Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman expressed her gratitude to the Procurement Service-DBM (PS-DBM) for making significant contributions to the passage of the New Government Procurement Act (NGPA), ushering in the establishment of the government’s official e-commerce platform known as the Electronic Marketplace, or eMarketplace.
Sec. Pangandaman’s message for PS-DBM was part of her keynote speech during the Public Financial Management Competency Program (PFMCP) for Local Government Units (LGU) in Butuan City on August 30, 2024. Speaking before a crowd of more than 600 PFM practitioners and budget officers, as well as LGU leaders, Sec. Pangandaman underscored that the NGPA puts digital transformation at its core, making the procurement process more streamlined, efficient, and free from corruption.
In stressing this, she highlighted the use of the eMarketplace — an additional feature of PS-DBM’s modernized Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) that will enable procuring entities to search, view, compare, select, and procure common-use supplies and equipment (CSE) and eventually non-CSE items from competent and reputable suppliers.
“So with NGPA, mag-a-add to cart na lang tayo [sa eMarketplace]. Digitalized… We’ll make sure na may stock,” she said.
Sec. Pangandaman likewise featured other procurement-related programs introduced in the NGPA such as Green Public Procurement, Inclusive Procurement Program, and Open Government Partnership, among other matters.
On the same day, PS-DBM Acting Executive Director Genmaries S. Entredicho-Caong also took the floor to discuss PS-DBM's mandate to operate a centralized procurement of CSE for the whole of government, including LGUs. Her talk served as an avenue for capacity development of participants in the field of public procurement in relation to appropriate and timely budget utilization.
The Butuan leg of PFMCP gathered the participation of representatives from the Caraga Region, including the provinces of Agusan Del Norte, Agusan Del Sur, Surigao Del Norte, Surigao Del Sur, and Dinagat Islands.
Having trained more than 5000 local practitioners since its launch in 2023, the PFMCP for LGUs is aimed at promoting good governance, financial accountability, and effective resource management in local governments nationwide. | September 4, 2024/GD