Good afternoon.

Assalamu alaikum wa Raḥmatullahi wa Barakatuh.

First, allow me to express my gratitude to all of you for making time despite your busy schedules. Thank you for being one with the Philippine Open Government Partnership or PH-OGP and the Department of Budget and Management in our quest to fully institutionalize PH-OGP.

More importantly, yes, we are happy that we have representatives here from the Senate (Director Davidson Torres since our Senate President is busy now because of the sessions and committee meetings) and, of course, our Justices from the Supreme Court (Justice Samuel Gaerlan is a good friend and Justice Maria Filomena Singh—good afternoon) to show the solidarity of the Legislature and the Judiciary with our advocacy to push for open government in the country. This meeting would not be possible also without the support of the Office of Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin—thank you for facilitating this, Usec. Leonardo Roy Cervantes. As you know, we are advocating a whole-of-government approach, so that includes our respective institutions sharing in the advocacy of open governance.

I am delighted to share with all of you that through the able leadership of President Bongbong Romualdez Marcos Jr., we have already taken a great stride toward institutionalizing open government with the issuance of Executive Order (EO) No. 31 on June 20, 2023. This EO is a remarkable feat for the Administration and a momentous win for our people.

Over a decade since the Philippines became a founding member of the Open Government Partnership, it was only institutionalized this year—a testament to this Administration’s commitment to promoting transparency, strengthening social accountability, and empowering Filipinos through open governance and public participation.

EO 31 directs the creation of a Steering Committee, composed of representatives from the government and CSOs, which will set the direction, programs, and activities of the PH-OGP. It also authorizes the PH-OGP Steering Committee to invite the Legislature and the Judiciary to synchronize and complement our open government initiatives.

For this reason, this very meeting is also historic, as this is the first meeting of the PH-OGP Government Steering Committee following the issuance of EO 31. Much more so since we have united the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches—despite being independent of each other—for this noble cause. Truly, it is unity—the resounding call of PBBM—that fuels this Administration, ignited by our passion to serve the Filipino people.

As such, we look forward to your active and meaningful participation in today’s meeting, and the next meetings to come. And, as we go about our discussions, I fervently hope that we maximize the opportunity not only to lay out our plans for OGP but also to lead by example in shaping the country’s path toward genuine open government. Guided by the Whole-of-Government approach and even the Whole-of-Nation approach, let us join hands in pursuit of open governance and transparency, and ultimately increase the Filipino people’s trust and confidence in government.

The road to better governance is open, and it starts with us.

Thank you very much. Wabillahi Tawfiq Wal Hidaya, Wasalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu.