Mahal na Pangulong Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.;

Sa mga kasamahan ko sa Gabinete—Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno, Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr., Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Ma. Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga, at Tourism Secretary Ma. Christina Frasco;

League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) National President and La Paz, Abra Mayor JB Bernos, LMP Executive Director Andrea Loriaga, mga miyembro ng LMP National Executive Committee at National Secretariat;

At sa ating mga butihing kawani ng gobyerno, magandang araw po.

Ikinagagalak kong makita at makausap ang ating mga kasama mula sa ating mga local government units o LGUs, pati na rin ang ating mga katuwang mula sa iba’t ibang munisipalidad. Dito ako nagkakaroon ng pagkakataon na makita at higit na maunawaan ang sitwasyon ng ating mga LGUs na nagsisilbing frontliners natin sa usapan ng public health, climate change, digitalization, at iba pa.

Kaya naman po ang mensahe ko ngayong hapon ay iikot sa konsepto ng empathy—ang pakiki-isa sa ating kapwa tao—or the ability to put oneself in other people’s shoes and see the world from their eyes.

Sa ating pakiki-isa, kasama na rin po rito ang ating pakikiramay, pag-unawa, at pagmamalasakit sa kapwa.

Relating to this event’s theme, “Strengthening Municipal Capabilities Around Autonomy and Fostering Resiliency,” while we easily associate resilience with autonomy, let us remember that, as leaders in government, it is incumbent upon us to lead with empathy.

Embedding empathy in governance translates to policies that truly consider and respond to the needs of our localities.

Empathy enables us to connect with the people and understand their situation which in turn, will enable us to provide them with what they truly need. I believe that is the true essence of public service.

Empathetic governance will empower communities to advocate and work for their evolving collective interests, building strength and resilience. Through this, they can better address the adversities that they face and deliver policies that support public welfare, leading to their aspired autonomy.

With empathy for the needs of our people, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) prepared a national budget for economic transformation that is truly inclusive and sustainable— budget na tunay na dumaramay, nakaka-unawa, at nagmamalasakit sa mga Pilipino.

These expenditures, which put a premium on strengthening social protection, ensuring food security, and establishing livable communities, among others, also support the Administration’s 8-point Socioeconomic Agenda and will cater to the objectives under the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2023 to 2028.

Kasama sa mga istratehiyang nakalatag sa PDP ay ang mas matatag na pagtutulungan sa pagitan ng lokal at pambansang pamahalaan. Sapagkat hindi naman magiging tunay na “inclusive” ang ating kaunlaran kung wala ang ating lokal na pamahalaan.

Under the 2023 national budget, some Php 820.3 billion is automatically appropriated to LGUs as part of their National Tax Allotment. Thirty-four percent of this, equivalent to Php 278.9 billion, is allocated to more than a thousand municipalities.

We have also allotted Php 16.5 billion for the Local Government Support Fund. Under this, Php 9.16 billion is for financial assistance to Local Government Units, Php 1.0 billion for the Growth Equity Fund, and Php 6.34 billion as support to the Barangay Development Program of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict or the NTF-ELCAC.

Recognizing the plight of our brothers and sisters in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) as their government undergoes transition, we have appropriated Php 64.76 billion for their Annual Block Grant; Php 5.0 billion as Special Development Fund for the rebuilding, rehabilitation, and development of its conflict-affected communities; and Php 4.59 billion for their share in taxes, fees, and charges collected in the region.

Makaaasa rin po kayo na patuloy na susuporta ang DBM pagdating sa devolution ng functions at services ng ating LGUs alinsunod sa Mandanas-Garcia Supreme Court Ruling.

Kinikilala po natin ang mga limitasyon sa kasalukuyang kapasidad ng ating mga LGUs at nauunawaan po natin ang kanilang mga sentimyento ukol sa implementasyon ng full devolution. Kaya naman ipinanukala po natin kasama ng ating Secretary ng DILG, ng NEDA o National Economic and Development Authority, at ng ating Secretary of Finance na i-extend hanggang 2027 ang devolution ng functions at services ng mga LGUs.

We are also well-aware that the differing levels of technical and financial capacities of LGUs affect their absorptive capacities in implementing such policy. In line with this, we partnered again with the Department of Finance and the Department of the Interior and Local Government to continuously provide capacity building interventions appropriate and responsive to the development needs of our local governments. We are also formulating a long-term development strategy and program for LGUs through the Devolution Transition Plans.

On our end at the DBM, we remain committed to pushing for initiatives at the national level that empathize with our local governments and, in turn, empower them in achieving resilience and autonomy.

Currently, the DBM leads the Philippine Open Government Partnership or the PH-OGP which is committed to energizing civic spaces and public participation, enhancing inclusive digital revolution, amplifying discourses on anti-corruption, and strengthening reforms on transparency and accountability.

Acknowledging the importance of listening to the people in empowering them, we have enabled local government leaders, as well as other members of the civil society, to directly raise their concerns on different key issues to the Philippine government through the Dagyaw Town Hall meetings.

To sustain this platform, we hope to institutionalize the PH-OGP through an Executive Order which is expected to be approved within the first semester of 2023.

In line with the OGP principles, we have also reconstituted the DBM Fiscal Openness Working Group to lead the implementation of strategies and institutionalize fiscal transparency efforts and public participation in the Philippine budget process.

Sinisikap din namin na tunay na maunawaan at matugunan ang mga pangangailangan ng ating mga munisipalidad, hence we also target to roll out the Participatory Budgeting Program which ensures the implementation of priority poverty reduction projects as identified at the city or municipal level through participatory planning and budgeting process.

For Bureaucratic Efficiency—kasama po ‘yan sa ating 8-Point Socioeconomic Agenda—we are continuously pushing for the passage of the Progressive Budgeting for Better and Modernized Governance or the PBBM Governance Bill in Congress which aims to streamline the processes of delivering programs and services across all government offices, including local government units, through digitalization.

This will be complemented by the Department’s Digital Transformation Roadmap which will facilitate faster release of data needed for government transactions to promote fiscal transparency, management, and accountability in the government. This is in line with Executive Order No. 170 signed by then-President Duterte or the Adoption of Digital Payments for Government Disbursements and Collections. Sa pamamagitan po nito, mas mabilis at mas tapat po tayong makapagbibigay ng serbisyo na angkop sa kalagayan ng ating mga mamamayan.

All of these are indications of how we seek to empathize with the needs of our local governments and our people in pursuit of good governance. It is empathy that we need as we implement the whole-of-government approach and ensure that no Filipino is left behind.

Higit pa sa paghahanda ng isang people-centered budget, tunay na nakiki-isa tayo sa ating mga kababayan sa pamamagitan ng pagbibigay sa kanila ng tunay nilang pangangailangan at mga bagay na makapagpapadali sa kanilang buhay.

As we strengthen municipal capabilities and empower our people towards autonomy and resilience, let us lead with empathy.

Ilagay natin ang ating mga sarili sa kinatatayuan ng ating mga pinagsisilbihan upang tunay nating maunawaan ang kanilang mga hinaing.

Through empathy, we will all be moved to work with the best of our abilities for the betterment of our municipalities and our country. Sa tunay na pakiki-isa sa ating mga mamamayan, magiging tunay na tapat ang ating serbisyo sa ating bayan.

Maraming salamat po. Assalamu alaikum.

Mabuhay ang League of Municipalities of the Philippines! Mabuhay ang Pilipinas at mga Pilipino.