MANILA, Philippines — Senate Finance Committee Chairman JV Ejercito said that civil society organizations (CSOs) will participate in the bicameral deliberations on the proposed 2027 national budget, saying more public scrutiny is needed to catch unvetted projects and prevent last-minute insertions.
Ejercito said the move responds to calls from business coalitions, civic groups and budget watchdogs for greater transparency and accountability in the budget process. He also confirmed that the bicameral proceedings would be livestreamed.
“We are continuing to build on our best practices. This year, we will be inviting CSOs to sit in and observe the bicameral proceedings. Having more eyes on the budget will help us spot any unvetted projects or last-minute insertions that may be introduced during the bicam,” he said in a statement.
Ejercito said the planned public access to the deliberations would extend the transparency measures adopted by the Senate Finance Committee throughout its review.
“All Senate Finance Committee budget hearings were livestreamed, which allowed the public to follow agency deliberations in real time,” he said.
The committee also held a dedicated hearing for CSOs on Oct. 26, giving participating groups an opportunity to present recommendations and raise concerns about proposed allocations.
Ejercito welcomed the groups’ call to remove budget insertions without technical justification and restore funding cuts to foreign-assisted infrastructure projects, disaster preparedness and preventive health programs.
He said public participation should extend beyond congressional hearings to citizens' access to budget information and tools for scrutinizing government spending.
The committee has incorporated digital tools developed by civil society groups, including independent research organization BetterGov.ph, into the Senate’s budget transparency portal (https://budget-transparency-portal.senate.gov.ph).
Through the portal, citizens can examine agency budget documents, submit position papers and flag allocations they consider questionable.
“Transparency is not just a policy statement; it is an active mechanism. These tools were built by watchdogs themselves, and we are glad to give them a home on the Senate website so ordinary citizens can scrutinize where public funds are going,” Ejercito said.
