Day: July 2, 2026

Rijo Presbot highlights the importance of an efficient state to guarantee the quality of public spending

At the MAP's Functional Review and State Restructuring Forum, with support from the IDB, the Director of the Budget advocated for a more efficient public administration aligned with national priorities. The Director General of the Budget, José Rijo Presbot, participating in the Forum on Functional Review and State Restructuring: Evidence, Methodology, and Institutional Sustainability, affirmed that an efficient and clearly defined institutional structure is the foundation for quality public spending that benefits citizens. At the event, promoted by the Ministry of Public Administration (MAP) through the Civil Service Management Strengthening Program, with support from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Rijo Presbot indicated that the primary responsibility of state institutions is to properly manage public resources and achieve their mission and objectives. The welcoming remarks to the panel were delivered by Sigmund Freund Mena, Minister of Public Administration, who stated that the presence of the authorities reflects their commitment and firm will to promote transformations to achieve functional and structural improvements in the government's organizational structure. During the event, Rijo Presbot explained that the government's organizational structure has a direct impact on the efficiency of public spending, and any action taken must adhere to technical and financial criteria, as well as optimize the use of state resources. "The challenge is to guarantee savings derived from these processes and to establish monitoring and evaluation mechanisms that allow us to verify the results of these administrative reforms," Rijo Presbot pointed out as he shared his perspective with the audience. The Budget Director clarified that the real debate on government efficiency should not focus on the number of existing institutions, but rather on their capacity to produce concrete results that benefit the population. "The question for achieving efficiency is not how many state institutions we have, but how many offices achieve results and enable change that translates into a better quality of life for people," Rijo Presbot said during his participation in the panel. He also emphasized the importance of transparently communicating the results of reforms and the responsible use of resources. The panel also included presentations by José Ignacio Paliza, Minister of the Presidency, and Darío Castillo, Commissioner for State Reforms, who addressed topics related to the institutional integration process promoted by the Government and the organizational perspective of the reforms. They focused on technical criteria used to identify institutional duplication, evaluate processes for merging or eliminating entities, and manage resistance to change within the public administration. The Forum on Functional Review and Restructuring of the State aimed to analyze, from a strategic, legal, organizational, and fiscal perspective, the lessons learned from the institutional rationalization and modernization processes undertaken by the Dominican State. The objective was to strengthen the design of future reforms that promote a more efficient, transparent, and results-oriented public administration. Participants included representatives from various branches and agencies of the Executive Power, directors of human resources, planning and development, legal affairs, and finance, representatives from the National Congress, international organizations, academic and research centers, and civil society organizations.