The outstanding public servant award given received by Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman from the Public Attorney's Office. (Photo from Pangandaman's official Facebook page)
MANILA – Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman gained another feather in her cap after the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) named her as Outstanding Public Servant.
On her official Facebook page, Pangandaman shared a photo of a certificate of appreciation, ribbon and a trophy featuring the blindfolded Lady Justice with a sword in one hand and scales in the other which she received from the PAO.
“My heartfelt thank you to the Public Attorney’s Office for awarding me Outstanding Public Servant. Rest assured I will always do my best in serving our country,” she said in her Facebook page.
Late last month, Pangandaman’s designation as Budget chief was confirmed by the Commission on Appointments (CA) along with Enrique Manalo as Foreign Affairs Secretary, some diplomats and a member of the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC).
She earlier vowed to “serve with integrity” and do her best to help find ways to uplift the lives of Filipinos.
Pangandaman also committed to work with the different branches of government to achieve lasting change and reform, particularly in implementing the digitalization of bureaucracy as her top priority.
“As the Budget Secretary of the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., I will not only support his economic vision and agenda but also express my commitment to fully work with the different branches of government to achieve lasting change and reform,” she said.
Pangandaman is the second woman to head the Department of Budget and Management and the only Muslim in the Marcos Cabinet.
Prior to her appointment as the Budget Secretary, she served as Assistant Governor of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. She was also Budget Undersecretary during the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte.
She has a degree in Economics from the Far Eastern University and a diploma and master’s degree in Development Economics from the University of the Philippines.
She is pursuing her Executive Master of Public Administration from the London School of Economics but is currently on leave to serve the DBM.
The PAO provides legal assistance to the poor and the underprivileged. (PNA)
