To Department of Labor and Employment Secretary Francis Tolentino, Professional Regulation Commission Chairperson Charito A. Zamora, Commissioner Conrado T. Onglao, Professional Regulatory Board of Environmental Planning Chairperson Michael T. Ang; Member of the PRB of Environmental Planning Dr. Corazon B. Cruz; fellow Environmental Planners; Top 10 Honorees; and of course, sa ating mga bagong Environmental Planners; friends, families, ladies, and gentlemen:
Isang mapagpala at mapagpalayang araw po sa ating lahat!
Allow me to greet as well, our Dean of the School of Urban and Regional Planning, Dean Dina C. Magnaye, who is here with us this afternoon.
Hayaan niyo po akong umpisahan ang aking mensahe sa isang pagbati sa lahat ng nakapasa sa 2026 Environmental Planning Licensure Examination.
As it has been said by our previous speakers, today is more than a celebration of passing a licensure examination. It is the beginning of a lifelong commitment to serve the Filipino people through our profession.
Ten years ago, I was sitting exactly where you are today—not as the Acting Secretary of the Department of Budget and Management, but as a newly licensed Environmental Planner with nothing but a dream of helping build a better Philippines.
At that time, I never imagined where this profession would take me. But looking back, I realized that environmental planning did not simply teach me how to plan communities. It taught me how to lead, how to make difficult choices, and most importantly, how to always think beyond the present.
That is why standing before you today feels deeply personal.
I know the excitement you are feeling. I know the sacrifices that brought you here. And I also know that this oath you are about to take carries responsibilities far greater than the title you have earned.
Out of more than 117 million Filipinos, only a small community of professionals carries the privilege of calling themselves Environmental Planners. When I took my oath, I was Environmental Planner #1445. That privilege is not meant to make us feel important. It is meant to remind us that the work entrusted to us matters.
Beginning today, your decisions will shape communities, influence investments, protect our environment, and improve the lives of generations you may never even meet.
Your signature will appear on plans. But your legacy will be written in the communities that flourish because of those plans.
As someone who was blessed to top the 2016 Environmental Planning Licensure Examination, allow me to share one realization.
Years from now, your board rating will no longer matter. Your ranking will no longer matter. People will remember something far more important. They will remember your integrity. They will remember your courage to stand for what is right. And they will remember the lives that became better because you chose public service over personal convenience.
The licensure examination measured your competence. But your profession will measure your character.
Today, our country needs both.
As Environmental Planners, we understand that every road, every park, every drainage system, every housing project, every public space, and every local development plan ultimately affects human lives.
When communities flood because planning was neglected, people suffer. When green spaces disappear, families lose healthier places to live. When development ignores sustainability, it is always ordinary Filipinos who pay the highest price.
That is why environmental planning has never been merely about land. It has always been about people.
The best plans are not measured by how beautiful they look on paper. They are measured by how much better life becomes because they were implemented.
This is why I believe the Philippines does not simply need more Environmental Planners. The Philippines needs Environmental Planners who lead. Leaders who are guided not only by technical competence but also by integrity. Leaders who understand that true progress is never measured solely by the number of buildings we construct, but by the quality of life we create.
As Budget Secretary, allow me to leave you with three principles that continue to guide me in public service.
First, plan with purpose.
Never prepare plans simply because compliance requires them.
Every plan should answer one important question: “How will this improve the lives of the Filipino people?”
At the Department of Budget and Management, this same principle guides every budget that we prepare.
We believe that every peso must have a purpose.
Behind every budget item is a Filipino family hoping for better schools, safer communities, reliable health services, cleaner environments, and greater opportunities.
This is why we continue to strengthen our Public Financial Management reforms—to ensure that government resources are managed responsibly, transparently, and efficiently. Because every peso saved is another opportunity to improve someone’s life.
Having a DBM Secretary who is a planner means we are seriously looking at how planning and budgeting linkage really come into play, and not just merely theoretical concepts.
Since sampung taon na rin pala akong Environmental Planner, I just realized I haven’t really signed a plan. I just renewed my license, paid my PTR, but really didn’t sign anything.
But ten years after, little did I know, that I will sign off one of the country’s biggest plans—the National Budget.
Second, listen before you lead.
The best plans are rarely created inside conference rooms alone, but are built through conversations with people.
Listen to our farmers, to our fisherfolk, to our youth, to our local communities—they are the people who experience problems everyday and they understand the solutions better than anyone else.
The same principle guides our commitment to Open Government.
Just recently, we launched the DBM COMPASS, making budget information more accessible to every Filipino. This is because transparency builds trust. And trust strengthens governance.
Ang budget ay pera ng taumbayan. At kung hindi nauunawaan ng taumbayan kung saan ito napupunta at kung papaano ito ginagamit, tayo ang nagkulang.
I invite you to help us to improve the DBM COMPASS. Let us know what information we can further share that you can use and can help you better plan for our communities.
Finally, always build for the next generation.
In government, we often feel pressured to produce immediate results. But while urgent problems demand urgent action, our solutions should never compromise the future.
The decisions you make today will shape the communities where future generations will live, work, and raise their own families.
Never sacrifice sustainability for convenience. Never trade long-term public good for short-term gains.
Remember that true nation-building is not about solving today’s problems alone. It is about ensuring that tomorrow’s Filipinos inherit a country that is stronger than the one we received today.
My dear colleagues, as you proudly place the letters “EnP” after your names, I hope they will always remind you to become professionals who are excellent in competence, ethical in every decision, empathetic toward every community, and purpose-driven in serving our nation.
The Philippines needs your expertise. But even more than that, it needs our integrity.
Our country needs planners who will protect our environment without sacrificing development—planners who understand that sustainability and progress must always go hand in hand, and planners who will have the courage to speak the truth even when it is difficult.
Because good planning is about creating hope. It is about protecting lives. It is about building communities where every Filipino can thrive.
So go beyond earning a professional title.
Build trust. Build resilient communities. Build opportunities. Build a future worthy of the next generation. And above all, build a better Philippines.
Congratulations once again to our newest batch of Environmental Planners.
May your knowledge inspire innovation. May your integrity earn public trust. And may your service leave a lasting legacy for our nation.
Mabuhay kayong lahat, at mabuhay ang Bagong Pilipinas!
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