The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said transparency and public participation have been fostered through the government’s initiatives toward digitalization. 

At the 2023 Open Government Partnership (OGP) Global Summit in Estonia, Budget Secretary Amemah F. Pangandaman said there are newly issued executive orders (EO) that push the country toward bureaucratic efficiency and fiscal transparency.

Pangandaman is also the chair of the Philippine Open Government Partnership (PH-OGP).

She, along with PH-OGP, the Global Initiative for Fiscal Transparency, and the Department of Foreign Affairs presented “Innovation Talks: Fostering Transparency and Accountability through Open Budget Portals.” This was a session that displayed innovative methods for processing Public Financial Management processes.

“I am proud to share that Executive Order nos. 29 and 31 were recently issued. EO 29 provides for digital transformation through full adoption of the Integrated Financial Management Information Systems (IFMIS) while EO 31 provides for the institutionalization of the PH-OGP,” Pangandaman said.

IFMIS is a digital platform for public financial management processes such as budget preparation and execution to accounting and reporting. 

This would help instill fiscal discipline, speed up government transactions, promote on-time delivery and implementation of services, and showcase better planning on government spending.

She also shared the efforts of the PH-OGP that will institutionalize the Open Government Partnership in the Philippines. This allows the government to give inclusive access to the formulation, implementation, and public policies to the public. 

Digitalization measures will also ensure that every budget allocation, decision, and implementation involves public participation.

“Thankfully, our President recognizes the importance of both digital transformation and having an open government,” Pangandaman said.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. signed EO 29 last June, to let IFMIS take effect in government agencies. Moreover, President Marcos signed EO 31 on June 20, 2023. This allows PH-OGP to be a multi-stakeholder partner that oversees and implements the country’s open government partnership.

“In the Philippines, the DBM ensures the timely and online publication of key budget documents, which include the People’s Budget series to support informed public debate on the national budget.” Pangandaman explained.

The efforts of DBM would allow them to adjust to the growing access to technology and use it as an advantage to reinforce trust in the government.

“We have also operationalized a Civil Society Organizations or CSO Desk to respond to requests for information and address budget-related queries,” she added. (Gabriell Christel Galang)