BEYOND BUDGET

Eid Mubarak! June is certainly a fulfilling month. President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. signed two measures that I had been fervently hoping would be passed. On June 1, President BBM signed Executive Order No. 29, which directs the full adoption of the Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS) in government. IFMIS aims to instill fiscal discipline, speed up government transactions, promote on-time delivery and implementation of services, and encourage better planning of spending priorities. We say goodbye to the pigeon-hole image of bureaucratic “red tape” in government, and “Hello!” to the overdue but well-deserved digitalization upgrade of government offices across the country. On June 20, the President signed EO No. 31, institutionalizing the Philippine Open Government Partnership (PH-OGP) — a game changing initiative in governance. It was the good news that I had been waiting for, especially at this point when the country's efforts to revive and achieve economic growth. Open Government Partnership (OGP) is a global initiative launched in 2011, when government leaders and civil society advocates joined forces to create a unique partnership to promote “transparent, participatory, inclusive and accountable governance.” It currently includes 76 nations, 106 local governments, and thousands of civil society groups. The signing of EO 31 opens the door for quality engagement between the government and the Filipino people, and paves a clearer path for our Agenda for Prosperity. The beauty of the PH-OGP is that citizens have greater representation, and a platform to voice their opinions and participate in consensus-building. This kind of active interaction between government and the people truly fosters a more responsive and sustainable form of governance. By adopting OGP’s guiding principles, governments become more transparent, which increases public trust and confidence over the long term. Here, a culture of public integrity is being fostered, giving the people the confidence that their government genuinely serves them and not just a select few. We know that the world has been truly changed by the pandemic. It has forced us to dive deep into the great digital divide. But the signing of PH-OGP is another proof of our strong sense of resilience and adaptability. My delight comes from the fact that the twin EOs — PH-OGP and IFMIS — are interconnected. Both strengthen our drive for digital transformation, transparency, and guarantee the establishment of reliable data systems responsive to the citizens’ needs. These EOs will certainly contribute significantly to a better future for the country.

PH-OGP National Action Plan

The PH-OGP will be starting its nationwide co-creation workshops on the development of its 6th National Action Plan (NAP) 2023-2027 from August to September. These public consultations aim to further scrutinize the draft commitments of participating agencies to ensure that the programs and projects under the next action plan have undergone discussions with non-government sector, academe, public sector unions, civil society organizations (CSOs), business groups, cooperatives, among others. The four-year action plan likewise considers the results of the OGP Citizens’ Agenda for Good Governance crafted by the non-government and other civil society actors. The resulting priority agenda captures thematic areas for possible inclusion in the NAP such as safeguarding civic space and strengthening social accountability; promoting truth-telling and responsible digital citizenship; strengthening institutions for fiscal transparency, among others. At the local level, the PH-OGP has also championed reforms in strengthening efforts toward localization of some commitments to LGUs. The LGUs are part of the OGP Local Program committed to work with local CSOs to make government more open, inclusive, participatory, and accountable to their citizens. Under the 5th NAP, FOI localization efforts were strengthened and improved across the country where 50 local FOI ordinances were issued through the Local FOI Acceleration Program. The DILG, on the other hand, implemented the Support to Local Governance Program. The Provincial Government of South Cotabato and Municipal Government of Borongan, Eastern Samar have also pioneered game-changing reforms in implementing OGP at their respective governments. The fiscal year 2024 budget will provide space for collaboration and partnership with the citizens at the local level through the Support and Assistance Fund to Participatory Budget Program. The institutionalization of the PH-OGP also creates a steering committee to serve as its policy and decision-making body. It’s an honor to be a member of this Steering Committee and be in the league of this multi-stakeholder partnership that includes representatives from government and CSOs. I’m looking forward to the meeting of minds that will be shared by my fellow committee members in our future discussions.

Great strides in digitalization

On June 30, this administration will complete its first year in office, but already great strides have been made in our digitalization and citizens’ access to information efforts. I sincerely appreciate the fact that our President supports re-engineering the bureaucracy to foster accountability, transparency, good governance, and building public trust. I laud his emphasis on these initiatives, particularly when it comes to public financial management. I therefore have high hopes that the Progressive Budgeting for Better and Modernized Governance Bill, which institutionalizes Public Financial Management reforms including the Cash Budgeting System, will also be swiftly passed and implemented. Added to the EOs on the IFMIS and PH-OGP, this measure will complete the trio of initiatives that would effectively implement funding for crucial government programs geared towards improving the lives of every Filipino, and ensuring economic growth. Beyond budget, the institutionalization of the PH-OGP will undoubtedly increase public confidence in the government and foster greater civic engagement. With the OGP values of citizen participation, transparency, and accountability — corruption can be diminished, if not eliminated. Beyond budget, our digital transformation is indeed playing a profound role in the way Filipinos are engaging with their government. There is a voice that can be distinctly heard and a power among citizens that can actively take part in shaping the country's future. Assalamu alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.