Think tank urges transparency in budget spending

MANILA, Philippines — As deliberations on the proposed P4.5-trillion 2021 national budget are on their final stages, a Makati-based think tank has urged government to make spending transparent to the people, especially at a time when huge budget allocations are needed to be responsive to the health and economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a statement, Stratbase Albert del Rosario Institute said the government should digitalize an Open Budget System (OBS) which is needed to facilitate access to documents related to public finance and execution of the budget.

Stratbase ADRI said this would guarantee the reuse of data by all users and would be considered an important step toward transparency.

“A digitalized budget process also increases accessibility through online and digital platforms while opening opportunities for public participation,” said Dindo Manhit, president of Stratbase ADRI.

Through digitalization, the government will not only be able to consolidate and analyze big data but will also be better equipped in organizing and translating the volume of information for the clear understanding of the public.

The digititalization of the budget system would enable the government to better plan and manage its limited resources to efficiently fund the most urgent programs and projects and maximize the benefits to the most vulnerable sectors, Manhit said.

Moreover, it would also strengthen the capacity of the government to efficiently provide the public with significant budget information while ensuring transparency and accountability in all its procedures, said Manhit.

The Philippines was recently cited as the most fiscally transparent country in Southeast Asia based on the 2019 Open Budget Survey released by the International Budget Partnership.

“With the recent results of the 2019 OBS, we are thrilled by the announcement that out of 117 countries evaluated for the 2019 Open Budget Survey, the Philippines secured the top spot in Southeast Asia for budget transparency. This makes the country the most fiscally transparent country in the region while ranking 10th worldwide," Department of Budget and Management Secretary Wendel Avisado said.

Avisado said the country's 2019 OBI score climbed nine places to 76th out of 100 from 67th in 2017. This exceeded the government's 2019 and 2021 OBI target scores of 67 and 71, respectively, under the Philippine Development Plan 2017-2022.

“This score implies that we were able to make budget information publicly available in a comprehensive and timely manner through the publication of all eight key budget documents such as the enacted budget and the citizen’s budget, among others," he said.

Aside from transparency, the OBS also evaluates public participation in the budget process and budget oversight. The country’s participation score is the sixth highest worldwide (31 out of 100) and is significantly above the global average score of 14. "To improve this score, the DBM will make considerable efforts in institutionalizing and expanding participatory mechanisms in the budget process," Avisado said.