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2015/FMP/WKSP1/010 Session: 3

Towards a People’s Budget: Philippine Experience in Pursuing Fiscal Openness

Submitted by: Philippines

Workshop on Fiscal Management Through Transparency and Reforms

Bagac, Philippines9-10 June 2015

ASSISTANT SECRETARY Amelita D. Castillo

Department of Budget and Management

Towards a People’s BudgetPhilippine Experience in

Pursuing Fiscal Openness

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Cory at EDSA(B&W)

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Noynoy Campaign(colored)

Source: Associated Press Source: Noynoy Aquino Facebook Account

Aquino Budget Reform Agenda

Spending within means

Spending on the right priorities

Spending with measurable results

In an empowering regime of

transparency, accountability &

citizen’s engagement

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What We Came Upon:

Little access to budget

data & information

Limited spaces for citizen’s

participation

Disclosure of Budget Information

• Agency mandates, officials, and contact information

• Accountability reports

• Approved budgets & targets

• Major programs & projects

• Program/project beneficiaries

• Implementation status

• Procurement & contracts

Transparency SealAll Agencies must disclose the ff. in their websites:

Leveraging Technology for Transparency

Open Budget Data

Philippines & the Open Budget Index

• A reduction from 2010 score of 55.

• 4/8 documents not published, Proposed Budget deteriorated

• Phl belongs to plurality of countries with “some” transparency, falls above global average score of 43, and ranks 48th of 100 countries

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Now: All Documents Published

9obstracker.org/country/Philippines

Bringing the Budget Closer to People

Participatory Budgeting

Created a formal mechanism for CSO

participation in budget preparation & execution

via Budget Partnership Agreements

Established Bottom-Up Budgeting to give

communities a direct voice in developing anti-poverty

initiatives to be funded by the National Budget

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Introduced Citizen’s Participatory Audit where

the Commission on Audit partners with CSOs in

auditing key infrastructure & social projects

International Alliances for Fiscal Openness

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“What do we mean when we say it is our People’s Budget?

“Simple: it is spending our country’s coffers solely for the benefit of our people, especially those in the margins of society… we have also given our people a voice, so that they can influence where their tax money is spent.”

- President Benigno S. Aquino III Enactment Ceremony of the

2015 General Appropriations Act

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