250 more Visayans commit to Open Government

DBM PRESS RELEASE

The Philippine Open Government Partnership (PH-OGP), chaired by Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman, brought its 6th National Action Plan (NAP) to Cebu.

With around 250 participants from different sectors in Region VII including more than a hundred civil society members, this year’s run of OGPinas! aims to highlight the commitments under the 6th PH-OGP NAP, socializing the PH-OGP’s medium-term plans. 

The commitments highlighted in the Cebu leg of OGPinas! include the improvement of the quality of participatory governance in local government institutions under the DILG; and the subnationalization of transparency, accountability, and participatory governance mechanisms in the extractives sector under the Department of Finance.

In her message, DBM Secretary and PH-OGP Chairperson Amenah F. Pangandaman explained the essence of crafting and implementing the said action plan: “Ang National Action Plan o NAP ay produkto ng co-creation process ng gobyerno at civil society, kung saan tayo ay nagtutulungan upang makabuo ng mga commitments na nagsusulong ng mga reporma sa open government. It encapsulates our hopes and dreams for an open government in the country and our intentions to provide a better life for our fellow Filipinos through improved public service delivery.”

Meanwhile, representing the civil society sector, Central Visayas Network of NGOs (CENVISNET) Executive Director Lenbi R. Laborte shared various civil society-led open government initiatives in Central Visayas, illustrating the activeness and vibrancy of civil society engagement in the Region.

Cebu Provincial Government Third District Board Member Atty. John Ismael Borgonia; Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard Chan; DBM Undersecretaries Wilford Will L. Wong and Margaux V. Salcedo; DBM Assistant Secretary and PH-OGP Head Secretariat Rolando U. Toledo; DBM RO VII Director Lenin S. Bernales and Assistant Regional Director Maricor U. Baquial; DILG Assistant Secretaries Ester A. Aldana and Josephine C. Leysa; and DILG RO VII Director Leocadio T. Trovela also attended the event, in solidarity with the open government cause. 

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