Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. ________ 
Introduced by Hon. Christopher V.P. de Venecia 
AN ACT INSTITUTIONALIZING THE PARTICIPATION OF CIVIL SOCIETY 
ORGANIZATIONS IN THE PREPARATION AND AUTHORIZATION PROCESS OF 
THE ANNUAL NATIONAL BUDGET, PROVIDING EFFECTIVE MECHANISMS 
THEREFORE, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The National budget is the lifeblood of our society, and plays a vital role in the day-to-day 
operations of our government. It is a reflection of the priorities and plans of the current 
administration, and would have a direct effect on the lives of all the Filipinos. The national budget 
also plays a vital role in the delivery of services of the government, and therefore, every Filipino 
has a vested interest in making sure that their taxes would be allocated to the right projects.  
Thus, there must be a stronger participation mechanism for the Filipinos, through Civil Society 
Organizations (CSOs) in the preparation and authorization of the national budget. For Congress, 
the passage of this bill would recognize the importance of civil society in our decision making 
processes, and is an acknowledgement of direct participation and people’s governance. For the 
CSOs, this bill is their opportunity and civic responsibility to participate in all levels of political 
and socio economic decision making. 
With this collaborative mechanism, we can achieve a transparent, accountable, people’s oriented 
budget, which would be key in the development of our country. 
Therefore, immediate enactment of this bill is respectfully sought. 
HON. CHRISTOPHER V.P. DE VENECIA 
Fourth District, Pangasinan         
July 6, 2022
8:00 am
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Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. ________ 
Introduced by Representative Hon. Christopher V.P. de Venecia 
AN ACT INSTITUTIONALIZING THE PARTICIPATION OF CIVIL SOCIETY 
ORGANIZATIONS IN THE PREPARATION AND AUTHORIZATION PROCESS OF 
THE ANNUAL NATIONAL BUDGET, PROVIDING EFFECTIVE MECHANISMS 
THEREFORE, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES 
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 “People’s Participation in the National 
Budget Act” 
SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. The State recognizes the valuable role of participatory governance 
in ensuring a whole-of-government approach in solving the ills of the country. The State further 
recognizes the valuable role of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in their selfless contributions 
to help improve the country and the whole of society. 
It is, thus, declared the policy of the State to provide an adequate consultation and feedback 
mechanism to allow the effective participation of CSOs in the preparation and authorization of the 
annual national budget, in order to ensure that the annual appropriations will reflect the true, 
immediate needs of its beneficiaries, the Filipino people. 
SEC. 3. Definition of Terms. For purposes of this Act, the following terms are defined as follows: 
a) “Accreditation” - refers to the registration process of CSOs with the National Government
Agencies (NGAs) and Government Owned and Controlled Corporations (GOCCs), as the
case may be, in order to allow them to participate in the preparation and authorization of
the annual national budget.
b) “Accredited CSO” - refers to CSOs who have successfully fulfilled the requirements of the
accreditation process provided in Section 5 of this Act.
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c)  “Budget Call” - refers to the budget document issued by the Department of Budget and 
Management (DBM) and sent to all NGAs and GOCCs which contain the policy guidelines 
and procedures in the preparation of the annual budget, including the budget preparation 
calendar for any given year. The issuance of a budget call is the beginning of the budget 
preparation phase. 
 
d) “Civil Society Organizations (CSOs)” - shall include non-government organizations 
(NGOs), cause-oriented groups, people’s organizations, cooperatives, trade unions, 
professional associations, faith-based organizations, media groups, indigenous peoples 
movements, foundations, and other citizen groups legally formed primarily for social and 
economic development, which monitor government projects, engage in policy discussions, 
and actively participate in collaborative activities with the Government. 
 
e) “Conflict of Interest” - refers to a situation which occurs when a CSO or any of its key 
officers are involved in multiple interests which would prevent an impartial or unbiased 
attitude towards their participation in the national budget process. 
 
f) “Constructive Engagement” - refers to a partnership between the Government and 
counterpart CSOs marked by sustained dialogue towards problem solving while respecting 
and retaining the focus on assertion for reforms. 
 
