President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has supported the proposed amendments of some provisions of the 2003 Government Procurement Reform Act (GPRA), including the digitalization of the government procurement process, Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said on Tuesday, Aug. 22.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. during a sectoral meeting in Malacañang on Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2023. (Photo from the Presidential Communications Office)

The official presented to the President the proposed amendments to the 20-year-old Republic Act No. 9184 or the GPRA.

“During his State of the Nation Address, President Bongbong Marcos, in line with his brand of transformative governance, urged the Congress to enact a new government procurement law. To make it more attuned to these changing times,” Pangandaman said in a press conference in Malacañang.

She shared that the Chief Executive expressed his support for some of the provisions, specifically the simplification of the eligibility process and the launch of an e-Marketplace for government procurements.

“The President was very supportive. He provided inputs to simplify procurement in LGUs (local government units). He explained aling mga areas sila nahihirapan. Naiintindihan niya po ang ating mga LGUs dahil dyan po siya nanggaling. Gusto rin po niya na ma-develop at ma-institutionalize ang e-Marketplace (what areas they are having a hard time. He understands our LGUs because he came from there. He also wants to develop and institutionalize the e-Marketplace),” she added.

The e-Marketplace for government procurement will be part of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS), an electronic commerce service operated by the DBM to serve as the central portal for all procurement information and activities of the government.

The proposed amendments focused on innovative procurement methods, efficiency in the procurement process, procurement planning and budgeting, digitalization and innovation, sustainable and green procurement, and miscellaneous provisions.

“There has already been a rapid transformation in technology over the past two decades and the pandemic propelled the urgency for digital transactions in the country,” Pangandaman stressed.

Meanwhile, the Budget chief also said that the amendments would address underspending in government offices, which contributed to the slow growth of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) in the second quarter of the year.

“If we will look at the data for the first (semester) of this year, mayroon po tayong negative na (we have negative) P170.5 billion po. Meaning, the national government agencies po was not able to disburse P170 billion po of available funds kaya po bumaba po iyong ating—iyong (that’s why it was reduced—the) contribution po ng (of) government spending to our GDP was reduced,” she explained.

The DBM has earlier addressed the issue of underspending among government agencies by issuing a circular ordering them to provide catch-up plans for their respective project implementations.

In seeking these amendments, Pangandaman hoped that Congress will support the necessary and tedious process of updating the government procurement processes, which usually affect 25 percent of the government's annual budget.