The Senate on Wednesday adopted a concurrent resolution to make the 2026 budget process more transparent, requiring public access to information and allowing citizen participation in budget deliberations.

The  Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 4 is aimed at overhauling how the 2026 General Appropriations Act (GAA) is deliberated and disclosed to the public.

The resolution, titled “Concurrent Resolution Strengthening the National Budget Process by Adopting and Enforcing Transparency and Accountability Measures,” mandates the digital publication of key budget documents and opens the legislative budget process to public scrutiny and engagement.

The resolution compels both the Senate and the House of Representatives to upload a comprehensive budget document, including committee reports, plenary records, amendments, and transcripts of hearings and bicameral conference meetings, to their official websites. 

These documents must be timely, complete, and in machine-readable formats.

A comparative matrix outlining changes made to the General Appropriations Bill (GAB) at each legislative stage—from House approval to Senate amendments and final bicameral reconciliations—will also be published. 

This matrix will detail all fund reallocations, additions, deletions, and modifications, offering unprecedented traceability and accountability.

In addition to document transparency, the resolution requires the live-streaming of all budget-related discussions, including briefings, hearings, plenary debates, and bicameral meetings. 

Furthermore, both chambers are mandated to provide online platforms where citizens can submit feedback, analysis, and suggestions on the national budget.

“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,” the resolution read. 

The Department of Budget and Management (DB) is urged to upload to its website all duly received copies of BP Form 201 submitted by all government agencies.