DBM pushes Budget Reform Bill

FILE: Diokno said the budget reforms will enable the country to spend more efficiently and transparently. (PNA photo)

MANILA — Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Benjamin Diokno said Wednesday they will strongly push for the passage of the Budget Reform Bill that seeks to modernize budgetary system in the country, in line with the goal to be one of the top 10 budget institutions in the world.

Diokno said the budget reforms will enable the country to spend more efficiently and transparently.

“We are the only country in the world which is in old system. We have to modernize so we will bring in institutions. We plan to be one of the top 10 budget institutions in the world. That’s the goal,” he said in an interview on the sidelines of pre-State of the Nation Address (SONA) forum.

Diokno said once the bill becomes a law, it would be a landmark law that modernizes the public management system by addressing key gaps and alignment with international budgeting standards and best practices.

He noted there are many reforms contained in the Budget Reform Bill that are already being implemented.

The bill has been approved in the House of Representative on March 28.

“It is now pending in the Senate. We expect that will be taken out on July 24, the following day of the SONA,” he said during the forum.

Apart from the budget bill, Diokno, co-chair of Participatory Governance Cluster of the Cabinet, identified other priority legislative agenda such as the Freedom of Information Bill, Unified National Identification System Act, and an Act Rightsizing the National Government to Improve Public Service Delivery.

During the forum, the budget chief also discussed the accomplishments of new or improved participatory governance initiatives of the government, including the Hotline 8888, Freedom of Information portal, National Government Portal with 102 linked e-Services, Philippine Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), and the Open Government Partnership platform.

Diokno bared the Philippines has received an Open Budget Index (OBI) score of 67 out of 100, making it number one in Asia in terms of fiscal openness and number 17 in the world.

This is a testament to the government’s commitment to uphold a high level of transparency based on the amount and timeliness of budget information made available to the public, he said.

Diokno further said the country continues to increase the availability of budget information that can be freely accessed virtually around the world through its budget reforms.

“With ‘meatier’ and more citizen-friendly budget information that we regularly publish, we adhere to greater fiscal transparency not merely for the sake of uploading data for the public, but ultimately providing meaningful and useful information to enable greater citizens’ participation in and ownership of the budget process,” he added.