A pleasant morning to the President and CEO of the Development Academy of the Philippines, Atty. Engelbert Caronan, Jr., our fellow workers in the government, partners from the private sector, and everyone who is watching us today.

Today’s event is anchored on the Government Quality Management Program (GQMP) which aims to ensure citizen satisfaction through government-wide quality improvement and building capacities across public sector organizations. In other words, it is designed to steer the bureaucracy towards a more “citizen-centered service delivery.” If realized, then we will hear less “ang haba ng pila,” “ang gulo ng sistema,” “ang hirap maging mahirap” remarks from our fellow Filipinos. I believe this is what we all want to achieve.

Hence, I want my message to revolve around the main stakeholders that will help us advance public service to accelerate the country’s recovery and transformation. They are our allies whose insights could be integrated into our ideas on how we could improve our productivity.

First, the business community—owners, entrepreneurs, managers, and their representatives—is our partner in nation-building and providing services to our fellow Filipinos. These businesses have direct interaction with our people and bridge us with them. They are aware of the long lines, the waiting, and the urgent need for our services. So today, let us listen to them and the results of the studies on the key issues affecting public service delivery wherein they are a part of the respondents.

Second, the government offices, where the majority of us belong. Throughout my years of service in the government, I had learned from my mentors, especially the late Senator Edgardo Angara, that we must always strive for reform-oriented public service. We must not be fixated on the work that needs to be done but on what we want to see for our people—better lives because of well-thought and strategic reforms. Hence, may we all learn and adopt the recommendations on improved productivity, innovation, and inclusive engagement which will be presented later.

Lastly, our most important stakeholder, the public. I hope that we will welcome their realities, no matter how distant they may be from our experiences. Let us evaluate their responses objectively and keep in mind that they do not merely complain; they are voicing out their experiences and needs. The best response is to listen and act on their concerns—decisively, intelligently, and with the utmost integrity.

This event, highlighting “Advancing Public Service Quality to Accelerate Recovery and Transformation,” is a helpful avenue for exchange, learning, and collaboration among these stakeholders. Digital transformation, cashless transactions, and virtual and flexible work, among others, have redefined our lives, and are products of fruitful discussions that have clear objectives.

Since the following talks will tackle the results of thorough studies and the recommendations of experts, as well the productivity agenda which we are called to contribute to, I hope that we will use them to be better at what we do, adjust what needs to be refined, and scrap what is not helpful.

In summary, I encourage all of us to be proactive learners and teachers, not just now, but constantly. Let us acknowledge our limitations, what we have done, and where we are now. Then let us challenge ourselves, again and again.

At this juncture, I would just like to give you an overview of what the Department of Budget and Management has done to contribute to improved productivity and public service delivery of the bureaucracy. We have prioritized in the Fiscal Year 2023 Proposed National Budget the enhancement of our bureaucratic efficiency. We believe that structural reforms are vital in uplifting the individual capacities of our people, including government employees.

We pursued investments in information and communications technology in order to transform and digitalize government processes, records, and databases through e-governance. Php 12.47 billion of the national budget was proposed for our ICT and digitalization programs and projects. The Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) was allocated Php 149 million for the strengthened implementation of the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act.

At the DBM, we will fast-track the development and implementation of the Budget and Treasury Management System, or BTMS, together with the Department of Finance, the Bureau of the Treasury, and the Commission on Audit. It is a centralized database that records real-time information on financial transactions across government agencies, from purchase to payment.

Through these, we hope that the whole government will be able to provide the quality of public service that every Filipino deserves. Not only because they are taxpayers who fund these projects, but most importantly, because they are people who have the right to live decent lives, and whom we gave the oath to serve when we chose to become public servants. Let’s all learn from each other and work towards a better Philippines for all.

Assalamu alaikum. Mabuhay ang bawat Pilipino!