To the Association of Local Government Budget Officers of Davao Region Inc. headed by President Ermelinda F. Gallego;
Our very own DBM Regional Office XI;
Our representatives from DBM Central Office;
To our Public Financial Management (PFM) practitioners and participants;
Assalamu alaikum wa Raḥmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
Maayong buntag sa tanan!
We are so happy because this is our final PFMCP for LGUs for this year! Congratulations to our Advocacy, Communications, and Training Service-Capacity Development Division (ACTS-CDD), our Local Government and Regional Coordination Bureau (LGRCB), the Regional Associations of the Philippine League of Local Budget Officers (PHILLBO) Inc., and all of the DBM Regional Offices for successfully facilitating this program and making a significant impact in the country’s public financial management system.
I am so happy to see that we have now completed our capacity development for 15 regions and capacitated more than 8,000 local PFM practitioners!
As the saying goes, save the best for last, so we look forward to having the most memorable PFM Competency Program in Davao City, the King City of the South!
This is especially meaningful for me because the first ever capacity building program that I attended as Secretary back in 2022 was also in Davao, for our PFMCP for BARMM under the curriculum for National Government Agencies.
I always like to participate in our capacity development programs as much as I can because I am always inspired by the success stories—how our program has empowered our local governments to better serve their constituents. This is a powerful reminder of our mission—to promote fiscal discipline, allocative efficiency, and operational efficiency to uplift the lives of our fellow Filipinos.
So today, we do not only celebrate our accomplishments but seek to exceed them, inspiring others along the way.
I am happy because again, there’s no doubt that you will be able to do just that because I learned that the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has recognized the City Government of Davao as the Most Outstanding Local Government Unit in the region. Congratulations on this well-deserved award!
And I am again happy because despite your significant accomplishments, you still strive to learn more and do better, especially in terms of PFM.
So on our end at the Department of Budget and Management, we also strive to give you an exceptional competency program, carefully designed to equip you with the necessary knowledge and skills that will enable you to manage your resources effectively and efficiently.
In the next three days, our top-caliber experts will walk you through the seven foundation courses covering the fundamentals of PFM, the budgeting process, the procurement process, auditing, contract management and implementation, among others.
I am also happy that you will learn more about the new law —the New Government Procurement Act (NGPA), which was signed into law last July 20.
Alam ninyo naman kung gaano ka-importante sa ating lahat ang procurement.
Kaya naman unang araw pa lang po natin sa DBM, gusto na po nating baguhin ang ating dating Procurement Act para ito ay mas maging mabilis at mas madali.
Nagpapasalamant po ako sa ating GPPB-TSO, PS-DBM, our legal team, communications team, at sa mga mambabatas na nag-sponsor ng batas na ito. At higit sa lahat, sa ating Pangulo dahil sinuportahan niya po tayo rito.
Now, we can all look forward to a procurement system that adheres to global standards and is more attuned to changing times.
Best of all, with the NGPA, pwede na rin tayong mag-add to cart na lang! We will have an e-marketplace where agencies can procure common-use supplies and equipment directly from competent and reputable suppliers.
Not only that, we will also open the procurement process to citizen participation and allow the public to observe in procurement proceedings—true to the spirit of the Philippine Open Government Partnership (PH-OGP) which we institutionalized through the Executive Order No. 31 signed by the President last June 2023.
Speaking of an open government, especially as Chairperson of the PH-OGP, I am also happy to share that we are now Number 1 in budget transparency not only in Southeast Asia but in the whole of Asia based on the 2023 Open Budget Survey, thanks to our timely and comprehensive publication of all budget documents that are open for public review and scrutiny.
And for transparency and accountability, we are digitalizing our bureaucracy, beginning with the full adoption of the Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS), and the establishment of the Budget and Treasury Management System (BTMS) as the centralized database for all government financial operations.
We are also reviving Project DIME. This is the Digital Information for Monitoring and Evaluation which will use modern technologies such as satellites, drones, and geotagging to monitor and evaluate the status, progress, and activities of the government’s big-ticket projects.
These are part of our PFM Reforms Roadmap 2024 to 2028 which seeks to harmonize PFM policies across agencies and even the Local Government Units by fully digitalizing our PFM processes.
Finally, I am happy to share that the proposed Php 6.352 trillion National Budget for 2025 was approved by the House of Representatives last September and has been undergoing Senate deliberations since last week.
In fact, this is the reason why I can’t be with you in person today. As you know, when we are called by the Senate, we really have to be present, especially because our President has given an order to expedite the passage of our budget.
Under this budget, some Php 1.1841 trillion has been allocated to our LGUs. Of this amount, some Php 165.542 billion is allocated to Region XI alone. On top of this, the Davao Region will also receive some Php 49.983 billion from the LGUs’ FY 2025 National Tax Allotment, higher by almost 18 percent than this year’s National Tax Allotment.
Towards a sustainable and green economy, we will support our Local Government Units in building open spaces and infrastructure that promote active mobility through the Green Green Green Program with an allocation of Php 1.0 billion. Among the four beneficiaries from Region XI are LGUs in the provinces of Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, including the local governments of Panabo and Tagum.
In addition to our green reforms to support local governments, we have likewise initiated the Support and Assistance Fund to Participatory Budgeting (SAFPB) this fiscal year which will provide lagging municipalities with safely managed and resilient water supply and sanitation services. This program will likewise incorporate our open government principles since civil society organizations themselves have helped in the identification of the beneficiaries.
As you can see, ang dami na nating proyekto para sa ating Bagong Pilipinas!
So as we fulfill the Mandanas-Garcia Supreme Court Ruling and empower our LGUs through our PFMCPs, I hope that we can truly apply a whole-of-government approach to making the Philippine economy better.
Kaya galingan po natin at magtulong-tulong po tayo upang makamit natin ang isang Bago at Bonggang Bonggang Pilipinas dito sa Region XI at sa bawat Local Government Units.
Mabuhay po ang Davao, ang Crown Jewel of Mindanao, at ang buong Southern Mindanao! Mabuhay ang Pilipino at ang Bagong Pilipinas!
Salamat kaayo! Wabillahi Tawfiq Wal Hidaya, Wasalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu.
END
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3 Local Budget Memorandum No. 90 s. 2024
