THE Department of Budget and Management, through its Advocacy, Capacity Development, Economic Affairs, and Stakeholder Relations (ACES) Group, led the Government Experience Exchange Forum between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Philippines on September 17, 2025, in Makati City.
In her opening remarks, DBM Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman shared the country’s best practices under its Agenda for Prosperity. She highlighted key initiatives, including Public Financial Management (PFM) reforms, Project Digital Information for Monitoring and Evaluation (DIME), and the New Government Procurement Act (NGPA)—all aimed at enhancing fiscal transparency and bureaucratic efficiency.
Several Philippine government officials attended the event, including First Lady Louise Araneta – Marcos, as well as Executive Secretary Lucas P. Bersamin, who delivered the keynote address, underscoring the event’s importance in building a more efficient, responsive, and citizen-oriented governance.
His Excellency Abdulla Nasser Lootah, Assistant Minister of Cabinet Affairs for Competitiveness and Experience Exchange, reaffirmed the UAE Government’s commitment to supporting the Philippines, especially in ensuring excellent public service delivery through digitalization and innovation.
The event featured a high-level panel discussion moderated by DBM Undersecretary Margaux Salcedo. Designed to highlight three key priority areas, each panel brought together a government official from both the Philippines and the UAE, along with a representative from the development sector, to provide a reaction to the presentations.
The Strategy and Innovation panel was headlined by Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev) Undersecretary Rosemarie G. Edillon, who emphasized that the newly revised Philippine Development Plan now focuses on development with empathy. This means that by 2040, the government aims for its people to become “smart and innovative with high regard for sustainable development and quality of life for all.”
The second panel, focused on Performance and Government Excellence, featured insights from the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) Chairperson Atty. Michael Aguinaldo. He emphasized the crucial role of a Government Excellence Model, which public leaders must embrace to better serve the citizens.
Meanwhile, the third panel covered Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Future, with Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Secretary Henry R. Aguda sharing the Philippines’ digitalization initiatives, including the eGov Super App and AI-assisted chatbots designed to bring government services closer to every Filipino.
Following the high-level discussions, cluster accelerated sessions provided an interactive platform for all delegates to exchange best practices, identify challenges, and co-create solutions to shared priorities. Beyond the three key areas, breakout discussions also covered Government Services and Competitiveness and National Statistics.
Public servants from a wide range of agencies actively participated in the cluster sessions, including the Departments of Finance; the Interior and Local Government, Social Welfare and Development, Science and Technology, and Trade and Industry.
Other participating institutions included the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), the Civil Service Commission (CSC), the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA), the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the Development Academy of the Philippines, and the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC).
UAE delegates also conducted a study visit to various government agencies on September 18, 2025.
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