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Philippines demand local govt budgets and contracts posted on Internet

17 Aug 2010

Source: The Inquirer

 
In an effort to make transactions by local governments transparent, the Philippine Department of Interior and Local Government is exhorting local government officials to post their budgets, contracts and expenses on the Internet.
In a recent statement, Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo said local government units should make use of government websites by disclosing their budgets and expenses. “If local government units are not pressured to do this, efforts to make them more transparent and accountable will be unsuccessful,” said Robredo. Specifically, Robredo said, there has to be full disclosure by all Local Government Units of annual budgets, income, expenditures, contracts, and loans.

Robredo reminded Local Government Units that the Government Procurement Reform Act stipulates the posting of the annual procurement plan, invitation to bids, and bid winners in “conspicuous places within the buildings in the locality, the Internet, and newspapers of general circulation.”

“LGUs will avoid this (disclosure policy) if they can. But this is what the people want. We will use this as an instrument against non-compliance to this policy,” Robredo said.

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