The Senate on Monday approved on third and final reading a measure aimed at enhancing transparency in government spending.
Senate Bill 1506, or the Citizen Access and Disclosure of Expenditures for National Accountability (CADENA) Act, was passed unanimously.
The measure is also referred to as the “Blockchain the Budget” bill.
Seventeen senators voted in favor, with no objections or abstentions.
The bill’s approval followed its inclusion in the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council’s priority measures list.
Senator Bam Aquino, author of the bill, said the measure responds to rising public demand for accountability.
Aquino cited ongoing investigations into corruption and anomalies in flood control projects as factors that accelerated the bill’s passage.
Under the proposed law, all government agencies must upload budget-related documents on a Digital Budget Platform.
These documents include contracts, procurement records, bills of materials, project costs, and other expenditure reports.
The measure seeks to use blockchain technology to ensure secure, transparent, and publicly accessible government spending records.
