MANILA – The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has capacitated a total of 255 public financial management (PFM) practitioners, including budget officers, auditors, and finance officers from local government units (LGUs) of Metro Manila to ensure responsible, transparent and efficient use of public funds.
In a new release Monday, the DBM said the capacity building training session held from Sept. 15 to 17 in Taguig City is in line with its Public Financial Management Competency Program (PFMCP).
In a pre-recorded keynote message, Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman affirmed the government’s commitment to cascading and reflecting its initiatives toward transparent and efficient management and utilization of public funds at the national level to all LGUs.
“Our ultimate goal in PFMCP is to promote good governance, financial accountability, and effective resource management in your respective localities,” Pangandaman said, as quoted in the DBM news release.
Pangandaman said capacitating local financial officers is one of the key components of the PFM Reforms Roadmap 2024-2028, the blueprint for harmonizing and modernizing the country's PFM landscape.
According to the budget agency, its PFMCP for LGUs covered sessions on: Maintaining PFM Understanding, Principles of Internal Controls and Internal Audit, Relationship Management, Budget Preparation, Budget Authorization and Review, Budget Execution and Accountability, Procurement, and the Procurement Service.
The program aims to equip local financial managers with knowledge and skills to help them manage resources effectively and efficiently, particularly their respective shares in the national tax allotment.
P10-B released for AFP modernization projects
The DBM has also released a "Special Allotment Release Order (SARO) worth PHP10 billion to fund projects under the Revised Armed Forces of the Philippines Modernization Program (RAFPMP).
The latest funding tranche, SARO-BMB-D-24-0015786, was released around 5 p.m. on Sept. 27, the DBM said on its website.
The funding was forwarded to the Department of National Defense.
These funds will be used "to cover the funding requirement" of various projects under Annex A of the RAFPMP.
No specific details were given on the nature of these modernization projects for security reasons.
However, reports said these funds would likely be used to beef up the AFP's cyber defense and communications capability. (with Priam Nepomuceno/PNA)
