Transparency by design: The promise of the CADENA Act

I: a political environment repeatedly shaken by allegations of misuse of funds, overpriced procurements, and questionable projects, a reform bill has emerged that deserves far greater public attention: Senator Bam Aquino’s Citizens’ Access and Disclosure of Expenditures for National Accountability (CADENA) Act.

- DONALD PATRICK LIM

While many legislative proposals focus on adding new agencies, increasing budgets, or introducing new programs, the CADENA Act aims to do something far more fundamental: to finally give Filipinos a full, structured, real-time view of how government actually spends public money. And as simple as that may sound, ithas the power to change the country.

I laud Mr. Aquino for pushing this measure. It could not have come at amore urgent time, when corruption, both petty and large-scale, continues to drain national resources and erode public trust.

Although the name sounds technical, the principle behind CADENA is very straightforward: every peso of taxpayer money must be visible, traceable, and publicly disclosed. The bill directs the government to create a single, unified digital platform where all National Government agencies must upload expenditure-related documents. This includes the National Expenditure Program, the Budget of Expenditures and Sources of Financing, the General Appropriations Act, all procurement documents, contractor information, project details, and progress reports. The goal is not merely to post scanned files online, but to ensure that data is shared in structured, machine-readable formats so that the public, media, civil society, and independent analysts can easily review and crosscheck information.

The measure also requires agencies to upload documents within seven days of issuance, release, or payment. This near real-time disclosure prevents irregularities from being hidden until long after the damage is done.