To UP President Atty. Angelo A. Jimenez; Mindanao State University President Atty. Basari D. Mapupuno; UP Diliman Office of the Chancellor OIC Dr. Ma. Theresa T. Payongayong; UP Diliman College of Social Sciences and Philosophy Dean Dr. Maria Bernadette L. Abrera; my fellow speakers, Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte, and Philippine Commission on Women Chairperson Sandra Sanchez-Montano; and to all the women and attendees of Pakaradyaan, a pleasant morning.

Assalamu alaikum wa Raḥmatullahi wa Barakatuh.

Good morning to my fellow Maranaoans. I am so happy to be with you today to celebrate our culture, our history, and most of all, our women!

First, I would like to thank all of you for being one with us, the Maranaoans, in celebrating our culture, history, language, crafts, and identity. This initiative is vital in espousing an appreciation for the country’s cultural diversity.

I would especially like to commend the University of the Philippines System for spearheading this event and working hard toward the genuine appreciation and recognition of indigenous people, specifically Maranaoans.

But today, I see that we celebrate not only the Maranao community but also specifically Maranao women. So in line with National Women’s Month, I would like to underscore the paramount role that women play both in culture and in public service.

Women have been stereotyped as the ones who should do the cooking, cleaning, sewing, and housekeeping. But as you know, we do more than that. We raise families; we build communities; and we serve our country.

Take, for example, Anisah Ampuan Bariga, one of the recipients and partners of the United Nations Human Settlements Program or UN-Habitat in its project to build homes for internally-displaced people after the Marawi Siege.

She led the Construction Finance Committee of the Saduc Riverside Homeowners Association, where she learned how to canvas and procure shelter materials, and thereafter contributed to the rebuilding of homes in the city.

She is just one of the unsung Maranao women heroes who build not just homes, but communities.

For BARMM, women did not only build a community but fought for peace, regional autonomy, and ultimately economic development that would benefit the Bangsamoro people. We all remember how thousands of Bangsamoro women in 2018 walked barefoot in the heat of the sun to lobby for the passage and ratification of the Bangsamoro Organic Law.

In the National Government, Mindanaoan women have also been making their mark.

As a woman who also comes from the BARMM, specifically from Marawi, I am proud to be the first female Budget Secretary from Mindanao and the first Budget Secretary from Marawi. This has only inspired me to work harder—especially as I work alongside our astute and esteemed economic managers who are all from UP and all men! —to further our Agenda for Prosperity.

This would not be possible if we did not have a culture that allows women to lead, unlike other countries where gender inequality is alarming. So we must acknowledge that we are indeed very blessed although there is so much more that women can do if we allow them to.

So let us continue to provide the right conditions and support for women to study and work, pursue their calling, and rise to action so that together, we can weave our dreams and achieve our Agenda for Prosperity that will benefit not only our generation but generations to come as well.

For my part, I am committed to helping Mindanao thrive and shine as the land of promise.

Gagawin po natin ang lahat upang maiangat ang Mindanao, lalo na ang Marawi; at upang makita hindi lamang ng buong Pilipinas kundi ng buong mundo ang kagalingan ng mga Maranao at ang kagandahan ng Mindanao.

I am happy to share that to help Marawi, the DBM has appropriated Php 1 billion for the Marawi Siege Victims Compensation Act or Republic Act No. 11696. It has been five years since the Marawi siege, and this is the first time that the budget was allocated solely for victim compensation.

Meanwhile, we are regularly meeting with our BARMM counterparts for the development plans for the BARMM. In the National Budget, we also appropriated Php 64.76 billion for BARMM’s Annual Block Grant; Php 5.0 billion as a Special Development Fund for the rebuilding, rehabilitation, and development of conflict-affected communities; and Php 4.59 billion for its share in taxes collected in the region.

Now, going beyond the institutional and policy level, we need to dive deep and understand the complex socio-cultural dimensions of our lived experiences. We must continue to empower women and integrate women into our socioeconomic development agenda. Because we have the power to redefine our culture and build new ones.

As long as women are empowered and we are given the opportunity to do our part and do our best, I am confident that our nation will continue towards progress.

Mabuhay ang mga Maranao. Mabuhay ang Mindanao. Mabuhay ang kababaihan!

Wabillahi Tawfiq Wal Hidaya, Wasalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu.

Maraming salamat po.

To our partners and colleagues from the Office of the President, the Department of Finance, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, the National Economic and Development Authority, the Bureau of the Treasury, the Commission on Audit, the Department of Budget and Management, and the World Bank Philippines, a pleasant morning.

Assalamu alaikum wa Raḥmatullahi wa Barakatuh.

First of all, allow me to thank the World Bank Group for bringing together the oversight agencies to discuss current policies and developments in the processing of Foreign Assisted Projects (FAPs).

We are all set for a two-day knowledge-sharing session with our excellent subject matter experts who will share with us the intricacies of FAPs. I am hopeful that you will have productive discussions to facilitate alignment and common understanding of the existing FAPs policies and processes, and leverage on it as an opportunity for the identification and assessment of any policy gaps in the existing guidelines.

