Open government campaign strengthens participation, reaches Mindanao

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (PIA)–The open government national advocacy campaign to strengthen public participation has reached Mindanao.

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM), in collaboration with the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Philippine Information Agency (PIA), launched the campaign in Cagayan de Oro City on Wednesday, November 15, engaging 195 participants from different local government units, civil society organizations, and state universities and colleges from Regions 9, 10, and BARMM.

The campaign, dubbed OGPinas! aims to raise awareness about the Philippine Open Government Partnership (PH-OGP) at the local level and provide more avenues of communication for government-civil society partnerships to strengthen public participation in policy-making and governance.

In her message, DBM Sec. Amenah Pangandaman stated that all branches of government, despite being independent of one another, are now cooperating closely to synchronize and complement their open government initiatives in light of the institutionalization of the PH-OGP.

The PH-OGP was institutionalized under the administration of President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. with the signing of Executive Order No. 31 in June 2023.

“We are also integrating open government vertically and bringing PH-OGP to the local level through OGPinas! Gusto po sana natin na hindi lamang po sa national level, kundi pati na rin sa bawat local government maisulong ang adbokasiyang ito,” said Pangandaman, who concurrently served as PH-OGP chairperson.

DILG Asec. Ester Aldana emphasized that the localization of the ideals of PH-OGP will allow more Filipinos to participate in government initiatives, efforts, and processes towards an improved and open government.

“Dissemination and popularization are important factors in mainstreaming any new effort or initiative. Thus, the OGPinas campaign allows more people to learn and understand what the Open Government Partnership, or OGP, and the PH-OGP are,” she said.

Aldana added that OGPinas! counters the global trend of shrinking democratic and civic spaces.

Department of Social Welfare and Development Asec. Gina Wenceslao, also joined the OGPinas! campaign. She highlighted the heart of the open government initiative, which is fostering transparency, accountability, and citizen engagement.

“Over the years, the Philippine Open Government Partnership has brought together champions and movers in government and civil society for collaboration, resulting in remarkable reforms that continue to benefit the citizenry,” she said.

The conduct of the OGPinas Advocacy Campaign, according to her, is an opportune time to raise awareness of the advocacy and expand the extent of direct engagement of government and non-government reformers with the public that will make OGP processes and spaces more responsive and agile to the demand for reforms.

One of the highlights of the campaign was a pledge from the participants and senior officials to uphold the principles of open governance and the values of transparency, accountability, citizen engagement, and strengthening governance through technology.

National government agencies in Northern Mindanao also joined the open government bandwagon by putting up government services booths at the venue. These agencies are NEDA-10, DOH-10, DBM Procurement Service, DOLE-10, PagIbig Fund, DA-10, DOST-10, and PhilHealth-10.

DBM led a workshop at the end of the first Mindanao leg of OGPinas! where participants identified urgent issues and concerns in their communities and suggested innovations to address the issues.

The second leg of the campaign is scheduled for next week in Davao City, with participants from regions 11, 12, and CARAGA. (APB/PIA-10)