A proposal to open government spending records to public scrutiny through a blockchain-powered system secured final Senate approval on Monday, marking a legislative push to tighten oversight of how public funds are used.
On a 17–0 vote with no abstentions, senators passed Senate Bill 1506, formally titled the Citizen Access and Disclosure of Expenditures for National Accountability (CADENA) Act. The measure is among the priority initiatives endorsed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and was recently included in the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council’s updated list of priority bills.
The legislation requires all government agencies to upload and routinely update budget-related documents on a single Digital Budget Platform. These materials include contracts, procurement records, project cost breakdowns, and bills of materials tied to public spending.
Under the bill, the digital platform is intended to provide open public access while ensuring that records remain tamper-resistant, traceable, open-source, and independently verifiable. Agencies or officials who fail to comply with disclosure requirements, or who submit falsified information, may be subject to administrative and criminal sanctions.
Sen. Bam Aquino, the principal author of the measure, linked the bill’s momentum to heightened public pressure for accountability, particularly amid investigations into alleged corruption involving infrastructure and flood control projects.
“May mga batas kasi na the time has come… Palagay ko rin kapag hindi nagkakagulo ngayon, hindi rin mapapasa iyan,” Aquino said.
He pointed to increased public attention as a key factor driving legislative action.
“Pero dahil iyong taumbayan nakatutok dito ngayon na may mangyaring pagbabago sa mga sistema na nagdulot ng ganitong klaseng corruption, may tsansa iyang mapasa,” he added.
Aquino called on the House of Representatives to immediately take up the Senate-approved version, urging swift action on House Bill 6761, the counterpart measure filed by Negros Occidental 3rd District Rep. Javier Miguel Benitez. He said expediting the bill would support the shared objective of curbing corruption and ensuring that taxpayer money is properly accounted for.
In the same session, the Senate also approved amendments to Republic Act 9997, or the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos Act of 2009, to clarify and expand the commission’s composition by defining sectoral representation, including women, youth, Ulama, and Balik-Islam groups, while promoting more balanced tribal representation among its commissioners.
