Hello and good afternoon to our very young participants today— the future leaders of our country—and to our OGP partners for this program!
Assalamu alaikum wa Raḥmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
For the young ones here who are not familiar with me, I am Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman of the Department of Budget and Management or DBM and I am also simultaneously Chairperson of the Philippine Open Government Partnership or PH-OGP Steering Committee.
First, I would like to thank and congratulate the Council for the Welfare of Children, the United Nations Children’s Fund or UNICEF Philippines, the United Nations Development Programme or UNDP, our CSO partners especially the Positive Youth Development Network and Unang Hakbang Foundation, for making this trailblazing event possible. I would also like to thank the representatives from the Department of Education, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of the Interior and Local Government, and the Philippine National Police for joining us today.
This is the first time that we have engaged with adolescents for the Open Government Partnership or OGP. So, dear participants, you are a very special batch. You are the pioneer batch of junior advocates for OGP.
I am sure that you have already been introduced to the concept of Open Government. As you probably know by now, one of the important aspects and values encouraged by OGP is public participation in policy-making. We have already been doing that by consulting with NGOs and Civil Society Organizations or CSOs. But this time, we have taken it a step further by consulting and dialoguing with our adolescent advocates!
So I want to tell our young ones a very important message today: your thoughts matter. More importantly, your thoughts matter to us, your leaders in government. We want to hear you, we want to listen to you, and we want to take into consideration your ideas and perspectives. Because we, the current leaders in government, are not youth anymore. I am from Gen X; you are from Gen Z. We can only put ourselves in your place but only you really, truly know the challenges that you are facing. So I hope that you have been fully participating and speaking up. Like Taylor Swift said, Speak now!
But allow me also to share with you, our youth, what we—your leaders in government—have been doing for you.
On our end at the Department of Budget and Management, we are committed to pursuing the country's economic transformation but with inclusivity and sustainability in mind. That means that we are focused on achieving economic growth but as we craft policies, we also seek to ensure that no one is left behind, especially not the youth nor the children; and that the impact is for all, including the future generations.
Let me share with you some numbers that you might not hear in the news or see on social media. For the development of children and the youth through education, in the Fiscal Year 2024 proposed National Budget, we have allocated Php 924.7 billion to our Education sector. We have also included Php 41 billion for Education Assistance and Subsidies.
Aware of the necessity of being connected virtually today, especially for students, we are also making our country future-ready through digitalization. We are allocating Php 2.5 billion to support Free Internet Wi-Fi Connectivity in Public Places and State Universities and Colleges. On top of this, there is also a proposed allocation of Php 1.5 billion to help improve overall internet speed and affordability. We know how important the internet is today, especially for students!
We are also addressing nutrition, which is very important in early childhood development. Hence, we have allotted Php 4.1 billion for the Supplementary Feeding Program of DSWD and Php 52 million for the Early Childhood Care and Development in the First 1000 Days Program.
These are just some of the initiatives of government to ensure the growth and development of the next generations.
But we want to know from the youth yourselves what we might be missing or how we can further improve our service to the nation. So as OGP Chair, I encourage you all, through this event, to use this venue as a platform to air your concerns, ideas, and observations on various issues.
To our partners today, especially UNICEF and UNDP, thank you for supporting this milestone dialogue.
Our children and our youth include some of the most determined, creative, and inspiring members of our society. They are teeming with so much potential; they are our students, athletes, advocates, volunteers, speakers, storytellers, planners, and frontliners.
Hence, we recognize that it is incumbent upon us to provide them with accessible and safe spaces not only to ensure but to encourage their meaningful participation and inclusion in the governance of our nation—as the title of this event suggests, “para sa bata, kasama ang bata.”
We want our children and youth to be empowered. Kaya’t pagsumikapan natin na ang kabataang Pilipino ay maging kabahagi at katuwang ng gobyerno sa paghubog ng isang lipunang hindi lamang makatao kundi makabata.
A study conducted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development concluded, “The well-being of society is most improved when investments are made in children.” Hence, on our part, we will continue investing in our children and our youth.
To our participants today: speak now! So that in the true spirit of OGP, we can improve government together. Please take advantage of this opportunity to bring fresh insight to our discussions, push for innovations, and most importantly, through the OGP platform, make the voice of your generation heard. After all, as Kailash Satyarthi, a children’s activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner, once said: "No segment in society can match the power, idealism, enthusiasm, and courage of young people."
The economic team is now working hard to improve our economy so that we will have upper-middle-income status soon—that means a brighter future for all, especially the next generations. We call our action plan the Agenda for Prosperity. I hope that you, our participants today, and our partner NGOs and CSOs, will also become our partners in prosperity. Together, let us make our country a better nation for Gen Z and future generations.
Maraming salamat po. Wabillahi Tawfiq Wal Hidaya, Wasalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu.
