MANILA -- Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Amenah F. Pangadaman said on Monday, September 12, 2022 that the conduct of proper procurement should be guided by three overarching principles, namely, bureaucratic efficiency, transparency, and service to the people.
Secretary Pangandaman made the statement during the inaugural meeting of the Government Procurement Policy Board (GPPB) under the Marcos Jr. Administration held in the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Pasay City.
GPPB Executive Director Rowena Candice M. Ruiz gave the opening remarks where she acknowledged the presence of the current members of the GPPB as well as other representatives who met face-to-face for the first time after two years of online meetings.
“We are overwhelmed by your presence. It shows to us your unwavering commitment to making sure that procurement policies are not only streamlined, simple but also very responsive to the changing times,” ED Ruiz said.
The meeting pooled together the 15 members of the board to set out the guidelines and parameters within which the body will operate towards regulating procurement by all government agencies.
Sec. Pangandaman, who concurrently serves as Chairperson of the GPPB, described procurement as “an essential part of any government institution and can even be the deciding factor in the delivery of the agency’s service to the public.”
The DBM Secretary, in addition, underscored three characteristics of sound procurement.” “First, it ensures the efficient implementation of government programs. Second, proper procurement can generate savings for an institution–something very important considering our limited fiscal space due to the pandemic . . . Third, proper and transparent procurement also contributes to trust in government institutions and the administration.”
To exemplify the advantages of proper procurement, Sec. Pangandaman cited the procurement during the tenure of former DBM Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno. “If I may toot my own horn, under the capable leadership of then DBM secretary Diokno, we reported procurement savings of Php18.3 billion in 2018, which we were able to compute by comparing actual award costs with the approved budget of the contract or project cost estimates for foreign-assisted projects.”
Other members of the GPPB are National Economic Development Authority Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan as alternate chairperson, Vice President and Department of Education Secretary Sara Z. Duterte, Department of Energy Secretary Raphael P.M. Lotilla, Department of Finance Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno, Department of Health Officer-in-Charge Maria Rosario S. Vergeire, Department of Information and Communications Technology Secretary Ivan John E. Uy, Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin C. Abalos Jr., Department of National Defense Officer-in-Charge Jose Faustino Jr., Department of Public Works and Highways Secretary Manuel M. Bonoan, Department of Science and Technology Secretary Renato U. Solidum Jr., Department of Trade and Industry Secretary Alfredo E. Pascual, Department of Transportation Secretary Jaime J. Bautista, Philippine Space Agency Director General Joel Joseph S. Marciano, Jr. and Private Sector Representative Dr. Fiorello R. Estuar.
The GPPB is an independent inter-agency body created by Republic Act No. 9184, which operates to protect national interest in all matters affecting public procurement. (DBM)
