DBM Highlights PH Anti-Corruption Initiatives During Open Gov’t Leaders’ Roundtable In U.S.

Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Amenah Pangandaman highlighted the Philippines’ anti-corruption initiatives during the Open Government Partnership (OGP) leaders’ roundtable, held on the sidelines of the 79th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) at the Ford Foundation in New York City, USA.

With the theme “The Future is Open: Enhancing Cooperation and Driving Ambitious Reforms Through Open Government,” the OGP roundtable was attended by representatives from OGP member countries around the world. I Photo: Department of Budget and Management Facebook

The roundtable, led by OGP Chief Executive Officer Sanjhay Pradhan and moderated by New Zealand's OGP Ambassador Helen Clark, was organized to discuss initiatives aimed at advancing open government reforms within UNGA member states and at the international level, in an effort to build trust and strengthen democracies.

With the theme “The Future is Open: Enhancing Cooperation and Driving Ambitious Reforms Through Open Government,” the OGP roundtable was attended by representatives from OGP member countries around the world.

During the discussion, Secretary Pangandaman highlighted Republic Act 12009, also known as the New Government Procurement Act (NGPA), as well as digitization efforts, as major anti-corruption measures of the Marcos administration.

She shared that the Philippine government allocates 40 to 45 percent of the annual budget to procurement undertakings.

The budget chief stated that the NGPA is an important measure against corruption, noting that public procurement is “one of the governance aspects most prone to corruption.”

Pangandaman emphasized, “This law guarantees transparency through open contracting, where all stakeholders will have access to procurement information, and observers from the private sector and civil society will be invited to participate in all levels of procurement proceedings.”

She pointed out that the new procurement law also requires the disclosure of beneficial ownership to identify the ultimate owner and prevent collusion in public procurement.

"It also specifies measures to hold public officials accountable and imposes penalties for non-disclosure and false entries on beneficial ownership information,” she added.

Pangandaman underscored that the NGPA establishes several innovative procurement approaches to provide greater flexibility to procuring entities, tailored to their specific needs.

These, she said, include competitive dialogue, unsolicited offers with bid matching, direct acquisition, direct sales, and direct procurement for science, technology, and innovation.

The Philippines’ efforts to digitalize transactions in government services are also vital in stopping corruption, she stressed.

She also noted that the Marcos administration is fast-tracking the digitalization of public financial management processes.

"Through Executive Order No. 29, the President has ordered the full adoption of the Integrated Financial Management Information System to ensure the timely and efficient management of public funds. This will enable us to not only foster bureaucratic efficiency but also eradicate corruption, as it covers all instrumentalities of the national government,” Pangandaman said.

She proudly shared that the Philippines ranked first in Asia in budget transparency based on the 2023 Open Budget Survey and sixth in the world for budget oversight.