A RECENT evaluation report of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had validated the Aquino administration’s transparency agenda as having helped launch reforms in the country, a Palace official has said.
The IMF recently gave the Philippines a favorable score on fiscal transparency. In its June 2015 report, the IMF cited the Philippines’ public financial management reform strategy as having helped initiate reforms.
The country’s fiscal reporting was recognized by the IMF as being timely, frequent, and relatively comprehensive, Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte said in a statement issued on Friday.
“These findings serve to validate the Aquino administration’s transparency agenda,” she said.
“Initiatives such as the DBM’s (Department of Budget and Management) Budget ng Bayan website and the government’s open data portal—which currently hosts 1,237 data files—help to advance openness in the country by allowing citizens to access documents, such as the nation’s yearly budget, among many others.”
Valte said the administration remains committed to further improving its efforts by engaging in productive dialogue with other groups and advocates.
She also mentioned this year’s series of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings hosted by the Department of Finance (DOF) that advance such transparency initiative.
The DOF held the APEC Workshop on Fiscal Management through Transparency and Reforms last June 9 to 10 in Bagac, Bataan.
The APEC event in Bataan brought together delegates, transparency advocates, and representatives from finance ministries for a series of discussions on fiscal innovation.
Among the topics discussed during the sessions were open governance and transparency reforms, as well as tax transparency and other forms of international cooperation.
“Through partnerships like this and the continued exchange of ideas, we hope to contribute toward the advancement of transparency reform, both in the Philippines and beyond,” Valte said. (report from PND)
