Senator Bam Aquino renewed his push for the passage of the Citizen Access and Disclosure of Expenditures for National Accountability (CADENA) Act, or the “Blockchain the Budget Bill,” as severe flooding brought renewed scrutiny on government spending and the alleged misuse of public funds.

Aquino said the measure, which the Senate approved in December 2025 through a 17-0 vote, has remained pending in the House of Representatives for seven months despite gaining support from several lawmakers.

Senate Bill (SB) No. 1506 seeks to require government agencies to upload and regularly update detailed financial and procurement documents, including contracts, project costs, bills of materials, and procurement records, through a Digital Budget Platform.

Under the proposed system, these records would be publicly accessible, tamper-resistant, traceable, open-source, and verifiable. Officials who fail to submit required documents or provide fraudulent information could face administrative and criminal sanctions.

“Seven months na itong nakabinbin. A number of colleagues in Congress are pushing it also. But for some reason, hindi ito malabas-labas ng Kamara (It has been pending for seven months. A number of colleagues in Congress are also pushing for it. But for some reason, the House of Representatives has yet to move it forward),” said Aquino, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Science and Technology.

Aquino also pointed out that the CADENA Act was previously ranked third among the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) priority measures but has since dropped to 41st on the list.

“I have a commitment naman from our leadership na hindi naman ibig sabihin na from three to 41 na wala na siya sa listahan. Nasa listahan pa rin siya. So I'm happy it's still in the LEDAC list, pero I'm hoping more people can be with me na i-push ang Kamara, ipasa na natin ito (I have a commitment from our leadership that the fact that it moved from three to 41 does not mean it has been removed from the list. It is still on the list. So I’m happy that it’s still in the LEDAC list, but I’m hoping more people can join me in pushing the House to pass it),” he said.

The senator says the measure has taken on greater urgency as flooding has again affected communities and public attention has returned to allegations of irregularities in government spending, particularly on flood control projects.

Aquino said greater transparency would enable the public to monitor not only where government funds are allocated but also how taxpayers' money is ultimately spent.

“Isang posibleng paraan para labanan iyong korapsyon, para matigil iyong korapsyon sa ating bansa, gawing fully transparent iyong paggamit ng pera (One possible way to fight corruption, to put an end to corruption in our country, is to make the use of public funds fully transparent). If we have the system up and it's fully transparent, tingin ko, this is one of the best weapons against corruption,” Aquino stressed.

He said the CADENA Act could complement broader efforts to address concerns arising from the flood control controversy by ensuring accountability, recovering misused public funds, and implementing reforms to prevent similar issues in the future.