To Mayor Caesar "Jaycee" Dy Jr., represented by Hon. Edgardo Atienza, Jr.;
To the members of the Sangguniang Bayan—maraming salamat po sa pasuporta sa programa ng Department of Budget and Management (DBM) dito sa Cauayan City;
To the Association of Local Budget Officers Inc.-Cagayan Chapter headed by President Jennelson Gorospe—thank you for being our incredible partner in this undertaking at dahil sa inyo, nakarating na rin po ang PFMCP dito;
To our very own DBM Regional Office II, led by Acting Director Cherry W. Bravo and Acting Assistant Director Jose C. Pamittan, whose support has been invaluable to the success of this activity—maraming salamat po sa ibinigay ninyong oras at malasakit sa mga taga-DBM habang sila po ay nandiyan sa Cauayan;
To our Public Financial Management (PFM) practitioners and participants;
Assalamu alaikum wa Raḥmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
Naimbag nga bigat, Isabela!
Before anything else, my profuse apologies for being unable to be with you today physically. I was already set to fly to Isabela but then just yesterday, I was called for an urgent meeting by the House of Representatives on the 2025 National Budget. And as you know, I am obligated to attend when Congress calls on us.
I really wish I could be there with you today. That is why when I was told that maybe we can meet instead virtually—live via Zoom—I immediately said yes, especially when I heard that this is one of the biggest PFMCP turnouts with over 700 of you coming to Isabela! Maraming, maraming salamat po.
I am so glad to be with all of you today—even virtually—in Cauayan City, the Ideal City of the North. I was also happy to learn—because digitalization is my advocacy—that this is the First Smart City in the Philippines!
And I am so proud to also learn that last August, you received the Lunsod Lunsad Award, for the second time, for your creative and innovative approach to economic development. I am excited to see how your initiatives will boost your local economy while also showcasing your rich cultural heritage on a national level.
And I am happy because despite your significant accomplishments, you still strive to learn more and do better, especially in terms of PFM.
For that, I would like to thank you and congratulate all of you for being part of this year’s Public Financial Management Competency Program (PFMCP) for Local Government Units (LGUs).
As you may know, we at the Department of Budget and Management are persistently working hard to develop the capacities of our local PFM practitioners—because you are the frontliners in delivering quality services to the people we have sworn to serve.
And I am proud to share that we have already capacitated almost 7,000 local PFM practitioners, and counting, nationwide. This is a testament to our commitment to ensuring inclusivity and empowering our local governments.
Ultimately, our goal in PFMCP is to promote fiscal discipline, allocative efficiency, and operational efficiency in your respective localities. This is why our competency program is carefully designed to equip you with the necessary knowledge and skills that will enable you to manage your resources effectively and efficiently.
Our top-caliber subject matter experts have walked you through the seven (7) foundation courses covering the fundamentals of PFM, the budgeting process, and procurement process, among others.
I am also happy that you are learning more about the New Government Procurement Act (NGPA), which was signed into law last July 20.
Alam n’yo po, unang araw ko pa lang po bilang Budget Secretary ay top priority ko na itong NGPA dahil isa ito sa mga susi sa pagsugpo ng korapsyon sa gobyerno sa pamamagitan ng digitalized, efficient, mas mabilis, at mas madaling maintidihan na procurement system. Kaya nagpapasalamant naman po ako sa ating GPPB-TSO, PS-DBM, our legal team, sa mga mambabatas na nag-sponsor sa batas na ito, at higit sa lahat, sa ating Pangulo dahil sinuportahan niya ito.
Now, we can all look forward to a procurement system that adheres to global standards and is more attuned to changing times.
With the NGPA, pwedeng 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 which we have institutionalized through the President’s issuance of Executive Order No. 31 last June 2023.
Speaking of having an open government, I am also happy to share that we are now Number 1 in budget transparency not just 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 key budget documents that are open for public review and scrutiny.
And for more transparency and accountability, we are digitalizing our bureaucracy, beginning with the full adoption of the Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS), with the Budget and Treasury Management System (BTMS) as the centralized database for all government financial operations.
We are also reviving Project DIME or 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 LGUs 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 25, 2024.
Under this budget, some Php 1.1841 trillion has been allocated to our Local Government Units. Of this amount, Php 1652 billion is allotted to Region II. On top of this, Region II will also receive some Php 52.43 billion from the LGUs’ FY 2025 National Tax Allotment.
And because we also want all our LGUs to help us develop a green economy, we will support local governments in building open spaces and infrastructure that promote active mobility through the Green Green Green Program with an allocation of Php 1.0 billion.
In addition to our green reforms to support local governments, we have likewise initiated the Support and Assistance Fund to Participatory Budgeting this fiscal year.
The SAFPB aims to provide lagging municipalities with safely managed and resilient water supply and sanitation services. This program likewise incorporates our open government principles since civil society organizations themselves have helped identify the beneficiaries.
We are glad to mention that several LGUs in this Region have been identified as beneficiaries, namely the Municipalities of Iguig and Santa Teresita in Cagayan, the Municipalities of Mallig and Santa Maria in Isabela, and the Municipality of Ambaguio of Nueva Vizcaya.
As we fulfill the Mandanas-Garcia Supreme Court Ruling which seeks to empower our LGUs, I hope we are successful in capacitating all our budget officers through the PFMCP. And I hope that all your budgets will be fully utilized para makamit natin ang tunay na Bago at Bonggang Pilipinas dito sa rehiyon at sa bawat LGU.
Agyamanak, Cauayan City at sa buong Cagayan Valley! Mabuhay ang Pilipino at ang Bagong Pilipinas!
Wabillahi Tawfiq Wal Hidaya, Wasalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu.
END
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3 Local Budget Memorandum No. 90 s. 2024
