A pleasant afternoon to my fellow Philippine Open Government Partnership (PH-OGP) Steering Committee members and all the advocates and champions of open government and good governance. 

Magandang hapon po sa ating lahat. 

Assalamu alaikum wa Raḥmatullahi wa Barakatuh. 

As Budget and Management Secretary and PH-OGP Chairperson, I am thrilled to present our 2024 Annual Accomplishment Report, which highlights key milestones, as well as our collective efforts to push the Open Government agenda and which has allowed our country to position itself as a global leader in the open governance space.   

The landmark institutionalization of the PH-OGP through the signing of Executive Order No. 31 in 2023 by no less than our President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has made our Open Government agenda more vibrant than ever. It led to the formation of an even stronger Steering Committee—our policy- and decision-making body—which now includes representatives from women, youth, environment and climate, and justice sectors.   

In the same year, we produced our 6th PH-OGP National Action Plan (NAP), the very first of its kind with a four-year implementation period.  

And in May, we made history by engaging the Diplomatic partners during the celebration of Open Government Week 2024, which was filled with multi-partner-led sessions focused on different Open Government themes. 

Building on the momentum of OpenGov Week 2024, we have implemented several targeted initiatives to address key Open Government challenge areas. 

Access to Information  

As the Department responsible for ensuring the efficient and sound utilization of our nation’s budget, DBM ensures that budget documents are accessible and open to public scrutiny. Our consistency in publishing the pre-budget statement, proposed and enacted budget, in-year and mid-year reports, and the People’s Budget series have gained us global recognition as the top country in Asia for budget transparency and sixth in the world for budget oversight based on the latest Open Budget Survey. So, our goal is to make it number one in the world. 

Anti-Corruption 

Driven by our commitment to modernizing procurement and meeting the people’s needs, we successfully pushed for the enactment of the New Government Procurement Act, hailed as the country’s biggest anti-corruption measure in recent history.  

Signed into law by PBBM in July 2024, the NGPA mitigates the risk of conflicts of interest and introduces open contracting—a global standard enabling the public to access data and documents at all stages of procurement. It also encourages public participation of our civil society members so they can help ensure the prudent and judicious use of government resources.  

Public Participation 

We are also proud to share the resounding success of our journey toward empowering local communities and bringing the government closer to the people.  

In collaboration with the Department of the Interior and Local Government, we launched the Support and Assistance Fund to Participatory Budgeting. This strengthened the partnership between CSOs and the government to deliver universal and equitable access to safe drinking water and sanitation services to identified municipalities.  

We also take pride in the four local government units (LGUs) that became members of the prestigious OGP Local Program in April after passing a stringent selection process. These are Quezon City, Baguio City, the Municipality of Larena in Siquijor, and Tagbilaran City. They joined South Cotabato, which was accepted to the program in 2018.  

Our OGPinas! Nationwide Advocacy Campaign has also evolved into a platform for raising awareness about the progress of the commitments under the 6th PH-OGP National Action Plan (NAP).  

In just a year, we have visited nine regions, engaging almost 4,000 stakeholders, including OGP champions in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).  

And in the Legazpi leg of OGPinas!, we also celebrated International Women’s Day with the civil society in the Bicol Region. At this event, we were proud to showcase the PH-OGP as a shining example of women taking the lead in the country’s governance—with yours truly as Chair for Government and Ms. Araw Chavez as Chair for the Non-Government sector.  

Digital Governance 

Towards digitalizing our bureaucracy, we launched our Budget and Treasury Management System (BTMS), the cornerstone of our Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS), last December. 

This tool provides accurate, real-time data to support better decision-making, and it is a significant part of our Public Financial Management (PFM) Reforms Roadmap 2024-2028, our blueprint for modernizing and harmonizing our PFM processes, which we also launched last year.  

OGP Leaders Roundtable 

The Philippines has had opportunities to bring forward our advocacies to the global stage.  

Last September, we joined the OGP Leaders Roundtable on the sidelines of the 79th United Nations General Assembly, proving our determination to share our best practices with all our fellow OGP champions on how we mainstreamed Open Government into our socioeconomic framework. 

Not long after, on October 1, the Philippines, represented by yours truly, started its term as a member of the OGP Global Steering Committee, giving us a unique opportunity to develop, promote, and safeguard the Partnership’s values. 

To kickstart our initiatives for the new year, we are thrilled to announce that the much-anticipated OGP Asia and the Pacific Regional Meeting is just a few days away!  

Just last Sunday, we held the first-ever OGP Fun Run to officially mark the beginning of our Regional Meeting, and I am proud to share that over 4,000 participants ran for transparency, accountability, and participatory governance with us! We would like to thank all who came to support this run for open governance. This is living proof of our commitment to applying a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach to OGP! 

We likewise present to you our OGP Legacy Book entitled “Partners for Prosperity,” to be presented to us by Undersecretary Margaux Salcedo and the inspirational gallery to be unveiled by Undersecretary Rolando Toledo.    

And now, allow me to present this video showcasing the official logo of the 2025 OGP Asia and the Pacific Regional Meeting, symbolizing our transformative journey towards open governance—driven by the passion and purpose of committed OGP champions in our community of nations. 

Maraming salamat po. Thank you very much. Wabillahi Tawfiq Wal Hidaya, Wasalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu.  

END