The Makati Business Club (MBC), in partnership with Layertech Software Labs and Bicol University, launched an online tool on March 6, 2025, designed to visualize the Philippine national budget.
The “Philippine Budget Visualizer” aims to simplify budget data, allowing users to see how government funds are allocated across agencies and programs, the groups said.
Layertech Software Labs co-founder Frei Sangil demonstrated the tool, which enables users to explore public fund allocations and offers features including year-on-year comparisons and budget breakdowns by agency and expense category.
“This tool is not just about numbers—it’s about empowering people to turn budget data into action, whether for advocacy, business decisions, or policy reforms,” said MBC executive director Rafael Ongpin at the virtual launch.
The launch featured messages of support from the secretaries of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT).
Former DICT Secretary Ivan John Uy said the tool “exemplifies how technology empowers citizens, not just as recipients of information, but as active participants of governance.”
DBM assistant secretary Leonido Pulido III said the visualizer is “part of a broader movement to advance freedom of information, open governance, and digitalization.”
The tool is intended to aid decision-making for businesses by providing insights into government spending, and MBC and Public Data Analytics (PDA) plan to enhance the platform based on public feedback.