BUDGET WATCHYour Voice. Your Community.How local budgets are made—and where citizens come in.
Follow a community need from proposal to funding, implementation and results. Start with one concern in your barangay.
Explore the budget cycle ↓Planning identifies priorities before they enter the formal budget cycle. Choose a stage to see who acts, what to request, and what to ask.
Raise a specific concern through barangay consultations or civil society representatives in local development councils. Ask whether it appears in the development plans and Annual Investment Program (AIP).
The deadline for submitting the executive budget for the following year. The 2027 proposal was due on 16 October 2026. Verify each LGU’s actual submission through its records.
The annual budget must be enacted before the next fiscal year begins. Review, implementation and accountability have their own procedures; this is an introductory guide.
These terms describe different stages. Tap each term for a plain-language explanation.
An approved allocation alone does not show that a project is finished or that a service has reached residents.
Residents need timely, understandable and verifiable information—early enough to contribute before spending decisions are finalized.
Eastern Visayas’ only highly urbanized city.
TDN reports it could not locate substantial explanations of annual budget preparation, proposed allocations and participation opportunities on the City Information Office’s Facebook page.
Visit the official page ↗The region’s most populous province: about 1.82 million residents in the 2024 census.
TDN reports it did not find substantive explanations of provincial development programs, their funding, schedules and expected benefits on the province’s Facebook page.
Visit the official page ↗Scope: these are TDN’s observations supplied for this explainer, not an independent comprehensive audit of either page. They do not establish that records are unavailable elsewhere or that an LGU violated disclosure rules. This is not a regional transparency ranking.
The DILG Full Disclosure Policy requires specified financial disclosures through prescribed channels. Social media can supplement those channels by linking residents to full records. LGUs should train staff and coordinate budget, planning, treasury, accounting, engineering and information offices.
| Residents need | LGUs can publish |
|---|---|
| Priorities | Programs, locations, proposed amounts and intended beneficiaries |
| A chance to participate | Hearing schedules, submission procedures and deadlines |
| Complete records | Direct links to proposals, approved budgets and supporting documents |
| Progress | Schedules, accomplishments, payments and explanations for delays |
| Answers | A responsible office and a clear inquiry process |
These are recommended communication practices. Keep offline access available and explain technical information in English and locally used languages.
Use this worksheet to prepare a specific inquiry. Your entries stay in this page while it is open; they are not submitted to TDN or an LGU. Download a copy before leaving.
Review and send this yourself through the appropriate official channel. No message is sent by this dashboard.
This is a civic explainer, not a live budget database. It focuses on provinces, cities and municipalities. Barangays have related but distinct detailed procedures.