The Department of Budget and Management (DBM), together with the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Philippine Information Agency (PIA), led here Friday the last leg for OGPinas!, an open government national advocacy campaign.
Some 300 participants from the national and local government units, state universities and colleges, and civil society organizations joined the OGPinas! committed to uphold the Open Government Partnership (OGP) values of transparency, accountability, citizen engagement, and strengthened governance.
The group pledged to engage with various levels of government, civil society, business community, and the public to promote access to information, combat corruption, increase public participation, and create platforms for more efficient service delivery to the public.
In her speech, DBM Secretary and Philippine (PH)-OGP Chairperson Amenah Pangandaman urged Mindanaoans to embrace the movement as a means to transform the island region “from a land of promise to a land of fulfillment through dialogue and collaboration.”
She bared that the Philippines is one of the eight countries that became founding members of the OGP.
“In the past few months, we have brought the OGPinas to different strategic locations in the country in pursuit of strengthened public participation in policymaking and governance,” Pangandaman said.
In an interview, Davao del Norte Governor Edwin Jubahib expressed full support for transparency in determining the utilization of public funds in local government units.
“Local leaders should act on it and not merely do the talking. They should give the proper service for the welfare of the people,” he said.
Meanwhile, Gianna Alliona Caminade, president of the University of Southeastern Philippines Obrero Student Council, emphasized the importance of scholars working together with the government to ensure the sustainability of projects.
“As scholars of the Philippine government, this is a great avenue for us to be aware of the plans of DBM, and it is also a great opportunity for us to re-echo this forum to other students who did not attend here,” she added. (PNA)