THE Philippine Open Government Partnership (PH-OGP), chaired by Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Acting Secretary Kim Robert De Leon, further strengthened the country’s open government movement after forging landmark partnerships with key government agencies, leading academic institutions, and civil society organizations to accelerate the implementation of the PH-OGP 2026 Agenda.
The memoranda of understanding (MOU), signed on July 2, 2026 at the DBM Central Office, marks a major step in expanding the coalition of institutions working together to advance transparency, accountability, citizen participation, innovation, and better public service delivery across the country.
Anchored on a whole-of-society approach, the PH-OGP 2026 Agenda serves as the country’s strategic roadmap for advancing open government reforms across both the national and local levels.
It seeks to strengthen public financial management, deepen citizen engagement, institutionalize transparency and accountability, and foster stronger collaboration among government, civil society, the academe and development partners.
Joining the growing network of PH-OGP reform champions are the Department of Justice (DOJ), Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD), Department of Health (DOH), Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP), University of the Philippines National College of Public Administration and Governance (UP-NCPAG), Institute for Solidarity in Asia (ISA), De La Salle University-Jesse M. Robredo Institute of Governance (DLSU-JRIG), and Democracy Watch.
The partnerships are expected to accelerate the implementation of concrete open government initiatives by combining the strengths and expertise of government, academia, and civil society, while expanding opportunities for meaningful citizen participation and reinforcing transparency and accountability in the management of public resources.
In his message, De Leon emphasized that the future of good governance depends not only on the performance of individual institutions but on their ability to work together in delivering results that citizens can genuinely experience.
“In this day and age, it is no longer enough for each agency to be efficient in fulfilling its respective mandate. The true measure of good government is whether the people feel it,” De Leon said.
“Across the country, national government agencies, local government units, and our civil society partners are already demonstrating how transparency, accountability, citizen participation, and innovation can transform governance into better services for our people,” he added.
As part of the ceremony, partner institutions also presented their respective Pledges of Commitment, outlining the concrete initiatives they will undertake to help advance the country’s open government agenda and further institutionalize transparency, accountability, and citizen participation within their respective sectors.
In his closing remarks, DBM Undersecretary and Senior Supervising Official of the PH-OGP Project Management Office (PMO) Wilford Will Wong underscored that the expanded partnership signals a stronger and more institutionalized open government ecosystem in the Philippines.
“By expanding our network of champions, we extend the reach of open government beyond individual agencies and isolated initiatives. We create the conditions for openness, participation, and accountability to become deeply embedded in our institutions, widely practiced across sectors, and ultimately, more meaningful in the daily lives of the Filipino people,” Wong said.