MONITORING AND REPORTING THE NATIONAL BUDGET

MONITORING AND REPORTING THE NATIONAL BUDGET

Here in the Philippines, everything boils down to the national budget. It is the single most important policy document the government produces every year, and yet it remains one of the least understood by ordinary citizens. We complain about poor public services, but often forget that every project, every school, every hospital upgrade, every farm subsidy—all of it—depends on what is written (or left out) of the General Appropriations Act.

This is why the Bantay Budget campaign was such an important initiative when it emerged in the early 2000s. Launched by a coalition of civil society organizations—among them Social Watch Philippines and the Alternative Budget Initiative (ABI)—it aimed to make the budget process more transparent and more participatory. At a time when citizens felt excluded from national decision-making, the Bantay Budget campaign created a space for ordinary Filipinos, experts, and advocacy groups to have a voice in how public funds were allocated.

The core of the movement was simple but powerful: citizens should not only vote every three or six years; they should also help decide how their taxes are spent. Bantay Budget monitored allocations, tracked implementation, and proposed alternatives in critical areas like education, health, agriculture, and climate resilience. It helped institutionalize mechanisms like Bottom-up Budgeting (BuB) during the Aquino administration, and it pushed for CSO participation in congressional budget hearings. Because of initiatives like these, the Philippines once ranked among the global leaders in public participation in the Open Budget Survey.

So what happened?

It seems the original coalition is no longer as visible as it used to be. There are social media pages that use the name, but it’s not clear if they are connected to the original network. What is clear is that many of the principles of Bantay Budget live on—through sectoral groups under ABI, through participatory audits with the Commission on Audit, and even through digital tools like the DBM’s Project DIME, which uses satellite and drone monitoring to check on big-ticket projects.

But as Congress once again talks about budget reform, perhaps it is time to revive the Bantay Budget campaign—not necessarily as a single organization, but as a coalition of credible voices. Two decades have passed since its launch, and the public’s distrust in the budget process is as strong as ever. If anything, the demand for independent oversight is even greater now.

In 2025, Bantay Budget continues to be cited in Senate discussions, especially when legislators call for livestreamed bicameral deliberations or demand that the public be given access to comparative matrices of the House and Senate budget versions. In other words, while the grassroots presence has waned, the advocacy lives on in policy debates. The challenge now is to make it relevant again at the community level.

Technology could play a huge role. Imagine if citizens could log into a simple app and see where their town’s budget goes, who the contractors are, and whether projects are on schedule. Imagine if artificial intelligence could scan budget documents and flag suspicious items, or if blockchain could be used to track fund disbursement in real time. These are not science-fiction ideas—they are already being explored in other countries. Why can’t the Philippines harness them too?

Of course, trust is the bigger issue. Citizens may not want the government alone to run these systems; data security and political capture are real concerns. This is where the private sector and independent CSOs can step in. Many tech companies would be more than willing to donate platforms or expertise if it means restoring faith in public finance. The key is ensuring that the process remains independent, credible, and people-centered.

Reviving Bantay Budget—or at least its principles—would also mean strengthening budget literacy at the grassroots. Too often, people do not engage simply because they don’t understand the jargon. How many citizens know the difference between a General Appropriations Act and a Special Purpose Fund? Between an obligation and a disbursement? Civil society must break down these concepts so that citizens can participate meaningfully, not just symbolically.

To my mind, monitoring and reporting the national budget is not just about watchdogging the government. It is about reclaiming ownership of public money. Every peso in that budget comes from us—through taxes, fees, and even debts that our children will repay. Shouldn’t we, then, demand to know where it goes, and insist that it reflects our priorities rather than the whims of a few?

The Bantay Budget campaign showed us that this is possible. Perhaps it is time to bring it back—this time, smarter, stronger, and equipped with 21st-century tools. Because unless citizens themselves watch the budget, we may once again wake up to ghost projects, overpriced contracts, and “missing” billions. And by then, it will be too late.

Ramon Ike V. Seneres, www.facebook.com/ike.seneres

iseneres@yahoo.com, senseneres.blogspot.com 

01-23-2026