Full disclosure policy

EDITORIAL

The Department of Interior and Local Government has recently enacted a memorandum circular amending guidelines of the Full Disclosure Policy and instructing local government units to post their respective budget, bids and public offerings aside from their Citizen’s Charter.

LGUs are now required to post required documents disclosing transactions in municipal halls for information of the public.

Local officials noted in this latest guideline, there is in addition to the previously required documents the posting of a financial document relative to the use of local disaster risk reduction and management fund (LDRRMF) 20 days after the end of each quarter.

The amended documents cover period of posting of required financial documents.The documents that are posted are budget and procurement reports and special fund reports which must remain posted until the first quarter of the ensuing year in glass-covered bulletin boards and must not be locked to allow the public to read these.

Budget reports that should be posted include the annual budget report on or before January 20 of each year or not later than 20 days after the approval by the local Sanggunian and statement of debt service 20 days after its approval by the LCE.

Statement of receipts and expenditures should also be posted 20 days after its approval including quarterly statement of cash flow within 20 days after the end of every quarter.

Procurement reports include annual procurement plan or procurement list which should  be   posted before January 31 of each year;  items to bid;  bid results on civil works, goods and services and consulting services and abstract of bids as within the prescribed period under the Government Procurement Reform Act. These must be updated quarterly including supplemental procurement plan not later than 20 days after the approval by the head of the procuring unit.

On the other hand, the special purpose fund reports include the special education fund (SEF) and expenditure estimates posted 20 days after the approval by the Local School Board of the SEF income and expenditure annual report;  report of SEF utilization 20 days after the end of each quarter,annual gender and development accomplishment report  not later than the end of each quarter,trust fund utilization 20 days after the end of each quarter, and  20 percent component of the Internal Revenue Allotment  20 days after the end of each quarter.

Also, bids and results on consulting services should be included in the bids results and posted beginning third quarter reporting period of calendar year and in the event that the LGU does not have priority development assistance fund (PDAF) or debt service, the concerned LGU shall post a certificate of no debt service or no PDAF duly signed by the concerned LCU.