In a move to tighten the government’s transparency and accountability framework, senators on Wednesday, November 12 endorsed a landmark bill that would allow the public to digitally track every peso of government spending.
Senate Bill No. 1506, or the Citizen Access and Disclosure of Expenditures for National Accountability (CADENA) Act, seeks to establish a tamper-proof digital public ledger where all government transactions, from procurement to project implementation, will be automatically recorded and accessible to citizens.
The measure, authored and sponsored by Senator Bam Aquino, aims to curb corruption and restore public trust by ensuring that data on government expenditures can no longer be hidden, altered, or destroyed.
“Ang tanging matatakot lang sa CADENA ang mga kurakot na meron pong tinatago,” Aquino said during his sponsorship speech.
“Sinisiguro ng CADENA Act na mababantayan ng taumbayan ang pinaghirapan nilang buwis. At malalaman ng sambayan ng Pilipino kung paano ginagastos ang kaban ng bayan,” the senador said.
“Wala nang dokumentong susunugin o mawawala na lang bigla. Lahat po makikita ng taumbayan. Tunay na ang pera ng bayan mababantayan,” he added.
Aquino, who chairs the Senate Committee on Science and Technology, explained that the proposed digital system will be “verifiable by design” and integrated into government operations to make transparency a built-in feature rather than an afterthought.
Several senators quickly signaled support for the measure such as Senators Robin Padilla and Joel Villanueva who expressed their intention to co-sponsor the bill during the plenary session.
Senator JV Ejercito also joined as co-sponsor and requested that his statement of support be included in the official records, stressing that the bill’s transparency mechanism is a vital deterrent to fund misuse.
Alongside the CADENA Act, the Senate also tackled Senate Bill No. 1512, which seeks to create an Independent People’s Commission (IPC) — a non-partisan body tasked to investigate irregularities in government infrastructure projects.
Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, a co-sponsor of the IPC bill, underscored the urgency of reforms to prevent abuses in public works spending.
“Until every person involved is held accountable, until every peso has been recovered, and until every Filipino is safe during calamities, we must not stop acting,” he said.
Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, who chairs the Committee on Justice and Human Rights, explained that the IPC would be granted the authority to blacklist erring contractors, freeze questionable assets, and issue contempt orders.
The twin proposals SBN 1506 or the CADENA Act and SBN 1512 establishing the Independent People’s Commission form part of the Senate’s broader push to modernize transparency systems and strengthen anti-corruption safeguards.
“Ito po ay tugon sa panawagan ng taongbayan ngayon, isang paraan kung saan maibibigay po natin ang hinahanap ng taongbayan: Transparency pagdating sa pera ng taong bayan,” Aquino said.
