THE Senate unanimously approved on third and final reading Senate Bill 1506, known as the CADENA Act, mandating full public disclosure of government budget transactions through a digital budget portal.

With 17 affirmative votes and no opposition, the measure aims to strengthen transparency, accountability, and citizen participation in the national budget process. The bill is among the priority measures of the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council and was crafted amid heightened scrutiny following the flood control scandal.

Authored by Senator Bam Aquino, the measure requires all national government entities to upload budget-related documents covering planning, legislation, execution, procurement, and revenue generation into the CADENA system. The platform will make records publicly accessible, traceable, verifiable, open-source, and tamper-resistant.

The bill also imposes administrative and criminal penalties on officials who fail to disclose required documents or who submit fraudulent information.

“Nananawagan tayo sa ating mga kasama sa Kamara na madaliin ang pagsasabatas ng CADENA Act bilang suporta sa sama-sama nating hangarin nating burahin ang katiwalian sa pamahalaan at matiyak na napupunta sa tama ang pondo mula sa buwis ng taumbayan,” Aquino said.