To the Commandant of the Philippine Coast Guard, CG Admiral Artemio Abu, to all the officers and members of the Philippine Coast Guard, and to all dedicated public servants present here today, magandang umaga po.

It is truly an honor to be here this morning to speak before you. I feel a special sense of pride when I speak before uniformed personnel because I know you are the people who will risk their life and limb for the Filipino people or anyone in need, for that matter, when the situation calls for it.

With the Philippine Coast Guard’s motto “saving lives,” you know that’s true and so we are tremendously grateful for your courage and selflessness. And so I stand before you today not only to give you words of encouragement but to thank you for your service, commitment and dedication. From the bottom of our hearts and on behalf of the Filipino people, maraming salamat po.

Beyond the Philippine Coast Guard’s mandate to save lives in pursuit of maritime safety and security, maritime search and rescue, and maritime law enforcement, there is also the not-so-known aspect of the mandate that I will highlight today: marine environmental protection.

This is an advocacy that is also close to my heart. If I may share, in 2018, I oversaw the Green, Green, Green program of the Department of Budget and Management. It is a unique assistance program that aims to make cities more livable and sustainable through the development of public open spaces. It was given a budget of P2.58-billion funding under the 2018 national budget to fund the creation of parks, plazas and waterfronts, or the improvement of institutional spaces and streets in a total of 143 cities.

And so I commend the Philippine Coast Guard for the National Marine Pollution Exercise or MARPOLEX that we are witnessing today. This is a great feat for us since it serves as a platform to highlight the holistic approach of the Philippine Coast Guard when it comes to service of the Filipino people.

This mandate makes the Philippine Coast Guard the “sole agency responsible for the implementation of conventions with regards to oil pollution, prevention, mitigation and control through the conduct of marine pollution monitoring and control, enhancement of capability and oil spill response operations and enforcement of all marine environmental laws and regulations.”^[1]

The MARPOLEX reinforces the Philippine Coast Guard’s commitment to this function, specifically to protect the marine environment. By testing and evaluating the oil spill response capabilities of the National Operations Center for Oil Pollution based on the National Oil Spill Contingency Plan, not only do we assess the capabilities of the Philippine Coast Guard to resolve oil spill problems, but we also get to familiarize ourselves, and train and enhance cooperation among Philippine Coast Guard, other government agencies and maritime stakeholders when it comes to tackling oil spills.

Ultimately, we ensure that the country is prepared in combating oil pollution at sea, especially because we are a member state in the International Convention on Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Cooperation in 1990^[2].

In line with this, we, at the Department of Budget and Management would like to express our full support to the Philippine Coast Guard and the main objective of today’s event—environmental preservation.

This is reflected in our 2023 Proposed National Budget where Php 453.1 billion has been marked as climate change expenditures. This amount funds programs and projects focusing on food security, water sufficiency, ecosystem and environmental stability, human security, climate-smart industries and services, and sustainable energy. Included in this are the Php 246.0 million provisions for the management of the coastal and marine ecosystems and the Php 184.0 million for clean water regulations.

Access to water is a right and we hope that through these, we could help build safe aquatic resources for our people.

We encourage you, the Philippine Coast Guard, and the whole Department of Transportation, as well as our partner agencies, to proactively engage in this mechanism of expenditure tracking so that we can make a proper reflection of climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts in the government. We believe that your work in marine environmental protection has valuable contributions to the achievement of a sustainable economy.

Lastly and ultimately, we allocated Php 21.26 billion to the Philippine Coast Guard. This amount is higher than this year’s budget of only Php 19.31 billion. We hope that through this budget, the nation would see and experience a more established Philippine Coast Guard that will ensure safety and security.

Certainly, in line with today’s theme, it will also enable the Philippine Coast Guard to ensure “Excellence Through Unified Preparedness towards Safer and Cleaner Seas.”

Assalamu alaikum. Maraming salamat at mabuhay ang mga magigiting na tanod ng ating karagatan!

^[1] https://coastguard.gov.ph/index.php/transparency/functions.

^[2] 2017 MARPOLEX Planning and Signing Conference - https://coastguard.gov.ph/index.php/related/11-news/1351-marine-pollution-exercise-marpolex-2017-marpolex-planning-and-signing-conference

I’ve said it time and again, digitalization is our way forward. Among other efforts of the DBM for digitalization, we are working towards the development and implementation of the Budget and Treasury Management System.

The key objective of the BTMS is to achieve the future state of Public Financial Management where all spending agencies would capture government transactions at source using the BTMS as the sole accounting and fiscal reporting system. Our efforts towards digitalization of our procurement system are complementary initiatives.

Moreover, we will also explore reforms in our procurement processes. In fact, Executive Director Weng Ruiz and Atty. Dennis Santiago and I met with the World Bank Country Director Diop on the sidelines of the IMF-World Bank Annual Meetings at Washington DC two weeks ago to discuss technical assistance in this aspect.

With a complete digital ecosystem, we will strengthen the integrity of our processes, diminish human discretion, expedite inter-agency coordination, and ensure the efficient delivery of public services.

^[1] https://www.un.org/ecosoc/sites/www.un.org.ecosoc/files/files/en/qcpr/2018-sg-report-adv.pdf

To DBM Undersecretary and Association of Government Accountants of the Philippines or AGAP Inc. National President Tina Rose Marie Canda, PAO Chief Persida Acosta, our esteemed guests and resource speakers, officers and members of AGAP, and of course, to our participants—our public servants performing accounting, budgeting, auditing, cashiering, and other allied financial functions—good day and I am delighted to be with you today for the Annual National Convention Seminar of AGAP Inc.

