A pleasant afternoon to everyone joining us in this celebration of passion and dedication to service. 

Assalamu alaikum wa Raḥmatullahi wa Barakatuh.

First, I would like to extend my sincerest congratulations to everyone who has made this event possible—the Systems and Productivity Improvement Bureau led by Assistant Secretary Clarito Alejandro D. Magsino and the entire SPIB staff; National Police Commission (NAPOLCOM) Vice Chairperson and Executive Officer Alberto A. Bernardo and our recognized Resource Persons; and of course, our future resource persons whom we celebrate this afternoon. 

As you may all know, we are gathered here today for the Recognition Ceremony of our Resource Persons (RPs) on the National Guidelines on Internal Control Systems (NGICS) and the Revised Philippine Government Internal Audit Manual (RPGIAM). This entails that the candidates who have completed the first four phases of the Program will be conferred recognition and form part of the roster of our recognized RPs.

But of course, this Ceremony is also a gathering meant to recognize our achievements, and more importantly, the people behind them.

Looking back, we have a long list of accomplishments to be proud of and grateful for in the past year. Please allow me to enumerate some of them.

First, we have empowered a total of 508 internal audit practitioners hailing from 146 national government agencies, including GOCCs and SUCs, through the conduct of nine batches of the RPGIAM Capacity-Building Training.  

We have also engaged about 660 department secretaries, heads of agencies, board of directors/audit committee members, and other senior officials through four Executive Briefings on the NGICS and RPGIAM. 

Aside from these, we have conducted management briefings and awareness seminars tailored for requesting agencies, including the Cebu Port Authority, the Philippine Economic Zone Authority, the Department of Agriculture, the Philippine Coconut Authority, and the Department of Finance. 

Finally, through the Public Financial Management Competency Program for Local Government Units and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, we have capacitated more than 1,500 PFM practitioners in 2023, providing comprehensive insights into the principles and concepts of internal control and internal audit, among other PFM core areas.

We were able to achieve all of these because we are joined by very able and passionate individuals as our Resource Persons on the NGICS and the RPGIAM. 

And so, to our currently recognized RPs, thank you for your service and commitment to establishing a strong and responsive internal control system in the country. May this recognition bring you more inspiration to continue doing the great work that you are already doing.

And, to our newly recognized RPs, you have undergone a rigorous process to get to this point so you should all be proud of yourselves. I know that you have already brought significant changes to your organization, but now, you are bestowed with the opportunity to make an even greater impact on the country.

Sa lahat po ng naririto ngayong araw, taos-puso po akong nagpapasalamat at sumasaludo sa inyo. Kayo po ang dahilan kung bakit tayo ay patuloy na nakapagbibigay ng capacity-building at technical assistance sa ating mga kapwa lingkod-bayan upang mapabuti po natin ang ating mga serbisyo publiko. Sana po ay patuloy ninyo kaming samahan at suportahan na lalo pa nating pagandahin ang ating internal audit and control culture sa bansa.

Let us always keep in mind that while we come from different backgrounds, we are bound by a common purpose: to forward an excellent internal audit and internal control culture in the country that will pave the way for better public service, ultimately uplifting the quality of life of our fellow Filipinos. 

To end, allow me to quote former U.S. President John F. Kennedy: “Each time a man stands up for an ideal or acts to improve the lot of others…he sends forth a ripple of hope.” Relatedly, I believe that each of us in this room is a force that creates ripples of change—one employee, one office, and one institution at a time. And I am confident that, collectively, these ripples will become waves of transformational change for the nation and our fellow Filipinos, tungo po sa Bagong Pilipinas, kung saan ang gobyerno ay tumutugon sa tunay na pangangailangan ng mamamayan.

Maraming salamat po. Mabuhay po tayong lahat! Again, congratulations!

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

Good morning to all the advocates and champions of open government and good governance present here today, most especially to my fellow Philippine Open Government Partnership (PH-OGP) Steering Committee (SteerCom) members.

Assalamu alaikum wa Raḥmatullahi wa Barakatuh.

First, please allow me to welcome all of you to DBM! We are very happy to host the whole PH-OGP SteerCom here in the Department, especially for our first meeting of the year.

Today, we will review the 2024 PH-OGP Calendar, revisit the SteerCom roles and responsibilities, and welcome the newly elected Non-Government SteerCom members for 2023 to 2027.

As you may all know, we have achieved great strides in open government last year.

In June, Executive Order No. 31 was signed, institutionalizing PH-OGP in the country. This paved the way for all the three branches of the government to come together despite being independent of each other, solidifying our whole-of-government approach to open government. I am also very happy to share that this is among the three initiatives for civil society and freedom of expression that caught the attention of United Nations Special Rapporteur Irene Khan when she visited the country sometime in January of this year.

