Open Budget for an Inclusive and Responsive Budgeting (PHTAG0001)
Overview
At-a-Glance
Action Plan: Action plan – Tagbilaran, Philippines, 2025 – 2025
Inception Report: Not available
Commitment Start: Feb 2025
Commitment End: Apr 2025
Institutions involved:
- City Government of Tagbilaran
- Office of the City Administrator
- CSO Desk
- Sangguniang Panlungsod
- City Mayor
- Tagbilaran City People
- Association Of Writers And Radio Announcers' Foundation, Inc.
Primary Policy Area:
Primary Sector:
OGP Value:
- Civic Participation
- Public Accountability
- Technology and Innovation for Transparency and Accountability
Description
Commitment ID
PHTAG0001
Commitment Title
Open Budget for an Inclusive and Responsive udgeting
Problem
The City Government of Tagbilaran has undertaken an analysis of its budget utilization over the past years, revealing an average of 22.63% of the budget remaining unutilized. The less than 100% utilization raises concerns regarding potential inefficiencies in the budget process, alongside possible gaps in its monitoring and evaluation.
The underutilization of the budget, with 22.63% remaining unspent over the past three years, points to inefficiencies in resource allocation. This issue can result in missed opportunities for vital investments in infrastructure, social services, and economic development. To improve budget utilization, it is crucial to involve citizens in the process, ensuring that funds are allocated to areas that align with community needs and priorities. Engaging the public helps ensure that the city’s financial resources are directed toward projects that will have the greatest positive economic impact.
In the light of these findings, the City Government is taking proactive measures aimed at revitalizing and enhancing its budgeting framework. A key initiative involves the deliberate engagement of civil society organizations through the establishment of the Tagbilaran City People's Council (TCPC), which serves as a vital platform for collaboration between the government and community stakeholders.
The intention is to create an open dialogue that not only promotes understanding but also invites constructive input from all sectors in the community.
Status quo
To address the underutilization of the budget, the City Government of Tagbilaran, through the CSO Desk and with support from the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP), enacted Ordinance No. C-352, series of 2023. This revised Ordinance No. C-201 of the 2007 Revised Administrative Code to strengthen people’s participation in governance.
As part of this commitment, the City Government launched the Open Budget initiative on October 15, 2024, presenting the proposed Fiscal Year 2025 budget to the public. Citizens, through the Tagbilaran City People’s Council (TCPC), actively engaged by voicing queries and suggestions to ensure the budget aligns with community priorities.
To prepare for the initiative, CSOs under TCPC underwent capacity-building seminars focused on the Annual Investment Plan (AIP) and the budget process. These sessions equipped them with the knowledge and skills to participate effectively in the budget review.
The City Government now aims to extend similar capacity-building seminars to the general public, focusing on the Academia, local media, and other sectors such as business, youth, and marginalized groups. These groups may later be interested in becoming accredited or recognized under the TCPC, further enhancing public involvement in governance.
Action
To address the challenge of less-than-100% budget utilization in the City Government of Tagbilaran, we are implementing a participatory approach that combines education, civic engagement, and transparency. This will be done through a series of webinar sessions and forums, aired live on various social media platforms to maximize reach.
The goal is to improve budget utilization in the coming years, ensuring allocated resources are effectively used for projects, programs, and activities (PPAs) that align with the community’s needs. This initiative will also strengthen the partnership between the City Government and private stakeholders, fostering collaboration for better governance.
The webinar sessions will focus on educating CSOs on the budgeting process, empowering them with the knowledge to actively participate in governance.
By embracing these efforts, the City Government is adhering to OGP principles—transparency, accountability, and public participation. This commitment will lead to stronger partnerships, improved governance, and more effective use of public resources, ensuring that the City of Tagbilaran progresses toward a more inclusive and sustainable future.
How will the commitment contribute to solving the public problem described above?
The commitment will address the problem of budget underutilization by fostering a more participatory and transparent budgeting process. By engaging citizens, particularly through the Tagbilaran City People’s Council (TCPC), the City Government will ensure funds are allocated to areas that align with community priorities. This will reduce inefficiencies and prevent misallocation, allowing the city to invest effectively in infrastructure, social services, and economic development.
The initiative will lead to increased citizen engagement through webinars, forums, and live broadcasts, ensuring a more informed and involved public. CSOs will also receive capacity-building sessions, equipping them with the knowledge to participate actively in governance. This will enable more constructive input into the budgeting process, ensuring that resources are directed to where they are most needed.
The expected outcomes include improved budget utilization, with a closer alignment of funds to community needs. This will result in more effective use of public resources, fostering better governance and strengthening public trust. By empowering citizens and stakeholders, the initiative will lead to sustained economic and social impact, contributing to the city’s long-term growth and stability. Ultimately, the commitment will create a more responsive, efficient, and inclusive governance model.
What long-term goal as identified in your Open Government Strategy does this commitment relate to?
Long-Term Goal in the Open Government Strategy
The commitment "Open Budget for a Responsive and Inclusive Budgeting" aligns with the long-term goal of enhancing the effectiveness of participatory governance and financial transparency in the City Government of Tagbilaran. With participatory budgeting already institutionalized through enacted ordinances, the focus is now on strengthening implementation, ensuring efficient budget utilization, and deepening citizen engagement in fiscal decision-making.
This commitment aims to reduce budget underutilization, improve resource allocation, and foster greater civic participation by leveraging the Tagbilaran City People's Council (TCPC) as a platform for meaningful collaboration. By integrating transparency, digital tools, and public consultations, the city ensures that its budgeting process remains inclusive, data-driven, and responsive to community needs, reinforcing sustainable and accountable governance.
Primary Policy Area
Fiscal Openness, Open Data
Primary Sector
Cross-sectoral, Education
What OGP value is this commitment relevant to?
| Civic Participation | This commitment enhances citizen participation by directly involving them in the budgeting process through educational webinars, multi-stakeholder forums, and open discussions on budget allocation and implementation. Citizens and CSOs will be empowered with knowledge and tools to define priorities, provide feedback, and monitor progress. Regular forums and capacity-building initiatives will ensure meaningful engagement, allowing citizens to influence decision-making, track project implementation, and hold the government accountable. By fostering proactive and informed participation, this initiative strengthens transparency, accountability, and community-driven governance. |
| Public Accountability | This commitment fosters accountability by creating a transparent platform for citizens and CSOs to engage in the budgeting process, provide feedback, and hold public agencies accountable for their allocations and expenditures. Regular webinars, quarterly OGP multi-stakeholder forums, and public budget utilization reports will allow citizens to track budget implementation and ensure funds are used effectively. These mechanisms enable citizens to monitor how their contributions are integrated into the budget, providing a clear understanding of public spending outcomes. Additionally, the development of monitoring and evaluation systems will ensure continuous oversight and transparency in the use of public funds. |
| Technology and Innovation for Transparency and Accountability | The commitment promotes transparency by ensuring the budgeting process is open to public assessment and active citizen participation. Through regular educational webinars, multi-stakeholder forums, feed-back mechanisms and public budget utilization reports, citizens and CSOs will gain direct access to detailed budget information. This open access allows citizens to monitor how public funds are allocated and used, fostering accountability. Involving citizens in budget discussions and decision-making demonstrates the government’s commitment to transparency, ensuring that public input is considered in resource allocation and reinforcing public accountability. |