Marcos Signs EO 126 Mandating Transparent Government Spending

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has signed Executive Order No. 126 to establish a mandatory government-wide spending tracking system, transforming the Department of Budget and Management's COMPASS platform into a central repository for public funds.

The directive requires all national government agencies, government-owned or -controlled corporations, and government financial institutions to regularly publish and update spending data across the entire budget cycle. Non-compliance will be subject to administrative and disciplinary sanctions under existing laws.

The COMPASS Council, chaired by the budget department and co-chaired by the Department of Information and Communications Technology, will enforce compliance and set disclosure standards. The policy also mandates exception logs for information withheld under national security or privacy laws.