PH in front line of global push for open governance

OG FOUNDER Open Government Partnership (OGP) chair and Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman (in gold, third from left), Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, Foreign Undersecretary Jesus Domingo (right), and OGP cochair for civil society Aurora Chavez, with members of the Diplomatic Corps, cheer “OGPinas!” —PHOTO FROM DEPARTMENT OF BUDGET AND MANAGEMENT

The Open Government Partnership (OGP) is an initiative among nations founded in 2011 by the United States under the leadership of President Barack Obama, with the Philippines as a co-founder, along with Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, Norway, South Africa, and the United Kingdom.

Today, OGP has grown to 77 countries, 106 local governments, thousands of civil society organizations (CSO), and several multilateral partners.

It aims to increase transparency and accountability of governments through increased public participation and the involvement of civil society organizations.

In the Philippines, the chair of the Open Government Partnership is Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman. On May 30, OGP announced that Pangandaman has been elected to its international steering committee.

That means that she will be joining other government chairpersons from around the world in ensuring that the advocacy for an open government is pursued and a truly open government secured.

I am proud to say that the Philippines is a leader in open government among the community of nations—we were one of the first countries in the world to institutionalize open government when President Marcos signed Executive Order No. 31, which enjoins all branches of government to practice OGP values.

Also, the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028, carefully developed by the brilliant economists at the National Economic and Development Authority led by Secretary Arsenio Balisacan included having an open government as a strategy in achieving our Agenda for Prosperity.

Platform for dialogue

In 2023, PH-OGP launched OGPinas!, a platform for dialogue between CSOs and government. This has taken place in different parts of the country with various sectors—businesses, MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises), youth, social workers, among others. This is in collaboration with the CSO counterparts in the Philippine Steering Committee, led by PH-OGP cochair Aurora Chavez.

For the first time, emphasizing that this is a global advocacy, the Philippine OGP hosted a diplomatic reception on May 28 to present the commitments of the Philippines to the Diplomatic Corps, especially country members of the OGP.

The reception, held at the Ayuntamiento, brought together over 50 ambassadors and global institutions who share the same commitment to pushing forward open government values not just as individual nations but together.

At the reception, which I had the honor of hosting, Pangandaman announced that the Philippines will be hosting the OGP Regional Summit this coming February. This will be a great opportunity to showcase all the achievements of the Philippines in pursuit of an open government and at the same time listen and learn what other countries are doing for this advocacy.

Huge thank you to Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, Foreign Undersecretary Jesus Domingo, Foreign Assistant Secretary JV Chan Gonzaga, and all the Excellencies who attended the Diplomatic Reception.

Congratulations to the Philippines and Pangandaman on being elected to the international OGP Steering Committee! Here’s to achieving all our dreams for open government!