We showed strength in numbers at the 2023 OGP Global Summit held in Tallinn, Estonia last September, with one of the biggest if not the biggest delegation, and where the Philippines was lauded by no less than the Chief Executive Officer of OGP, Mr. Sanjay Pradhan, as "a country with open government in its DNA."

Likewise, we successfully launched the OGPinas! National Advocacy Campaign and we have been bringing this to strategic locations nationwide, engaging hundreds of Filipinos in pursuit of strengthening public participation in governance. In fact, we were just in Cebu  this Wednesday for its Region VII leg.

And as proof that we continue to work hard in the DBM and the PH-OGP, we have expanded the OGPinas! advocacy project from an Information and Education campaign about PH-OGP to a platform that introduces the 6th PH-OGP National Action Plan (NAP) and its commitments to the people, providing them with an avenue for feedback.

Finally, speaking of the 6th NAP, last December, we were able to publish the country's first-ever medium-term action plan for open government with ten commitments that exemplify localization, digitalization, and public participation themes aimed at improving transparency and strengthening public integrity. Notably, we have also included a commitment in the action plan centered on access to justice which is a first in the PH-OGP history.

These achievements were made possible through the unwavering support and dedication of our partners from civil society. Hence, I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincerest gratitude to our outgoing Non-Government Steering Committee Members led by the ever-dependable—my co-chair—Ms. Pat Sarenas of the Mindanao Coalition of NGO Networks or MinCODE. You have inspired us with your genuine care for the nation and our people as you tirelessly pushed for our shared causes and made public participation in policy-making a reality.

Now, I would like to warmly welcome our incoming Non-Government representatives. I am very confident you will sustain the momentum that we have created in the PH-OGP and I am looking forward to a harmonious working relationship with you. Let us continue to pursue our mission and achieve even greater milestones for open government in the country.

As we proceed with today’s meeting, let us keep in mind our shared aspirations for a better Philippines, a better society, and a better future for all Filipinos. Let us make this meeting as fruitful and as purposeful as can be so that we can transcend beyond action plans and realize a truly open government that will allow us to work together toward our Agenda for Prosperity. Sama-sama po nating abutin ang Bagong Pilipinas, kung saan ang gobyerno ay mapagkakatiwalaan at ang mga mamamayan ay pinakikinggan.

Maraming salamat po. Wabillahi Tawfiq Wal Hidaya, Wasalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu.

Assalamu alaikum wa Raḥmatullahi wa Barakatuh.

To the Local Government of Cebu, represented by Mayor Michael Rama—maraming salamat po sa mainit na pagtanggap sa amin sa Department of Budget and Management (DBM);

To the Association of Local Budget Officers Central Visayas Inc. (ALBOCV) headed by President Samuel Penales;

To my DBM colleagues, most especially to the DBM-Regional Office VII led by Regional Director Lenin S. Bernales whose support has been invaluable to the success of this activity;

To our local budget officers and Public Financial Management (PFM) practitioners; and all our participants from Bohol, Cebu, Negros Oriental, and Siquijor, Maayong adlaw sa inyong tanan! (Good day to everyone!). I am so happy to be back in Cebu!

Mahal na mahal ko po ang Cebu, kahit na hindi ako kumakain ng sinasabi nilang napakasarap ninyong lechon dahil bawal sa amin. Pero mayroon akong paborito dito, bukod sa napakatamis ninyong dried mangoes. Alam niyo, I was just in Cebu last August 2023 for the Philippine Economic Briefing at mayroon akong natikman na mula noon ay iniisip ko talaga kung paano ko mababalikan—ang Conching’s Native Chicken at ang kanilang Balbacua! Salamat sa PFMCP at sa PHILLBO, makaka-Conching's na rin po ako mamaya!

Pero ngayon, trabaho muna. Before anything else, allow me to sincerely thank all of you for taking the time to join our PFMCP despite your busy schedules. Through your participation in this program, I see how you value PFM and how eager you are to contribute to achieving our nation’s goals through proper budget and management. It truly warms my heart to see such an astounding number of enthusiastic participants for the second run of this year’s PFMCP for LGUs. And I hope everyone here today can draw inspiration from the venue of our event—the City of Progress, Mandaue City.

As you may know, we, at the DBM, are persistently working toward enhancing our PFM system. Part of our efforts to do so involves developing the capacities of our PFM practitioners—as you are the front liners in delivering quality services to the people we have sworn to serve. And I am proud to share that we have already empowered more than 3,000 PFM practitioners, and counting, nationwide.

