DBM ICT Week: Full throttle digital transformation for a Bagong Pilipinas

Assalamu alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. This week promises to be an exciting one for the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) as it observes the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) week with the theme “Full Throttle Digital Transformation.”

Digitalization has always been close to my heart. That is why I believe activities like this are pivotal in our journey toward a future empowered by data and technology.

As President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. pronounced, Bagong Pilipinas is bringing about reforms to governance – changing the old, ineffective way of doing things to make the bureaucracy more efficient and responsive to the truest needs of the public. Now, our concept of infrastructure is broadened to include connectivity and access to means of communication so that no part of the Philippines is left beyond the grid.

Hence, the government is focusing on enhancing digital connectivity to ensure easy access to services. One way is by providing free internet access for all. It cannot be denied that access to internet has now become a need. Just recently, the DBM released a Special Allotment Release Order worth ₱2.5 billion for the implementation of locally-funded projects, including the Free Public Internet Access Program, which aims to provide zero-cost internet access in public spaces nationwide, such as national and government offices, public basic education institutions, State Universities and Colleges, and public hospitals. I firmly believe that this funding is crucial since the Internet is central to the digital era. It is the backbone of our modern world, as it connects us and makes everything more convenient – powering education, the economy, health care, public safety, and even government services.

Further, following PBBM’S directive to fully embrace digitalization in providing better services to the people, the DBM continues to champion digital transformation. We have crafted our Digital Transformation Roadmap, which promotes data governance and digitalization in fiscal-related government processes. This roadmap has a dual transformation feature to future-proof the entire bureaucracy by institutionalizing all the digital reforms spearheaded by the DBM.

In our bid to foster long-term growth, the DBM leads in the implementation of structural reforms geared towards promoting efficiency throughout the bureaucracy. With PBBM signing Executive Order No. 29 in June 2023, he directed the full adoption of the Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS) in government agencies to improve bureaucratic efficiency and deliver services efficiently.

In compliance with the EO, we initiated projects on Robotics Process Automation, Application Programming Interface, and the Budget and Treasury Management System (BTMS) which are the core components of the IFMIS. The BTMS is an integrated and fully automated platform for a sustainable Government Resource Planning solution that is extensible, flexible, and adaptable to reforms, and also suits a wide range of public financial requirements.

We have likewise launched innovations in the budget process, including Project TINA, or the Technical Innovations in the National Expenditure Program (NEP) Applications Project, resolving pain points for Budget and Management Bureaus; and Project Marissa using blockchain technology to enhance the management of critical data such as allotment release orders and other DBM records in public finances.

Last December 2023, we have also officially kicked off the Digital Information for Monitoring and Evaluation Project (Project DIME) which provides real-time data collection, improved consistency of data sources for monitoring and evaluation of budget utilization, enhanced data accessibility for agencies and the public, cost savings, data analysis, and visualization to amplify participatory budgeting with our kababayans.

Further, I am proud to note that the DBM is the first government agency to use Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRAAS), migrating IT systems from physical data centers to the cloud for efficient resource allocation, faster recovery, reduced carbon footprint, and enhanced cybersecurity, while saving 75 percent of data center costs.

These programs are components of the DBM’S business continuity plan, which guarantees the public’s continued access to essential services in the event of catastrophes and disasters, considering that the Philippines topped the list of countries with the highest risk in the

2023 World

Risk Report.

In addition, the

DBM has been pushing for the passage of the proposed amendments to the 20-year-old Government Procurement Reform Act (GPRA) to make government procurement attuned to the changing times, thus ensuring bureaucratic efficiency. This embraces the “fit-for-purpose” concept or “appropriateness” in the adoption of the different procurement modalities. The new GPRA also introduces new alternative modes of procurement while redefining other alternative modes. Moreover, it streamlines processes, utilizes resources efficiently, and leverages the benefits of digitalization. Specifically, various strategies in procurement are formulated to achieve efficiency in the procurement process, including market scoping, framework agreement, early procurement activities, and procurement by electronic means.

Relatedly, the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PHILGEPS), the single electronic portal and primary channel for government procurement activities, is set to include innovative features such as the electronic reverse auction, electronic marketplace (emarketplace), and electronic shopping/electronic small-value procurement. The emarketplace is an electronic commerce platform that enables the Procurement Service-dbm to identify goods and technical specifications for market operators to comply with. It will not only make the Philippine procurement system even more efficient and effective but will also ensure competitiveness in the market.

Beyond budget, to establish Bagong Pilipinas, the government, through the DBM, is in full throttle – undertaking digital transformation initiatives to guarantee efficient and future-proof services that adhere to the principles of transparency, accountability, and open governance.

Rest assured that government services will be provided where and when our kababayans need them the most.