To our Executive Secretary, Honorable Lucas P. Bersamin; 

Excellencies; 

My esteemed colleagues in the Cabinet; 

Distinguished guests; 

To our fellow champions and advocates of open government and good governance from the Asia-Pacific and beyond, mabuhay! 

Thank you for flying all the way here to Manila for the 2025 OGP Asia and the Pacific Regional Meeting! 

I am Budget and Management Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman, Chair of the Philippine Open Government Partnership, and we are all excited to welcome you to our beautiful country. 

I come from the Southern part of the Philippines, which is predominantly Muslim, so allow me to also greet you: 

Assalamu alaikum wa Raḥmatullahi wa Barakatuh.   

We have a lot in store this week! We have around 35 side events, 20 interactive breakout sessions, and three high-level roundtable and plenary discussions, to be joined by more than a thousand participants from 43 countries. 

But for tonight, PLEASE—sit back, relax, and enjoy the view at the Garden Pavilion of the Grand Hyatt Hotel here in Bonifacio Global City, a cosmopolitan city with a rich history spanning more than a century.   

But as we admire the view, let us also exchange views. Let us seize this opportunity to exchange valuable insights, explore new horizons, or simply get to know each other and how we share the same goal of pushing for transparency, accountability, and citizen participation in our own governments. 

Tonight, we are a united community dedicated to advancing our shared advocacy of open governance both on a national and global scale. 

And so let us raise our glasses to the spirit of collaboration and to the better governance which no other than our guest of honor can attest to.  

It is my privilege to introduce our dearest Executive Secretary, former Supreme Court Chief Justice, Honorable Lucas P. Bersamin, who will deliver the keynote speech this evening.  

Thank you.  

END