PBBM launches DBM-COMPASS Digitization Portal to track public spending, restore public trust

MANILA, Philippines — In a major step toward enhancing fiscal transparency, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. led the official launch of the Centralized Open Monitoring Platform for Appropriations and Spending Statistics (COMPASS) at Malacañan Palace on Friday, 26 June 2026.

Developed by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), the COMPASS portal serves as an open, real-time digital tracker that consolidates thousands of budget release records and trillions of pesos in government spending data into a single online platform. The initiative coincides with the administration's endorsement of the updated Philippine Public Financial Management (PFM) Reforms Roadmap 2024–2028, a long-term blueprint backed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to digitise and revolutionise public fund administration.

During his keynote address, President Marcos Jr. emphasised that government budgets must be stripped of their complexity to allow citizens to actively scrutinise where public finances are directed.

"Today, we take another step in that direction with the launch of the DBM-COMPASS. Like a compass that points the way forward, the platform allows our people to see and track where their hard-earned money goes," President Marcos Jr. said. "We need to make government budget and spending easily accessible and understandable for any Filipino who has any interest whatsoever in finding out where their money is going."

The President added that structural transparency is essential for rebuilding civic confidence: "Kung nais natin mapanumbalik ang tiwala ng taumbayan, dapat malinaw, bukas at nakikita ang ating ginagawa (If we want to restore the people's trust, our actions must be clear, transparent, and visible)."

DBM Secretary Kim Robert de Leon affirmed the department's focus on institutionalising these digital platforms to establish safeguards against corruption and public fund mismanagement.

"Good governance does not happen by accident. It requires sound systems, clear rules, capable institutions, and the resolve to continuously improve," Secretary De Leon stated. "Transparency is among the strongest safeguards against corruption. When information is open, accountability becomes stronger."

The development of the updated PFM framework and its corresponding digital tracking tools continues to receive extensive technical and strategic support from the international community. Highlighting the institution's ongoing partnership with the Philippine government to modernise its fiscal frameworks, Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Masato Kanda reiterated the importance of a robust, digitalized financial system.

"Achieving middle- and higher-income status [for the Philippines] will require continuous reforms and this includes a robust public financial management reforms strategy and roadmap," President Kanda previously noted regarding the joint framework. "This will ensure that the money is targeted for quality public services for the Filipino people. With a strong and digital PFM system, government spending and decision making will be more timely, it will be more efficient, it will be more relevant."

The COMPASS platform is now live and accessible to the public, allowing users to track budget allocations, agency utilizations, and fund disbursements across various national infrastructure and social assistance programs.