MANILA -- Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman stressed the importance of integrating the power of technology in governance and strengthening public participation as an integral component of achieving public trust.
The Budget Secretary made the statement during the year-end consultation session and fourth quarter meeting of the Philippine Open Government Partnership (PH-OGP) Steering Committee on Friday, 09 December 2022 in Davao City.
“The PH-OGP’s commitment to transparency, accountability, citizen engagement or public participation, and digital governance are all grounded in the overarching objective to increase public trust in the government,” Secretary Pangandaman remarked.
“So, how do we achieve that kind of public trust? We could achieve this kind of public trust by integrating the power of technology in our governance,” the Budget Secretary added.
The consultation meeting aimed at refining the draft Executive Order (EO) to institutionalize the open and participatory governance through advocacy and outreach activities in the country. The activity likewise seeks to iron out important details in the EO before it reaches the President for approval – an important step toward establishing a government that champions the OGP values in governance processes.
The activity likewise discussed important steps in line with the development of the PH-OGP 6th National Action plan.
“Lastly, we should do all these with public participation in mind. In our digitalization efforts, we should work on information dissemination and provide opportunities for exchange with the public,” Secretary Pangandaman said.
She further expressed, “Doing and listening—these are the two elements that create trust in a relationship. As public servants who bridge the government and the people, may we do these with willingness and excellence.”
Joining Secretary Pangandaman in the PH-OGP Steering Committee were DBM Undersecretary Goddes Hope Libiran, and PH-OGP Lead Secretariat and DBM Assistant Secretary Rolando Toledo.
The hybrid consultation meeting was likewise attended by National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Undersecretary Rosemarie Edillon, Presidential Management Staff (PMS) Assistant Secretary Jericho Acedera, and other key representatives from Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), and Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP).
Also in attendance were Mindanao Coalition of Development NGO Networks (MINCODE) Chairperson and PH-OGP Steering Committee Co-Chair Andrea Maria Patricia Sarenas together with other key representatives from Coalition for Bicol Development (CBD), Public Services Labor Independent Confederation - National Public Workers' Congress (PSLINK-PUBLIK), Kaabag sa Sugbo Foundation, Inc. (KSSFI), La Salle Institute of Governance (LSIG), Sectoral Transparency Alliance on Natural Resource Governance in Cebu (STANCE), Unang Hakbang Foundation, Inc. and Caucus of Development NGO Networks (CODE-NGO).
The Open Government Partnership (OGP) was founded in 2011, composed of government leaders and civil society advocates coming together to create a unique partnership to promote transparent, participatory, inclusive, and accountable governance.
To know more about the Philippines’ mission, campaigns, and advocacies, PH-OGP's official website can be accessed through this link: ogp.dbm.gov.ph (DBM)
