OGP Asia and the Pacific Regional Meeting: Co-creating solutions to challenges

BEYOND BUDGET

(Part I)

Assalamu alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.

I feel an overwhelming sense of pride after our country successfully hosted the Open Government Partnership (OGP) Asia and the Pacific Regional Meeting — a first for our nation — which took place in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, from Feb. 5 to 7.

As the Philippine OGP chairperson, I am honored that our country organized this gathering of more than 800 visionaries, reformers, and changemakers from over 40 countries who believe in fighting for a world where transparency is the norm, accountability is a commitment, and citizen participation is a right, not a privilege. The event sought to create avenues for conversations to raise ambitions for our people and strengthen collaborations.

Indeed, as Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin expressed during the Ministerial Cocktails on Feb. 5, the Philippines is “truly grateful for the trust reposed in organizing this pivotal gathering of ministers, leaders, and policymakers from governments and civil societies across Asia-Pacific and beyond.”

Opening plenary

During the Opening Plenary, I was privileged, as a member of the OGP Steering Committee, to welcome Mr. Aidan Eyakuze to the country — his first regional meeting since the announcement of his appointment as the incoming OGP chief executive officer (CEO) — and assured him of the Philippines’ readiness to support his tenure in advancing the Open Government Agenda, especially in the Asia-Pacific Region.

In my remarks, I emphasized the enactment of the New Government Procurement Act, hailed as the biggest anti-corruption measure in the country’s recent history, as it introduces open contracting and disclosure of beneficial ownership information, among other reforms that incorporate open government values.

We put much thought and detail into organizing the event. Thus, I also shared that, in the spirit of inclusivity and sustainability, we tapped persons deprived of liberty in Quezon City and artisans from Bulacan to repurpose 2,800 square feet of used tarpaulins into tote bags for the delegate kits. Inside the tote bags were Auro chocolates, our internationally acclaimed brand, which directly sources raw materials from local farmers. We also exerted our best effort to make the event paperless by creating the OGP mobile application for delegates to learn more and connect with fellow champions.

Meanwhile, incoming OGP CEO Eyakuze expressed appreciation for the Philippines’ hosting of the regional meeting, explaining its significance when he noted that it was “more than just a conference but a demonstration of our shared commitment to open government, a powerful tool to meet the complex challenges of our time.”

I am particularly proud and delighted by the attendance of His Excellency, President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. (PBBM), who, in jest, underscored that we could already hold a Cabinet meeting since most of my fellow Cabinet members were there. Also present were members of the House of Representatives, led by Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, the Judiciary, especially Supreme Court Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo, the Monetary Board and officials of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, headed by Governor Eli Remolona Jr., other officials of the executive, and leaders of local government units. I am likewise pleased about the participation of members of the diplomatic corps, development partners, the private sector, the academe, indigenous groups, and, of course, civil society organizations led by my PH-OGP co-chair, MALAYA KA Executive Director Aurora Chavez.

As PBBM underscored in his keynote message, “[t]his momentous occasion testifies to how we have embraced open governance as part of our national identity under a Bagong Pilipinas. This is complemented by our sincerest efforts to make government processes more responsive, inclusive, and transparent.”

In this regard, the President shared our country’s successes in instituting open governance, particularly our digitalization and freedom of information initiatives, as ways we have been keeping with our OGP commitments. He pointed out, “[o]ur people can only truly participate in governance if they have access to information. This access is made possible by government transparency, digitalization, and the institutionalization of freedom of information through legislation, which is a constitutionally recognized principle.”

Further, I thank and appreciate PBBM for recognizing my role in the OGP advocacy by generously stating that I have been “instrumental in pushing our Open Government Agenda further.”

Providing avenues for conversations

The regional meeting served as a venue for dynamic discussions and the sharing of best practices and innovations to advance transparency, civic engagement, and accountability across the region, through three high-level roundtables, three plenaries, 35 side events, and more than 20 breakout sessions.

The discussions revolved around open government challenge areas, including developments and issues on access to information, anti-corruption, civic space, climate and environment, digital governance, fiscal openness, gender and inclusion, justice, media freedom, and public participation.

Beyond budget, I believe that the resounding success of the OGP Asia and the Pacific Regional Meeting was due to the whole-of-nation, whole-of-society approach we have implemented not only during the meeting but throughout the past two years under PBBM’s leadership. While much work remains to be done, the event reinvigorated champions, providing an opportunity to learn from each other and collaborate further. 

We at PH-OGP are optimistic that, together, we can sustain and strengthen open governance in our Bagong Pilipinas and contribute to the region’s progress.

(Amenah F. Pangandaman is the Secretary of the Department of Budget and Management.)