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DBM Invites Civil Society Organizations and Other Stakeholders
To Participate in the Preparation of the FY 2012 Budget
The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) now formally invites citizen groups to participate in the FY 2012 budget preparation process.
Within February and March this year, consultations will be conducted with citizen groups—civil society organizations (CSOs), non-government organizations, people’s organizations, cooperatives, professional associations and other stakeholders—in preparing the FY 2012 national budget. Their participation is being sought in the evaluation of existing national government programs, activities and projects, to provide valuable inputs in the application of zero-based budgeting for FY 2012.
This process will cover six national government agencies (Departments of Agriculture, Agrarian Reform, Education, Health, Public Works and Highways, and Social Welfare and Development) and three government corporations (National Food Authority, National Housing Authority and National Home Mortgage Finance Corporation). Other government agencies and corporations are however, also encouraged to initiate their own consultations with CSOs. Further details on this process will be covered in a national budget memorandum soon to be issued by the DBM.
DBM believes that active citizen participation will help significantly improve the quality of budgetary allocations for 2012: identify and weed-out inefficient and ineffective programs, and refine their geographical/regional distribution. Most importantly, the DBM believes this unprecedented process will enhance the beneficial impact of public expenditure on poverty reduction and employment generation.
This consultative process is being done in line with the Aquino Government’s commitment to ensure transparency, accountability and citizen participation in the use of public funds. Earlier, the DBM and some CSOs committed to work together to advocate budget reforms; and on September, 2010 formally agreed to principles that guide their partnership (see attached document: Principles of Constructive Engagement).
How to participate?
Citizen groups interested in participating in this process may contact the nearest regional office of the six NGAs or three GOCCs in charge of the program, activity or project they have been monitoring, assessing or evaluating in line with their advocacy work for inquiries. They are asked to submit a letter of intent—in person, via courier or email—no later than February 21, 2011 (see attached directory of physical and email addresses of NGA and GOCC central and regional offices).
Their letter of intent should also mention the specific budget program(s), activity(ies) or project(s) that their CSOs have been monitoring or evaluating. The CSOs are expected to submit recommendations on which of the projects they monitored may be expanded for showing clear beneficial impact to key constituents, especially the poor and the marginalized; those which may be scaled down for having minimal impact; and those which may be discontinued for not achieving their intended purposes.
The DBM looks forward to the active participation of CSOs, towards strengthening transparency and accountability in the allocation of funds; and towards ensuring a Government that is efficient, effective and corruption-free. In other words, kung walang corrupt, walang mahirap.
DBM WILL NOT ENTERTAIN AGENCY LUMP SUM FUNDS IN 2012 BUDGET PROPOSAL; 2012 BUDGET PREP TO BE MORE CONSULTATIVE, EMPHASIZE OUTPUT-BASED SPENDING Read story >>
Participants Venue Date
National Govenment Agencies AFP Theater, Camp Aguinaldo January 6, 2011 AM
DBM Officials and Staff DBM Social Hall, DBM CO January 7, 2011 AM
GOCCs - do - January 7, 2011 PM
Regional Offices DBM ROs January 10-11, 2011
DBM PURSUES REFORMS TO SHED “DAYLIGHT” INTO BUDGET PROCESS; ABAD: 3-PRONGED APPROACH FOR TRANSPARENCY & ACCOUNTABILITY EMPLOYED Read story >>
Event Date Venue
Strategic Planning Workshop December 8-10 Summit Ridge Hotel, Tagaytay City
Regional Coordination Meeting December 15 DBM Regional Office XII, Butuan City
A translation in layman’s terms of Pres. Aquino’s Budget Message on the FY 2011 National Budget prepared by the Pres. Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office and the DBM has been posted in the Official Gazzette (www.dbm.gov.ph). View here >>
The scheduled Sept. 6-10, Mega Workshop on LGU-PFM in Clark Free Port Zone, Pampanga is moved to September 20-24, 2010, in observance of the Ramadan.
