“The citizen can bring our political and governmental institutions back to life, make them responsive and accountable, and keep them honest. No one else can.”
John W. Gardner, US Secretary of Health and Education, 1965-68 |
Prof. Boncodin, in one of the forums she had appeared in to help people understand the the national budget and what people could do to protect it from corruption and wastage.
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The Philippine Public Transparency Reporting Project and the Pera Natin ‘To! website are made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents of this website and the views expressed herein are solely the responsibility of the Philippine Public Transparency Reporting Project and the individual authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government or the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative.
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The People’s Budget – It’s Up To us to Really Make It So |
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Thursday, 24 February 2011 |
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Senate Bill 2186 or the People's Participation in Budget Deliberations Act is a very welcome move in the fight against corruption and graft and the Philippine Public Transparency Reporting Project was lucky enough to see it first a few weeks ago and be tapped for our own opinions on it.
While the bill should have been enacted a many long time ago, it is nonetheless heartening to know that some key players in the Senate are more than very serious about making a step change from the past and cleaning up government by legislating for a role for ordinary citizens in determining national expenditure.
Traditionally shrouded in secrecy, the national budget has long been a labyrinth in all of its four components -preparation, authorization, implementation and accounting. Information has always been released on a need-to-know basis. No wonder all these scandals catch us by surprise when we don't know how funds were prepared, or who holds how much. The slow and tedious accounting process does little to appease anti-corruption workers, either.
Thus SB 2186, authored by Senator Teofisto Guingona III, was rightly welcomed by many civil society organizations (CSOs). It does not come without possible pitfalls though. Just as the party list system was created in the same spirit of giving voice and vote to the marginalized, so, unless we are all careful, this bill may also be used by people to promote their own interests. This is especially so in local government units, where an intimate relationship often exists between mayors, governors and powers-that-be.
Last week’s committee hearing saw stakeholders from civil society worry over exactly this possibility – and it is good to see the bill’s authors taking note and devising ways to make the accreditation process whereby CSOs input their thoughts, more rigorous to prevent pseudo-CSOs springing up and exploiting this would-be law.
It is no time then to relax our vigilance.
Ultimately though, it is time to engage with the government in this initiative. For the longest time, we have blamed the government for budget messes and secrecies and all the evils that follow on. Now it's time we turn our past anguish and anger into real action.
Opportunities for engagement are increasingly opening up – and at the root and local level– and soon we will only be having ourselves to blame if things do not start changing for the better.
We cannot be constantly spoon-fed transparency and accountability: We must start to feed ourselves.
In the end, collective action is the spirit of this bill. It will only be as good as we all work to make it.
Angelica Carballo
Project Coordinator
Philippine Public Transparency Reporting Project
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PROJECT NEWS
 PPTRP holds 10th budget reporting training in Bohol June 30
The Philippine Public Transparency Reporting Project (PPTRP) held its 10th training on advanced transparency and anti-corruption reporting called “Numeracy for Journalists, Civil Society Organizations and Citizens” on June 30 at the JJ’s Seafood Village in Tagbilaran City in Bohol. READ MORE
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 PPTRP holds 9th budget transparency reporting training in Kidapawan City June 6
The Philippine Public Transparency Reporting Project (PPTRP) held its 9th training on advanced and anti-corruption reporting dubbed as “Numeracy for Journalists, Civil Society Organizations and Citizens” on June 6 at Boylyn Pension Plaza in Kidapawan City. The training was made possible with the financial assistance of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the technical assistance of the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI). READ MORE
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PPTRP holds 8th budget reporting training in Pampanga June 3
The Philippine Public Transparency Reporting Project (PPTRP) held its 8th training on advanced and anti-corruption reporting dubbed as “Numeracy for Journalists, Civil Society Organizations and Citizens” on June 3 at the Social Action Center of Pampanga in San Fernando City, Pampanga. READ MORE
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 PPTRP-supported Local Transparency Groups Share Experiences in Reporting, Fighting Corruption
Three local transparency reporting groups which the Philippine Public Transparency Reporting Project (PPTRP) supported and helped establish gathered on June 3 in Bohol to share experiences in building transparency and accountability in their respective communities. READ MORE
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 PPTRP holds 7th budget reporting training in Davao City May 27
The Philippine Public Transparency Reporting Project (PPTRP) held its seventh training on advanced transparency and anti-corruption reporting called “Numeracy for Journalists, Civil Society Organizations and Citizens” on May 27 at the Ateneo De Davao in Davao City. READ MORE
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 PPTRP holds 6th budget transparency reporting in Dipolog City May 23
The Philippine Public Transparency Reporting Project (PPTRP) held its 6th training on advanced transparency and anti-corruption reporting called “Numeracy for Journalists, Civil Society Organizations and Citizens” on May 23 at the Top Plaza Hotel in Dipolog City. READ MORE
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 PPTRP meets with editors and columnists May 18 to discuss media coverage of public corruption
The Philippine Public Transparency Reporting Project met with editors and columnists of selected national and international media organizations May 18 in Manila to discuss current media behavior and thinking in relation to public corruption and transparency. READ MORE
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 PPTRP meets NBN ZTE scam whistle blower Rodolfo Lozada May 9
Rodolfo “Jun” Lozada, the former CEO of the Philippine Forest Corporation who later disclosed explosive information on the anomalous USD 329 million NBN-ZTE deal that nearly brought down the presidency of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, shared his views May 9 with the Philippine Public Transparency Reporting Project on continuing the fight against corruption and for genuine transparency under the new administration. READ MORE
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 PPTRP holds 5th budget reporting training in Ozamiz City April 26
The Philippine Public Transparency Reporting Project held its fifth training on advanced transparency and anti-corruption reporting called “Numeracy for Journalists, Civil Society Organizations and Citizens” on April 26 at the Naomi’s Botanical Gardens in Ozamiz City. READ MORE
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 PPTRP holds 4th training on budget reporting in CDO April 2
The Philippine Public Transparency Reporting Project (PPTRP) held its fourth training on advanced transparency and anti-corruption reporting called “Numeracy for Journalists, Civil Society Organizations and Citizens” on April 2 in Cagayan de Oro City. READ MORE
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