Naga’s new budget portal lets people track where their taxes go

Naga City has launched a new online portal that allows the public to track how its budget is spent.

On June 19, Mayor Leni Robredo unveiled the People’s Budget Portal, a free and open-source software led by WeSolve Foundation, developed by Stride Technologies, and supported by civic technology group BetterGov.PH.

According to the portal’s website, it is designed to “encourage wide adoption by local governments and people’s councils to promote transparency, participation, and accountability in public budgeting and governance.”

Through the portal, citizens can examine estimated project costs, budget assumptions, and price references used by government offices.

The platform also breaks down technical budget data into more accessible formats, allowing users to better understand how public funds are distributed across programs and projects.

Beyond viewing data, the portal is built to support participatory budgeting. Instead of limiting the process within government offices, it allows residents, people’s organizations, NGOs, and sectoral groups to help shape the city’s spending priorities.

To support this, the city and its partners are conducting workshops and training sessions to help communities develop their own budget proposals and engage more actively in the planning process.

The portal is expected to roll out additional features over time, covering different stages of the budget cycle—from preparation and legislation to execution and review.

“Citizens are now demanding more. They expect their government to show up for them. They expect to understand where their taxes go,” Robredo said.

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