As part of the digital initiative of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), under the leadership of Secretary Mina Pangandaman, senior officials of the DBM participated in the Benchmarking Study Visit on Digital Transformation, a 5-day training course run by the University of Adelaide, Australia.
The University was engaged by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s Australia Awards and Alumni Engagement Program - Philippines to assist Philippine Government agencies develop and implement digital transformation strategies.
The delegation included DBM Functional Group Head of the Information and Communications Technology Group and Chief Information Officer Undersecretary Maria Francesca Montes-del Rosario; DBM Functional Group Head of the Local Government and Regional Operations Group and Concurrent FGH of the Organization and Systems Improvement Group Undersecretary Wilford Will Wong; DBM Organization, Position Classification and Compensation Bureau Director Gerald Janda, and other key representatives and officials of various government agencies.
Civil Service Commission Chairperson Karlo Alexei Nograles led the Philippine delegation in the said activity, where they were warmly welcomed by Philippine Ambassador to Australia, Ma. Hellen De La Vega.
The delegation visited Adelaide from January 14 to 17, and Canberra from January 17 to 19, to attend the said course.
The participation in the study is part of DBM's aspiration to further strengthen the digitalization of the country's public financial management.
“Technological advancement has given rise to a growing digital economy which continues to create new forms of work, transforming the employment landscape. Hence, investing in the digitalization of the bureaucracy is crucial not only in enhancing its efficiency but also in generating quality jobs for Filipinos,” Secretary Pangandaman said.
The DBM, under the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., endeavors to take a giant leap towards a digitally transformed Philippines. One of its key transformational reforms, aligned with the President's Bagong Pilipinas vision, is the implementation of digitalization throughout the public financial management process, which aims to improve efficiency, accountability, and transparency in public fund use.
The DBM has also crafted a 2022-2026 digital transformation roadmap to foster long-term growth by promoting efficiency, transparency, and accountability throughout the bureaucracy.
Among the ongoing revolutionary digitalization projects of the DBM are the robotics process automation, application programming interface, and the Budget & Treasury Management System (BTMS) which are the core components of the Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS). (DBM/PIA-Caraga)
