Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, good morning. 

Assalamu alaikum wa Raḥmatullahi wa Barakatuh. 

The Department of Budget and Management is committed to ensuring that our National Budget not only propels growth but also addresses climate change. Hence, we have been applying Climate Change Expenditures Tagging since 2015.  

And aligned with the strategic priorities set by the National Climate Change Action Plan 2011-2028, climate-responsive expenditures have been progressively increasing for the past 10 years by an average of 32.5 percent. In fact, for next year's National Expenditure Program, this is increasing by 123 percent to a remarkable USD 17.9 billion.  

Among the programs, we have Risk Resiliency Program and the Green Green Green Program to encourage greener cities across the nation. We have also integrated strong climate dimensions and environmental standards as non-negotiable pre-conditions for public investment projects, including those funded by public-private partnerships or the PPP, to attract green investments and create green jobs.  

Finally, we now have the green public procurement strategy through our New Government Procurement Act (NGPA).  

As you can see, sustainability is key in our Agenda for Prosperity. This is our commitment to the Filipino people, including and especially the future generations.   

Thank you very much.  

To the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD) Chairman Atty. Pete Maniego, Jr.; 

ASEAN Business Leaders; 

Board of Directors and Officers from publicly listed and government-owned and controlled corporations, financial institutions, insurance companies, medium-sized enterprises, and non-profit organizations; 

And to all our champions and advocates of good governance; 

Good afternoon. 

Assalamu alaikum wa Raḥmatullahi wa Barakatuh. 

First of all, happy 25th anniversary to the Institute of Corporate Directors! Thank you for advocating and instituting global corporate governance standards for the past 25 years.  

Also, allow me to express my gratitude for this opportunity to be part of your first-ever ICD Global Governance Summit. It is an honor to discuss and advance the practice of good governance with esteemed leaders, experts, and stakeholders. 

Aligned with the theme, “Leading the Future, Strengthening Unity,” the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) assures you of our commitment to leading the Philippines into a better future by enhancing transparency and building trust in the Government.  

As the department responsible for ensuring the efficient and sound utilization of public funds—or the Filipino people’s budget—DBM aims to be a beacon of integrity in government. 

In fact, we have secured the top spot for budget transparency not just in Southeast Asia but in the whole of Asia based on the 2023 Open Budget Survey results. This is because of our timely and comprehensive publication of all key budget documents that are open for public review and scrutiny. 

And in affirmation of our commitment to a transparent and trustworthy government, I am very proud to share that the Philippines is one of the eight founding members of the Open Government Partnership (OGP)—a multilateral initiative that promotes transparency, empowers citizens, fights corruption, and harnesses new technologies to strengthen governance.  

In 2023, we institutionalized the Philippine Open Government Partnership (PH-OGP) through Executive Order No. 31, and have since achieved several milestones in open governance. 

First, we produced the 6th PH-OGP National Action Plan (NAP), the country’s first-ever medium-term action plan on open government. 

We also launched the OGPinas!, our flagship nationwide advocacy campaign to strengthen public participation, reaching even the country’s farthest regions. But more than an advocacy campaign, we are actively practicing this by integrating public participation in our budget process through the Support and Assistance Fund to Participatory Budgeting. This will provide 75 municipalities nationwide with access to safely managed and resilient water supply and sanitation services, including climate-smart evacuation centers. 

Our efforts toward public participation have been further strengthened with the enactment of the New Government Procurement Act, which President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. signed into law on July 20, 2024. This law marks a significant milestone in our vision to modernize the procurement system, increase the participation of the private sector and civil society at all levels of the procurement process, and combat corruption towards a more transparent, accountable, and efficient bureaucracy.  

This is reinforced by our digitalization efforts. Just recently, we endorsed to the President the Public Financial Management (PFM) Reforms Roadmap, our blueprint for modernizing and harmonizing our PFM system.  

Amid these accomplishments, we were entrusted with an even bigger responsibility, as the Philippines—represented by yours truly—was elected as a new member of the OGP Steering Committee, joining countries such as Brazil, Estonia, Morocco, and the United Kingdom.  

But wait, there’s more! The Philippines has also been chosen to host the OGP Asia and the Pacific Regional Meeting in 2025! We hope that you will give us your full support for this gathering of OGP member nations in the region. 

All these are a testament to our steadfast commitment to the OGP principles of transparency, accountability, and public participation in government. And these will only drive us forward to achieve even greater heights for a better and brighter future.  

To all the champions of good and open governance, I am grateful for your support in advancing a transparent and trustworthy government. Let us all keep in mind our shared aspiration for a good government where the people are involved, heard, and empowered.  

Thank you again and congratulations, ICD!  

Wabillahi Tawfiq Wal Hidaya, Wasalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu. 

END 

To our Honorable President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.; 

Public Financial Management (PFM) Committee principals and members, resource institution secretaries and officials; 

Asian Development Bank (ADB) representatives, whose technical assistance has made the development of the PFM Reforms Roadmap possible; 

Our Development Partners who played a vital role in all levels of the crafting and fine-tuning of our strategic document and will further play a crucial part in implementing our PFM reforms;  

My colleagues in public service, ladies and gentlemen:  

Good afternoon. 

