The SAI Philippines’ Citizen Participatory Audit (CPA) program was conferred a Special Mention Award from the Jury of Global Initiative for Fiscal Transparency (GIFT), a multi-stakeholder action network to advance fiscal transparency, public participation, and accountability around the world on September 2017.
GIFT has already featured the COA’s CPA program in its Guide on Public Participation Principles and Mechanisms, and has published a case study on the CPA as part of efforts to share with practitioners success experience in public participation in fiscal policies.
The Project Management Office of the Commission spearheaded the implementation of the CPA as a reform strategy and audit technique to engage civil society organizations (CSOs) and citizens in the public audit process to improve transparency, efficiency and effectiveness in the use of public resources. The COA implements the CPA with its civil society partner, Affiliated Network for Social Accountability in East Asia and the Pacific (ANSA-EAP) with funding support from the Australian Government-Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, The World Bank, and Making All Voices Count (MAVC).
Taking home the top prizes for the GIFT Award were the Cascais Participatory Budgeting implemented by the Municipality of Cascais, Portugal; the Farm Subsidies: Public participation to improve the situation of small farmers in Mexico that was executed by the CSO Fundar, Center for Analysis and Research; and Georgia’s Budget Monitor which was implemented by the State Audit Office.
It can be recalled that the CPA project was the recipient of the first Open Government Partnership (OGP) Bright Spots Award during the 2013 Global Summit in London. It is also one of the twelve commitments under the PH-OGP National Action Plan for 2017-2019.