The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) successfully concluded the Public Financial Management Competency Program (PFMCP) in the Visayas, engaging more than 600 local budget officers and PFM practitioners from October 18 to 20, 2023.
In her keynote message during the opening program held at Diversion 21 Hotel in Iloilo City, DBM Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman assured the participants of the Department’s commitment to continuing and even upscaling its efforts to provide more capacity-building and assistance in the face of changing times and the evolving needs of Filipinos.
The budget chief also shared that Php 1.008 trillion will be allocated to LGUs under the proposed fiscal year (FY) 2024 national budget, which was approved on the third and final reading by the House of Representatives on September 27, 2023.
“This feat would not be possible without your support, our dear budget officers, as you play a crucial role in bringing the needs of our fellow Filipinos to the national government, making our PFM system responsive and people-oriented,” Secretary Pangandaman said.
The budget chief also led the turnover of the 2023 edition of the Internal Audit Manual for LGUs, noting that the document will help them establish and operationalize their respective internal audit services or units and strengthen the same so that they will reap the benefits of an effectively functioning internal audit.
The PFMCP for LGUs covered sessions on Maintaining PFM Understanding, Principles of Internal Controls and Internal Audit, Budget Preparation, Authorization, and Review, Budget Execution, Budget Accountability, and Procurement.
Present in the event were Iloilo Provincial Administrator Dr. Raul N. Banias; DBM Undersecretaries Wilford Will L. Wong, Margaux Salcedo, and Goddes Hope O. Libiran; Systems and Productivity Improvement Bureau (SPIB) Director John Aries S. Macaspac; Local Government and Regional Coordination Bureau (LGRCB) Director Ryan S. Lita; Region VI Acting Director Maria Liane L. Gayomali, and Acting Assistant Director Mariel Dave M. Gallego; Government Procurement and Policy Board - Technical Support Office (GPPB-TSO) Deputy Executive Director Maria Dionesia A. Rivera - Guillermo; Philippine League of Local Budget Officers (PHILLBO) Inc. President G. Antonio T. Arbis; and Association of Local Budget Officers – Region VI (ALBO VI) President Arlene C. Depakakibo.
The PFMCP was conducted by the DBM advocacy, communications, and training service (ACTS), the Local Government and Regional Coordination Bureau (LGRCB), and the DBM regional offices. (DBM/PIA-Caraga)
