Tech experts, creators unite to scrutinize P7.2-T budget
BETTERGOV.PH founder Jason Torres is bringing technology into the fight for government transparency through the newly launched ‘Nerds & Voices Alliance,’ a partnership with Creators Against Corruption.
Photograph courtesy of BetterGov.ph
A coalition of software engineers and digital content creators has launched an initiative to examine the proposed P7.2-trillion national budget for 2027 and make government spending information more accessible to Filipinos.
Creators Against Corruption (CAC) and civic technology platform BetterGov.ph announced the formation of the “Nerds & Voices Alliance” on 30 October, combining data analysis with social media outreach to promote transparency in public spending.
Under the partnership, BetterGov.ph’s volunteer programmers and data scientists will analyze budget allocations, procurement records and proposed funding adjustments to identify potential irregularities.
The findings will be shared with CAC’s network of content creators, who will develop videos, infographics and other digital materials explaining government expenditures to the public.
“The days when politicians could bury dubious insertions inside a five-thousand-page budget document because they counted on the public being too bored or confused to care are over,” CAC founder Carlo Ople said.
BetterGov.ph founder Jason Torres said the partnership would help turn complex financial information into accessible material that could encourage public scrutiny.
“Raw code alone doesn’t spark institutional reform — people do,” Torres said.
The alliance plans to launch a 2027 Budget Radar to monitor potentially questionable allocations, along with data kits for content creators and public dashboards allowing Filipinos to examine budget proposals affecting their communities.