Senator Bam Aquino pushes to restore 'Blockchain the Budget' bill to priority list

Senator Bam Aquino on Thursday called on the Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) to reinstate the CADENA Act—or the "Blockchain the Budget Bill"—to the executive branch's top legislative priorities to bolster safeguards against corruption.

During a briefing on the proposed 2027 National Expenditure Program, Aquino confronted NEDA Secretary Arsenio Balisacan over the measure’s removal from the Governance and Anti-Corruption section of the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) priority list.

Aquino argued that dropping the bill makes little sense given its advanced legislative status. The CADENA Act passed its third and final reading in the Senate, cleared the House Committee on Science and Technology, and currently awaits action by the House Appropriations Committee.

"Secretary, this has passed already on third reading here in the Senate," Aquino said, noting that several measures on LEDAC's trimmed priority list are far behind in the legislative process.

Balisacan explained that leaders from both branches shortened the list to focus exclusively on immediate 12-month targets, though the bill remains on LEDAC's broader master list.

A technological fix for corruption

The CADENA Act proposes using blockchain technology to create an unalterable public ledger of government spending. Citizens would be able to track public funds down to project contractors and material costs.

Aquino invoked the recent flood control scandal as proof that manual oversight is failing.

"Nung kasagsagan nung flood control scandal, we all agreed we would push for this, and push for full transparency," Aquino emphasized. "This can be a legacy of this administration and this Senate and Congress."

Balisacan committed to raising Aquino's appeal before the LEDAC leadership. Following the exchange, Aquino noted that other key bills were similarly missing from the priority agenda before yielding the floor to Senate Finance Chair JV Ejercito.

-Paraluman News