SENATE BILL NO. ____

Introduced by Senator ___________________

AN ACT

PROMOTING EQUITABLE ACCESS TO THE NATIONAL BUDGET THROUGH PARTICIPATORY GOVERNANCE, ESTABLISHING THE NATIONAL BUDGET IN ACTION FRAMEWORK, STRENGTHENING TRANSPARENCY, ACCOUNTABILITY, AND CITIZEN PARTICIPATION IN PUBLIC FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress assembled:

SECTION 1. Short Title.

This Act shall be known as the “National Budget in Action Act”, hereinafter referred to as the “NBAA.”

SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy.

It is hereby declared the policy of the State to ensure that the national budget serves as a tool for equitable development, transparency, and public accountability, consistent with Article XIII, Section 16 of the 1987 Constitution.

The State recognizes that the effective implementation of the national budget depends upon public trust, the active participation of citizens, and the accessibility of government financial information. To this end, the State shall:

(a) Institutionalize a transparent and participatory budget system that allows citizens equitable access to budget documents and decision-making processes;

(b) Promote redundancy and resilience in transparency systems through publicly funded and privately maintained mirror platforms operated by accredited civil society organizations, media institutions, and academic partners; and

(c) Encourage and reward investigative journalism and civic data analysis that expose waste, inefficiency, or corruption in the use of public funds.

This Act complements the Freedom of Information Program under Executive Order No. 2 (s. 2016), the Open Government Partnership commitments, and other laws promoting good governance, fiscal openness, and participatory democracy.

SEC. 3. Definition of Terms.

For purposes of this Act, the following terms shall mean:

(a) Budget Documents refer to all records pertaining to the formulation, approval, and implementation of the national budget, including the National Expenditure Program (NEP), General Appropriations Act (GAA), Special Allotment Release Orders (SAROs), Notices of Cash Allocation (NCAs), audit and year-end reports, fiscal risk statements, and other supporting documents.

(b) Citizen Budget Assemblies refer to local and national forums convened for the review, prioritization, and monitoring of budget allocations, ensuring meaningful citizen participation.

(c) Digital Public Assets (DPAs) refer to digitized, verifiable, and traceable budget records which may utilize distributed ledger technology for transparency and auditability.