A pleasant morning to all the advocates of good governance present here today. Thank you for taking the time to be with us as we discuss the fifth Philippine Open Government Partnership (PH-OGP) National Action Plan. More than highlighting what we have accomplished, I aim to remind us of our reasons for pursuing an open government.

The OGP’s commitment to transparency, accountability, citizen engagement or public participation, and digital governance are all grounded in the overarching objective to increase public trust in the government. And this public trust we want is not that which is derived from personalities, or the short-lived execution of banner projects, or is dependent on the changing tides of the market, among others. We want public trust that is neither solicited nor imposed but earned through quality public service, and transparent and accountable governance.

So, how do we achieve that kind of public trust?

I believe that we could start by integrating the power of technology in our governance. The thrust for digitalization must be comprehensive and aggressive. Comprehensive, because we want all government agencies to be aligned and their functions to interlock which will result in a convenient and accessible public service. Aggressive, because we have so much to learn and develop. We need to upskill our people and change our spaces to accommodate data infrastructures and other needs. We should use technology in gathering information across agencies, releasing funds, and monitoring and evaluating reports and results.

Moreover, we must introduce reforms and programs and see them through. This is why, in today’s event, the efforts on ensuring the representation of indigenous people in our local legislative councils, localization of the freedom of information program, institutionalization of transparency and accountability in extractive industries, and more, will be discussed. We encourage everyone to share their insights and ideas on how we can refine these. It is only through constructive and open dialogue that we can improve together and achieve our common goal.

Lastly, I think that we should do the aforementioned with public participation in mind. In our digitalization efforts, we should also have a plan for information dissemination and opportunities for exchange with the public. Of course, we want the published content to be understood by the people so that they know what their government is doing. In our reforms and initiatives, they must be done in light of the experiences of our people. We want our every allocation, decision, and implementation to be scrutinized even challenged by them so they know that they are involved in our decision-making.

Doing and listening–are the two elements that create trust in a relationship. As public servants who bridge the government and the people, may we do these with willingness and excellence. Let’s begin doing them today.

Assalamu alaikum. Magandang umaga po muli at mabuhay tayong lahat!