I cannot emphasize enough the crucial role of PFM practitioners in bridging the needs of our fellow Filipinos and the government's responses, especially in crafting a truly inclusive and people-centered budget. And this is what the Bagong Pilipinas is all about—shaping a government that is truly responsive to the needs of the people; one that is visionary and accountable to its constituents; and one that fulfills its promise of prosperity to everyone. Our growth and prosperity will never be truly inclusive without our local governments.  

Kaya naman kami po ay nagsumikap na buuin ang PFM Competency Program na ito, kasama ang PHILLBO, na targeted at nakatuon lamang sa ating mga LGUs. Covering topics on budgeting, procurement, cash management, accounting, and even auditing, we have specifically designed this training program for LGUs to deepen your knowledge of PFM with the ultimate objective of promoting good governance, financial accountability, and effective resource management in your respective localities.

And so we hope that this program will assist you in fully utilizing your respective National Tax Allotment, among other budget allocations. We want to ensure better and strategic planning as we strive to improve our processes for budget preparation and budget execution. That is why in the past two days, you were given updates and information under the Foundation and Budgeting Tracks.

Meanwhile, today’s session tackled procurement. Napaka-importante po ng procurement track na ito dahil kailangang makabisado ninyo ang procurement processes upang ma-improve ang inyong budget utilization. Kaya kahit po ang ating mahal na Pangulo, Pangulong Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., ay kinikilala ang kahalagahan ng procurement.

At dahil nais ng DBM na gawing mas efficient at mas transparent ang ating procurement, sinisikap po natin na magkaroon na ng new and improved Government Procurement Reform Act. And I am proud to report that the House Bill No. 9648 or the New Government Procurement Reform Act (GPRA) already passed the House of Representatives and has ongoing deliberations in the Senate.

At gumawa na po ang PS-DBM ng e-marketplace. Parang Shopee o Lazada po ang sistemang ito kaya magiging mas madali, mas mabilis, at mas masaya na ang procurement.

And because we want to be sustainable, we also have a Green Public Procurement Strategy. Sisiguruhin rin po natin ang reduced environmental impact ng ating mga procured goods at infrastructure projects.

Alongside our procurement wins, we have also ramped up our digital transformation, resulting in the full adoption of the Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS) through Executive Order No. 29. Through this, our PFM processes will be digitalized, with the Budget and Treasury Management System (BTMS) serving as a centralized database for all government financial operations.

We have also already started working on our budget for FY 2025. As you know, the FY 2024 budget was already signed into law by PBBM on December 20. This amounts to Php 5.768 trillion, higher by 9.5 percent compared to last year’s budget, wherein Php 1.004 trillion is allocated to Local Government Units, with Php 182.34 billion earmarked for Visayas, Php 61.58 billion for the development of Region VII, and Php 31.58 billion for Cebu alone.

We are also supporting the 65 infrastructure flagship projects of the PBBM Administration located in the Visayas, with an indicative total cost of Php 1.7 trillion, to boost growth in sectors such as tourism.

So I hope that all these will be fully utilized para makita po natin ang kagandahan ng Bagong Pilipinas dito sa Visayas!

So our dear planning and budget officers, and PFM practitioners, kayo po ang tulay upang maipaabot ng gobyerno ang ating mga serbisyo sa publiko at magkaroon ng PFM system na tunay na tumutugon sa pangangailangan ng ating mga pinaglilingkuran.

Makakaasa po kayong mas pagbubutihin pa po namin sa DBM at pagsusumikapan namin upang masiguro na ang National Budget ay tunay na para sa Pilipino at para patuloy na maihatid ng ating gobyerno hindi lamang ang capacity-building kundi pati ang mga serbisyong tumutugon sa mga pangangailangan ng ating mga kababayan.

This PFM Competency Program will help you create and execute the necessary Programs, Activities, and Projects that will make your respective LGUs thrive because ultimately, that is the wisdom of the Mandanas-Garcia Supreme Court Ruling: to empower our LGUs to serve the people in your localities faster and better.

Kaya sama-sama po nating paigtingin at pagitingin ang ating mga LGU sa pamamagitan ng wasto at tapat na pagsasagawa at paggamit ng ating mga budget tungo sa Bagong Pilipinas kung saan walang Pilipino ang maiiwanan, at kung saan ang gobyerno ay pinagkakatiwalaan ng mamamayan.

Together, let us secure a future-proof and sustainable economy to achieve our Agenda for Prosperity.

Maraming salamat po. Daghang salamat, Cebu!

Mabuhay po ang Region VII! Mabuhay ang ating host city, Mandaue! Mabuhay ang Pilipino at ang Bagong Pilipinas.

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

Maayong adlaw sa tanan! (Good day to everyone!)

