President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has stressed that state agencies must be transparent in their official dealings to allow people access to information that will enable them to participate in governance.
This access is made possible by government transparency, digitalization, and through legislation, which is a constitutionally recognized principle,” Marcos said at the opening of the 2025 OGP Asia and the Pacific Regional Meeting (APRM) held in Taguig City yesterday.
Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman echoed the president’s line and called on other state agencies and local government units (LGUs) to join the OGP initiative, an international movement for transparency, accountability, and citizen action.
“The DBM took the lead in all of these, (and) we don’t want to take a step back,” Pangandaman said.
“We want my fellow Cabinet members here to really embrace the spirit and the commitment of open government,” Pangandaman said.
The budget chief highlighted the importance of mainstreaming the pillars of OGP: transparency, accountability and civil society participation.
The DBM said that fostering collaboration drives meaningful reforms that enhance public services, combat corruption, and empower communities for a more responsive government.
“While we already have five municipalities who are members of the OGP family, we have more than a thousand municipalities in this country, and I’m happy that our Secretary of interior and local government is here so he will help us to ensure that more LGUs will be part of the OGP family,” Pangandaman said.
The Philippines has five LGUs that are members of the OGP Local Program. The first to join the OGP Local program was South Cotabato in 2018. In 2024, four more LGUs met the criteria and joined the OGP: Baguio City, Quezon City, Tagbilaran City, and Municipality of Larena in Siquijor.
“Maybe we can aso ask the Central Bank to be part of our conversation and be part of the OGP family,” Pangandaman said.
OGP was formed in 2011 with the Philippines being one of its eight founding members. Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, Norway, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States completed the founders.
Hosted by the Philippine OGP chaired by Pangandaman, the event aims to drive meaningful change through the sharing of best practices and innovations in open governance across the Asia-Pacific.
The APRM brings together over 800 participants, including government leaders, civil society advocates, and policy experts from more than 40 countries.
