Senate Senior Majority Leader JV Ejercito announced that the Senate is implementing new transparency and accountability measures for the proposed 2027 national budget, which will include inviting public observers to the upcoming Bicameral Conference Committee proceedings.
Ejercito, who leads the Senate Committee on Finance, stated that the panel is expanding its transparency efforts following earlier initiatives like livestreamed budget hearings, dedicated civil society organization (CSO) sessions, and the integration of independent monitoring tools into the Senate’s budget transparency portal.
The senator expressed openness to recommendations from business groups, watchdogs, and CSOs aimed at removing unvetted budget insertions and restoring funds for foreign-assisted infrastructure, disaster preparedness, and preventive healthcare.
“We are continuing to build on our best practices. This year, we will be inviting CSOs to sit in and observe the bicameral proceedings. Having more eyes on the budget will help us spot any unvetted projects or last-minute insertions that may be introduced during the bicam,” Ejercito said.
By opening and livestreaming the bicameral sessions, public access to the budgeting process will extend past initial committee deliberations. The finance committee previously livestreamed all hearings on the proposed budget and held a special session on October 26 for CSOs to voice their recommendations.
Furthermore, the committee has integrated independent digital monitoring tools developed by civil society groups, such as the research organization BetterGov.ph, into the Senate budget transparency portal. This allows citizens to review agency documents, submit position papers, and flag questionable allocations.
“Transparency is not just a policy statement; it is an active mechanism. These tools were built by watchdogs themselves, and we are glad to give them a home on the Senate website so ordinary citizens can scrutinize where public funds are going,” Ejercito noted.
These actions are reinforced by two legislative measures filed by Ejercito: Senate Bill No. 2576 (the Bantay Budget Act), which seeks to formalize CSO participation in the authorization process, and Senate Bill No. 2577 (the Grassroots Participatory Budgeting Act), which incorporates community planning into government spending priorities.
As the finance panel finalizes its committee report ahead of the formal floor sponsorship of the 2027 General Appropriations Bill next month, Ejercito reaffirmed his commitment to keeping budget deliberations open and safeguarding vital social services.
“A national budget should be a direct reflection of the people’s priorities, their basic needs. From the first hearing to the final bicam, we want every single peso in the 2027 budget to be accountably and transparently allocated,” he added.