PROFILE

Amenah F. Pangandaman is the incumbent Secretary of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM). She is the first Muslim Budget Secretary, and the only female member of the country’s economic team.

She carries with her 20 years of government service, having worked in the legislative and executive branches, and the Central Bank. With such experience, she possesses a unique perspective on Philippine bureaucracy and a profound understanding of the interplay among various sectors and agencies in the economic sector.

Prior to her appointment as Budget Secretary, Pangandaman served as the Concurrent Assistant Governor for Strategic Communication and Advocacy and Executive Offices Coordinator of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.

She is not new to the budget process as she was Undersecretary and Functional Group Head of the Office of the Secretary at the DBM during the Duterte Administration.

Early in her career, she oversaw the enactment of budget laws as the Chief-of-Staff to the late former Senate President Edgardo J. Angara and Committee of Finance Chairperson Senator Loren B. Legarda.

As the current Budget Secretary, she is fully committed to supporting the pursuit of the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. towards a broad-based and inclusive economic recovery.

To this end, she aims to advance prudent fiscal management of the government's financial resources, initiating the modernization of the budget system, embedding sustainability and green principles in government spending, and promoting sustainable economic growth through strategic investment in high-impact infrastructure and human capital development.

Secretary Pangandaman consistently champions financial inclusion and key budgetary reforms, such as Digitalization; Climate Change and Green Public Procurement; and Open Government Partnership to further promote good governance, fiscal transparency, and accountability.

Under her leadership, the government was able to enact the fastest national budget in recent memory. Additionally, she chairs the Development Budget Coordination Committee, which developed the Medium-Term Fiscal Framework and 8-Point Socioeconomic Agenda, which serves as the country’s roadmap for economic growth; and the Intergovernmental Relations Body, strengthening relations for lasting peace and economic development in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao.

As a proud Maranao with roots from the south, she persistently strives to provide Mindanao with a voice and expansive representation in her role as a civil servant across various government branches.

Secretary Pangandaman has earned a degree in Economics from the Far Eastern University and both a diploma and master’s degree in Development Economics from the University of the Philippines. She is currently on leave from her Executive Master of Public Administration Program from the London School of Economics to serve as Budget Secretary.

As a testament to her exceptional leadership skills, she was recently honored with the Rising Tigers “Woman of Substance” award, a recognition given to women who have made a difference and have created an impact in their work and in alleviating the plight of the disadvantaged. She was also named "Public Servant of the Year" among the honorees on the Men & Women Who Matter List of the Asia Leaders Awards. Secretary Pangandaman also received the “Philippines' Women Leaders Award,” a recognition presented by the World Women Leadership Congress.

The Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) has also recognized her contribution as a champion of budget reform and advocate of financial inclusion, especially for Mindanao, with the "Tanglaw ng Bayan" award.

In May 2023, Pangandaman joined the ranks of the Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary (PCGA) as Rear Admiral (two-star general).

She is also a regular columnist in Manila Bulletin's Opinion section to keep the public informed about the national budget and the country’s economy in her weekly column titled “Beyond Budget.”

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