Isang magandang umaga po sa ating lahat!
Assalamu alaikum wa Raḥmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
First, allow me to express my sincerest gratitude to everyone who made this purposeful campaign successful through your invaluable support—the Local Government of Davao City, as represented by Councilor Myrna Dalodo-Ortiz; our very own, my DBM family here in Regions XI, XII, and CARAGA; our partner agencies, most especially the Department of the Interior and Local Government and the Philippine Information Agency; my fellow Maranao, Associate Justice Japar B. Dimaampao; our partners from Civil Society Organizations; our fellow public servants, and of course, our dear participants.
Alam po ba ninyo na ang Pilipinas ay isa sa walong bansang nagtatag o founding member ng Open Government Partnership o OGP? And under the Administration of President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr., through the issuance of Executive Order No. 31 last June 2023, we have now institutionalized the Philippine Open Government Partnership (PH-OGP).
In line with this EO, in the past few months, we have brought the OGPinas! National Advocacy Campaign to different strategic locations around the country—from Luzon, to the Visayas, and Mindanao, and maybe hopefully in the future, sa BARMM—in pursuit of strengthened public participation in policy-making and governance. And I couldn’t be happier that we are holding the culmination of this noble initiative here in my beloved land of promise, Mindanao.
Sa pag-iikot po namin sa iba’t ibang bahagi ng Pilipinas, nakita ko po na napakaraming magagaling at matutuwid na mga local officials na nagsusulong ng open government o bukas na pamamahala sa kanilang mga nasasakupan. At higit na mas marami po ang ating mga kababayan na nagpakita ng kanilang pakiki-isa sa ating adbokasiya. Gaya po ng sinabi ng Chief Executive Officer ng Open Government Partnership na si Sanjay Pradhan noong nakaraang OGP Global Summit sa Tallinn, Estonia, ang open government ay talagang nasa dugo nating mga Pilipino—at ang OGPinas! ay matibay na patunay nito.
But the call for open government and good governance must be stronger and louder here in Mindanao. Bilang isang taas-noong anak ng Mindanao, alam ko pong marami na tayong pinagdaanan para makamit ang kapayapaang ating tinatamasa ngayon. Ngayon, kailangan naman natin ang open government upang mapangalagaan at lalong mabigyang halaga ang tinatamasang kapayapaang ito.
Kaakibat po ng peacebuilding process ang pagsiguro na ang ating mga kapatid at kababayan sa Mindanao ay makaahon sa kahirapang bunga ng ilang taong labanan. As such, I firmly believe that peacebuilding and socioeconomic recovery will be sooner achieved if we invest in inclusive, responsive, and accountable governance systems. We need to establish public trust in our institutions that will strengthen our commitment to carry our people forward into a peaceful future.
Actually, PH-OGP is not new to Mindanao since the Province of South Cotabato joined the OGP Local Program in 2018, and has since crafted complementing local laws and resolutions that strengthen participatory governance. In fact, Governor Reynaldo Tamayo Jr. was with us during the OGP Global Summit. I hope that South Cotabato will be an inspiration to all provinces in Mindanao, and even BARMM, to embrace open government as they have.
We also recognize the significant contribution of our Civil Society Organizations, People’s Organizations, and movements at the grassroots level in pushing for peace in Mindanao so I want to emphasize that this Open Government movement, OGPinas, is for you—so that we can dialogue and work together towards transforming Mindanao from a land of promise to a land of promises fulfilled.
To my fellow Mindanaoans, please maximize this opportunity.
Together, let us achieve our vision for an open government, and let us empower others through this platform to make the changes we all desire for lasting peace and prosperity in Mindanao—tungo sa Bagong Pilipinas.
Mabuhay po kayo at ang OGPinas!
Maraming salamat po. Wabillahi Tawfiq Wal Hidaya, Wasalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu.
