Civil society and Philippine web3 organizations have started a joint signature campaign calling on the House of Representatives to pass the Citizen Access and Disclosure of Expenditures for National Accountability, or CADENA, Act during the current budget season.
The petition is being led by the People’s Budget Coalition and BetterGov.PH. Backers say the measure would create a tamper-proof digital system to track national budget allocations, procurements, and disbursements, giving the public a direct view of how government money is spent.
A bill moving unevenly through Congress
The push comes even though the Senate already approved its counterpart measure, Senate Bill 1506, in late 2025 by a 17-0 vote. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has also identified CADENA as a priority measure under the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council, or LEDAC.
Despite those developments, the proposal remains stalled in the House. Advocates are now trying to use the budget deliberation period to increase pressure on lawmakers, arguing that a transparency mechanism is most needed before new public funds are allocated.
What supporters say the law would change
Campaign organizers argue that budget oversight is currently weakened by the way spending changes are handled inside lengthy General Appropriations Bill documents. They say insertions and line-item adjustments can be buried across thousands of pages, making timely review difficult for citizens, journalists, and independent auditors.
Under CADENA, budget transactions would be recorded on an open digital ledger designed to be immutable. Supporters say that approach could make hidden amendments, ghost projects, and other questionable spending easier to detect by publishing details down to contractor payments and project milestones.
Corruption concerns behind the campaign
Advocates link the bill directly to repeated concerns about corruption in public spending. In making the case for the measure, they point to past flood control controversies in which billions of pesos in public funds were reported as unaccounted for.
Their argument is that a public, tamper-resistant ledger would not by itself solve misuse of funds, but would make it harder to conceal where money was allocated and whether projects were actually carried out. The campaign frames that visibility as a basic accountability safeguard rather than a technical upgrade alone.
How the proposed system would work
The framework described by supporters includes a mandatory seven-day reporting rule. Government agencies would have to upload financial transactions, contractor information, and project progress updates within seven days after each event occurs.
The Department of Information and Communications Technology would oversee the platform through a dedicated CADENA Program Management Office. DICT would also serve as secretariat for the National Budget Transparency and Accountability Council.
If enacted, the system would begin with a pilot lasting six to 12 months. A full rollout would then extend across government agencies and state-owned corporations over a three-year period.
What happens next
For now, the immediate confirmed objective of the campaign is House passage of the bill. Civic groups say the current legislative window is critical because Congress is handling the national budget, the same process the proposal is intended to expose to real-time public scrutiny.
Whether the House will take up the measure during this period remains uncertain. What is clear from the petition is that supporters want CADENA turned from a Senate-approved priority proposal into a permanent law before another budget cycle moves forward without the digital disclosure system they are seeking.
Source: bitpinas.com