Assalamu alaikum wa Raḥmatullahi wa Barakatuh.

First, please allow me to express my sincerest gratitude to everyone who made this purposeful campaign successful through their invaluable support—first, the Local Government of Cebu, represented by our good Board Member Atty. John Ismael Borgonia; our very own, the very hardworking DBM-Regional Office VII, together with our partner agencies; our dedicated partners from the Civil Society Organizations; our fellow public servants, and of course, all our dear participants.

Truly, this gathering is an embodiment of the essence of open government—ang pagkakaisa ng mga mamamayan upang makilahok tungo sa bukás at mabuting pamamahalang bayan.

Noong nakaraang taon po, inilunsad natin ang OGPinas! sa iba’t ibang bahagi ng bansa. Siyempre po malaking bahagi nito ang Visayas. Nanggaling na po ang OGP sa Iloilo City para sa Visayas Cluster at ngayon, dito naman po sa Cebu. Layunin po natin noon na ipakilala ang Philippine Open Government Partnership o PH-OGP sa ating mga kababayan at mas paigtingin ang ating ugnayan sa ating mga partner na civil society reformers sa pamamagitan ng pagtatampok ng kanilang mga karanasan sa pagsulong ng open government sa ating bansa.

Sa pag-iikot po natin, nakita ko po na napakaraming magagaling na mga local officials na nagsusulong ng open government sa kani-kanilang mga nasasakupan. At higit na mas marami po ang ating mga kababayan na nagpakita ng kanilang pakikiisa sa ating adbokasiya. Gaya po ng sinabi ng Chief Executive Officer ng Open Government Partnership na si Sanjay Pradhan noong nakaraang OGP Global Summit sa Tallinn, Estonia, sa Northern Europe, ang open government ay talagang nasa dugo nating mga Pilipino—at ang OGPinas! ay matibay na patunay nito. Indeed, the Philippines is a shining example of open government in the world.

For this year, we are building on our gains and expanding the OGPinas! advocacy campaign as we aim to introduce the 6th PH-OGP National Action Plan and its commitments and to provide an avenue for feedback—socializing the plans of the PH-OGP for the medium term.

Ang National Action Plan o NAP ay produkto ng co-creation process ng gobyerno at civil society, kung saan tayo ay nagtutulungan upang makabuo ng mga commitments na nagsusulong ng mga reporma para sa open government. It encapsulates our hopes and dreams for an open government in the country and our intentions to provide a better life for our fellow Filipinos through improved public service delivery.

Kasabay po ng ating advocacy campaign, nagkaroon po tayo ng series of development workshops at consultations para sa 6th NAP. And our efforts have borne fruit as we now have the country's first-ever medium-term action plan on open government, which responds to the call for the sustainability of our commitments.

We recognize that drafting an action plan is only the beginning. Hence, we are back on the ground to ensure that we close the feedback loop. We hope that this event will pave the way for increased public buy-in of the 6th NAP, guaranteeing its successful implementation.

As the PH-OGP Chairperson, I believe that the key to the success of our action plans is YOU—our partners from civil society. And so, I cannot stress enough how critical your feedback and collaboration are in realizing our commitments. And speaking of our civil society partners, I am even more hopeful about the success of our 6th NAP as we welcome the newly elected Non-Government Steering Committee members for 2023 to 2027.

Dahil tayo rin po ay naniniwala sa kahalagahan ng whole-of-government at whole-of-society approach sa good governance, ngayong araw, kasama natin ang Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) at Department of Finance (DOF) upang talakayin ang kanilang mga commitments sa ilalim ng 6th NAP. They have committed to safeguarding civic space and strengthening social accountability by improving the quality of participatory governance in local government institutions; and subnationalizing transparency, accountability, and participatory governance mechanisms in the extractives sector to ensure sustainable extractive practices and responsible management of our country’s natural resources.

These commitments reflect the role of open government in local governance and sustainable development—matters that significantly affect our nation’s growth.

Thus, I fervently hope that you seize this opportunity to push for accountability in our government, amplify our collective impact in driving change, and finally take up space and create space for our fellow Filipinos to participate in our country’s governance.

Rest assured that we, at the Department of Budget and Management and the PH-OGP, will continue to work hard for open government.

And so together, let us empower others through this platform to make the changes we all desire for the betterment of our country, achieving an even stronger Agenda for Prosperity. Alinsunod ito sa Bagong Pilipinas kung saan ang gobyerno ay mapagkakatiwalaan at ang mga mamamayan ay pinakikinggan.

Daghang salamat po! Mabuhay ang ating host city, Mandaue! Mabuhay ang PH-OGP at ang Bagong Pilipinas.

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