Isang maganda at pinagpalang araw po sa ating lahat!

Hindi po lingid sa kaalaman ng mga nandidito na ako po ay isang taas-noong tubong Mindanao. Ako po ay isang Maranao, kung kaya naman, ako rin po ay anak ng BARMM. So please allow me to begin by saying, Assalamu alaikum wa Raḥmatullahi wa Barakatuh.

Allow me to also acknowledge the presence of Rt. Hon. Lord Jack McConnell of Glenscorrodale, former First Minister of Scotland, member of the UK House of Lords, and expert adviser of Westminster Foundation for Democracy, extending to us the UK government’s commitment to the Bangsamoro peacebuilding.

Secondly, I would like to express my sincerest gratitude to everyone who made this purposeful advocacy campaign possible through their invaluable support:

• our very own DBM Regional Office XII headed by no less than Director Akmad J. Usman; 
• our colleagues from BARMM—Chief Minister Ahod Balawag Ebrahim, Ministry of Finance, and Budget and Management Minister Ubaida Pacasem, Ministry of Interior and Local Government Minister Sha Elijah Dumama-Alba, and the Office of the Chief Minister–Bangsamoro Information Office; 
• the Local Government of Cotabato City led by Mayor Mohammad Ali “Bruce” Matabalao; 
• my fellow Maranao, Associate Justice Japar B. Dimaampao; 
• the Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society, represented by Mr. Zalave Dinas, and our partners from the Civil Society Organizations; 
• our fellow public servants, and of course, our dear participants.

We ended last year’s run of OGPinas in Davao City, and I couldn’t be happier to be back in my beloved land of promise, now in BARMM, to kickstart the year—only two months since I expressed my hope to also bring OGPinas here—a testament to the hard work and commitment of the DBM to empowering BARMM. And a true testament to our strong relationship with BARMM. To the BARMM ministers who have supported this event, once again, maraming, maraming salamat po! Shukran.

Definitely, we have a lot of reasons to celebrate including this momentous collaboration between the BARMM, DBM, and PH-OGP sharing the common desire to bring the government closer to the people.

Most of all, we are truly blessed because we are also commemorating the 5th Founding Anniversary of BARMM this week. As Co-Chair of the Intergovernmental Relations Body working very hard on the development of BARMM, this truly warms my heart and means a lot to me. 

Back to OGP—Alam po ba ninyo na ang Pilipinas ay isa sa walong bansang nagtatag o founding member ng Open Government Partnership o OGP? And it was only under the Administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., through the issuance of Executive Order No. 31 last June 2023, that we have institutionalized the Philippine Open Government Partnership (PH-OGP).

In line with this EO, we have brought the OGPinas! National Advocacy Campaign to different strategic locations around the country—from Luzon to the Visayas, and Mindanao—in pursuit of strengthened public participation in policy-making and governance.

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.

Hindi lamang po dahil ako ay isang Mindanaoan ngunit dahil na rin sa aking mga personal na karanasan at pakikisalamuha sa ating mga kapatid dito sa BARMM, alam ko pong napakalaki ng ating pagpapahalaga sa good governance.

In fact, one of the principles that the Bangsamoro Administrative Code adheres to is that, in pursuit of moral governance, the Bangsamoro Government shall maintain honesty, integrity, transparency, accountability, and participation in governance; and take positive and effective measures against graft and corruption.

Indeed, we must make the call for open government and good governance stronger and louder here in Mindanao and in BARMM. Marami na po tayong pinagdaanan para makamit ang kapayapaang ating tinatamasa sa kasalukuyan. At 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.

And this is what Bagong Pilipinas is all about—the new tagline of the administration—shaping a government that is truly responsive to the needs of the people; one that is visionary and accountable to its constituents; and one that fulfills its promise of prosperity for everyone, including the future generations. 

At this point, I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate BARMM and its Government of the Day for having its Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 budget approved on December 21 of last year—just one day after President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. signed the FY 2024 General Appropriations Act.

Bilang Budget Secretary, ako po ay lubos na naniniwala na ang budget ang pinaka-daan upang maiparating natin sa ating mga kababayan na tayo ay tapat sa ating pangako na tayo ay tutugon sa kanilang pangangailangan.

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 inspire 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. Ako po ay lubos na umaasa na ito po ang magiging simula ng pagyakap ng BARMM sa PH-OGP. 

I have always said that it is my dream to see a BARMM that is thriving and a Mindanao that shines as a land of promise—and I am confident that this dream will turn into reality through open government and good governance.

Hence, I call on each of you to join us in achieving 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 kung saan walang Pilipino ang maiiwanan, at kung saan ang gobyerno at mamamayan ay nagtutulungan at nagkakaunawaan.

Muli, Happy 5th BARMM Founding Anniversary! Mabuhay po tayong lahat. Mabuhay ang BARMM at ang OGPinas! 

Maraming salamat po. Wabillahi Tawfiq Wal Hidaya, Wasalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu.