Each Christmas season, many of us go through the story of the Nativity where we read passages relating to circumstances before the birth of Jesus. In the New Testament, Luke 2:7 it reads: “And she gave birth to the first born, a son. And she wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn.” The interpretation of the above which we love to retell over the ages, is that the couple, Joseph and Mary, had to go to several inns but they were forced to go to a stable as there was no room at any of those places.

The lesson we drew from the above was that even during those times, there was already what we describe as “social exclusion” or a state where certain individuals or groups are prevented access to certain privileges in society. Too, God may have intended His son to be born in modest circumstances.

I wonder what it would have been if Jesus was born in one of the evacuation centers in one of the devastated areas in the country – places which continue to experience heavy flooding and destruction of infrastructures like bridges and farm to market roads that are poorly constructed due to greed by those responsible, the Department of Public Works and Highways, engineers, contractors, and high government officials.

Even the three Kings, the wisest during their time, would have found it difficult to navigate their way if they were to visit Jesus in the devastated areas of the country. No power, no telephone lines. But like in the old times, they may have had to rely on a star to guide them. They may have had to bring blankets, canned goods, and face masks rather than gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Over the past years, and late this year, the country had been ravaged due to heavy flooding and typhoons. Many of our countrymen in many regions of the country will be celebrating Christmas in makeshift homes and evacuation centers or in areas where access is made more difficult because of impassable roads and bridges. Over a dozen typhoons and heavy floods this year had damaged homes and livelihood infrastructure from the north to southern Philippines.

We are facing one of the most serious challenges in the nation’s life. We have cited findings on what is perhaps the most serious corruption charges against public officials and private contractors who, during the past five years or so had been siphoning a large chunk of funds earmarked for construction and repairs of highway and flood prevention, farm to market roads and school buildings through an incredible scheme that had inflicted considerable harm to our economy.

The public awaits with bated breath subsequent action in the form of punishment for the guilty, the return of funds stolen, and legislation that would support and ensure that we shall not go through this harrowing national experience again.

One measure that we await with anticipation because we believe it would address our concern, is the approval by Senate of a national budget process on a digital platform. The merits of this measure which we hope would soon pass into law had been noted by several opinion writers of our news media which cite how it would promote transparency and hopefully prevent further corruption.

This is the Senate Bill No. 1506 or the Citizen Access and Disclosure of Expenditures for National Accountability (Cadena) Act which was passed on third and final reading and would require all government agencies, including state-owned corporations, to upload on a digital portal their detailed budget-related documents, including contracts, project costs, bills of materials, and procurement records.

The system is designed to ensure that all files are publicly accessible, tamper-resistant, traceable, and verifiable. The bill calls for the establishment of a National Budget Blockchain System which will record all stages of the national budget process. What is crucial is the process that will ensure that the data to be transmitted to the blockchain are accurate.

The Cadena bill becoming law is contingent on the House of Representatives passing the bill. Sen. Bam Aquino, principal author of the Senate bill has called on the House of Representatives to expedite action on the measure’s counterpart, H.B. 6761, or measure creating the Government Hub for Information and Verified Expenditures filed by Rep. Javier Miguel Benitez. It is suggested that a more expeditious way is to act on what Mamamayang Liberal Party List Rep. Leila de Lima filed which fully adopts all the provisions of what the Senate has approved, which when passed by the House will do away with the need to reconcile any differences and the bill can be immediately sent to the President for signing into law.

The private sector had responded. The Management Association of the Philippines (MAP), Institute of Corporate Directors, Justice Reform Initiatives, and Institute for Solidarity I Asia issued a statement proposing a set of time-bound reforms that government can adopt. By January, they suggest that the government implement a system to flag suspicious payments and by March, the groups hope government would move forward toward full transparency in disbursements and contracts by making these available online. They suggest that it be piloted with the Department of Public Works and Highways.

By April, they hope the government would establish a policy of joint audit within 90 days of identified red flags indicating potential irregularities, and by June, they recommend a public dashboard tracking delays, cost overruns and repeat contract winners should already be in place. They also urge the Independent Commission for Infrastructure or a similar oversight mechanism should lead compliance, monitoring, transparency enforcement and early warning systems.

The Cadena bill’s enactment is expected to provide a significant move in public financial management and increase citizen oversight of government spending.

We trust that these initiatives would address the urgent need to ensure transparency and accountability and restore trust in government. A blessed New Year to all. ([email protected])