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.
According to Philippines News Agency, the 32-year-old De Leon, who is the youngest Cabinet member and Budget Secretary in Philippine history, has vowed to prevent a repeat of past budget controversies amid allegations of corruption, mismanagement, and irregularities in government-funded flood control projects. During the ceremonial leadership turnover at the DBM Central Office in San Miguel, Manila, De Leon emphasized 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 stated. He further stressed, "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)."
De Leon acknowledged the 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. He committed to restoring public trust in government spending through digitalization reforms and faster delivery of public services.
He called upon DBM personnel to act as "facilitators of progress, champions of accountability, enablers of development [and] catalyst[s] of economic growth," while emphasizing 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 added.
De Leon further stated, "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."
He 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, leveraging his previous experience as a DBM undersecretary to identify opportunities for improvement within the budget process.
