House urged to prioritize CADENA Act amid budget season

Civil society groups are urging the House of Representatives to prioritize the proposed Citizen Access and Disclosure of Expenditures for National Accountability or CADENA Act and not treat it as another routine measure competing for attention in the legislative calendar.

The call comes as Congress enters another national budget season amid heightened public scrutiny over government spending, procurement and infrastructure projects, including controversies surrounding flood-control expenditures.

“The House should therefore treat CADENA not as another piece of routine legislation competing for attention during a crowded legislative calendar, but as an essential part of the country’s response to a fundamental crisis of confidence,” BetterGovPH’s Gail Macapagal said.

The Senate already approved its version of the CADENA Act on third and final reading in December 2025 with a 17-0-0 vote. The measure has also been identified as a priority of the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council.

CADENA seeks to establish a National Budget Blockchain System that would record and monitor the different stages of the national budget process, from appropriation to disbursement, and make government spending more visible and traceable to the public.

Macapagal stressed, however, that blockchain should not be viewed as an automatic solution to corruption.

“Blockchain is not a magic wand against corruption. Putting information on a blockchain does not automatically sanitize government,” she said. “What it can do is make the financial record harder to quietly alter and easier for independent eyes to examine.”

The proposed system could allow citizens, journalists, auditors and watchdog groups to follow government projects from the allocation of funds through procurement, obligation and actual disbursement, while providing greater visibility into contractors, project costs and changes made along the way.

Macapagal said transparency should go beyond simply making government documents technically available to the public.

“Transparency is not merely about publishing information. Transparency is about making information usable,” she said.

BetterGovPH, together with civil society organizations including the People’s Budget Coalition, has been pushing for greater accessibility of government budget and procurement information.

The groups said recent controversies involving public spending highlight the need for systems that could expose potential red flags before they develop into major scandals rather than relying on investigations after public money has already been spent.

Macapagal said the broader issue is also one of restoring public trust in government.

“Government cannot simply tell citizens, ‘Trust us.’ In a mature democracy, the better answer is: ‘Here. Look for yourself,’” she said.

The People’s Budget Coalition and BetterGovPH are now circulating a joint statement urging the House to pass the CADENA Act, inviting organizations, professional groups and individual citizens to sign on until 12 noon on August 25.

“The Senate has done its part. Now the House must act,” Macapagal said.

She said the measure ultimately rests on the principle that taxpayers should be able to see where public money goes without having to wait for a whistleblower, leaked document or government scandal.

“Every peso in the national budget has a story,” Macapagal said. “In a true democracy, the people have the absolute right to know where every single peso goes.”