LEGAZPI CITY, Albay (PIA) – Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said the national budget will be used to respond to the needs of every Filipino.

Speaking to a gathering of budget officers, accountants and treasurers in Bicol, Pangandaman said: "Makakaasa po kayo na mas pagbubutihin pa po namin sa Department of Budget and Management (DBM) at sisiguruhin namin na ang national budget ay tunay na para sa Pilipino, upang patuloy na maihatid ng ating gobyerno hindi lamang ang capacity-building, kundi ang mga serbisyo at proyekto mismo na tumutugon sa pangangailangan ng ating mga pinaglilingkuran." 

(You can be assured that the DBM will ensure that the national budget is truly for the Filipino, so the government can continue in the delivery not only of capacity building but services and projects that respond to the needs of the people we serve.)

Pangandaman was the keynote speaker at a seminar organized in Legazpi City by the DBM regional office to promote the department’s Public Financial Management Competency Program (PFMCP).

“This PFM competency program will help you create and execute the necessary programs, activities and projects that will make your respective local government units (LGUs) thrive, empower our LGU and serve the people in your localities faster and better," she said.

She called on the LGUs to adopt “people-centered budgeting.”

“Let’s strengthen our LGUs through proper and honest implementation and utilization of our budget towards the Bagong Pilipinas where no Filipino will be left behind, where the government is trusted by the people,” she said.

“Through this program, I was capacitated on budgeting and accounting, especially in the proper utilization of the provincial

fund for procurement and internal control of the LGU,” Miraflor said.

Rochelle Alforte, acting treasurer of Malinao town, expressed her appreciation for the new learnings from the discussion.

“I gained continuous learning that I can apply in our LGU, especially on budget, internal audit and procurement,” she said.

Pangandaman said the program will continue further to empower public financial management (PFM) practitioners nationwide.

“I am proud to share that we have already empowered more than 4,500 PFM practitioners and counting - nationwide since our program started," she said.

"We want to ensure better and strategic planning as we strive to improve our process for budget preparation and budget execution," she added. (PIA5/Albay)