Good morning to all the advocates and champions of open government and good governance present here today, most especially to my fellow Philippine Open Government Partnership (PH-OGP) Steering Committee (SteerCom) members.
Assalamu alaikum wa Raḥmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
First, please allow me to welcome all of you to DBM! We are very happy to host the whole PH-OGP SteerCom here in the Department, especially for our first meeting of the year.
Today, we will review the 2024 PH-OGP Calendar, revisit the SteerCom roles and responsibilities, and welcome the newly elected Non-Government SteerCom members for 2023 to 2027.
As you may all know, we have achieved great strides in open government last year.
In June, Executive Order No. 31 was signed, institutionalizing PH-OGP in the country. This paved the way for all the three branches of the government to come together despite being independent of each other, solidifying our whole-of-government approach to open government. I am also very happy to share that this is among the three initiatives for civil society and freedom of expression that caught the attention of United Nations Special Rapporteur Irene Khan when she visited the country sometime in January of this year.
We showed strength in numbers at the 2023 OGP Global Summit held in Tallinn, Estonia last September, with one of the biggest if not the biggest delegation, and where the Philippines was lauded by no less than the Chief Executive Officer of OGP, Mr. Sanjay Pradhan, as "a country with open government in its DNA."
Likewise, we successfully launched the OGPinas! National Advocacy Campaign and we have been bringing this to strategic locations nationwide, engaging hundreds of Filipinos in pursuit of strengthening public participation in governance. In fact, we were just in Cebu this Wednesday for its Region VII leg.
And as proof that we continue to work hard in the DBM and the PH-OGP, we have expanded the OGPinas! advocacy project from an Information and Education campaign about PH-OGP to a platform that introduces the 6th PH-OGP National Action Plan (NAP) and its commitments to the people, providing them with an avenue for feedback.
Finally, speaking of the 6th NAP, last December, we were able to publish the country's first-ever medium-term action plan for open government with ten commitments that exemplify localization, digitalization, and public participation themes aimed at improving transparency and strengthening public integrity. Notably, we have also included a commitment in the action plan centered on access to justice which is a first in the PH-OGP history.
These achievements were made possible through the unwavering support and dedication of our partners from civil society. Hence, I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincerest gratitude to our outgoing Non-Government Steering Committee Members led by the ever-dependable—my co-chair—Ms. Pat Sarenas of the Mindanao Coalition of NGO Networks or MinCODE. You have inspired us with your genuine care for the nation and our people as you tirelessly pushed for our shared causes and made public participation in policy-making a reality.
Now, I would like to warmly welcome our incoming Non-Government representatives. I am very confident you will sustain the momentum that we have created in the PH-OGP and I am looking forward to a harmonious working relationship with you. Let us continue to pursue our mission and achieve even greater milestones for open government in the country.
As we proceed with today’s meeting, let us keep in mind our shared aspirations for a better Philippines, a better society, and a better future for all Filipinos. Let us make this meeting as fruitful and as purposeful as can be so that we can transcend beyond action plans and realize a truly open government that will allow us to work together toward our Agenda for Prosperity. Sama-sama po nating abutin ang Bagong Pilipinas, kung saan ang gobyerno ay mapagkakatiwalaan at ang mga mamamayan ay pinakikinggan.
Maraming salamat po. Wabillahi Tawfiq Wal Hidaya, Wasalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu.
