BEYOND BUDGET Eid Mubarak! June is certainly a fulfilling month. President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. signed two measures that I had been fervently hoping would be passed. On June 1, President BBM signed Executive Order No. 29, which directs the full adoption of the Integrated Financial Management...
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...
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...
Northern Samar 1st district Rep. Paul Daza (Ellson Quismorio/ MANILA BULLETIN) The Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Actone of the landmark laws of the previous administration--is being wasted as far as Senior Deputy Minority Leader and Northern Samar 1st district Rep. Paul Daza is...
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...
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...
Government-run National Electrification Administration (NEA) has given electric cooperatives (ECs) up to May 15 this year to submit documents justifying their request for budget for their sitio electrification program (SEP) and other priority projects. In a statement to the media, NEA indicated...
BEYOND BUDGET *Assalamu alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.* Last Friday April 21, which fittingly was Eid al-Fitr, I had the honor and privilege of delivering the keynote message at the mid-year commencement exercises of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP). I am also grateful and...
BEYOND BUDGET *As-salamu alaykum!* Philosopher-novelist Ayn Rand once said, “Money is only a tool. It will take you wherever you wish, but it will not replace you as the driver.” One thing the pandemic-induced health crisis and economic slowdown had magnified, is that survival depends on how...
