Not known to many is that data show that the Philippines actually has one of the most transparent budgets in the world.

Results of the Open Budget Survey (OBS) 2021 show that Philippines scored 68 out of 100 in budget transparency, placing the country at 19th place out of 120 countries.

Compared to our previous score, we went down eight notches from our ranking in 2019, when we got a score of 76 and ranked 10th. Despite this, we still maintained our over-all lead in the survey in Southeast Asia. Read More

With a national budget of P5.268 trillion in 2023, Filipinos are definitely interested to know how the government plans to use this much funds.

And according to an international survey on budget transparency, this shouldn’t be too difficult to do. Because the Philippines, as it turns out, is one of the most budget transparent in the world. Read More

The pandemic tested us in so many ways. It revealed gaps in our health system, exposed the tendencies of our leaders, and set back our economy. Now that we are about to end 2022 — our third year with COVID-19 in our midst — and as we make our way to the new normal, it is only prudent that we move forward armed with the lessons of the past and with a heightened perspective of what will and what will not work to our country’s ultimate benefit. Read More

Compared to former President Rodrigo Duterte, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has been more consistent in his foreign policy pronouncements, particularly on the West Philippine Sea. Read More

The COVID-19 pandemic dealt a blow to the Philippine economy and exposed many gaps and weaknesses in our system that had been present for some time.

Today, almost three years after the imposition of the first lockdowns, and as we try to recover from this crisis, we find that the traditional ways in which we did business and understood business growth models have changed drastically. So, if we are to recover fast and achieve sustainable development, we need to make our economy more resilient to future shocks and other uncertainties. Read More

This paper highlights the need to shift from the traditional linear economy to one that is more sustainable – a circular economy – in light of the different crises arising from the depletion of natural resources that have led to a serious lack of supply of various inputs to production. Read More

There is evidence that the best way to improve the management of public finances is through budget systems that are transparent, open to public engagement and scrutiny, and that have robust oversight institutions and mechanisms. Launched in 2006 by the International Budget Partnership, the Open Budget Survey (OBS) is the world’s only independent, comparative, and fact-based research instrument to measure these essential aspects of governance and accountability: transparency, oversight and public participation.    Read More