Assalamu alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.

As chairperson of the Philippine Open Government Partnership (PH-OGP), I had the privilege of leading the Philippine delegation to the 2025 OGP Global Summit held in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain, from Oct. 6 to 10. With one of the most high-level representations at the event, our presence demonstrated that the Philippines stands firmly with the global OGP community in advancing open governance at all levels of society — refining systems for better public service delivery and strengthening public trust through transparency and collaboration.

The OGP Global Summit, held every two years, serves as a platform for dialogue on open government initiatives among more than 2,000 high-level representatives of governments, civil society, and policy makers worldwide. It is also where the most promising and impactful reforms in open government, submitted to the Open Gov Challenge, are recognized.

I am proud to share that the Philippines bagged not just one, but six Open Gov Challenge Awards, thus emerging as one of the most recognized countries. Each award represents an initiative that makes government more open — from transparent procurement data that curbs corruption, to climate finance tools that empower the citizens. These were for four Philippine commitments that stood out among 163 initiatives submitted by over a hundred participating governments. Truly, this reflects our nation’s collective commitment to open, transparent, and participatory governance, empowered by the leadership of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.

Among the recipients of the Open Gov Awards is our very own Procurement Service-Department of Budget and Management’s (PS-DBM) commitment to “Improve Data Availability, Interoperability, and Public Participation in Procurement.” It emerged as the overall winner in the Anti-Corruption Thematic Category and the Asia and the Pacific Regional Category, affirming the agency’s success in restoring integrity and trust in public procurement. PS-DBM Executive Director Genmaries Entredicho-Caong emphasized that the recognition reinforces “our ongoing efforts to reform public procurement in service of the Filipino people.”

Meanwhile, out of 20 global climate and environment commitments, the Climate Change Commission’s (CCC) “Increase the Accessibility of Climate Finance Data” won in the Climate and Environment Thematic Category. The project, titled “Inclusive Monitoring and Participation for Accountability in Climate Transformation (IMPACT),” aims to further strengthen the internal system of Climate Change Expenditure Tagging and embed participatory governance in its design. CCC Secretary Robert E.A. Borje underscored that “accessible climate finance data builds trust and strengthens accountability among government, civil society, and the public,” adding that the CCC is “dedicated to empowering citizens and communities to take part in shaping and tracking climate action.”

The Presidential Communications Office-Freedom of Information (FOI) Program Management Office’s “Co-Create a Framework to Implement Local Right to Information (RTI) Ordinances,” titled “Co-creation of the FOI Program Localization Framework for Local Government Units (LGUs),” also received an Honorable Mention in the Access to Information Thematic Category. The commitment seeks to ensure genuinely inclusive and locally responsive access to information by developing a comprehensive and context-sensitive localization framework through co-creation.

Finally, I am happy to note that our local government units (LGUs) are joining us in championing our country’s open government initiatives. The Quezon City Government, led by Mayor Joy Belmonte, won in the Asia and the Pacific Regional Category for Subnational Submissions and was the overall winner in the Civic Space Thematic Category, in its commitment to “Support Capacity Building for Civil Society to Participate in Governance.” Remarkably, Quezon City was just one of the six LGUs that submitted their commitments to the Open Gov Challenge. This then encourages us to further harness the strengths of our LGUs and to share their success stories in both national and global learning spaces.

Indeed, the recognitions received on the world stage are a testament to PBBM’s vision for a Bagong Pilipinas built on transparency, accountability, and innovation. From day one, he has directed us to make government more open and efficient, ensuring that every peso spent truly benefits the people. These awards remind us how far we have come — and how collaboration continues to drive progress even in challenging times. After all, we rise by lifting others.

And looking back at where we started, it fills me with profound joy to see government agencies, LGUs, and civil society organizations united in our pursuit of a genuinely open Philippines. In such a short time since the OGP Global Summit in Estonia in 2023, we have achieved so much in domestically growing our OGP family. I therefore congratulate and thank our commitment holders, and encourage more stakeholders to join the partnership.

Beyond budget, our open government journey has shown significant progress but we believe that there is a lot more to accomplish. Our objective is to sustain the momentum and introduce more ambitious reforms, through determination and by trusting the OGP process, toward a Bagong Pilipinas that is transparent, accountable, and open to all.

Together, let us continue building a future where trust, transparency, and participation are the cornerstones of governance.