I just arrived last Monday night from Washington D.C. where I joined the country’s economic managers in presenting the Philippines’ economic plans at the International Monetary Fund and World Bank Annual Meetings but I made sure to travel immediately here today. I would not miss the honor of being with all of you.

With its more than 50 years of service as an institution, AGAP has thrived through the many changes in our society. I truly admire how it grew from its six founding members in 1950, who dreamed of promoting the interests of government accountants, to an organization of more than 10,000 members from national government agencies, local government units, and government-owned or controlled corporations.

Last week, I joined the country’s economic managers in presenting the Philippines’ economic plans at the International Monetary Fund and World Bank Annual Meetings, and engaged with US-based business and financial communities at the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C. for a roundtable discussion on the Philippines’ strong economic recovery and robust outlook.

As I presented the country’s expenditure program, I shared how the Administration is working hard towards economic transformation that would be felt by every individual, family, and business in the Philippines as guided by our 8-point socioeconomic agenda: food security, improved transportation, affordable and clean energy, health care, social services, safe face-to-face education, bureaucratic efficiency, and sound fiscal management.

While the economic managers and their respective institutions are hard at work towards this end, this would not be possible without your help—our dear accountants and government financial managers, and the whole of AGAP Inc. who help carry out our pursuit of bureaucratic efficiency and sound fiscal management.

As we all know, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) operates with the help of interrelated public financial management functions. Accounting is a critical dimension of this, along with budgeting, auditing, cash management, procurement, revenue generation, and public reporting on public sector financial operations.

As such, your insights, analyses, perspectives, and advice empower us, government leaders and managers, to make important decisions on the use of public resources to ultimately serve the public’s interest.

So all of you here today play this crucial role in the realization of our mission to lead public expenditure management and ensure the equitable, prudent, transparent and accountable allocation and use of public funds.

And we are grateful to organizations such as AGAP Inc. for uniting and capacitating our accountants and government financial managers, and for regularly convening and providing a venue to discuss updates and key strategies to keep up with our fast-changing times.

Indeed, AGAP Inc. has come a long way since its inception in 1950. And we are delighted to learn that your theme for this year’s convention resonates with one of our priority budget reforms that is crucial in our pursuit of bureaucratic efficiency and sound fiscal management—digital transformation.

In support of the Administration’s thrust for a lean, efficient, and responsive government workforce, the FY 2023 Proposed National Budget will facilitate the transformation and digitalization of the government to streamline the bureaucracy.

Digital Transformation of the Bureaucracy

We will pursue investments in information and communications technology to transform and digitalize government processes, records, and databases through e-governance.

Php 12.47 billion of the national budget was proposed to be provided for our ICT and digitalization programs and projects. This includes the improvement of revenue collection through digitalization, with the DOF receiving an allocation of Php 3.56 billion.

Moreover, the DICT was allocated Php 4.72 billion for its ICT Systems and Infostructure Development, Management, and Advisory Program, which includes funding for the implementation of the National Government Data Center Infrastructure and the National Government Portal to connect government departments and improve its accessibility.

The National Broadband Plan, aimed to improve overall internet speed and affordability in the country, is allocated Php 1.50 billion.

Digitalization of the Public Financial Management System

On our end at DBM, we are working towards the enactment of the Budget Modernization Bill, an overarching priority legislation of the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) that will catalyze reforms in the budget process. It aims to improve the timeliness and efficiency of the implementation of government programs and projects.

The Bill covers the development and implementation of the Budget and Treasury Management System or BTMS. As a centralized database, it will:

• facilitate the generation of vital information of government financial transactions;
• enable real-time mapping of transactions, from purchase to payment; and
• allow expedient and accurate financial management, improved data governance, and enhanced oversight control.

The key objective of the BTMS is to achieve the future state of Public Financial Management where all spending agencies would capture government transactions at source using the BTMS as the sole accounting and fiscal reporting system.

We are likewise pushing for the gradual implementation of the Cash Budgeting System or CBS under Executive Order (EO) No. 91, s. 2019 to ensure timely and efficient implementation of government programs. It is expected that the CBS will be fully implemented by 2025.

Digitalization is our way forward. I cannot overemphasize how the digitalization of our public financial management systems will strengthen the integrity of our systems, diminish human discretion, expedite inter-agency coordination, and ensure the efficient delivery of public services. And speaking with all of you today, I am assured that we are not alone in this journey.

We hope that with your discussions in the coming days: the implications of digital transformation in public sector audit; the benefits and implications of financial inclusion; strengthening electronic process in procurement; the latest digitization efforts of oversight agencies such as the Bureau of the Treasury and the Bureau of Internal Revenue; and even the IT Infrastructure Roadmap of the DICT—you will strengthen your resolve to take part in implementing reforms while working towards good governance, transparency, and accountability.

In the same way, we at the DBM, support you, our government financial managers, as you continue to grow in your field and navigate the challenges brought about by forces both within and outside our control.

Before I end, let me take this opportunity to thank the leadership of Undersecretary Tina Rose Marie Canda—who has not only been a beacon at the DBM but I’m sure at AGAP Inc. also. I understand she is the first non-accountant head of AGAP Inc. I think this is not only a good reflection of Usec. Tina’s competence, but also of DBM’s value as an institution working within public financial management in the country.

It’s been a win-win to have Usec. Tina with the DBM and with AGAP Inc. It’s a bit early to say this, but the DBM and I will miss her dearly. Rest assured that we’ll work to keep her legacy, both in the DBM and AGAP Inc., live on.

That said, let’s continue to work together so that our digitalization efforts will not only translate to bureaucratic efficiency, but ultimately, to achieving our agenda for economic prosperity—one that is felt by every Filipino whom we are all sworn to serve with commitment and integrity.

Congratulations, AGAP Inc. and mabuhay tayong lahat!