Assalamu alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. 

If you would recall, Executive Order (EO) No. 29, dated June 1, 2023, was one of the very first marching orders of the President. This set forth a challenging endeavor to digitalize and re-engineer our PFM processes. But it was an undertaking we were all eager to accept and take on.  

As such, I am proud to present our PFM Reforms Roadmap 2024-2028, a comprehensive blueprint for the full digitalization of PFM processes and the harmonization of PFM policies across agencies. 

This includes a strategic plan to expedite the development of an Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS) to ensure seamless and efficient government transactions. The Roadmap also guides us in our efforts to synchronize planning and budgeting linkages at all levels of the government to ensure alignment of priorities, streamline cash management practices and policies, and standardize internal auditing guidance, among others. 

We are also pushed by this Roadmap to further capacitate and empower our PFM practitioners with the skills and training that they need by implementing a dynamic training curriculum tailored to address the evolving challenges in public financial management. 

As we maximize the transformative power of digital technology, we hope to truly enhance our systems and processes, ensure fiscal discipline and allocative efficiency, and deliver the needs of the people we have sworn to serve.   

And now allow me to present this video about the PFM Reforms Roadmap 2024-2028 explaining how we intend to make our vision of a digitalized and effective PFM system a reality—so that we can deliver a sound, systematic, transparent, and accountable form of governance in fulfillment of our Agenda for Prosperity in our Bagong Pilinas.  

Maraming salamat po. 

Magandang umaga po ulit sa ating lahat.  

Maayong aga sa ating Vice Governor at sa lahat ng leaders ng  Provincial Government of South Cotabato and even the Senior Officials and Regional Directors of Department Line Agencies.  

Again, maayong aga! 

Assalamu alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. 

Bago po ang lahat, maraming salamat po sa pagdalo ninyo sa kaarawan ng ating mahal na Pangulo. 

Habang tayo po ay nagtitipon dito sa Mindanao, mayroon din pong nagaganap na selebrasyon na katulad nito sa iba't ibang parte ng Pilipinas. 

Ganyan po tayo kamahal ng ating Pangulo. 

Gusto po niya na ang kanyang kaarawan, kapag ipinagdiriwang, ay sama-sama po tayong lahat at walang maiiwan.  

At ako po bilang isang anak ng Mindanao, napakasaya ko po na sa pamumuno ngayon ng ating mahal na Pangulo, hindi po naiiwan at hindi niya nakakalimutan ang Mindanao. 

Kung maaalala ninyo po, noong June 2023 lamang, nagpunta po dito sa South Cotabato ang ating mahal na Pangulo upang personal na pangasiwaan ang paglulunsad ng Consolidated Rice Production and Mechanization Program. ‘Yan po ay dahil seryoso siya na ang Mindanao ay maging tunay na food basket ng Pilipinas. At sinikap po natin na ang agrikultura ay maging susi sa food security ng ating bansa. 

At nito lamang May 2024, noong nabalitaan ng ating Pangulo sa Department of Agriculture na aabot daw po sa halos Php 6 billion ang nawawala sa ating mga magsasaka at mangingisda dahil sa El Niño at mahigit 207 na LGU ang naaapektuhan nito, namigay naman ang ating Pangulo ng mahigit na Php 200 million na cash assistance dito po sa South Cotabato, General Santos, Saranggani, Sultan Kudarat, at Cotabato. Ang South Cotabato po mismo, ang balita ko, ay nabigyan ng Php 50 million. Ganyan po kayo kamahal ng ating Pangulo.  

Ito naman po ay dahil naniniwala talaga ang Pangulo na “A stronger Mindanao means a stronger Philippines.” 

At kami naman po sa DBM, sinisikap din namin na makamit ang Bagong Mindanao para sa Bagong Pilipinas.  

Kaya po sa ating proposed National Budget next year, mayroong budget na nakalaan para sa mga Local Government Units. Ito po ay hahantong sa Php 1.184 trillion. At mula po sa budget na ito, ang Region XII ay makatatanggap ng Php 138.14 billion.  

Ang LGU share naman po ng Region XII mula sa National Tax Allotment ay aabot ng Php 44.2 billion next year.  

At ang budget po natin sa ating mga cash assistance, sa ating mga ayuda for next year, ay aabot ng almost Php 700 billion. So, ang ibig sabihin po niyan, lahat po sama-sama—walang maiiwan. Lahat po ng pangangailangan ninyo ay tutugunan po ng ating administrasyon.  

‘Yan po ang Bagong Pilipinas. Ang Pilipinas na may masaganang Mindanao. Mindanao na binibisita mismo ng ating Pangulo ng Pilipinas. 

Inaanyayahan ko po kayong lahat na mag-”Happy Birthday” song sa ating Pangulo.  

Maraming, maraming salamat po. Sigurado pong makakaabot po ‘yan sa ating Pangulo mula dito sa Mindanao hanggang sa Luzon, sa Nueva Ecija. 

Maraming salamat po. 

Alhamdullilah sa lahat ng biyaya!