To the men and women of the Department of Finance, the best and brightest, my fellow public servants, magandang gabi po sa inyong lahat, and happy 128th anniversary!

You know, I was warned when I took this job: Finance Secretaries—no matter how hard-working and good-looking—are never loved by the public. And the same goes for every worker in the Department of Finance.

We are, as they say, the designated villains. Mga kontrabida. We are never the rockstars of the government. We are the convenient punching bags of the armchair economists and overnight budget experts.

At best, we are tolerated. At worst, we are blamed for everything— from inflation to taxes to even the fallibility of public healthcare we dared to correct.

But here we are, tasked with the unglamorous, thankless, but absolutely essential job of keeping this country standing on a solid fiscal ground.

For the truth is, without a strong DOF, there is no strong Republic of the Philippines.

We are in the business of funding the dreams and demands of this entire country. Ours is the quiet but crucial work of making sure the promises of this nation do not bounce like a bad check. Na kapag nangako ang gobyerno, hindi drawing lang.

Sa bawat batang napag-aral, bawat daang nailatag, bawat buhay na nasalba—kung may resibo ang asenso, nakapangalan yan sa Department of Finance. Sa bawat isa sa inyo.

So today, as we celebrate the 128th anniversary of this institution, I want to remind all of you that your work here is nation-building at its finest, even if it is nation-building without fanfare. Just good work. Done quietly. Done right.

And our theme this year reflects this resilience.

We know recovery isn’t going to be easy. Yet here you are—showing up, building it anyway. Quietly. Consistently.
But bouncing back is only the beginning. We must move forward. And that’s where innovation comes in.
From digitalization of systems, modernization of bureaucracy, to crafting policies that stretch every peso, we have reshaped governance and dared it to be better.

And for more than a century, the people in the DOF have mastered the art of saying no to short-term solutions that become long-term problems, of making the hard decisions today so we won’t burden the children of tomorrow.

We kept going because of one thing: empowerment.

Para mapondohan ang batang nangangarap ng scholarship, masuportahan ang barangay na nangangailangan ng malinis na tubig, at matiyak na ang pampublikong ospital ay nananatiling bukas.

These are what your work enables. These are what your service sustains.

You do all of these in service of creating an economy that is fiscally and economically sustainable for future generations of Filipinos.

At alam ko po na ang nakaraang taon ay hindi biro. The headlines have been harsh. Well-intending policies badly interpreted. At dumami ang Facebook economists and Tiktok fiscal experts.

But you stood for this very institution, for every Filipino who deserves a government that can properly pay its bills.

Kaya’t maraming maraming salamat sa inyong lahat—sa tiwala, sa pagtindig, sa pagpapatuloy kahit minsan masakit na sa ulo.

So tonight, let’s enjoy and take pride in knowing we give this great institution we serve our very best.

And as the Good Book says, we will someday hear, “Well done, good and faithful servants.”

And speaking of a job well done, I would like to congratulate our awardees tonight. Our Loyalty and Service Awardees, whose dedication through the years reminds us that excellence is a habit.

As well as to our diligent colleagues who had perfect attendance in our 2024 flag ceremonies. We all know how hard it is to battle the Monday blues, yet you showed up. That’s commitment.

We also recognize the entire team behind the ISO 27001 Certification, whose work reflects the discipline and competence this very institution is known for.

And to those who will be honored by the Career Executive Service Board, thank you for raising the bar for public service higher.

Each of our awardees embodies the DOF spirit: committed, competent, and excellent. Ahensya ng mga matatalino at magagaling.

Again, they say Finance Secretaries and their teams are rarely loved. But I didn’t take the job to win a popularity contest.

And working alongside the smartest and most dedicated people like you? That’s the only win I need.

And so, for this anniversary, let us once again celebrate the men and women who carry this institution through thick and thin.

In a time of fake news, grandstanders, and intelligence deficit, you are the surplus of hope and competence. You are the real asset of this nation.

Maraming maraming salamat po sa inyong lahat. Happy 128th Anniversary DOF! Mabuhay ang DOF! Mabuhay ang Bagong Pilipinas!