Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Amenah Pangandaman on Wednesday said the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has pursued proactive governance in the 2023 national budget by prioritizing digital transformation and e-governance.

During her keynote speech at the 1st Philippine Association for Government Budget Administration (PAGBA) seminar in Baguio City, Pangandaman said funding the digital transformation in the Philippine bureaucracy would ensure faster and transparent delivery of government services, as well as better engagement with the public.

“In line with the PDP (Philippine Development Plan) and the 8-point Socioeconomic Agenda, we embraced proactive governance in the 2023 National Budget. Amounting to PHP5.268 trillion, it prioritizes digital transformation and e-governance,” Pangandaman said.

“The end goal is to improve awareness, responsiveness, and performance while fighting corruption and deepening stakeholder participation and transparency in our systems and processes,” she added.

She also urged government budget administrators to be proactive in responding to the challenges in implementing innovation and technologies to public financial management (PFM).

“Being proactive is crucial in responding to the continuing challenges of innovations and technology to public financial management. As such, it is incumbent upon us to build our capacities for proactive governance as we tread an increasingly competitive, volatile, and innovation-driven world,” she said.

Pangandaman delivered her keynote message to around 2,500 PAGBA members, composed of public fiscal practitioners from national government agencies, Government-Owned and Controlled Corporations (GOCCs), state colleges and universities and local government units.

The four-day PAGBA seminar will be held until April 29. (PNA)