g) “Government-Owned or Controlled Corporation (GOCC)” - refers to any agency organized 
as a stock or non-stock corporation, vested with function relating to public needs whether 
governmental or proprietary in nature, and owned by the Government of the Republic of 
the Philippines directly or through its instrumentalities, either wholly, or where applicable 
as in the case of stock corporations, to the extent of at least a majority of its outstanding 
capital stock. 
 
h) “National Government Agency (NGA)” - refers to a unit of the National Government, 
including the Judiciary, both Houses of Congress, and the Constitutional Commissions and 
Offices. 
 
i) “Participatory Mechanism” - refers to the means by which CSOs may participate 
meaningfully and effectively in the government process of formulating and authorizing an 
annual national budget that is responsive to the needs of the different sectors in our society. 
 
SEC. 4. Coverage. This Act shall apply to all NGAs and GOCCs whose budget is included in the 
Annual General Appropriations Act. 
 


SEC. 5. Accreditation. In order to participate in the budget preparations, CSOs must be accredited 
before the NGA or GOCC concerned. 
 
The application for accreditation for the Senate, the House of Representatives, the Judiciary, and 
the Constitutional Commissions and Offices shall be filed at the Office of the Secretary, the 
Secretary-General, the Supreme Court Clerk of Court, and the Office of the Chairman, 
respectively.  
 
The application for accreditation for other NGAs and GOCCs may be filed at their respective 
regional or central offices. The application form shall be prescribed by each office, and shall be 
accompanied by the following documents: 
 
a) Letter of Intent 
b) Articles of Incorporation and By-laws of the CSO; 
c) Certificate of Registration and/or other such similar documents, issued by the appropriate 
NGA tasked to register CSOs, such as, but not limited to, the Securities and Exchange 
Commission, Bureau of Labor Relations, Insurance Commission, and the Cooperative 
Development Authority; 
d) List of officers, directors, trustees, and members; 
e) Duly audited financial statements for the past three (3) years showing the assets and 
liabilities of the organization; 
f) Full disclosure of the sources of funds, as well as full disclosure of service contracts with 
other NGAs, CSOs, private corporations, and other engagements which may result in a 
conflict of interest. 
 
Upon approval of the application, the head of the concerned NGA or GOCC shall issue the 
certificate of accreditation. Said certificate shall be valid for three (3) years from the date of 
issuance. Provided, the certificate of accreditation issued by the Senate and the House of 
Representatives, shall only be valid for the entire term of Congress under which such certificate 
was issued. 
 
No application shall be disapproved, except upon due notice and hearing. The decision of the head 
of the concerned NGA or GOCC shall be rendered within thirty (30) calendar days from the time 
of receipt of the application. Failure to act on the application shall be deemed an automatic 
approval of the application for accreditation of the concerned CSO and the issuance of a certificate 
of accreditation shall necessarily ensue. 
 
SEC. 6. CSO Participation. In the interest of transparency, CSO participation shall be a 
component in the preparation and authorization of the annual national budget. All NGAs and 
GOCCs shall be required to formulate and adopt guidelines in outlining the mechanism for the 


accreditation and active participation of the COS in the preparation and authorization of the annual 
national budget. The DBM shall ensure that the NGA or GOCC has complied with the 
abovementioned requirement. 
 
Accredited CSOs, through their duly authorized representatives, shall be allowed to participate as 
resource persons in the budget hearings to be conducted by the appropriate Committees of each 
House of Congress, pursuant to the guidelines that shall be issued by both Houses of Congress. 
Notwithstanding their participation in the budget hearings to be conducted by the appropriate 
Committees of each House of Congress as provided in the preceding paragraph, the Committee on 
Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Finance of the Senate shall 
schedule at least one hearing day for the presentation of the positions of accredited CSOs on the 
budget. 
 
