To hold the government accountable for the country’s health and security, a team of volunteers composed of researchers, financial advisers and legal experts conducted a research to track how the government’s COVID-19 response budget is allocated.

Coordinated by Ken Abante, a policy researcher at Ateneo de Manila University and former chief of staff for the strategy, economics, and results group at the Department of Finance, the Citizen’s Budget Tracker is a report on the country’s COVID-19 budget based on documents and data released by the government. 

Following a rigorous research process, their team first analyzes the information released by the government. The data is then converted into dashboards for visualization which aids in cross-checking new information with older data. The encoded data is audited and written into reports. Once finalized, the tracker, reports and dashboards are published online.

Included among the databases studied are the documents for the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act of 2020, the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s situation reports and the joint memorandum on social amelioration measures.

Their website provides a comprehensive guide to all their findings, conclusions and recommendations. They categorize the sources of funds, outputs, expenditures and programs being done by the government. 

Through the website, the public can identify the agencies and banks where funds are generated, how much each government department is using and most importantly, where these funds are going. The research also notes data that have not yet been publicized by the government, including the budget for contact tracing, bed capacity and food supply. Information on the social amelioration program is also included and updated on the website.

Currently, the team of researchers concluded that there are enough funds for the government to subsidize the livelihoods of Filipinos. They found that the actual COVID-19 response budget amounts to an estimate of P380 billion (including the P27 billion PhilHealth funds), but that the government is not making use of it quickly enough to address worsening poverty.

“As of May 11, only 17.3 million of 23.7 million beneficiaries (73 percent) for social amelioration have been served. For social amelioration and health, only P119 billion of the P344 billion budget (35 percent) has been spent,” as stated on the website.

The figures and computations made by the team can be found here along with the government sources for each of the datasets used. They are also calling on the government for more transparency on their expenditure data. 

For concerns, inquiries and clarifications, you can reach out to them on their Facebook or email them at [email protected].

Header photo courtesy of Citizens’ Budget Tracker

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