Acknowledging that democracy in the country is a work in progress, Philippine Open Government Partnership (PH-OGP) Chairperson and Department of Budget and Management Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman emphasized that the Philippine government is striving to provide the Filipino people with the best quality of democracy in spite of its sociopolitical context.

In the 2023 OGP Global Summit High-Level Roundtable Discussion on Making Democracies Stronger through Openness held today, September 7, the Budget Chief cited the country’s efforts and accomplishments including the landmark institutionalization of PH-OGP; the development of the country’s first-ever medium-term OGP National Action Plan; and the opening of the budget, procurement, and policy-making processes to public participation.

Urging ministers and civil society leaders, Secretary Pangandaman said, “Let us truly embody a government of the people, for the people, and by the people. Because a democracy without participation is no democracy.”

Also part of the roundtable was Reynaldo Tamayo Jr., Provincial Governor of South Cotabato and National Chairman of the Union of the Local Authorities of the Philippines, who shared open government initiatives at the local level including South Cotabato’s open monitoring and evaluation mechanism through the creation of its provincial project monitoring committee. (DBM)