PICSPro urges Congress to pass CADENA Act to ensure transparency in public spending

• Courtesy of PICSPro

The Philippine Institute of Cyber Security Professionals (PICSPro) has joined growing calls for Congress to immediately pass the proposed CADENA Act, emphasizing the need to use technology to ensure transparency and accountability in government spending.

PICSPro, led by its chairman and founding president Angel Redoble, said the proposed Citizen Access and Disclosure of Expenditures for National Accountability (CADENA) Act would establish a digital system allowing Filipinos to trace, verify and scrutinize how public funds are allocated and spent.

“Transparency is not a privilege. It is the people’s right,” the organization declared in a statement supporting the measure.

Redoble, a cybersecurity expert, leads the organization advocating the responsible use of technology, integrity in digital governance and accountability in public service.

PICSPro emphasized that government transparency should go beyond promises and must be supported by digital systems that are accessible, secure, verifiable and resistant to manipulation.

“Technology should not only protect information. It should also empower citizens, strengthen institutions, and make accountability possible,” the organization stated.

The call comes as the CADENA Act remains pending in the House of Representatives despite its unanimous approval by the Senate in December 2025 with a 17-0 vote.

Senator Bam Aquino has repeatedly urged the House to expedite passage of the measure, which seeks to institutionalize digital transparency in government expenditures.

The House Committee on Science and Technology has already approved the proposal, but the measure has remained pending before the Committee on Appropriations.

Technology and civic organizations have also intensified calls for its passage amid growing public scrutiny of congressional budget additions and questionable government expenditures.

Recent initiatives by civic technology group BetterGov.PH have demonstrated how digital tools can help ordinary Filipinos examine government budgets and identify changes in proposed public expenditures.

PICSPro stressed that the proposed legislation should not be treated as a partisan issue but as an important step toward strengthening good governance and public trust.

“Every peso of public money deserves accountability. Every Filipino deserves transparency,” the organization stated.

PICSPro reiterated its call for Congress to immediately pass the CADENA Act, emphasizing that technology must serve the people and public accountability must never be optional.