Marcos Jr. institutionalizes online budget monitoring portal

MANILA, Philippines —  Amid corruption scandals, Filipinos may soon be able to track online how their hard-earned taxes are spent as President Marcos issued an executive order institutionalizing an online portal designed to promote transparency in the use of state funds.

The Centralized Open Monitoring Platform for Appropriations and Spending Statistics (COMPASS) portal will help the public monitor expenditures, procurement and implementation of state projects by making information about such activities more accessible.

Described by the budget department as the country’s first centralized digital platform for monitoring government appropriations and spending, COMPASS may use distributed ledger technology, including blockchain and other emerging technologies, to perform its purpose.

“The portal shall promote transparency, accountability, and public participation by providing timely, reliable, and user-friendly access to government financial and performance information across the budget cycle,” Marcos’ Executive Order 126 dated Sept. 28 read.

Marcos ordered agencies to use COMPASS as his administration continues to grapple with corruption issues particularly involving flood control projects.

The Philippine economy may have lost some P118.5 billion every year from 2023 to 2025 to corruption in flood control projects, according to the finance department’s estimates. 

The EO required national government agencies and instrumentalities to submit, regularly update, disclose and publish relevant information through COMPASS. It also encouraged local governments to use the platform.

“Transparency and accountability should not be complicated. The Filipino people have the right to know how their money is being used, and whether that spending is delivering results,” Executive Secretary Ralph Recto said in a statement yesterday.

“Every peso comes from the people. They should be able to see where it goes, what it pays for, and what government delivers in return,” he added.

The portal, launched by the budget department in June, may be linked with government financial, procurement, monitoring and digital systems like the Integrated Financial Management Information System, the Budget and Treasury Management System, the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System, the Digital Information for Monitoring and Evaluation, and the E-Gov PH App.

The portal will also provide information about projects funded through public-private partnerships and foreign-assisted programs insofar as they involve public funds coursed through national government agencies or other relevant government mechanisms. It will not cover information that cannot be disclosed publicly under existing laws, including those that could compromise national defense and security or violate the Data Privacy Act.

A COMPASS Council will provide policy direction and strategic oversight for the implementation of the platform. The budget department will chair the council with the information and communications technology department as co-chair. Designated as members are the finance and interior departments.

Meanwhile, the Office of the President’s P10.1-billion proposed budget breezed through the Senate finance committee yesterday, with no lawmaker raising questions on the nearly P4.5-billion allocation for confidential and intelligence funds (CIF). It underwent only 16 minutes of deliberations by the committee. -  Neil Jayson Servallos

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