MANILA – Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman promised Tuesday to exhaust all efforts to rebuild public trust in the Procurement Service (PS), the purchasing arm of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
Pangandaman made the vow, as the PS-DBM marked its 44th founding anniversary.
In her opening remarks delivered during the PS-DBM’s anniversary celebration, Pangandaman vouched for the integrity and potential of the agency’s procurement arm, noting its “valuable” contribution in raising government savings.
The PS-DBM, Pangandaman noted, was able to generate around PHP18 billion worth of savings under the leadership of then Budget secretary and now Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno.
“As you may know, I’ve always expressed my full support for the PS-DBM. I still believe in the potential of PS-DBM to deliver on its objective to save the government billions of pesos through bulk procurement and market price monitoring and validation, ensuring that the Filipino people get the most of every peso entrusted to the government,” Pangandaman said.
“In this light, I am determined to bring back the good name of PS-DBM and I know that with Ed Dennis Santiago and all of you here, we can achieve this,” she added.
Established on Oct. 18, 1978, the PS-DBM is mandated to operate a centralized procurement of common-use supplies and equipment (CSE) for the whole of government.
CSE are items essential to government’s daily operations. These include ballpens, papers, staplers, paper clips and folders that are procured from the PS-DBM on a quarterly basis.
The PS-DBM became controversial in light of the supposed purchase of overpriced medical supplies at the height of Covid-19 pandemic and laptops for teachers.
Pangandaman said she would help PS-DBM Executive Director Dennis Santiago in taking initiative reforms to ensure transparency in procurement process.
She also stressed her commitment to explore the digitalization in the procurement processes, as part of the Marcos administration’s vision of bureaucratic efficiency.
“In fact, ED Santiago and I met with World Bank Country Director Ndiame Diop last week to discuss technical assistance in this aspect. I am certain we will have systems in place soon for PS-DBM that not only we but the whole country can be proud of,” she said.
The PS-DBM’s creation is consistent with the adoption of a procurement policy of economic and efficient manner of purchasing government materials.
Last week, Pangandaman met with World Bank officials in Washington DC to discuss possible collaboration and partnership in introducing reforms in the Philippine government’s procurement law.
Pangandaman, during her meeting with World Bank officials, also presented the government’s agenda to maximize the use of digitalization in ensuring transparency and generating savings on the public procurement process. (PNA)
