Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman holds the distinction of being the first Muslim Budget Secretary and the sole female member of the country’s economic team.

Before her appointment as Budget Secretary, Pangandaman served as the concurrent assistant governor for Strategic Communication and Advocacy and Executive Offices coordinator of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. She was also undersecretary and functional group head of the Office of the Secretary at the DBM during the Duterte Administration.

Early in her career, she oversaw budget law enactment as chief-of-staff to the late former Senate President Edgardo J. Angara and Committee of Finance Chairperson Senator Loren B. Legarda.

Committed to supporting President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s administration in achieving broad-based and inclusive economic recovery, she aims to advance prudent fiscal management, modernize the budget system, embed sustainability and green principles in government spending, and promote sustainable economic growth through strategic investments in high-impact infrastructure and human capital development.

Secretary Pangandaman consistently champions financial inclusion and key budgetary reforms such as Digitalization, Climate Change and Green Public Procurement, and Open Government Partnership to promote good governance, fiscal transparency, and accountability.

Under her leadership, the government enacted the fastest national budget in recent memory. Additionally, she chairs the Development Budget Coordination Committee, which developed the Medium-Term Fiscal Framework and 8-Point Socioeconomic Agenda, serving as the country’s roadmap for economic growth, and the Intergovernmental Relations Body, strengthening relations for lasting peace and economic development in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao.

As a proud Maranao with roots from the South, she consistently strives to provide Mindanao with a voice and expansive representation in her role as a civil servant across various government branches.

Secretary Pangandaman holds a degree in Economics from the Far Eastern University and both a diploma and master’s degree in Development Economics from the University of the Philippines. She is currently on leave from her Executive Master of Public Administration Program from the London School of Economics to serve as Budget Secretary.

Recognized for her exceptional leadership skills, she received the Rising Tigers “Woman of Substance” award, “Public Servant of the Year” among the honorees on the Men and Women Who Matter List of the Asia Leaders Awards, and the “Philippines’ Women Leaders Award” presented by the World Women Leadership Congress. The Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) also acknowledged her contribution with the “Tanglaw ng Bayan” award.

In May 2023, Pangandaman joined the Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary (PCGA) as Rear Admiral (two-star general).

She is a regular columnist in Manila Bulletin’s Opinion section, providing insights into the national budget and the country’s economy in her weekly column titled “Beyond Budget.”