Partners in service.
This was how Procurement Service - Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM) Executive Director (ED) Genmaries “Gen” S. Entredicho-Caong recognized the suppliers and merchants present at the bidders orientation organized by the PS-DBM Procurement Office (PO) on October 27, 2025
“I cannot overemphasize the critical role that you portray in the fulfillment of our mandate. While you represent the private sector, katuwang po namin kayo sa serbisyo publiko,” ED Gen said.
Her remarks followed a series of discussions aimed at empowering prospective bidders to participate in government procurement activities, with emphasis on eligibility requirements and the procurement process. The knowledge-sharing activity also covered the PS-DBM mandate, various modes of procurement, bidding procedure, eligibility requirements, merchant registration, eMarketplace, and contract management—all of which were tackled in the context of the New Government Procurement Act (NGPA).
Led by PO Acting Director Atty. April Flor Borlagdatan-Vejano, the orientation forms part of PS-DBM’s continuing efforts to conduct procurement information drives with the goal to expand the agency’s network of merchants and suppliers.
“Walang lugar ang monopolya sa public procurement. The more market operators there are, the better the market competition will be,” ED Gen said, highlighting how engagements such as this improve competition—a key governing principle of the NGPA.
Anchored on the new procurement law, the mandate of PS-DBM as the government’s central acquisition arm for common-use supplies and equipment (CSE) has expanded to include local government units. In fulfilling this, the agency recognizes that it can only be sustained when there is a continuous and steady supply of CSE that responds to the needs of its stakeholders. Hence, this market strengthening strategy.
Addressing the participants, PS-DBM Deputy ED for ICT and Procurement Group Rommel D. Rivera declared them as the lifeblood of the entire government supply chain. “Your capability, reliability, and most importantly, your integrity, determine whether public funds translate into classrooms, medicine, infrastructure, and genuine public service,” he said.
Apart from leveling the playing field and reinforcing market players, this was also an avenue to restate, with conviction, PS-DBM’s commitment to transparency, especially in the midst of corruption issues in the government involving the private sector.
In this light, ED Gen took the opportunity to share PS-DBM’s major victory at the Open Government Partnership (OGP) Global Summit 2025 held in Spain, having emerged as the overall winner in the Open Gov Challenge anti-corruption category. “Wala pong tatanggapin ang PS-DBM na anumang anyo ng pabor, at wala rin pa kayong kahit anong dapat na ibigay,” she remarked.
Beyond the technicalities of the discussions, the orientation was more than a learning opportunity; it was a formation of bridges between sectors to work together in restoring public trust. | October 30, 2025/KR