National Budget Circular 542

National Budget Circular 542, issued by the Department of Budget and Management on August 29, 2012, reiterates compliance with Section 93 of the General Appropriations Act of FY2012. Section 93 is the Transparency Seal provision, to wit:

Sec. 93. Transparency Seal. To enhance transparency and enforce accountability, all national government agencies shall maintain a transparency seal on their official websites. The transparency seal shall contain the following information: (i) the agency’s mandates and functions, names of its officials with their position and designation, and contact information; (ii) annual reports, as required under National Budget Circular Nos. 507 and 507-A dated January 31, 2007 and June 12, 2007, respectively, for the last three (3) years; (iii) their respective approved budgets and corresponding targets immediately upon approval of this Act; (iv) major programs and projects categorized in accordance with the five key results areas under E.O. No. 43, s. 2011; (v) the program/projects beneficiaries as identified in the applicable special provisions; (vi) status of implementation and program/project evaluation and/or assessment reports; and (vii) annual procurement plan, contracts awarded and the name of contractors/suppliers/consultants.

The respective heads of the agencies shall be responsible for ensuring compliance with this section.
A Transparency Seal, prominently displayed on the main page of the website of a particular government agency, is a certificate that it has complied with the requirements of Section 93. This Seal links to a page within the agency’s website which contains an index of downloadable items of each of the above-mentioned documents.

Symbolism

A pearl buried inside a tightly-shut shell is practically worthless. Government information is a pearl, meant to be shared with the public in order to maximize its inherent value.

The Transparency Seal, depicted by a pearl shining out of an open shell, is a symbol of a policy shift towards openness in access to government information. On the one hand, it hopes to inspire Filipinos in the civil service to be more open to citizen engagement; on the other, to invite the Filipino citizenry to exercise their right to participate in governance.

This initiative is envisioned as a step in the right direction towards solidifying the position of the Philippines as the Pearl of the Orient – a shining example for democratic virtue in the region.

EMB RO8 Compliance with Sec. 91 (Transparency Seal) R.A.  No. 10633 (General Appropriations Act FY 2014)

I. The agency’s mandates and functions; names of its officials with their position and designation, and contact information

A. DENR’s Mandate, Mission & Vision

B. The Agency’s Mandate, Mission, Vision and List of Officials

II. Annual Financial Reports

FAR No. 1:  Statement of Appropriations, allotments, Obligations, Disbursements and Balances (SAAOBDB)

FAR No. 4 Summary Report on Disbursement

BAR No. 1. Quarterly Physical Report of Operations/Physical Plan

WFP/Physical Plan

FAR No. 5 Quarterly Report on Revenue and Other Receipts

Financial Plan (Detailed Statement of Current Year’s Obligations, Disbursement and Unpaid Obligations)

III. DBM Approved Budget & Corresponding Targets for FY 2024

IV. Major Program, Projects and Activities, Beneficiaries and Status of Implementation for FY 2024 (Not Applicable)

V. FY 2024 Annual Procurement Plan (FY 2024 APP Non-CSE), Indicative FY 2024 APP Non-CSE; and FY 2024 APP for Common-Supplies and Equipment (FY 2024 APP CSE)

VI.  QMS Certification of any International Organization approved by the Inter-Agency Task Force or ISO 9001:2015 aligned QMS documents

VII. System of Ranking Delivery Units and Individuals

VIII. The Agency Review and Compliance Procedure of Statements and Financial Disclosure

IX. The Final People’s Freedom to Information (FOI) Manual signed by head agency; Agency Information Inventory; 2024 FOI Registry, and 2024 FOI Summary Report