- Workshop on CSO Participation in Budget Work — Sept. 3 — DBM CO
- LGU-PFM Mega Workshop — Sept. 6-10 — Stotsenberg Hotel, Clark, Pampanga
ABAD: PRESIDENT, CONGRESS LEADERSHIP AGREE TO PASS 2011 BUDGET BY YEAR-END
Budget and Management Secretary Florencio B. Abad today announced that President Benigno S. Aquino III and the leadership of both chambers of Congress have agreed to pass the “Reform Budget of 2011” in time for its signing into law by January next year.
“The ‘reform’ in the 2011 Reform Budget also comes from its timely passage,” he said, noting that delayed or non-approval of the national budget in past years contributed to serious delays in the implementation of programs and projects and unconscionable wastage of public funds.
“This is a new government that is working, and working on time. It is important for us that infrastructure and development programs get going in the first semester, before the start of weather disturbances,” he stressed.
Abad also said that in the meeting yesterday between the President; Senate President Juan
* As a commitment to fiscal prudence, the automatic appropriated items have been excluded from the submitted proposed budget, as Congress has already given continuing authority for automatically appropriated items. This also seeks to avoid a repeat what happened in the 2010 budget where, Congress transferred the amount of P64.6 billion programmed for interest payment to new general appropriations.
* The President will issue a directive to all national government agencies not to lobby for increases to their agencies’ budget in Congress, to ensure that the government’s expenditure framework is intact and that it is approved in a timely manner.
* The 2011 Budget sufficiently provides for the priorities of legislators through the Priority Development and Assistance Fund (PDAF), amounting to P24.8 billion, with a very clear menu of options for allocation and measures for transparency and accountability.
The Budget Secretary said that according to the schedule agreed-upon in the meeting between the President and the Congressional leadership, the House of Representatives is expected to approve and transmit the General Appropriations Bill (GAB) to the Senate by November 9.
PLATFORM AND POLICY PRONOUNCEMENT ON BUDGET AND MANAGEMENT
OVERARCHING GOAL:
In line with the principle of zero-based budgeting, the DBM Organizational Performance Indicator Framework (OPIF) will be linked with the Civil Service Commission (CSC) Performance Management system-Office Performance Evaluation System (PMS-OPES). The qualitative and quantitative measures of agency performance as well as compliance with findings of the Commission on Audit (COA) shall determine succeeding budget allocations.
1. Create a program plan for a zero-based budgeting for all national government agencies.
2. Determine the present state of the budget to see how much of the FY 2010 GAA is left.
3. Ensure that all employees and officials of the department will have their
Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) available and accessible to the public.
4. Ensure that government agencies and offices will be streamlined to have clear-cut and distinct mandates in order to spur greater efficiency and accountability.
5. Work with the CSC to ensure that performances of government agencies and civil servants will be evaluated rationally and systematically through an effective and measurable performance management system to be approved by the CSC.
6. Ensure that qualification standards will be strictly followed, and at least half of the positions of Undersecretaries and Assistant Secretaries will be filled with honest and competent career civil servants to ensure continuity and sustainability of effective policies and programs.
7. Work with government agencies to organize, package and disseminate all budgets to the media regularly and posted in the internet for public consumption.
8. Ensure transparency in budget processes through an open information system and formation flow by:
• Posting details of all lump sum disbursements in the DBM web site
• Immediately formulating a self-imposed set of conditions for the release
of appropriations charged against “unprogrammed” funds so as to
eliminate abuse
9. Create a Presidential Select Committee to provide oversight over all lump sum
disbursements (PDAF), contingency, calamity, AFMA, intelligence and
confidential funds). This Committee should be composed of bi-partisan
members of the legislature, the private sector and civil society members who
shall be bound by an Oath of Confidentiality.
10. Regularly package and disseminate information on agency budgets, bidding and
procurement documents and SLANs of senior government officials, to ensure
transparency and accountability.
11. Ensure that the Department of Budget and Management is streamlined and
rationalized to have clear-cut and distinct mandates and that qualification
standards, especially on eligibility, will be strictly followed.
12. Work with the CSC to ensure that performance of government agencies and
civil servants will be evaluated rationally and systematically through an
effective and measurable performance management system to be approved by
the CSC.
