Senator Bam Aquino is calling on the House of Representatives to act on a long-delayed measure that would log the Philippine government’s spending on an unalterable blockchain ledger. Despite securing Senate approval and earning a spot on the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council’s (LEDAC) priority list, the proposed Citizen Access and Disclosure of Expenditures for National Accountability (CADENA) Act remains stuck in committee limbo in the lower house.
What the CADENA Act Means for Taxpayers
If enacted, the CADENA Act – orginally called “Blockchain the Budget Bill” – would fundamentally change how citizens monitor public funds. By mandating government agencies to publish financial documentation and disbursement records onto a distributed ledger, the law aims to give every Filipino real-time visibility into state expenditures.
Because records stored on a public blockchain cannot be retroactively modified or deleted, the system would establish a permanent, tamper-proof audit trail for public funds. Taxpayers would no longer have to rely solely on delayed post-audit reports to see how national allocations are spent.
Read more about CADENA Act: Update: Senate Passes CADENA, Previously ‘Blockchain the Budget’ Bill on Third Reading)
Stalled Momentum in the Lower House
The bill’s stalled progress in Congress has drawn the attention of its proponent (Aquino), who argue that modernizing fiscal accountability should be an immediate priority.
“Kung seryoso tayo sa paglaban sa korapsyon at pagsusulong ng transparency, panahon nang kumilos,” Aquino stated, urging lawmakers to expedite the bill’s passage. “Karapatan ng bawat mamamayan na malaman kung saan napupunta ang perang pinaghirapan at ang buwis na binabayaran nila buwan-buwan.”
Under the proposed CADENA framework, state agencies would be legally obligated to publish procurement documents, budget allocations, and disbursement milestones to an accessible blockchain network. The initiative seeks to minimize opportunities for ghost projects, unauthorized fund diversions, and off-the-books spending by opening every transaction step to public verification.
While the Senate’s passage and LEDAC’s endorsement signaled strong momentum earlier in the legislative pipeline, the bill cannot advance to the President’s desk for enactment without formal approval from the House of Representatives. (Read more: Explainer: How a Bill Becomes Law in the Philippines)
Blockchain adoption in the Philippines has primarily revolved around crypto trading, gaming, and remittance services. However, embedding the technology into government financial management would mark one of the country’s most significant public sector web3 initiatives, that is, if the CADENA act pushes through and gets signed into law.
This article is published on BitPinas: Bam Aquino Urges House to Pass CADENA Act as Blockchain Budget Bill Stalls in Congress
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