The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) welcomes the passage of vital measures in both chambers of Congress aimed at making the national budget process fully transparent and participatory—reforms that the DBM has long championed through the Philippine Open Government Partnership (PH OGP).
The Senate recently adopted Senate Resolution No. 4, requiring all budget related documents—from initial agency funding requests to the final enacted budget—to be published online. The measure, signed by all 24 senators, calls for the creation of dedicated online platforms on the official websites of both the Senate and the House of Representatives, where the public can submit analyses, suggestions, and feedback on the national budget.
In the House of Representatives, House Resolution No. 94 was filed in the 20th Congress to institutionalize public participation in budget deliberations. It seeks to grant bona fide people’s organizations official non voting observer status in the public hearings of the Committee on Appropriations.
A Long Standing DBM Advocacy
Budget Secretary Amenah “Mina” Pangandaman, who chairs the PH OGP, said the twin measures affirm Congress’ commitment to transparency and complement the DBM’s long standing advocacy for an open, participatory budget process.
“This is exactly the kind of openness we have been pushing for under the PH OGP. We have been working for years to institutionalize transparency, and now both the Senate and the House are taking decisive steps to open their processes to the public,” Sec. Mina said.
Global Standing in Transparency
Based on the 2023 Open Budget Survey (OBS) published by the International Budget Partnership, the Philippines led in budget transparency in Asia with an overall score of 75/100 and ranking 15th worldwide - a marked improvement from the 68/100 score in the 2021 OBS. However, despite this improvement, the country’s score on public participation remained low at 33/100. Because of this, the IBP recommended expanding mechanisms for greater civil society participation in the budget process—particularly during the budget’s deliberation in Congress
“That is why the recent actions of the House and the Senate to strengthen reforms toward a people-centered budget process are timely and very much aligned with what we have been pushing for— we are ready to support these initiatives.” Pangandaman reiterated.
Institutionalizing Openness
The DBM’s reforms include publishing all essential budget documents in technical and citizen friendly formats, implementing the Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS) and Budget and Treasury Management System (BTMS) for real time monitoring, and producing the People’s Budget to make fiscal information accessible to all.
Through the PH OGP, the DBM has also rolled out the OGPinas! Nationwide Advocacy Campaign, reaching nearly 4,000 stakeholders and strengthening local government participation in open governance initiatives.
Towards a More Transparent Budget Process
Observers note that the convergence of legislative and executive efforts could set a new benchmark for fiscal openness in the country.
Pangandaman further stressed the importance of sustaining this collaboration.
“Transparency is not just a reform—it is the foundation of good governance. By working together, we can make sure the budget process remains open, accountable, and truly reflective of the people’s needs,” she said.
With Congress now moving to formalize public access to budget proceedings, the Philippines further inches closer to fully realizing the DBM’s long held vision of an open and participatory budget process.
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