MANILA: Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Amenah Pangandaman has renewed her call on Congress to pass the pending Progressive Budgeting for Better and Modernized (PBBM) Governance Bill. In a statement issued Thursday, the DBM said it is coordinating with the legislature to fast-track the passage of the bill. About 12 House bills have already been filed before the House of Representatives, while Senate Bill 2045 and 1020 have been endorsed to the Committee on Finance, as of Aug. 8, 2024. The PBBM Governance Bill aims to introduce key reforms encompassing the budget cycle. The proposed measure will promote fiscal discipline through the institutionalization of the Cash Budgeting System. It will also institutionalize key Public Financial Management (PFM) reforms such as the Treasury Single Account and the Integrated Financial Management Information System. Pangandaman said the PBBM Governance Bill also includes a provision on limits on unprogrammed appropriations, adding that the measure w ould also facilitate citizen participation throughout the budget process. Pangandaman renewed her call after Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III during the second day of the Senate Committee on Finance's budget deliberations told his colleagues to practice fiscal discipline in scrutinizing the proposed PHP6.352-trillion funding for 2025. Pimentel said lawmakers should also observe the best practices of the executive branch in crafting the budget. Pangandaman expressed optimism that Congress would also exercise prudence in evaluating the 2025 National Expenditure Program which will serve as its basis for the General Appropriations Bill. The PBBM Governance Bill will enable the government to have a strong foundational legal framework on PFM that will guide all branches of government in the crafting and execution of the budget. Source: Philippines News Agency