal na imbestigasyon ay magsilbing batayan sa mga susunod na reporma sa procurement.
Sinabi ni Secretary De Leon na mahalaga ito dahil hindi dapat nagtatapos ang accountability sa pagtukoy lamang kung saan nagkamali.
“If patterns emerge, we learn from them. If there are recurring gaps in data quality, we improve the data. If there are weaknesses in system functionality, we strengthen the system. If there are policy gaps that create vulnerabilities, we examine the policy.”
“Accountability should not only tell us what went wrong yesterday. It should help us build a government where the same thing is less likely to go wrong tomorrow,” dagdag pa n'ya.
Binigyang-diin din ni PS-DBM Executive Director Atty. Genmaries S. Entredicho-Caong na kailangang sabayan ng responsable at naaayon sa batas na paggamit ng government information ang mas pinaigting na transparency.
“This DSA is not simply about making data accessible; it is about ensuring that the data is accessed and processed responsibly, lawfully, and for clearly defined purposes,” ED Entredicho-Caong said.
Dagdag niya, nananatiling nakatuon ang PS-DBM sa pagbibigay ng kaugnay na procurement information sa mga oversight institution, anuman ang taong sumasailalim sa imbestigasyon—kabilang, kung kinakailangan, ang mga personnel mismo ng PS-DBM.
REPORMA SA PROCUREMENT BILANG REPORMA LABAN SA KORAPSYON
Ang paglagda sa kasunduan ay naganap habang ipinapatupad ng pamahalaan ang NGPA at nagpapatuloy ang modernisasyon ng PhilGEPS at iba pang public financial management systems.
Sinabi ni United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Philippines Resident Representative Christophe Bahuet na partikular na mahalaga ang timing ng kasunduan.
“I see this agreement as part of the NGPA—a part of this reform towards strengthening public finance management, towards strengthening accountability, transparency, efficiency,” ayon kay Bahuet.
Samantala, binigyang-diin ni United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Philippines Country Manager Amielle del Rosario na kailangang mauwi ang mas pinaigting na access sa mas matatag na kapasidad ng mga institusyon na magsuri at kumilos batay sa impormasyon.
“Access to information is only useful if institutions are able to turn it into sound analysis. UNODC will therefore continue supporting both institutions in making effective use of these tools,” pahayag ni del Rosario.
Nagpasalamat ang DBM sa UNDP at UNODC Philippines sa patuloy nilang suporta sa good governance, institutional reform, at mga hakbang laban sa korapsyon sa bansa.
Para kay Secretary De Leon, higit pa sa digitalization o mas mabilis na pagpapalitan ng mga rekord ang pinakalayunin nito. Tungkol ito sa pangangalaga sa pera ng bayan at muling pagbuo ng tiwala sa pamahalaan.
“Trust is built when transactions can be traced. When questions can be answered with evidence. When institutions are willing to be scrutinized. And when government is willing to correct itself when weaknesses are found.”
Ngayong umiiral na ang DSA, ang procurement data ay hindi na basta mananatili sa mga database ng pamahalaan. Maaari na itong maging aktibong kasangkapan para sa oversight—na makatutulong sa mga imbestigador na subaybayan ang mga rekord, pag-ugnayin ang mga impormasyon, tukuyin ang mga kahinaan, at gawing mas mahirap para sa mga iregular na transaksyon na magtago sa mga puwang sa pagitan ng mga institusyon ng pamahalaan.
Gaya ng sinabi ni Ombudsman Remulla:
“The Filipino people have waited long enough for a government that does not hide from them. Let us give them one.”
[END]
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