Government spending information will now be more accessible to the public as budget, expenditure and procurement data are consolidated through a unified digital platform. 

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., through Executive Order No. 126 signed on September 28, institutionalized the Centralized Open Monitoring Platform for Appropriations and Spending Statistics (COMPASS) Portal as the government’s unified and publicly accessible platform for financial and performance information across the national budget cycle. 

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) launched the portal on June 26, allowing users to track government spending by department, agency, funding source, purpose and fiscal year. 

“The Portal shall promote transparency, accountability, and public participation by providing timely, reliable, and user-friendly access to government financial and performance information across the budget cycle,” the order states. 

COMPASS will cover information on the financial and implementation performance of programs and projects, as well as procurement and other transparency-related data generated throughout the national budget cycle. 

The disclosure requirement extends to programs, projects and activities involving public funds, including public-private partnerships and foreign-assisted projects insofar as they use, disburse or account for public funds through government mechanisms. 

The portal may use distributed ledger technology, including blockchain and other emerging technologies, and must be capable of interfacing with existing government financial and procurement systems. 

All covered data must remain under the lawful control, access and regulatory supervision of the Philippine government. 

Government entities concerned are responsible for ensuring the accuracy, completeness and timely submission of information to the portal. 

However, information may be withheld when disclosure is prohibited by law, would compromise national defense or security, violate the Data Privacy Act of 2012 or contravene other applicable laws and regulations. 

Where practicable and legally permissible, agencies must publish an exception or redaction log identifying the legal basis, approving authority and date of the action, while retaining complete records for authorized oversight and audit. 

The order also provides that it cannot be used to diminish existing transparency and disclosure requirements. 

The DBM will lead the portal’s administration and chair the COMPASS Council, which will set policies and standards, align COMPASS with existing government systems, and assign responsibility and timelines for required disclosures. 

The council must also issue implementing guidelines within 60 days from the order’s effectivity, in coordination with concerned agencies and stakeholders.

Public officers or employees who fail to comply with the order may face administrative and disciplinary sanctions under existing laws and regulations. 

Follow Tan Briones & Associates on LinkedIn for more legal updates and law-related articles.