Senate backs House on open budget process

The Senate is unanimously supporting the House of Representatives call to open bicameral conference committee meetings to the public during the crafting of the national budget.

- BY HANNAH L. TORREGOZA

Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, said the Senate has unanimously signed and filed Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 4, seeking to fortify the national budget process by institutionalizing strict transparency and accountability measures to ensure that public fund is protected, properly spent and aligned with the country's true priorities.

The concurrent resolution also mandates the uploading of all budget-related documents on the Senate and House websites from agency-prepared forms and public hearings to the bicameral conference and final General Appropriations Bill (GAB)-before submission to the President.