Assalamu alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.

On March 23, 2026, I had been conferred a Special Recognition Award during the opening ceremony of the Government Procurement Policy Board-Technical Support Office (GPPB-TSO) Trainers’ Renewal and Onboarding Summit. I could not attend in person, but in some ways, receiving the news quietly made the moment more personal. It gave me the chance to reflect, to remember, and to feel the weight of what that recognition truly meant.

The award was given for my role in helping steer the development and issuance of the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of the New Government Procurement Act, the country's biggest anti-corruption measure in recent times.

On paper, an IRR may be routine, something that naturally follows after a law is passed. But for us who were part of the journey, it was where everything had to come together, where ideas had to hold up against reality, where intention had to become something people could actually use in their day-to-day lives.

So my thoughts did not go to the award itself. Instead, they went to the people who worked quietly but with a deep sense of purpose and helped shape the IRR. Because the truth is, nothing we accomplished was ever done alone. And crafting the IRR was demanding work, but it mattered. And in many ways, it changed us, too. It reminded us why we chose public service in the first place.

What made it even more challenging was the timeline. Typically, work like this takes years. We had six months. Six months to consult, to draft, to refine, and to finalize. But it never felt like we were rushing for the sake of speed. There was a shared understanding among us that the sooner we finished, the sooner these reforms could begin to make a difference. That sense of urgency stayed with us until the very end, quietly pushing us forward on days when fatigue began to set in.

When the IRR was approved earlier in February 2025, there was relief—but not the kind that makes you stop. It was the kind that reminds you that the real work is just beginning. Because policies, no matter how well-written, only matter if they are carried out faithfully and felt by the people they are meant to serve.

At the heart of this reform is something very simple, but very important: openness. Procurement data and documents—from planning all the way to contract implementation—are now available for public monitoring. That shift is not just about compliance. It is about changing how government works. It is about allowing people to see, to understand, and to take part in a process that directly affects their lives.

I have always believed that public service is strongest when it is transparent. Not because we are required to be, but because we owe it to the people. Trust is not built through words alone. It is built slowly, through consistency, through openness, and through the willingness to be held accountable, even when it is uncomfortable.

The principles written into the IRR—transparency, competitiveness, efficiency, proportionality, accountability, participatory procurement, sustainability, and professionalism—are more than just guiding words. They are reminders of the kind of public servants we are called to be, especially when the work becomes complicated, when shortcuts seem tempting, and when no one appears to be watching.

What gives me comfort is knowing that this does not end with us. These reforms now live in the work of agencies, local governments, state universities, and public institutions across the country. They will carry it forward, each in their own way, shaping how procurement is practiced and how services are delivered, often in ways we may never fully see but will quietly benefit from.

I am, therefore, deeply grateful for the trust and the opportunity to serve. I am also grateful for the people I had the privilege to work with. The recognition belongs to them as much as it does to me. It is a shared achievement, one that reflects what can happen when people come together with a common goal and a willingness to do the hard work.

But it also reminds me that there is still more to be done. There always is. Systems can always be improved. Processes can always be strengthened. And trust must always be earned, again and again, in ways both big and small.

Even from a distance, this moment stays with me—not as something to hold on to, but as something to grow from.

Beyond budget, our work has always been about people. About making sure that what we do reaches them, serves them, and makes a difference in their lives.

As Citizen Mina, that is a commitment I will continue to carry.

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