Senate says it complies with Transparency Seal requirements

The Senate on Thursday said it has complied with the requirements of the Transparency Seal, which mandates all government agencies to publish annual financial reports on their official websites.

This was in response to a Malaya Business Insight report which cited a Commission on Audit 2019 observation that the information in the Senate’s Transparency Seal website was "incomplete/not updated since 2015."

"In reply to the previous COA Audit observation, the Senate Finance Bureau said in its Memorandum dated June 29, 2020 that financial documents have been posted on the Senate website," the Senate Secretariat said in a statement.

"The website shows posting for the periods 2015-2019. Latest financial records are current as of December 2019 and the Senate will be continuously updating postings of required documents per schedule," it added.

The Transparency Seal, a logo of a pearl shining out of an open shell, is prominently displayed in government websites to enhance transparency and enforce accountability.

As provided for by the General Appropriations Act, the government agencies' mandate and functions, and annual financial reports, must be accessible to the public through this Transparency Seal. — BM, GMA News