To Agusan del Norte Provincial Governor Maria Angelica Rosedell M. Amante, Dinagat Islands Provincial Governor Nilo P. Demerey Jr., and Butuan City Mayor Ronnie Vicente C. Lagnada—maraming salamat po sa mainit na pagtanggap sa amin sa Department of Budget and Management (DBM) dito sa Caraga;
To Caraga Budget Administrators Group Inc. headed by President Gina R. Concon—thank you for being our incredible partner in this undertaking at dahil sa inyo, nadala namin ang PFMCP dito;
To our very own DBM Regional Office 13, led by Director Maria Fe D. Jagna and Assistant Director Jenneth C. Partosa, whose support has been invaluable to the success of this activity—maraming salamat po sa ibinigay ninyong oras at pawis, at sa pag-alaga sa mga taga-DBM habang sila ay nandito;
To our 659 Public Financial Management (PFM) practitioners and all our participants from the provinces of Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, and the Province of Dinagat Islands, Butuan City;
Madiyaw nga adlaw! Assalamu alaikum wa Raḥmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
I’m very happy to be here in Butuan City—the Timber City of the South. Pang-higit sampung beses na bisita ko na po ito sa Mindanao simula nung ako ay naging Budget Secretary pero unang beses ko po ngayon dito sa Agusan kaya sobrang saya ko po na umabot na rin ako rito para personal na makasama at mabati kayong lahat.
At sana makabalik po ulit kami next year para makisaya at makisayaw sa inyong Balangay Festival na nabalitaan ko ay napaka-vibrant at napakasaya dahil sa masasarap na pagkain, street dance competitions, makukulay na mga parada at cultural shows—a reflection of Butuan’s rich heritage, culture, and breathtaking natural wonders. Balita ko po ito ay May 19… so pagkatapos po ng eleksyon!
Pero ngayon, trabaho po muna tayo. Allow me to thank you and congratulate all of you for being part of this year’s Public Financial Management Competency Program (PFMCP) for Local Government Units (LGUs). Through your participation in this program, I see how eager you are to contribute to achieving our nation’s goals through proper budget and management.
As you may know, we at the Department of Budget and Management are persistently working hard to develop the capacities of our local PFM practitioners—because you are the frontliners in delivering quality services to the people we have sworn to serve.
And I am proud to share that we have already capacitated more than 5,000 local PFM practitioners, and counting, nationwide. This is a testament to our commitment to ensuring inclusivity and empowering our local governments.
Ultimately, our goal in PFMCP is to promote good governance, financial accountability, and effective resource management in your respective localities. That is why, in the past few days, our top-caliber subject matter experts walked you through the seven (7) foundation courses.
But aside from the budgeting tracks, I am excited that you are now learning more about the New Government Procurement Act (NGPA), which was just signed into law last July 20.
Ito pong NGPA, unang araw ko pa lang po bilang Budget Secretary, talagang kasama na po talaga ito sa aking checklist. Dahil gusto ko po talagang matanggal ang corruption sa procurement; at the same time, gawing mas efficient, effective, mabilis, up-to-date, at digitalized ang ating procurement system. Kaya nagpapasalamant naman po ako sa ating GPPB-TSO, PS-DBM, legal team, sa mga mambabatas na nag-sponsor sa batas na ito, at higit sa lahat, sa ating Pangulo dahil sinuportohan niya ito.
Now, we can all look forward to a procurement system that adheres to global standards and is more attuned to changing times.
Alam ninyo po ba ‘yung Shoppee at Lazada? So ganoonn na po ang pagbili sa PS-DBM! With the New Government Procurement Act, ngayon, pwedeng mag-add to cart na lang! Through the NGPA, we will establish an e-marketplace where agencies can procure common-use supplies and equipment directly from competent and reputable suppliers.
And because we want to be sustainable, we also have a Green Public Procurement Strategy to ensure the reduced environmental impact of our procured goods and services.
We will also make our public procurement process more inclusive by providing equal opportunities to vulnerable and marginalized sectors, microenterprises, social enterprises, and start-ups through the Inclusive Procurement Program.
And not only that, we will also open the procurement process to citizen participation and allow the public to observe in the procurement proceedings—true to the spirit of the Philippine Open Government Partnership!
As a testament to this commitment to open governance, tayo po ay number one hindi lang sa Southeast Asia pero sa buong Asia sa budget transparency. Dahil tayo po ay nakapag-publish ng comprehensive key budget documents on time, including the People’s Budget series.
Uulitin ko po, number 1 po tayo sa budget transparency in all of Asia.
Alongside our procurement and OGP wins, we have also ramped up our digital transformation, resulting in the full adoption of the Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS), with the Budget and Treasury Management System (BTMS) as the centralized database for all government financial operations.
We are also gearing up for the implementation of the PFM Reforms Roadmap 2024 to 2028, the blueprint that will harmonize PFM policies across agencies and enable the full digitalization of PFM processes.
Most importantly, as you know, we already submitted the proposed Php 6.352 trillion National Budget for FY 2025 to Congress, and it is now undergoing deliberations. But we hope that this will once again be passed on time.
In his third State of the Nation Address, the President said this budget “was crafted with utmost care, diligence, and meticulous attention.”
In evaluating the budget, we considered primarily implementation-ready programs aligned with the government’s expenditure directions and agencies’ absorptive capacity.
With the theme “Agenda for Prosperity: Fulfilling the Needs and Aspirations of the Filipino People,” the proposed National Budget prioritizes social and economic services with a total allocation of Php 3.974 trillion, which is more than half, or 62.6 percent, of the proposed budget.
Pero napakahalaga po ng ating mga LGU. And so to promote regional development, no less than Php 1.184 trillion[1] has been allocated to Local Government Units. Of this amount, Php 130.2 billion[2] is allotted for Caraga. Mostly for infrastructure projects po ito. On top of this, the region will also receive Php 40.1 billion[3] from the LGUs’ FY 2025 National Tax Allotment. This increased by 18.7 percent. Sana po magamit natin ng tama ang ating budget.
But we also want all our LGUs to help us develop a green economy. Hence, we will support local governments in building open spaces and infrastructure that promote active mobility through the Green, Green, Green Program, with Php 1.0 billion. May mga cities and municipalities po tayo na magiging recipient ng ating Green Green Green Program.
And we will provide adequate water supply and sanitation services to lagging municipalities, and construct climate-smart evacuation centers through the Support and Assistance Fund to Participatory Budgeting with Php 1.0 billion.
Now, we fulfill the Mandanas-Garcia Supreme Court Ruling, and empower our LGUs and capacitate all our budget officers through the PFMCP, I hope that all of your budgets will be fully utilized para naman mas makita pa po natin ang kagandahan ng Bagong Pilipinas dito sa rehiyon at sa bawat LGU.
Sama-sama po nating paigtingin at pagitingin ang ating mga LGUs sa pamamagitan ng wasto at tapat na paggamit ng inyong mga budget tungo sa Bagong Pilipinas kung saan walang Pilipino ang maiiwanan, at kung saan ang gobyerno ay pinagkakatiwalaan ng mga mamamayan.
Dahil ‘yan ang Bagong Pilipinas—may gobyernong tunay na nagtratabaho para sa mas maginhawang buhay ng bawat Pilipino.
Salamat kadiyaw!
Mabuhay po ang Butuan City at ang Caraga! Mabuhay ang Pilipino at ang Bagong Pilipinas!
Wabillahi Tawfiq Wal Hidaya, Wasalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu.
END
