To the distinguished men and women of the Philippine Coast Guard, led by Commandant Admiral Ronnie Gil L. Gavan and all your officers present this morning; our colleagues from the Department of Budget and Management Communications and Public Relations Group (CPRG), led by Undersecretary Goddes Hope Libiran and the rest of our team; our resource speakers, guests, and fellow public servants: isang mapagpala at mapagpalayang umaga po sa inyong lahat.
Today, we once again open the doors of the Department of Budget and Management for another meaningful opportunity to learn, collaborate, and grow in the service of our country.
We are honored to have all of you today, our distinguished officers of the Philippine Coast Guard, choosing the DBM as your partner for this benchmarking activity on strategic communications. We hope that the conversations we share today will not only enrich your professional competencies but also strengthen our collective commitment to public service.
I am confident that today’s discussions will provide valuable insights for all of us. Our speakers are not only experts in their respective fields; they are practitioners who confront the realities of government communications every day. They understand both the opportunities and the challenges that come with communicating in an increasingly complex information environment.
Here at the DBM, we strive to deliver what we often call D.B.M.: Dedication, Brilliance, and Meaningful service.
In many ways, these same values are reflected in the work of the Philippine Coast Guard and the Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary.
Hindi na rin po iba sa akin ang PCGA family. This is why I wholeheartedly accepted the responsibility to serve as a PCGA Rear Admiral. I accepted this honor not merely as a distinction, but as an opportunity to contribute to the DBM and PCG’s shared mission of serving the Filipino people.
Whether we are safeguarding our maritime domain, responding to emergencies, protecting lives at sea, or ensuring the prudent stewardship of public resources, we are ultimately united by one common purpose: serving the Filipino people with integrity, competence, and excellence.
Central to this commitment is strategic communications, which has become one of the most important pillars of governance in today’s rapidly changing world.
For many years, government communication was often viewed simply as a mere information dissemination. Today, that is no longer enough.
We now operate in an environment where information moves faster than institutions. News breaks in seconds. Narratives form in minutes. Public opinion shifts in hours.
And perhaps the greatest challenge facing governments around the world today is not merely misinformation.
It is the erosion of trust.
Just last night, I came across one Facebook post saying: “Trust of Filipino people in traditional media is quickly eroded.” Which is giving rise as well to our view and subscription to vloggers who are not necessarily journalists.
Many citizens no longer ask, “What is the government saying?” Instead, they ask, “Can I trust what the government is saying?”
That is a fundamentally different challenge.
Because trust is not built through press releases alone. It is earned through transparency. It is strengthened through accountability. And it is sustained when government promises are translated into results that people can see, feel, and verify for themselves.
This is why strategic communications must never be treated as a mere public relations exercise. It should be treated as a governance function.
It is how institutions explain decisions, demonstrate accountability, manage crises, engage citizens, and ultimately strengthen democratic legitimacy.
In a democracy, public trust is not a luxury. It is an operational requirement. Without trust, even the best policies struggle to succeed. Without trust, reforms encounter resistance. Without trust, facts themselves become vulnerable.
And this reality makes the work of government communicators more important than ever.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has repeatedly emphasized the need to combat misinformation and disinformation. But today, our responsibility goes beyond simply correcting false information or fake news.
We must become credible sources of truth.
In an age where anyone can publish content, where artificial intelligence can generate convincing narratives, and where algorithms often reward outrage over accuracy, government communicators must become guardians of facts, context, and public understanding.
The objective is not to win arguments, but to ensure that truth reaches the public before misinformation does. This part is important because every false narrative that spreads unchecked has real-world consequences.
It can undermine public confidence, weaken social cohesion, and disrupt public programs. Worse, during times of crisis, disaster, or national emergencies, it can even cost lives.
That is why speed matters, accuracy, and credibility matters. And perhaps most importantly, consistency matters. Citizens must hear the same truth from every level of government.
At the same time, we must continue strengthening transparency, accountability, and citizen participation.
Today, I am proud to share that the Philippines continues to stand among the global leaders in fiscal openness.
In the 2025 Open Budget Survey, the Philippines achieved a transparency score of 76 out of 100, improving from 75 in 2023 and 68 in 2021, which surpasses already the Philippine Development Plan target score of 71.
Our public participation score reached 37 out of 100—more than double the global average of 15.
Likewise, our oversight score of 68 out of 100 reflects the strength of our accountability institutions and the important work of Congress, the Commission on Audit, civil society organizations, and our development partners.
Today, the Philippines stands as the most transparent country in Southeast Asia in terms of budget openness. But beyond the numbers, these results tell a deeper story. They demonstrate that transparency works, that citizens want information, and that when government chooses openness over secrecy, trust becomes easier to build.
For us in the DBM, we view and treat the Open Budget Survey not simply as a scorecard. For us, it is evidence that public trust can be strengthened when citizens are given meaningful access to information, meaningful opportunities for participation, and meaningful assurance that public funds are being managed responsibly.
In many ways, transparency itself is a form of strategic communication. Because the most powerful message the government can send is not what it says about itself. It is what it allows citizens to see for themselves.
Kaya kung mapapansin ninyo rin, kaunti lang ang mukha ko sa Facebook namin, because I let the action speak for itself.
Ultimately, strategic communications is not simply about visibility. It is about building confidence that government works—and that it works for the people. Kahit walang camera, kahit walang live. And this responsibility cannot rest on the shoulders of a single government agency.
I see the importance of today’s benchmarking activity, as it provides a platform for the DBM and the Philippine Coast Guard to learn from one another, exchange best practices, and continuously improve the way we engage with the public.
But we must remember that benchmarking is not about copying templates. It is about adapting principles to institutional realities.
As you learn from the DBM’s experiences today, I encourage you to think about how these lessons can be translated into your own operational context—strengthening not only your communication objectives and public information campaigns, but ultimately the quality of service that you provide to the Filipino people.
As communicators, we must recognize that we are no longer simply competing for attention. We are competing for trust. And trust is far more difficult to earn than attention.
This is why our responsibility extends beyond creating content, drafting statements, or managing platforms. We are helping build confidence in the institutions that serve our people. We are helping ensure that truth remains stronger than misinformation. We are helping strengthen the connection between the government and our citizens. And ultimately, we are helping preserve the trust that allows democracy to function.
May today’s benchmarking activity inspire all of us to become not only better communicators, but better stewards of public trust. Because in the end, the strength of our institutions depends not only on the policies we craft or the budgets we manage, but on whether the Filipino people believe that their government is working for them, listening to them, and worthy of their trust.
Sama-sama po nating palakasin at pahusayin ang pampublikong komunikasyon tungo sa isang mas matatag, mas bukas, at mas mapagkakatiwalaang pamahalaan para sa bawat Pilipino.
Maraming salamat po sa inyong pagpunta sa DBM at mabuhay tayong lahat.
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