The Philippine Association for Government Budget Administration (PAGBA), Inc. will hold its 1st Quarterly Membership Conference cum Seminar-Workshop on August 11-14, 2010 at the L’ Fisher Hotel, Bacolod City.
The theme for this 4-day activity which reflects the new government’s resolve for change and reforms is “Better Governance, Better Life for Public Servants”. Registration fee is php 4,800 per participant. Copy of the invitation letter signed by Usec. Mario L. Relampagos as Acting President can be downloaded here.
Here’s an excerpt from Pres. Benigno C. Aquino III platform of government:
The Vision for the Philippines:
A country with…
1. A re-awakened sense of right and wrong, through the living examples of our highest leaders;
2. An organized and widely-shared rapid expansion of our economy through a government
dedicated to honing and mobilizing our people’s skills and energies as well as the
responsible harnessing of our natural resources;
3. A collective belief that doing the right thing does not only make sense morally, but translates
into economic value as well;
4. Public institutions rebuilt on the strong solidarity of our society and its communities.
Our Mission:
We will start to make these changes first in ourselves—by doing the right things, by giving value to excellence and integrity and rejecting mediocrity and dishonesty, and by giving priority to others over ourselves.
We will make these changes across many aspects of our national life.
For more details of the Platform, click here. View complete official version
PHILLBO Visayas, composed of the Association of Local Budget Officers from Regions VI, VII and VIII will hold its Annual Seminar-Conference on June 15-16. Venue is Bohol Tropics Resort, Tagbilaran City, Bohol.
DBM Secretary Lagonera has issued Office Order No. 2010-142 dated May 21st, authorizing the conduct of the joint ECTA and Reginal Coordination Meeting on June 2-4, 2010. Venue is Tagbilaran, Bohol to be hosted by DBM Regonal Office VII.
The proposed FY 2011 budget as recommended by the DBCC amounts to Php 1.68-T. This is 9.3% higher than the FY 2011 budget. The proposed budget pushes for stronger growth and sustained fiscal consolidation. Read story >>
Budget Secretary Lagonera has issued a Memorandum on the conduct of the Budget Forum for the preparation of the FY 2011 National Budget on May 14th at the DBM Social Hall.
Per instruction of Usec MLR the scheduled Regional Coordination Meeting on May 6th is cancelled.because of the forthcoming budget forum.
DESPITE REPEATED WARNINGS, WE CONTINUOUSLY RECEIVE REPORTS OF FAKE DOCUMENTS BEING CIRCULATED BY UNSCRUPULOUS PEOPLE WHO WANT TO MAKE EASY MONEY OUT OF FUND RELEASES FOR GOVERNMENT PROJECTS.
FIXERS AND BOGUS DOCUMENTS CONTINUE TO THRIVE BECAUSE THE PUBLIC ALLOWS THEM TO.
WE THEREFORE EXHORT THE PUBLIC TO BE EXTRA VIGILANT ABOUT FIXERS, FAKE DOCUMENTS, AND OTHER IRREGULARITIES IN GOVERNMENT TRANSACTIONS AND TO REFRAIN FROM DEALING WITH ANYBODY OF DUBIOUS INTENT TO FACILITATE RELEASE OF FUNDS. THE DBM DOES NOT AUTHORIZE ANY PERSON TO EXPEDITE FUND RELEASES FOR WHATEVER PURPOSE.
THE PUBLIC MUST ALWAYS VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY OF DOCUMENTS BEFORE ENGAGING INTO CONTRACTS. AUTHENTIC BUDGETARY RELEASE DOCUMENTS ISSUED BY DBM CONTAIN A SPECIFIC BARCODE, OFFICIAL SEAL, AND OTHER CONFIDENTIAL SECURITY FEATURES. IF YOU HAVE INFORMATION REGARDING TRANSACTIONS INVOLVING THE DBM BY UNAUTHORIZED INDIVIDUALS OR PEOPLE ALLEGEDLY REPRESENTING THE DBM, PLEASE CONTACT THE OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY AT 734-8987.
(SGD.) JOAQUIN C. LAGONERA
Regional Coordination Meeting for the month of May slated on May 6th in DBM Central Office.
