To my dearest colleagues and fellow public servants from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), isang mapagpalang araw po sa ating lahat.
Assalamu alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
Bagong taon na naman, ibig sabihin, bagong buhay, pero sa DBM pareho pa rin: Dito Bawal Matulog, Dito Bawal Mapagod, pero Dito Babae Maganda.
We have a lot of work ahead of us this 2025...dahil wala tayong blank space—Alhamdullilah, ang mayroon tayo ay fiscal space, limited nga lang.
But we are grateful that we have a budget for FY 2025 because a reenacted budget would only mean delays in our priority programs and projects and setbacks in our economic growth targets, including “our goals of achieving single-digit poverty levels and upper-middle-income status.”
Kaya magpasalamat po tayo sa ating Pangulo na hindi reenacted ang ating budget!
Now with our limited fiscal space, how do we stay on track with our Agenda for Prosperity?
First, it is incumbent upon us to ensure better and strategic planning, and improve even further our budget preparation and execution process, especially to address the perennial challenge of underspending and achieve our targets in spite of various headwinds.
Second, as always, we will consider how agencies utilized their previous year’s budget and the implementation progress of their mandated programs and projects. The end goal is to make sure that only implementation-ready projects and proposals are considered, securing not only the equitable allocation but also the proper utilization of public funds.
Budget proposals should contain concrete programs, plans, and designs that outline key procurement and implementation milestones.
Third, now that we have the New Government Procurement Act (NGPA) (Republic Act No. 12009) and the e-marketplace which were designed to make procurement easier and more efficient, these should vastly improve our budget utilization.
I am also very proud that the NGPA has been hailed as the biggest anti-corruption measure in the country’s recent history as it introduces key reforms to enhance transparency and accountability while modernizing our Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS). It introduces the Most Economically Advantageous Responsive Bid or MEARB; institutionalizes the conduct of Early Procurement Activities; espouses open contracting; opens the procurement process to the participation of civil society organizations in procurement proceedings; and requires disclosure of beneficial ownership information. On top of this, it also champions green public procurement.
As we improve our budget execution, let us also follow our various roadmaps.
First, let us ensure the continuous alignment of our priorities and policy directions included in the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028.
We now also have a Public Financial Management (PFM) Reforms Roadmap 2024-2028, which we turned over to the President last year. This is a comprehensive blueprint for the full digitalization of PFM processes and the adoption of the Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS) across all government agencies. And I am happy to share that last December, we already successfully launched the Budget and Treasury Management System (BTMS) to facilitate real-time online accounting, monitoring, and oversight of obligations and disbursements.
In line with this, we will also continue our Public Financial Management Competency Program (PFMCP).
Finally, let us strengthen our commitment to the Open Government Partnership. Today, the Philippines is the No. 1 Most Fiscally Transparent country not just in Southeast Asia but in the entire Asia. This is based on the recently published 2023 Open Budget Survey (OBS). The DBM was also recognized as a Champion of Information Integrity by the Presidential Communications Office. Let us continue to be beacons of integrity, especially because last October, represented by yours truly, the Philippines became a member of the OGP Global Steering Committee. So we are now at the forefront of pushing forward the values of transparency, accountability, and inclusivity not just in the Philippines but to our community of nations around the world. In fact, we will host the OGP Asia and the Pacific Regional Meeting this coming February 5 to 7.
But today, please listen well to our resource persons from our Fiscal Planning and Reforms Bureau, as well as our Budget and Management Bureaus, who will discuss the budget preparation at a glance, budget proposals for inclusion in the agency budget, the Budget Preparation Forms and Instructions, as well as the Submission Requirements and Budget Preparation Calendar. The Philippine Commission on Women is also joining us for the first time to facilitate a planning session on Gender and Development (GAD) so we can further strengthen the “Women’s Budget.”
Mabuhay po tayong lahat! Mabuhay po ang Bagong Pilipinas!
Wabillahi Tawfiq Wal Hidaya, Wasalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu.
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