Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman addresses local budget officers during the Budget Forum of the Association of Local Budget Officers (ALBO) in Region 3 held at the Bulacan State University e-Library Amphitheater on Monday, June 19, 2023. (Photo from the...
Senator Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada is now seeking the passage of a bill that would institutionalize the publication of the so-called “The People’s Budget” or a simplified version of the annual national budget and other similar documents. In filing Senate Bill No. 2251 or the proposed...
BEYOND BUDGET *Assalamu alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.* Last Monday, we celebrated the 125th anniversary of Philippine Independence. This is an appropriate time for Filipinos to remember our heroes, whose valiant acts have led to our national transformation and freedom. And as we reflect on...
BEYOND BUDGET *Assalamu alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.* When I was given the honor to serve our country as budget secretary, I already knew my “why.” It was to make a positive difference and push for fiscal reforms through policies and action. Recently, I wrote about how an open...
Government spending is vital to national growth. It is one of the four components of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The other three are consumer spending, business investment, and net exports. In the past two years, Statista reports that the ratio of government expenditure to GDP in the past three...
BEYOND BUDGET *Assalamu alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.* “A nation’s culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people.” — Mahatma Ghandi Each of us may be from different backgrounds and upbringings, but as Filipinos, we're tied together by a common history and environment,...
BEYOND BUDGET *Assalamu alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.* “How does it feel to be the first Muslim budget secretary and the only Muslim in this administration’s Cabinet?” That's a question I get a lot. Consistently, I always answer that I feel very honored for being able to represent and...
Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III has thrown his full support to a call of Senator Rafael ‘’Raffy’’ Tulfo for the Senate to use the budget process to hold government agencies, particularly the National Irrigation Administration (NIA), responsible for losses of billions of pesos...
BEYOND BUDGET *Assalamu alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.* In my two decades as a public servant, I have come full circle to the budgeting process and public spending, and how they have a profound impact on the lives of the Filipino people. While I have always advocated for financial inclusion...
Marikina City 2nd district Rep. Stella Quimbo (left), and Albay 2nd district Rep. Joey Salceda (MANILA BULLETIN, Facebook) With a new budget season lurking around the corner, ranking House of Representatives members have begun to scrutinize the different government agencies on the proper...
BEYOND BUDGET *Assalamu alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.* Intense heat is really on in the country. Lately, we would hear parents reminding their children to always stay hydrated or indoors, while others choose to travel to cooler places! Indeed, climate change is an inescapable reality, as...
BEYOND BUDGET *Assalamu alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.* The great inventor Thomas Edison said: “The value of an idea lies in the using of it.” In a fast-paced world, one has to quickly discern opportunities—act on them—in order to make innovation happen. Agility and innovation are...
