By Prince Golez
The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has pledged support for the digitalization initiative of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) in its system of governance.
Secretary Amenah Pangandaman made the statement during the consultation on BARMM Digital Transformation of Government on February 17.
“Rest assured that we, at the national government and the whole ICT sector, are in full support of your goal to achieve a sound, systematic, transparent, and accountable form of governance,” said Pangandaman.
Digital transformation, she added, plays a critical role in achieving inclusive growth for all Filipinos by strengthening intergovernmental connections, increasing transparency in governance, and ensuring bureaucratic efficiency.
The DBM chief also noted its Digital Transformation Roadmap, which aims to:
-create one primary tool and a single source of truth for all fiscal-related transactions;
-promote fiscal transparency, management, and accountability in government;
-prevent red-tape and other corruption-related activities through paperless transactions; and
-reduce government expenses intended for manual transactions.
Pangandaman also said the national government is pushing for the passage of the Progressive Budgeting for Better and Modernized Governance Bill that will modernize the budgeting system encompassing the Philippine public financial management process.
“We want to make sure that BARMM will not be left behind in all these endeavors” she said, adding that BARMM has also been working on several digitalization initiatives that will improve the ease of doing business and help activate regional savings priority programs.
These include the adaptation of the Digitized Official Receipt System, and the event’s discussions on payment transactions, email transmissions, account management, and verification system.
“I would like to call on everyone—from the national and the Bangsamoro government—to collaborate, consult with one another, and support each other so that our vision of digital transformation will become a reality that will help realize our Agenda for Prosperity—for Mindanao and the entire country,” the secretary said.
Key representatives from BARMM and officials from the Department of Information and Communications Technology and the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center attended the activity.
