MANILA – Newly appointed Budget Secretary Kim Robert De Leon on Wednesday pledged to have no room for corruption and misuse of public funds under his watch, stressing his commitment to strengthening budget transparency, accountability and reporting.
The 32-year-old De Leon, the youngest Cabinet member and Budget secretary in Philippine history, said he would prevent a repeat of past budget controversies amid allegations of corruption, mismanagement and irregularities in government-funded flood control projects.
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Speaking during the ceremonial leadership turnover at the DBM Central Office in San Miguel, Manila, De Leon said he would ensure that every peso of the national budget would be spent wisely on programs that directly benefit Filipinos.
“We are also mindful of the past concerns that continue to hound the budget process. But let us be clear. We must not allow these to prevent us from doing what is legally mandated for us to do,” De Leon said.
“In the same vein, we will not allow the budget to be abused again for another flood control scandal. Klaro ang direktiba ng Presidente, bawat piso, mapupunta sa tao (The President’s directive is clear: every peso must go to the people),” he added.
De Leon acknowledged growing public frustration over delays in government services, economic slowdown and rising fuel and commodity prices brought about by global oil volatility and geopolitical tensions.
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He vowed to restore public trust in government spending through digitalization reforms and faster delivery of public service.
He also called on the DBM personnel to be “facilitators of progress, champions of accountability, enablers of development [and] catalyst[s] of economic growth,” stressing the importance of maintaining a transparent and people-centered budget system.
“Mindful of safeguards and limitations provided for under existing laws, I invite everyone to consider a shift and join me in pursuing this shift. To be proactive and anticipatory, guided by the same macroeconomic fundamentals that shape the budget that we prepare and execute,” he said.
“Let us not waver to pursue reforms that will make the budget the most powerful instrument to make the lives of our fellow Filipinos better. Let us remove unnecessary red tape. Push for digitization and digitalization so that programs and services will be funded when and where Filipinos need them the most.”
De Leon assured the public that the budget process would remain agile and adaptable to make public funds “a true reflection of each Filipino’s aspirations and dreams.”
He also vowed to prevent delays in the implementation of critical government programs and projects.
“I am not new to our processes and systems, and we know that there are still opportunities to improve—either by pursuing legislation of the Philippine Budgeting Code or through our own internal processes,” De Leon, who previously served as DBM undersecretary, said. (PNA)
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