REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

5395

House Bill No.

Introduced by Pangasinan Fifth District Representative
HON. RAMON V. GUICO IIT

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Government assistance programs such as loans, grants, financial assistances, and donations
among others are vital modes of spurring the growth and development of this country, its people, and
economy. The people, being the lifeblood of these programs, through their invaluable contributions,
whether through the taxes they pay or the various contributions they provide for this country, shall only
be rightfully accorded a full accounting of how these contributions are administered.

There is also a question of ease of access to many government assistance programs due to the
obscurity of information regarding the eligibility requirements, the formulas governing the
distribution of funds, the types of assistance, the uses and restrictions on the use of assistance and
the obligations and duties of recipients under the program. These gaps often lead to delays over the
delivery of such assistances and the misuse of public funds to accommodate vested interests.

It is also of equal significance that records of these programs be indexed in a centralized
database in order to expedite the auditing of government transactions insofar as it relates to the
proper utilization of government funds.

‘As such, this Act shall require the Secretary of Budget and Management to establish and
maintain an online program information system which is capable of identifying all existing
government assistance programs and publish a yearly catalog containing the same.

In view of the foregoing, approval of this measure is earnestly sought.

Rep. Ranjon V. Gujco II


REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

House Bill No. 5395

Introduced by Pangasinan Fifth District Representative
HON. RAMON V. GUICO III

AN ACT
TO PROVIDE FOR THE EFFICIENT AND REGULAR DISTRIBUTION OF CURRENT
INFORMATION ON GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress
assembled:

SECTION 1. Short Title. — This Act shall be known as the “Government Assistance
Programs Information Act.”

SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. — As expressly provided for in Article 3, Section 7 of the
1987 Constitution, the State shall accord to the people its due right to information on matters of
public concern. In furtherance of this, it is hereby declared a policy of the State to require the
Secretary of Budget and Management to establish and maintain an online program information
system which is capable of identifying all existing government assistance programs. Under this Act
the contents of the Government Assistance Programs Database shall be specified, including the
identity, description, and eligibility requirements of each such assistance program. The Act further
requires the Secretary of Budget and Management to publish an annual catalog containing all
information of government assistance programs that is in the database of the system.

SEC. 3. Definition of Terms. — For the purposes of this Act:

1) Assistance refers to the transfer of money, property, services, or anything of
value; the principal purpose of which is to accomplish a public purpose of support or
stimulation authorized by statutes. Assistance includes, but is not limited to, grants,
loans, loan guarantees, scholarships, mortgage loans, insurance or other types of
financial assistance; provision or donation of government facilities, goods, services,
property, technical assistance, and counseling, statistical and other expert
information, and service activities of regulatory agencies; but does not include
provision of conventional public information services;

2) Government assistance program means a function of a government agency
which provides assistance or benefits for a province, territorial possession, city,


other political subdivision, grouping, or instrumentality thereof: any domestic profit
or non-profit corporation, institution, or individual; and

3) Administering office means the lowest subdivision of any government agency
that has direct operational responsibility for managing a domestic assistance
program.

SEC. 4. Duties of the Secretary. — The Secretary of Budget and Management (hereinafter
referred to as “Secretary”) shall identify all existing government assistance programs and provide
information on each such program to the general public through electronic media as authorized
under section (8) of this Act and through a printed catalog as authorized under section (9) of this
Act.

SEC. 5. Information Requirements. —

a) The Secretary shall prepare and maintain a Government Assistance Information
Database (hereinafter referred to in this Act as the "database"). For each government
assistance program the data base shall—

1) identify each such program by title, by authorizing statute, by
administering office, and by an identifying number assigned by the Secretary;

2) describe the program, the objectives of the program, and the type of
activities which have been funded under the program;

3) describe the eligibility requirements, the formulas governing the
distribution of funds, the types of assistance, the uses and restrictions on the
use of assistance, and the obligations and duties of recipients under the
program;

4) provide financial information, including the amount of funds appropriated
for the current fiscal year or, if unavailable, the amount of funds requested by
the President, and the amounts obligated, and the average amounts of awards
made in past years;

5) identify information contacts including the administering office and
regional and local offices and their addresses and telephone numbers;

6) provide a general description of any application requirements and
procedures and, to the extent practical, an estimate of the time required to
process the application.


b)

1) Each government agency shall furnish the Secretary, at such times as the
Secretary may determine, current information on all government assistance
programs administered by such government agency.

2) The Secretary shall on a regular basis incorporate into the database all
relevant information received under paragraph (1) of this subsection.

SEC. 6. Online Domestic Assistance Programs Information System —

a) The Secretary shall establish and maintain a computerized information system to
provide access to the database.

b) The Secretary, to the greatest extent practicable, shall provide for the widespread
availability of information contained in the database online.

c) The Secretary shall insure that the information available under this Act is made
available to the public.

4d) The Secretary may develop information services to further assist national and
local government officials to identify or obtain sources of government assistance.

SEC. 7. Catalog of Government Assistance Programs. —

a) The Secretary shall prepare and publish annually a catalog of domestic assistance
programs (hereinafter referred to as the “catalog”).

b) The Secretary shall prepare and publish supplements to the catalog as necessary.

©) The Secretary may prepare and publish specialized compilations of the
information in the catalog by function as necessary.

d) The catalog shall contain, in such form as the Secretary determines—

1) all substantive information on domestic assistance programs that is in the
database at the time that the catalog is prepared;

2) any other information which the Secretary considers may be helpful to
potential applicants or beneficiaries under such programs; and

3) a detailed index
¢) The Secretary shall make each catalog available to the public at a reasonable price.

f) There are authorized to be distributed, without cost, catalogs to Members of
Congress, delegates, resident commissioners, agencies, and general purpose units of


the local government, government recognized indigenous groups, national deposit
libraries, and other local repositories designated by the Secretary.

SEC. 8. Implementing Rules and Regulations. — The DBM shall promulgate the necessary
rules and regulations for the effective implementation of this Act.

SEC. 9. Appropriations. — The amount necessary to carry out the initial implementation of
this Act shall be charged against the Department of Budget and Management's current appropriated
funding.

SEC. 10. Separability Clause. — If any provision, section or part of this Act shall be
declared unconstitutional or invalid, such judgment shall not affect, invalidate or impair any other
provisions, sections or parts thereof.

SEC. 11. Effectivity. — This Act shall take effect immediately after approval.

Approved,