Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Amenah Pangandaman on Tuesday vowed to exhaust all her efforts to position the Philippines as the top country in the world for budget transparency and oversight.

This, as Pangandaman trumpeted the Marcos administration’s feats as it promotes open governance, noting that the Philippines secured the top spot for budget transparency in Asia and sixth spot in the world for budget oversight, based on the 2023 Open Budget Survey results.

“Our goal is to make it as a number one for the world,” she said during the launch of the 2024 annual accomplishment report, legacy book and an inspiration gallery showcasing the Philippine Open Government Partnership (PH-OGP) in a ceremony at the DBM’s central office in San Miguel, Manila.

Pangandaman, who is also PH-OGP chairperson, said the accomplishment report highlights the government’s key milestones and efforts to place the Philippines as “a global leader in open governance space.”

She said the Marcos administration has implemented several targeted initiatives to address key open government challenge areas.

She said the launch of the 6th PH-OGP National Action Plan in 2024 fosters transparency, accountability, and citizen participation in governance.

“As the department responsible for ensuring the efficient and sound utilization of our nation’s budget, the DBM ensures that budget documents are accessible and open to public scrutiny,” Pangandaman said.

Pangandaman also stressed that Republic Act 12009 or the New Government Procurement Act (NGPA) was signed last year to fulfill the government’s commitment to modernizing procurement and meeting the people’s needs.

She said the NGPA was hailed as “the country’s biggest anti-corruption measure in recent history.”

“The NGPA mitigates the risk of conflict of interest; introduces open contracting, a global standard enabling the public to access data and documents at all stages of procurement process; and also encourages public participation of our civil society members that can help us ensure prudent and judicious use of government resources,” Pangandaman said.

Pangandaman also noted with the launching of the OGPinas!, a national advocacy campaign on open government, the DBM was able to visit nine regions in the country and engaged nearly 4,000 stakeholders, including OGP champions in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

The launching of the PH-OGP’s Annual Accomplishment Report for 2024, OGP Legacy Book titled “Partners for Prosperity”, and OGP Corner is a prelude to the upcoming OGP Asia and the Pacific Regional Meeting (APRM) 2025 that will be hosted by the Philippines from Feb. 5 to 7.

During the event, the OGP Asia Pacific Mobile App was also launched to enable participants to view events and monitor the schedule for the upcoming regional summit. (PNA)