Senate backs 'open bicam' budget process

The Senate is open to proposals seeking to enhance transparency of the budget process by opening the bicameral deliberations to the public.

- BY HANNAH TORREGOZA

Senate Secretary Renato Bantug Jr. said the bicameral conference is a joint undertaking of the Senate and the House of Representatives, so both chambers have “a shared responsibility to ensure that the process is open and transparent and consistent with the constitutional precept that public office is a public trust.”

Moreover, Bantug said, the Senate has institutionalized transparency in the budget process.

“Members of the media have long been invited to cover bicameral conference committee meetings on the General Appropriations Bill (GAB). This consistent practice reflects our commitment to openness and accountability," Bantug said in a statement.