Advocating legislative reforms: Fortifying our Bagong Pilipinas

Assalamu alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. In his fourth State of the Nation Address, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" R. Marcos Jr. (PBBM) expressed the Filipino people's wish: for the government to be responsive to their needs.

- DBM SECRETARY AMENAH F. PANGANDAMAN

Thus, he emphasized that, for the next three years of his administration, all government efforts will be geared to provide better public service, and to surpass previous achievements in elevating our people's quality of life.

It is in this spirit of service that we, at the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), have been pushing for the institutionalization of government reforms, the pillars that will pave the way for modern, fast, efficient, effective, sustainable, inclusive, and truly responsive services.

Reforms passed into law

I am happy to note that two of our reform agenda items have been passed into law.

A landmark legislation is the New Government Procurement Act, the country's biggest anti-corruption measure to date. It modernizes the government's procurement processes, boosting transparency, accountability, and efficiency. It features the eMarketplace, where agencies can "add to cart" essential goods and services, reducing procurement time from the usual 4 to 6 months to just 7 to 30 days. Further, it establishes several innovative procurement approaches to provide greater flexibility, streamline processes, and better align with the diverse requirements of various projects. It also encourages citizen participation, allowing representatives from the private sector and civil society organizations to observe the proceedings to ensure transparency.