To our dearest Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman, who has graciously helmed the Department for the past three and a half years—Ma’am, the halls of DBM have been most alive and energetic with you in it;
The hardworking members of our Executive and Management Committees;
And of course, the dedicated men and women of the Department of Budget and Management—our DBM family;
Good morning!
If you will all recall, on July 6, 2022, the late Undersecretary Tina Rose Marie Canda said, “Sec. Mina’s coming to DBM is an answered prayer.”
Indeed, it was.
Although the moment Sec. Mina stepped in as Budget Secretary, hindi na po tayo nakapagpahinga.
Kidding aside, we have been championing reforms and reaching milestones left and right under her leadership.
The very first budget she spearheaded made history as the fastest and earliest signing of the national budget.
Also, within her first year, in 2023, the Philippine Open Government Partnership (PH-OGP) was institutionalized, 12 years after the country became a founding member in 2011. Since then, our open governance space has never been more dynamic. A year later, in 2024, the Philippines returned to the OGP Global Steering Committee, making our country not just a participant but a leader in open governance worldwide, setting the bar for transparency, accountability and public participation. And a few months later, in February of this year, the Philippines—through the DBM—was able to successfully host, for the first time ever, the OGP Asia and the Pacific Regional Meeting (APRM). And at the OGP Global Summit just last October, the Philippines won not just one, but six awards, with PS-DBM bagging the Open Gov Challenge award for anti-corruption.
And these are just the big wins, there are so many more. So, to Sec. Mina, we thank you for leading us to win big for transparency, accountability, and anti-corruption under your leadership of the Philippine Open Government Partnership.
A true champion of transparency, Sec. Mina likewise pushed for procurement reform. In fact, she mentioned procurement reform as one of her goals in her speech during her own turnover from then-OIC Tina Canda as she became our Secretary. And in less than two years, under her leadership, while Congress called for the abolition of PS-DBM, Sec. Mina instead pushed for the legislation of the New Government Procurement Act. In 2024, the New Government Procurement Act (NGPA) was hailed as the biggest anti-corruption measure in the country’s recent history. And our procurement system today is considered a global model in procurement. Again, thanks to the leadership of Sec. Mina.
She likewise strengthened our Public Financial Management (PFM) systems through various digitalization initiatives, such as the Budget and Treasury Management System (BTMS), Technical Innovations for the National Expenditure Program Application (TINA), and the revival of Digital Imaging for Monitoring and Evaluation (DIME), among others.
On top of these, as the only Filipina Muslim in the Cabinet, she became the first DBM Co-Chair of the Intergovernmental Relations Body (IGRB) and under her leadership, Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) has fully prepared itself for its next chapter. She has also championed Women, Peace and Security (WPS)—another first for a DBM Secretary.
It was also under Sec. Mina that, for the first time, the (National Expenditure Program (NEP) adopted a 6-year theme—Agenda for Prosperity. It was also under Sec. Mina that for the first time, education reached 4 percent of GDP. That was one of the hardest challenges that the Budget Preparation and Execution Group (BPEG) had to undertake, crunching numbers to ensure that the budget truly nurtures future-ready generations.
But the hardest, most difficult assignment I received from her was the one I got last November 17.
We were in Senate during the plenary deliberations, when Sec. Mina suddenly told me, “Ikaw ang Officer-in-Charge (OIC), ayusin mo.” I was in shock.
But as I told the reporters just seconds after, I will do it—or rather, WE will do it—“para sa bayan.”
To our DBM family, let us remember our purpose: to serve the people. It's as simple as that. And we will continue doing that, inspired by the legacy for reforms that Sec. Mina has imprinted on us.
The past few months have not only been hectic but turbulent, to say the least. Ang daming accusations. Ang daming hearsay. At higit sa lahat, ang daming fake news. Ang pakiusap ko po sa inyo: kilala natin si Sec. Mina at kung paano niya inayos ang ating mga sistema para tayo ay maging transparent at accountable. Alam ninyo din kung paano tayo sa DBM—in my 38 years of having served here, I can attest to our integrity. So let us not let those who are corrupt tell us who we are. We are DBM and we stand for good governance.
To Sec. Mina, even if you are now passing on the baston, rest assured that we believe in you, we will always believe in you, and we thank you for the trust and opportunity, and most importantly, thank you for steering DBM towards greater heights. You will always be part of this family, and we hope to continue all the reforms you initiated, anchored on the very values that DBM stands for: transparency, accountability, efficiency, integrity, and good governance.
To all members of the DBM family, let us move forward with hope and positive energy. In just a few weeks, we will begin another round of budget preparations—talagang wala tayong pahinga—but of course, we are allowed to pause and reflect, especially in the coming holidays. And I hope that we will all pray and work for better days ahead, not just for the Department, but for the whole Philippines.
Needless to say, tuloy-tuloy lang po ang trabaho. At tayo-tayo pa ring lahat ang magkakasama, walang iwanan. Wala tayong hindi kakayanin, basta’t tulong-tulong para sa bansa natin.
Maraming salamat! Mabuhay ang DBM! Mabuhay ang Pilipino! Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!
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