Cayetano pushes transparency in 2026 budget and government loans
August 7, 2025
Cayetano pushes transparency in 2026 budget and government loans
Senator Alan Peter Cayetano on Wednesday signed Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 4, mandating full public disclosure of key documents related to the 2026 General Appropriations Act (GAA) and urged transparency in both the budget process and government loan transactions.
The resolution, filed on August 6, 2025, seeks to strengthen fiscal transparency and reinforce public trust in government spending.
This move comes after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., in his 2025 State of the Nation Address, criticized persistent budget anomalies.
Cayetano, a long-time advocate of accountability and good governance, emphasized that transparency should go beyond numbers.
"We will ensure full transparency. The national budget is not just the work of a few but a product of the entire Congress, representing every Filipino," he said.
The resolution cites Congress's constitutional duty not only to approve the national budget but also to lead in "advancing fiscal transparency and ensuring that citizens are empowered to monitor how public funds are planned, allocated, and spent."
It also notes that while the National Expenditure Program (NEP) and the final GAA are made publicly available, several other documents including committee reports, plenary transcripts, and bicameral meeting outputs are not yet digitally accessible on the official websites of the Senate or House of Representatives.
This lack of digital access, the resolution explains, prevents the public from fully analyzing and understanding the national budget, thereby "limiting their participation in the budget process."
Under the new resolution, Congress commits to uploading and publishing a wide range of budget-related documents in machine-readable formats on their respective official websites.
These include BP 201 forms submitted by government agencies, the General Appropriations Bill (GAB) as passed by both the House and the Senate, the Bicameral Conference Committee Report and Joint Explanation of disagreeing votes, as well as transcripts of budget briefings, public hearings, and technical working groups. The resolution also includes Committee Reports and Journal Records of plenary deliberations.
The resolution further states that the public "shall be given a platform on the websites of both Senate and House of Representatives to communicate their analyses, suggestions, and feedback on the national budget."
Cayetano also stressed the importance of aligning legislative oversight with the needs of the people.
"We want to assure the public. Iisa lang naman ang hangarin ng Pangulo at ng Kongreso: ang tiyaking makakarating ang tulong at serbisyong dapat sa bawat Pilipino, at malinaw kung saan napupunta ang pera ng bayan," he said.
Resolusyon para sa budget transparency at loan disclosure, pinirmahan ni Cayetano
Pinirmahan ni Senador Alan Peter Cayetano nitong Miyerkules ang Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 4 na nag-uutos ng full public disclosure ng mahahalagang dokumentong may kaugnayan ng 2026 General Appropriations Act o GAA.
Inihain ang resolusyon nitong August 6, 2025 na layong patatagin pa ang transparency sa paggastos ng gobyerno at muling buuin ang tiwala ng taumbayan sa national budget.
Kasunod ito ng naging banat ni Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Jr. sa kanyang 2025 State of the Nation Address, kung saan binatikos niya ang mga paulit-ulit na anomalya sa budget.
Matagal nang isinusulong ni Cayetano ang accountability at good governance. Para sa kanya, hindi lang basta numero ang dapat malinaw sa budget, kailangan din ng tunay na transparency.
"We will ensure full transparency. The national budget is not just the work of a few but a product of the entire Congress, representing every Filipino," sabi ni Cayetano.
Ayon sa resolusyon, tungkulin ng Kongreso na hindi lang basta aprubahan ang national budget kundi pangunahan din ang pagbubukas ng impormasyon para masundan at masuri ito ng publiko.
Pinuna rin sa resolusyon na bagama't nailalabas na sa publiko ang National Expenditure Program (NEP) at ang pinal na bersyon ng GAA, marami pa ring dokumento ang hindi nakikita online gaya ng committee reports, plenary transcripts, at mga output mula sa bicameral meetings.
Dahil dito, limitado ang kakayahan ng publiko na unawain at pag-aralan nang buo ang budget. Kaya naman sa ilalim ng bagong resolusyon, obligadong i-upload at gawing accessible online ang iba't ibang dokumentong may kinalaman sa budget.
Kabilang dito ang BP 201 forms mula sa mga ahensya ng gobyerno, General Appropriations Bill (GAB) na pinasa ng Senado at Kamara, bicameral conference committee report at joint explanation, transcripts ng budget briefings, public hearings, technical working groups, committee reports at journal records ng mga plenary deliberation.
Nakasaad din sa resolusyon na magkakaroon ng platform ang publiko o space sa websites ng Senado at Kamara para makapagsumite ng kanilang komento tungkol sa national budget.
Iginiit din ni Cayetano na kailangang nakaayon ang trabaho ng Kongreso sa tunay na pangangailangan ng mga tao.
"We want to assure the public. Iisa lang naman ang hangarin ng Pangulo at ng Kongreso: ang tiyaking makakarating ang tulong at serbisyong dapat sa bawat Pilipino, at malinaw kung saan napupunta ang pera ng bayan," sabi niya.
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