MANILA — The Senate on Monday approved Senator Bam Aquino’s Citizen Access and Disclosure of Expenditures for National Accountability (CADENA) Act, also known as the Blockchain the Budget Bill, on third and final reading.

Senate Bill No. 1506 was approved via a 17-0 vote, with no objections or abstentions. The bill had recently been listed among priority measures by the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council.

Aquino said the bill gained momentum amid strong public demand for transparency and accountability following the recent flood control scandal.

“May mga batas kasi na the time has come. Itong batas na ito, ‘yung nai-file nating bill about disclosure of public documents — iyong CADENA — and the putting of all of these documents on blockchain. Palagay ko rin kapag hindi nagkakagulo ngayon, hindi rin mapapasa iyan. Pero dahil ganito iyong tawag ng panahon, may chance iyang mapasa,” he said.

The legislation requires all government agencies to upload and maintain detailed budget-related documents — including contracts, project costs, bills of materials, and procurement records — on a Digital Budget Platform. The system ensures that all files are publicly accessible, tamper-resistant, traceable, open-source, and verifiable.

Government officials who fail to disclose required documents or who upload fraudulent information may face administrative and criminal penalties.

The bill’s counterpart, House Bill No. 6761, was filed in the House of Representatives by Negros Occidental 3rd District Rep. Javier Miguel Benitez.

“Nananawagan tayo sa ating mga kasama sa Kamara na madaliin ang pagsasabatas ng CADENA Act bilang suporta sa sama-sama nating hangarin nating burahin ang katiwalian sa pamahalaan at matiyak na napupunta sa sa tama ang pondo mula sa buwis ng taumbayan,” Aquino said.