SEC. 7. Privileges and Incentives. An accredited CSO shall enjoy the following privileges and 
incentives: 
 
a) To have similar participation rights accorded to NGOs in the Local Development Councils 
pursuant to the provisions of Republic Act No. 7160, otherwise known as the “Local 
Government Code of 1991” in setting the direction of economic, social, and other 
coordinating efforts in the national level; 
 
b) To receive notices and participate as a resource person, through its duly authorized 
representatives, in any regular and consultative public meetings, hearings, conferences, and 
dialogues on matters related to the preparation and authorization of the annual national 
budget; 
 
c) To have access to copies of the budget proposals submitted by the NGAs or by the GOCCs 
to the DBM; 
 
d) To provide position papers, or its alternative or proposed budget, to the DBM on the budget 
proposal of the NGAs or of the GOCCs, submitted pursuant to the budget call; 
 
e) To have access to issuances such as, but not limited to policy orders, circulars, and 
memoranda that are related to the budget; 
 
f) To have access to the documents prepared by the DBM submitted to Congress by the 
President as a basis for the General Appropriations Bill, as required under Sec. 22, Article 
VII of the Constitution; 
 


g) To present written proposals on projects and activities of the government entities whose 
budget is under deliberation; and 
 
h) To have immediate access to stenographic notes, minutes, and committee reports released 
by both Houses, including the bicameral conference committee report.  
 
SEC. 8. Bicameral Conference Committee Deliberations. - The bicameral conference committee 
meetings and all other meetings related or associated to the budget deliberations shall be recorded, 
or live streamed, and be made accessible to the public to promote transparency, and to allow 
members of both Houses to easily determine how conflicting provisions in the proposed national 
budget were reconciled or resolved prior to the submission thereof for ratification by Houses of 
Congress. 
 
SEC. 9. Notice to CSOs. - Notice to CSOs may be sent through their declared email, or through 
facsimile machine, postal mail, and by posting physically at the office of the NGA or GOCC 
concerned or at their official website. Provided, in the case of public consultative meetings, 
hearings, conferences, and dialogues notice shall be given at least fifteen (15) calendar days prior 
to said meeting, except in emergency cases where strict compliance would cause undue delay to 
the holding of the meeting. 
 
Any of the said modes of sending notices shall be deemed compliance to the requirements under 
Section 7(a) of this Act. 
 
SEC. 10. Conflict of Interest. - It is the responsibility of the CSO to inform the NGA or GOCC 
of any potential conflict of interest in their work with the concerned agency, if and when such a 
situation arises. However, if the NGA or GOCC deems that the CSO has a conflict of interest with 
the work of such NGA or GOCC, the latter shall give the applicant-CSO an opportunity to explain 
and prove that such alleged conflict of interest does not exist. 
 
SEC. 11. Cancellation of Accreditation. - Upon receipt of a verified complaint in writing, which 
charges the holder of a certificate of accreditation of having procured their certificate of 
accreditation by fraud or deceit, the Head of the NGA or GOCC shall notify and serve a copy of 
the complaint to the CSO concerned, who shall be given an opportunity to be heard. Inaction by 
the NGA or GOCC on the said complaint within thirty (30) working days from the receipt of such 
complaint shall be deemed a dismissal of the complaint against the CSO involved. Any decision 
shall be final and unappealable. 
 
Any pending matter on the accreditation of a CSO shall not prevent any public consultation from 
being held for as long as the requirement for CSO participation in the budget consultations is met. 
 


SEC. 12. Non-Accredited CSOs. - Non-accredited CSOs may still participate in the budget process 
by submitting position papers for the consideration of the NGA or GOCC, and by attending and 
observing public consultations. They may, nevertheless, be invited to expound on their critique or 
proposals when the NGA or GOCC deems it fit. Nothing in this Act shall be construed to deprive 
non-accredited CSOs the rights, privileges, and incentives accorded to them by the Constitution, 
existing laws, and issuances. 
 
SEC. 13. Public and Timely Disclosure of Budget Documents and Related Data. - In order for 
CSOs to participate in an informed manner, the NGA or GOCC shall make public either on their 
official websites, or other public posting areas, budget documents to which CSOs shall have 
access, as provided for under Section 7 of this Act. 
 
SEC. 14. Separability Clause. -  If any provision of this Act shall be declared invalid or 
unconstitutional, the remaining part or provisions not otherwise affected shall remain in force. 
 
SEC. 15. Repealing Clause. -  Any law, decree, ordinance, administrative circular, or other 
issuance not consistent with any provision of this Act is hereby amended, repealed, or modified 
accordingly. 
 
SEC. 16. Effectivity Clause. -  This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in 
the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation. 
 
Approved,