Day: December 13, 2023

Digepres conducts workshop on online implementation guidelines for local governments

The activity aimed to highlight the importance, protocols, and tools for online budgeting by provincial governments to improve their accountability. The General Directorate of Budget, through its General Services department, conducted the workshop "Guidelines for Online Budget Execution 2024 for Provincial Governments," with the objective of promoting protocols and tools for executing budget procedures online. The meeting also served to present the protocol for the new resource allocation method for these public institutions. The activity was led by José Rijo Presbot, Director of the General Directorate of Budget, and Ángela Altagracia Jáquez Rodríguez, Vice Minister of the Vice Ministry of Preventive Security in Provincial Governments. Also present were Odilys Hidalgo, Head of the Budget Services Directorate; Lidia Castillo, Head of the General Budget Services Department; and Altagracia Polanco, from the Directorate of Management of the Integrated Financial Administration System of the State (DIGES). Noemí Paulino and Ohermi de la Cruz from the National Treasury; and Yaskarina Arias and Juan Villa from the Comptroller General's Office. The welcoming remarks were delivered by José Rijo Presbot, who thanked those present for their participation and explained President Luis Abinader's directive that all implementing units must make their resources transparent through the Financial Management Information System (SIGEF). “Online implementation is a priority for this administration because it allows public institutions to plan, formulate, and evaluate how resources are being used, thus improving their accountability. In our government, transparency is not optional; we must be transparent,” Rijo Presbot told the workshop participants. Along these lines, Rijo Presbot indicated that they also seek to ensure that the resources received by local governments are monitored and properly distributed, and that they undergo a process of decentralization and deconcentration so that specific programs are implemented at the provincial level rather than centrally. For her part, Ángela Altagracia Jáquez Rodríguez, Vice Minister of the Vice Ministry of Preventive Security in Provincial Governments, spoke about the importance of provincial governments due to their close connection with citizens. “These entities must be strengthened, demonstrating their ability to manage online and adapt to the new needs of the government,” Jáquez emphasized. Lidia Castillo, head of the General Services Department of the Budget Office, who was part of the event's coordination team, encouraged participants to become familiar with the topic and thanked the Ministry of the Interior and Police for its support in this educational process. The activity was held in the Juan Bosch Room of the Budget Office with the participation of 73 public servants from 31 Provincial Government Offices, as well as Budget Office staff such as María Victoria Ortiz, head of the Standards and Methodologies Department; Patricia Perdomo, head of the Ministry of Defense Division; Violeta Hernández, from the Ministry of the Interior and Police; and Budget Analysts Gilma Ogando Lewis Rosa and Liomar Jon. Multi-Year Results-Oriented Budget Project with Dynamic Modality It is recalled that the General Directorate of Budget presented to various authorities the main characteristics and attributes of the new Multi-Year Results-Oriented Budget Project with Dynamic Modality, as part of the actions that promote strengthening the efficiency and quality in the management of public resources through the elaboration of a conceptual, functional model and the technological development for the new Dominican budgetary system, incorporating multi-yearity and dynamic attributes throughout the budget cycle.