Thus, it is imperative for everyone to work towards harmonization and alignment between concerned government agencies and development partners. The knowledge sharing for the next two days aims to provide an effective platform where our oversight agencies involved on the FAPs processes can share and provide updates on existing processes and practices that have been developed over the years. This will be an important building block, not only for the orientation program on FAPs to be organized for our implementing agencies, but also on the subsequent conversations among oversight agencies aimed towards streamlining and addressing identified gaps. I was informed that a similar undertaking was done, also in partnership with the World Bank, although already over ten years ago.

I urge everyone to commit to generous listening, mutual contemplation of different viewpoints, and respectful responses. Our goal is to break out of our silos and reach collaborative moments where no one clings to their own ideas indefinitely.

Of course, FAP-related decisions involve deliberations and analysis of context and implications which all require knowledge and understanding of the policies and procedures relative to evaluation, financing, procurement, disbursement, budgeting, accounting, auditing, and monitoring. Equally important is our awareness of the economic, financial, and fiscal impacts of the timely implementation of FAPs.

With our processes harmonized—clear knowledge followed by firm actions—we are sure to move one step closer to the achievement of our Agenda for Prosperity and the realization of our goal of economic transformation that is truly inclusive and sustainable.

On our end at the DBM, rest assured that we are always ready and committed to ensuring a stronger and smoother implementation of FAPs in the government. Through the help of our staunch partners such as the World Bank and other oversight agencies, let us continue to do better in order to realize the best for every Filipino, our country, and the world.

Magkaisa po tayo, at sama-sama nating kamtin ang tagumpay para sa ating kapwa Pilipino at para sa bayan.

Nawa'y magbunga hindi lamang ng kaalaman kundi ng kabayanihan ang inyong mga pag-aaral at talakayan.

Wabillahi Tawfiq Wal Hidaya, Wasalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu.

Maraming salamat po.

To the Philippine League of Local Budget Officers (PHILLBO) Inc.’s members, officials, and Board of Directors; DBM Regional Directors and personnel; and to our Local Budget and Finance Officers and Public Financial Management (PFM) practitioners, good day. Assalamu alaikum wa Raḥmatullahi wa Barakatuh.

I am happy to be here again at your Annual Convention. A day before this same event last year, we had just presented the 2023 National Expenditure Program to Congress. Today, I am proud to share that our 2023 National Budget is the fastest to be enacted in recent history, having been signed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. last December 16, or merely five months from when I took my oath of office.

Now, we must carry the responsibility of efficiently implementing this budget for programs and projects that truly respond to every need of every Filipino and improve their quality of life.

I am glad that for this year’s theme, you chose “Digital Transformation to Strengthen LGU Public Financial Management.”

Indeed, digitalization has become essential for us to better and sooner achieve our economic objectives in today's world. In fact, it has become a priority of this Administration, through the Department of Information and Communications Technology, and with no less than President BBM himself saying before the United Nations General Assembly that digital transformation is what’s needed for nations to keep abreast of a changing world.

In line with the Administration’s 8-point Socioeconomic Agenda and the Philippine Development Plan 2023 to 2028, we at the DBM have also adopted digital transformation as a strategy to achieve our Agenda for Prosperity.

In crafting the Php 5.268 trillion National Budget for 2023, digital transformation was established as one of our key government reforms because this translates to more efficient public service delivery, as well as more transparent, credible, and clean governance. It will also help the government build robust data systems that will create better programs, such as targeted social protection and more efficient employment opportunity linking systems.

Because developing and strengthening our ICT infrastructure is imperative, we have allocated a total of Php 24.13 billion for ICT-related expenditures this year. This covers funding for the Free Public Internet Access Program, National Government Data Center Infrastructure, National Broadband Plan, and the National Government Portal, among others.

Under this budget, some Php 3.56 billion was given to the Department of Finance and its attached agencies, the Bureau of Internal Revenue and Bureau of Customs, to improve government revenue collection through digitalization.

Meanwhile, Php 2.06 billion was allotted for the Philippine Identification System which will afford Filipinos faster delivery of social welfare benefits. A portion of the Php 7.24 billion financial assistance allocated to LGUs can also be used for Information and Communications Technology systems and infrastructure development, such as, but not limited to, the establishment of an Integrated Business Permit and Licensing System, and digitalization of payments for collections and disbursements.

These also complement the Implementing Rules and Regulations of Executive Order No. 170 which mandates the adoption of digital payments for government disbursements and collections, ultimately promoting financial inclusion—an advocacy I have been pushing for even while I was still with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.

Relating to this event’s theme, digital transformation is also a vital tool in strengthening PFM at all levels of government, especially at the local level. However, for this to come to life, we need an enabling environment that would focus on digitalizing key PFM processes. Last December, the PFM Committee—composed of the Department of Budget and Management, the Department of Finance, the Commission on Audit, and the Bureau of the Treasury—agreed to leverage digitalization in pursuing its PFM Reform Agenda.

