Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary and Philippine Open Government Partnership (PH-OGP) Chairperson Amenah F. Pangandaman officially announced that the Philippines will host the OGP Asia and the Pacific Regional Meeting 2025 during the OGPinas! Open Government Nationwide Advocacy Campaign held in Zamboanga City on June 21, 2024.
“It will be this coming February 2025 and I hope you join us in making this the most dynamic, fruitful, and memorable OGP Regional Summit,” the Budget Chief and PH-OGP Chair shared in her pre-recorded keynote speech.
The Regional Meeting will convene government and civil society leaders and policy-makers from across Asia and the Pacific, together with global and regional partners “to exchange experiences, best practices, and progress on open government initiatives and implementation on key issues.”
Secretary Pangandaman has been recently elected as a new member of the OGP Steering Committee, joining representatives of countries such as Brazil, Estonia, Morocco, and the United Kingdom: “This is a big responsibility but I am grateful and looking forward to this rare opportunity to show the world all that we are doing and I hope the Philippines can truly be a bright, shining example of open government to the world.”
The Budget Chief also shared several accomplishments of the PH-OGP with the participants of OGPinas! in Zamboanga, such as the inclusion of four Local Government Units (LGUs) in the OGP Local Program namely, Baguio City, Quezon City, Municipality of Larena in Siquijor, and Tagbilaran City. She also shared that the Philippines ranked number 1 in budget transparency, “not only in Southeast Asia but in all of Asia,” based on the latest Open Budget Survey.
Zamboanga is the 10th province that OGPinas! has visited since the launch of the campaign in 2023. Secretary Pangandaman has personally engaged with more than 1,500 Filipinos from Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao, including BARMM.
DBM Assistant Secretary and PH-OGP Head Secretariat Rolando U. Toledo also discussed the 6th PH-OGP National Action Plan and led the open-chair discussion with representatives from the National Government and Civil Society Organizations including National Economic and Development Authority Director Reverie Pure G. Sapaen, Government Procurement Policy Board - Technical Support Office Deputy Executive Director Maria Dionesia Rivero-Guillermo, Mahintana Foundation Inc. and PH-OGP Mindanao CSO Representative Roel Ian P. Blanket, and CODE NGO Executive Director Sandino J. Soliman and Program Officer Bryan Ezra C. Gonzales. They all shared success stories of collaboration for open government.
Also present were Department of the Interior and Local Government Undersecretary Marlo L. Iringan and Region IX Director Paisal O. Abutazil, DBM Regional Office IX Director Mark Louie C. Martin and Assistant Director Aleli B. Ramos, Citizens’ Watch for Good Governance and PH-OGP Steering Committee Justice Sector Representative Jonathan M. Mongcal, and Region IX Liga ng mga Barangay President Mr. Joseph Daniel R. Evangelista representing Zamboanga City Mayor John M. Dalipe.
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