Senate adopts resolution to strengthen budget process with transparency

MANILA, Philippines — The Senate adopted Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 4, aiming to strengthen the national budget process by institutionalizing strict transparency and accountability measures in Congress.

The resolution was approved during the chamber’s plenary session on Wednesday, following three days of floor discussions.

It was sponsored by Senate Finance Committee chair Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian.

READ: Senate OKs open budget process

“We in the Senate are firmly committed to accountability and earning the public’s trust. This concurrent resolution reflects the Senate’s commitment to that mission. Our vision for the 2026 budget is to create a budget that is effective, efficient, and lean, which will usher in a golden age of transparency and accountability that will open up the budget process and empower the public to understand the budget, increase their participation, and root the system of accountability in the people themselves,” he said in his sponship speech.

Gatchalian said the cornerstone of the resolution is the public release of documents that are critical at every stage of the budget process, including the General Appropriations Bill, committee reports, and other relevant materials.

He noted that currently, only two documents are publicly available online: the National Expenditure Program, which is the first consolidated document in the budget process, and the General Appropriations Act, the approved budget.

“In addition to the documents themselves, the resolution proposes that all of the uploaded documents will be in formats that are timely, comprehensive, and machine-readable. This saves time and ensures that the analysis of the documents is not compromised by poor document quality,” he said.

“We further propose that the public will be given a platform on the websites of both the Senate and the House of Representatives to communicate their analyses, suggestions, and feedback on the national budget,” he added.

READ: Senate open to proposals to improve public access to budget process

Gatchalian previously said that Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 4 will ensure that “every peso is protected, properly spent, and aligned with the nation’s true priorities.”/mcm

(2025/08/13-16:07)

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