Press Release
July 24, 2014

ANGARA: MAKE BUDGETARY PROCESS MORE TRANSPARENT, ACCESSIBLE TO PUBLIC

Senator Sonny Angara on Thursday emphasized the need to make the budgetary process more transparent and accessible to the public in light of recent scandals on the use of people's money that are hounding the government.

Angara pointed out that the common thread he sees in Senate investigations on the fertilizer fund, priority development assistance fund (PDAF) and the disbursement acceleration program (DAP) is that "there are enormous lump sums, which is public money, that the public is unaware of how they were used."

"Mayroon po ba tayong trust-building o confidence-building program para maibalik at maipagpatuloy ang tiwala ng taumbayan sa proseso ng pagba-budget? Parang napakalayo ng taumbayan sa proseso. Wala ba tayong naiisip na reporma going forward?" Angara asked Budget Secretary Florencio Abad during the Senate hearing on DAP.

Abad said that at present, the Department of Budget and Management enters into budget partnership agreements with various stakeholders.

Abad cited as an example the national greening program of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources where they have an agreement with environmentalists that they can join in the discussion of the program's budget.

The same goes with other departments, the secretary said.

Abad also suggested the process of automating or digitizing the work of government so human intervention is addressed.

"Ito ho sa palagay ko ay isang mabilisang paraan para alam ng tao kung anong nangyayari at pwede pa siyang makialam. Papayag ho kami na usisain nang usisain ang bawat ahensiya nang sa ganun maalis ang lahat ng lump sum sa budget," he said.

Angara said they are willing to work with the executive department to introduce these reforms.

"May kasabihan nga na 'sunshine is the best disinfectant' o pinakamabisang pamatay ng mikrobyo. I think that principle must be furthered in the budgeting process kasi ang tingin talaga ng mga tao ang hirap sundan ng pera. Hindi nila masundan kung saan napupunta," the neophyte senator said.

The lawmaker also said it is high time to reexamine Presidential Decree 1177, signed by President Ferdinand Marcos, and Executive Order 292, signed by President Cory Aquino, in light of recent developments.

"These laws were not subject to a democratic discussion, so to speak. I think it is about time that we look at how we spend and budget the people's money. I think we can do a better job especially now in the age of crowdsourcing, in the age of Internet.

"Talagang napakarami na pong sources of information and we're still sticking to these two really ancient and archaic laws based on the signatures of just two people," Angara concluded.

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