Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman highlighted the importance of active citizenship in attaining the Agenda for Prosperity during the District Conference of the Rotary International District 3800 held on March 22, 2024, in Mandaluyong City.

Speaking to more than 600 Rotarians, Sec. Mina underscored the importance of exemplifying the Rotarian motto of “Service Above Self” in delivering quality public services to all Filipinos and in instilling game-changing reforms throughout the budget cycle.

“After two decades in public service, I can attest to you that it is indeed with citizen participation, coupled with initiatives on transparency, accountability, and digitalization, that the government can better deliver public services that have a concrete, felt, and transformative impact,” Sec. Mina said.

To ensure that these open government values are embedded in policies and programs across all government agencies, the Administration has institutionalized the Philippine Open Government Partnership (PH-OGP) through Executive Order No. 31, s. 2023.

The PH-OGP also developed a more ambitious and citizen-empowered National Action Plan (NAP) and has expanded the open governance space through the conduct of the OGPinas! National advocacy campaign in various regions, including the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), engaging almost a thousand Filipinos across the country.

“What we do in OGP is therefore very unique and important. We put emphasis on building a high-trust society by promoting transparency, participatory, and accountability measures at all levels of the bureaucracy and in partnership with civil society. And through the active engagement of our citizens, including you, our dear Rotarians, I am confident that we can make any initiative as strong and inclusive as it could ever be,” the Budget Secretary added.

Sec. Mina likewise highlighted that the DBM, together with the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) will be implementing the Support and Assistance Fund to Participatory (SAFP) Budgeting with a Php 1.0 billion allotment under the FY 2024 National Budget, which will be anchored on active citizen participation.

“The unique aspect of this program is that we will be partnering with local civil society organizations in identifying lagging municipalities to be provided with safely managed and resilient water supply and sanitation services,” Sec. Mina shared, inviting Rotarians to take part in the process.

Along with these participatory initiatives, the DBM will also promote sound fiscal management and bureaucratic efficiency through the adoption of a Public Financial Management (PFM) Reforms Roadmap and a Digital Budget Management Roadmap which will cover strategies and goals from 2024 to 2028.

Rotary International District 3800 is composed of Rotarians from the Resilient District—the cities of Malabon, Navotas, Caloocan and Valenzuela.