Senate adopts reso on open budget process

The Senate adopted in the plenary Wednesday a concurrent resolution seeking to establish transparency and accountability in the passage of the national budget.

Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero approved the motion to adopt Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 4, subject to style, after a series of interpellation of senators, with some proposing amendments. 

All 24 senators previously signed the concurrent resolution, which mandates the following budget documents, including all annexes and attachments, as may be applicable, be uploaded on both the websites of the Senate and the House of Representatives: 

• General Appropriations Bill (GAB) approved on third reading by the House of Representatives and transmitted to the Senate; 
• Bicameral Conference Committee Report and Joint Explanation of the Disagreeing Votes on the GAB; and
• Transcripts of Bicameral Conference Committee meetings.

Transcripts of House budget briefings, public hearings, and technical working group meetings, as well as the Committee on Appropriations Report on the GAB, and the journal records of House plenary deliberations, shall also be uploaded on the lower chamber’s website.

The counterpart of the same documents at the Senate shall be uploaded on the upper chamber’s website, including the amendments to the GAB it approved on third reading. 

A detailed comparative matrix shall also be prepared by the Committee on Finance and Committee on Appropriations and publicly uploaded to the websites of both chambers to “ensure comprehensive understanding and traceability of budget changes.”

This matrix shall highlight all additions, deletions, modifications, and reallocations of funds, including specific line-item changes, across all programs, activities, and projects. 

The resolution also provides that the Senate and the House ensure that all budget deliberations, including budget briefings, public hearings, plenary discussions, and bicameral conference committee meetings be accessible to the public via digital live streaming.

The public will likewise be given a platform on the websites to communicate their analyses, suggestions, and feedback on the national budget.

In his sponsorship speech on Tuesday, Senate finance committee chairman Sherwin Gatchalian emphasized that the concurrent resolution reflects the Senate’s commitment to accountability and earning the public’s trust.

“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,” Gatchalian said. 

He also said that granting public access to such documents would help ensure that the projects of each government agency are held to public account.

“Creating a culture of transparency and accountability for the benefit of the public is nothing extraordinary. It is our duty as servants of the people,” the senator added. 

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) earlier on Wednesday submitted the P6.793-trillion 2026 National Expenditure Program (NEP) to both the Senate and the House of Representatives.

President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr., meanwhile, urged members of Congress who will deliberate the proposed 2026 national budget to "swiftly enact" it. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News