Department of Budget and Management Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman emphasized the government’s desire to boost public participation in the _OGPinas!_ Nationwide Advocacy Campaign held in Iloilo City on October 18, 2023.
Open Government champions from the Visayas cluster attended the event along with various civil society organizations (CSOs) from Western, Central and Eastern Visayas.
“Whatever your reason may be for participating this morning, we all have voices in today's discussions and we will all be heard. Bawat isa po sa atin ay susi sa bukás na kinabukasan,” Secretary Pangandaman stressed.
The budget secretary, who is also the chairperson of the Philippine Open Government Partnership (PH-OGP) Steering Committee, assured that the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. will bring PH-OGP to the local level. This, after the President approved Executive Order No. 31, which institutionalizes open government in all branches of the government.
Through an open government, Filipinos will be empowered with an avenue to access information for them to participate freely in the government’s decision-making process.
"Importanteng napakikinggan ng gobyerno ang pangangailangan ng ating mga pinagsisilbihan," the DBM secretary stressed.
She underscored the importance of the event saying, "Our mission here for OGPinas is to encourage and instill a culture of transparency, accountability, public participation, and overall, open government in the country."
Thus, the PH-OGP Steering Committee Chairperson encouraged the participants to engage and be involved.
“Sa pagkakataong ito, makipag-usap, maki-diyalogo, makilahok, at sama-sama nating abutin ang pareho nating mithiin: isang Bagong Pilipinas na may nagniningning na kinabukasan para sa lahat,” Pangandaman added.
Pangandaman also shared the results of the 2023 OGP Global Summit in Estonia wherein the Philippines was recognized as the leading country in the Southeast Asian Region for public participation.
The global OGP campaign includes 76 national governments, 106 local jurisdictions, and thousands of CSOs. (DBM/PIA-Caraga)
