The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and its partner agencies gathered stakeholders from various sectors for this year’s final leg of the OGPinas! nationwide advocacy campaign in Clark.
It aims to promote open and participatory governance and create a synergy with the civil society to facilitate effective and sustainable actions to address social concerns.
In her keynote message, DBM Secretary Amenah Pangandaman challenged the participants to speak up, push for accountability in the government, and create space for fellow Filipinos to participate in the country’s governance.
“Let’s all unite towards building a New Philippines where the government is open— open to the public, open to the youth, open to women, open to the workers, open to the people…open to the good future of our people,” she said.
Pangandaman also cited the gains since the founding of the Philippine Open Government Partnership (PH-OGP) was founded more than a decade ago and its institutionalization through Executive Order No. 31 signed by President Marcos Jr in 2023.
“The Philippines has brought the biggest delegation to the 2023 OGP Global Summit in Estonia where the country was lauded as a country with open governance in its DNA. We were also able to amend the country’s 20-year-old Government Procurement Reform Act in less than a year. With this, the government was able to deeply embed the principles of transparency and participative governance in its procurement law. With the New Government Procurement Act, the government paved the way for a more efficient and incorruptible procurement system,” she said.
The cabinet official likewise mentioned about the implementation of the Inclusive Procurement Program which aims to enhance participation and promote fairness in procurement activities while recognizing gender and ethnic equity, poverty reduction, and adherence to labor standards.
As part of open government initiatives, the government introduced the Support and Assistance Fund to Participatory Budgeting this year.
Under this, 75 municipalities nationwide will have access to safely managed and resilient water supply and sanitation services, including the construction of climate-smart evacuation centers. Through this, civil society organizations have helped identify beneficiaries, two of which are from Central Luzon, including Dinalungan in Aurora and Nampicuan in Nueva Ecija.
Pangandaman shared that the Philippines is number one in Southeast Asia in terms of public participation, and number one in Asia in budget transparency in May, according to the Open Budget Survey.
With this, the public can scrutinize the national budget. Through the People’s budget series, the public also now clearly understands the allocation of funds for programs and projects for each sector of the government.
Pangandaman urged the public to continue to build on these gains as they pursue the sustainability of their commitments under the 6th PH-OGP National Action Plan.
For her part, DBM Regional Director Rosalie Abesamis said the event provides a venue to collaborate, bring fresh voices into the conversation, and ensure that civil society continues to be at the forefront of shaping more responsive and inclusive government policies.
“Together, we can build a future where openness is not just an idea but a reality, where every citizen has a stake and a voice in the governance of the nation. Let us keep moving forward and promote significant reforms that will have an impact on society at all levels,” Abesamis said.
Meanwhile, Pampanga Vice Governor Lilia Pineda expressed support and commitment to the continuity of the PH-OGP programs.
According to her, the program is one way to have genuine citizen participation in government processes as this provides a platform for collaboration among agencies in the government, alongside non-governmental organizations. (CLJD/MJSC, PIA Region 3-Pampanga)