The Senate on Monday approved on third and final reading a measure that seeks to strengthen transparency and accountability in the use of public funds through digital technology.

Senate Bill No. 1506, formally known as the Citizen Access and Disclosure of Expenditures for National Accountability (CADENA) Act or the “Blockchain the Budget Bill,”  was approved unanimously with 17 affirmative votes, with no objections and no abstentions.

The approval came just days after the measure was included in the latest list of priority bills of the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC).

Senator Bam Aquino, author of the bill, said the passage was fueled by strong public clamor for accountability amid ongoing investigations into alleged corruption, including the massive flood control controversy.

“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,” Aquino said.

He added that the heightened public attention on corruption created the momentum needed for transparency reforms to advance in the Senate.

“If you look at this transparency measure, kung hindi nangyayari iyong nangyayari ngayon na investigation, palagay ko walang chance iyan. 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 said.

Under the proposed law, all government agencies will be required to upload and regularly update detailed budget-related documents on a Digital Budget Platform. These include contracts, project costs, bills of materials, procurement records, and other expenditure-related files.

The platform will use blockchain technology to ensure that all documents are publicly accessible, tamper-resistant, traceable, open-source, and independently verifiable. Officials who fail to disclose required information or who submit falsified data may face administrative and criminal penalties.

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

Aquino urged House lawmakers to act swiftly on the bill.

“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 tama ang pondo mula sa buwis ng taumbayan,” he said.

Once enacted, Aquino sees the CADENA Act as marking a major shift in how government spending is monitored, giving citizens real-time access to budget information and strengthening safeguards against corruption.