To this end, we continue to lobby and work with Congress toward the enactment of the Progressive Budgeting for Better and Modernized Governance or the PBBM Governance Bill. This will institutionalize the Integrated Financial Management Information System and strengthen implementation of the Cash Budgeting System. Just last month, we also briefed the Senate Committee on Finance and discussed ways forward for the Bill. We hope that through the PBBM Governance Bill, we will finally truly modernize our budgeting system; resolve the fragmented PFM legal framework; and promote public participation in the budget process.

To strengthen the PFM of LGUs, DBM is also continuously providing PFM Competency Program classes to PFM practitioners. In fact, last December, we concluded the PFMCP for BARMM Middle Managers, engaging a total of 140 PFM practitioners from the Region.

In seeking to make DBM a true champion of digitalization, last December as well, we signed a Memorandum of Agreement with our Government Servicing Banks namely Landbank of the Philippines, Philippine Veterans Bank, and Development Bank of the Philippines for the Online Release of the Notice of Cash Allocation through the Action Document Releasing System (ADRS).

This will eliminate the unnecessary steps of printing, physically signing, routing, and releasing of the printed Action Document to the banks’ Liaison Officers.

This initiative will not only make the lives of our public servants easier, but will also contribute to our efforts for a paperless bureaucracy. More than that, full implementation of releases through the ADRS is expected to generate savings amounting to around Php 33 million per year.

I am also excited to share that the Department will soon launch our 2022 to 2026 Digital Transformation Roadmap, which focuses on building a convergent hub by establishing Application Programming Interfaces, utilizing GovTech, enabling Digital Tax Bypass, and leveraging Data Engineering and System Integration.

Digital transformation of the bureaucracy would only be possible through your support and cooperation. So I hope that you will continue to support us in DBM as we implement our reforms. Rest assured that you can count on us to always support you in your digitalization endeavors and provide guidance should you need any.

Indeed, transforming the bureaucracy is never easy. Change is never easy. But progress is never possible without change. And having this opportunity to be part of this change—for the better—will be one of our legacies as public servants.
So I call on every local budget officer and PFM practitioner, for all of us to work together in making our vision of digital transformation a reality—so that we can deliver a sound, systematic, transparent, and accountable form of governance that the Filipino people deserve and desire.

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

Mabuhay ang Pilipinas at mga Pilipino. Maraming salamat po.

To our partners and colleagues from the Global Initiative for Fiscal Transparency, the Analytics Association of the Philippines, the Freedom of Information-Program Management Office or FOI-PMO, and the Department of Budget and Management, and to all the participants of #InfoDataQuest, I am glad to join you today—albeit virtually.

The theme for today’s launch and workshops, “Strengthening Fiscal Transparency through Access to Information” is something that resonates strongly with our mission in the Department of Budget and Management—to allocate and use public funds not only equitably and prudently, but with transparency and accountability.

This is why the DBM is a staunch supporter of the Freedom of Information or the FOI Program which aims to promote an open government and strengthen the people’s right to information as enshrined in the Constitution. In fact, the DBM has been a consistent winner in the FOI Awards since 2018 and just last November, we were recognized after registering as one of the top requested and performing agencies in the eFOI Portal.

In addition to FOI, we are implementing several initiatives to achieve an open government and ensure fiscal transparency. Currently, we lead the Philippine Open Government Partnership or the PH-OGP, the main consultation platform of the Participatory Governance Cluster (PGC) of the Cabinet that provides a platform for interface between the government and the citizens.

The implementation of the FOI Program and its localization efforts is a huge part of PH-OGP’s success as it empowers citizens to request for information about government transactions and operations. I am also glad to share that the Philippines has been chosen as one of five candidates for three open seats in the OGP Steering Committee, OGP’s executive, decision-making body.

And we have a lot more accomplishments to share on fiscal transparency. We have our Fiscal Openness (FO) Working Group that leads the preparation and development of the DBM Fiscal Openness Action Plan and monitors the country’s performance in the Open Budget Survey (OBS) conducted by the International Budget Partnership.

We have also operationalized the DBM Civil Society Organizations or CSO Desk to harness CSO participation by responding to their request for information and addressing their budget-related queries.

As you can see, we have been doing our best to ensure that every allocation, decision, and program implementation involves public participation. But in order to sustain this, we need you—our fiscal transparency and FOI advocates, data analysts, researchers, statisticians, and graphic designers and creators—to help us spread the good news and let the public know that the government is working for them. We hope that you will join us in our pursuit of open governance and transparency, and ultimately increase the Filipino people’s trust and confidence in government.

I will not take too much of your time as I know that you are looking forward to today’s workshops and learning sessions. Rest assured that the DBM is one with you as you continue to implement and promote access to information mechanisms in the country.

Assalamu alaikum. Maraming salamat at mabuhay tayong lahat.