MANILA, Philippines - The country’s budget transparency score slid by seven points last year, indicating that the government provides the public with only tepid information regarding how public officials and agencies are spending taxpayers’ money.
Based on the Open Budget Survey 2012, the country scored 48 or seven points less than its rating in 2010. It trailed Indonesia’s 54 percent but surged past Thailand’s 40 percent and Malaysia ’s (30 percent).
The index score is largely based on whether a country makes eight key documents available to the public. These are the pre-budget statement, executive’s budget proposal, citizens’ budget, enacted budget, in-year reports, mid-year reviews, year-end reports, and audit reports.
The survey is a comprehensive evaluation of budget transparency in 100 countries that was conducted by the Washington-based International Budget Partnership (IBP), in coordination with some independent media and research agencies. It is conducted every two years.
The drop was attributed to the country’s late publication of the Organizational Performance Indicator Framework (OPIF) 2012 Book of Outputs as well the reduction in the quality of information provided in the year-end report.
The Department of Budget and Management noted that while the Philippines was still categorized as a country which provides little budget information to the public, it has stayed within the top 50 percent of the world in the OBI,†the DBM said.
The DBM explained that the delay in publishing the OPIF was due to a policy decision to review all outcomes, major final outputs and performance indicator to make sure that these are aligned with the government’s development priorities.
The Philippines was rated as having a moderate level of public participation in the budget process or among the top 17 in the world.
While it respects the methodology that IBP developed for the OBI, the DBM pointed out that the standards for budget transparency are rather limited in scope, rating only the availability of budget information through eight prescribed budget documents.
The OBI does not recognize several other high-impact developments in the Philippines, such as the new tradition of early submission and enactment of the Budget, which has done away with the questionable practice of budget reenactment; the disaggregation of abuse-prone lump-sum fund items in the Budget; measures to prevent the diversion of funds for personnel services to other, often anomalous uses; and the requirement for all departments and agencies to post their respective budgets online; among many other unprecedented reforms,†the DBM said.
DBM Secretary Florencio Abad pointed out that the official website of agency now provides extensive and updated information on how public funds are being spent and managed, from updates on budget releases and obligations made to the status of Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) allocations to legislators, all the way to budget circulars and other official issuances.
Abad said the agency also launched the Budget ng Bayan website), an interactive online portal that offers comprehensive, downloadable information on the National Budget — including those for the current and previous fiscal year—as well as a Citizen’s Portal for deeper and more meaningful public engagement.
“We in the DBM under the Aquino Administration are committed to push for greater budget transparency and participation in the Philippines, and will continue to work towards better openness and public engagement in fund expenditure management,†Abad said.
In order to improve budget transparency, the Philippines, IBP said, should publish a pre-budget statement a mid-year review, year-end report and a Citizens budget. The Philippines was also asked to increase the comprehensiveness of the Executive budget proposal and audit reports. – With Janvic Mateo