Philippine Senator Bam Aquino is urging the House of Representatives to move on the CADENA Act, a bill that would place government spending records on an unalterable public blockchain. The measure has already passed the Senate and was included in the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council’s priority list, but it remains stalled in a House committee.
Aquino has framed the bill as a transparency and anti-corruption measure. If enacted, it would require government agencies to publish key financial records on a distributed ledger so the public could track state spending in real time rather than relying mainly on later audit reviews.
What the bill would require
Under the CADENA Act, government agencies would be legally required to upload procurement documents, budget allocation records, and disbursement milestones to an accessible blockchain network. The proposal is designed to make financial documentation visible to the public as funds are allocated and spent.
Because records on a public blockchain cannot be retroactively changed or deleted, the system would create a permanent audit trail for public money. Supporters argue that this could strengthen oversight by allowing spending activity to be checked continuously rather than only after the fact.
Aquino’s push for House action
Aquino drew attention to the bill’s continued delay in the lower chamber and called on lawmakers to speed up its passage. He said that if the government is serious about fighting corruption and promoting transparency, then action on the measure should follow.
He also argued that access to spending information is a matter of public right, saying citizens should be able to see where government money goes, including taxes paid each month.
Why supporters say it matters
The measure aims to reduce opportunities for ghost projects, unauthorized diversion of funds, and spending that remains outside public view. By requiring each step of procurement and disbursement to be recorded on-chain, the proposal would allow outside verification of how public funds move through the system.
Its backers present the blockchain component less as a symbolic technology choice than as a way to make records tamper-resistant and broadly accessible. In that view, the bill would shift transparency from delayed reporting to near real-time disclosure.
Status and next step
Despite Senate approval and LEDAC backing, the CADENA Act cannot be sent to the President without passage by the House of Representatives. For now, that legislative bottleneck remains the main obstacle to the proposal becoming law.
In the Philippines, blockchain use has so far been associated mainly with crypto trading, gaming, and remittance services. If the House advances the bill and it is ultimately signed into law, CADENA would mark a significant expansion of blockchain into government financial management.
Source: bitpinas.com