To Taguig City Mayor Lani Cayetano;
Ms. Marian Orayani of the Association of Metro Manila Budget Officers, Inc.;
DBM-NCR Director Ruby Muro and Assistant Director Joseph Cicero Sy;
Our PFM practitioners and participants from the National Capital Region;
Magandang araw po sa ating lahat! Assalamu alaikum wa Raḥmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
I am glad to be with all of you today, although virtually, for the last day of our Public Financial Management Competency Program (PFMCP).
As you may know, our ultimate 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 foundation courses.
I am also excited that you are now learning more about the New Government Procurement Act (NGPA), which was just signed into law last July 20.
Unang araw ko pa lang po bilang Budget Secretary, top priority ko na po itong NGPA dahil isa ito sa mga susi sa pagsugpo sa korapsyon sa gobyerno sa pamamagitan ng digitalized, efficient, mas mabilis, at mas madaling maintidihan na procurement system.
Isipin n’yo, with the NGPA, pwedeng mag-add to cart na lang! We will establish an e-marketplace where agencies can procure common-use supplies and equipment directly from competent and reputable suppliers.
At transparent din ito! Because we will also open the procurement process to citizen participation and allow the public to observe in procurement proceedings—true to the spirit of the Philippine Open Government Partnership!
In line with our commitment to open government, I am also happy to share that we are number one not only in Southeast Asia but in the whole of Asia in budget transparency.
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.
Just last week, we officially endorsed to the President the PFM Reforms Roadmap 2024 to 2028, a comprehensive blueprint that will harmonize PFM policies across agencies and fully digitalize our PFM processes.
The PFM Roadmap is guided by eleven (11) strategic focus areas, including capacity building.
More importantly, we already submitted the proposed Php 6.352 trillion National Budget for FY 2025 to Congress, which is now undergoing deliberations.
Under this budget, no less than some Php 1.184 trillion[1] has been allocated to our Local Government Units. Of this amount, Php 857.9 billion[2] is allotted for the National Capital Region. On top of this, NCR will also receive some Php 62.3 billion[3] from the LGUs’ FY 2025 National Tax Allotment, higher by 18.7 percent from this year.
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.
So 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 NCR at sa bawat LGU.
Dahil ‘yan ang Bagong Pilipinas—may gobyernong tunay na nagtatrabaho para sa mas maginhawang buhay ng bawat Pilipino.
Mabuhay po ang Taguig City at ang National Capital Region! Mabuhay ang Pilipino at ang Bagong Pilipinas!
Wabillahi Tawfiq Wal Hidaya, Wasalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu.
END
[3] Local Budget Memorandum No. 90 s. 2024
