Senate passes bill creating digital budget portal to boost spending transparency

THE Senate on Monday approved on third and final reading a measure that will boost transparency in government spending by establishing a digital budget portal accessible to the public.

With 17‑0-0 vote, the chamber passed Senate Bill No. 1506 requiring all government agencies to upload and regularly update budget documents, including contracts and procurement records, on a digital platform.

“If you look at this transparency measure, if the current investigation were not happening, I think it would have no chance [of being approved],” Senator Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV, who authored the measure, said in a statement after its approval.

The bill is among President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.’s legislative priorities, which he elevated last week alongside other transparency reforms as his government faces widespread allegations of corruption. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio