MANILA, Philippines – What began in September 2025 as a bold push to “Blockchain the Budget,” Senate Bill No.1330  has now matured into a broader legislative reform still anchored on transparency and accountability, now with adaptability more clearly outlined. In its latest form, Senator Bam Aquino’s proposed measure to strengthen government transparency through digital technologies has taken on a new name and a more flexible approach.

Formerly introduced as the National Budget Blockchain System, SBN 1330 now presents as the Citizen Access and Disclosure of Expenditures for National Accountability (CADENA) Act, signaling both continuity of purpose and openness to evolving solutions.

“Inaasahan po natin na pa ang magbibigay ng kanilang sariling solusyon kontra sa korapsiyon at kailangan po natin tong ipagsama-sama at suriin… by no means [blockchain]  is the only solution, but many of us here believe this can be one of the major solutions to our problems,” Aquino established during the bill’s initial hearing last month of October.

At the most recent senate hearing regarding the bill, Aquino further reaffirmed that the measure remains in active refinement.

“Kung may maisip kayo na bago… na baka magandang ma-refine ‘yung mga words, may salita na baka ma-misunderstand, baka puwede nating ma-define nang mas maganda. Marami pa tayong steps,” the senator said, emphasizing both political will and room for co-creation.

From Mandate to Open Architecture: Then and Now

Initially framed around blockchain-specific mandates, the bill has undergone careful revisions following months of technical deliberation and stakeholder input. Thanks to contributions from all members of the Technical Working Group (TWG) including government tech experts, legal advisors, and civil society representatives—the current version of SBN 1330 shifts its language from prescribing a single technology to enabling multiple solutions through principles-based governance. This is consistent to what the senator has always strongly noted even during the bill’s first reading

“In the end, when we craft the law, we will talk about the standards and benefits of the technology—including but not limited to blockchain—to allow for changes in the future where new technologies may come up."

This reframing cements a legislative strategy that avoids premature technological lock-in, while still prioritizing the core goal: timely and public disclosure of government financial documents. One notable shift in the bill is its careful avoidance of prescribing any specific technology within its text. This reflects a principled stance on tech neutrality—allowing the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) to determine the appropriate tools at the right time, based on prevailing conditions.

These refinements were introduced following inputs from the Technical Working Group (TWG) and experts consulted after the first hearing.

“Marami pa tayong steps,” Aquino reminded stakeholders during the most recent hearing. “Kung may maisip kayo na bago… na baka magandang ma-refine ‘yung mga words, may salita na baka ma-misunderstand baka puwede nating ma-define nang mas maganda.”

Phased Rollout and Penalties

The current version of the bill outlines a phased implementation, beginning with the mandatory publication of key public budget documents from national agencies. These include:

• Budget preparation documents (budget calls, NEP, BESF)
• Congressional records (GAA, bicameral amendments)
• Execution and fund release materials (SAROs, NCAs, contracts, vouchers, bill of materials)

Under the proposed law, agencies will be required to post these documents within seven days of issuance. Failure to comply would result in administrative penalties for responsible officers. If documents are still undisclosed after 30 days, criminal liability may be incurred.

Blockchain Still the Strongest Candidate, Just Not Mandated

Although the bill no longer explicitly mentions blockchain, the recent hearing shows that this does not discount its role. Bitskwela CEO Jiro Reyes and Blockchain Council of the Philippines Atty. Mark Gorriceta asserted the importance of clearly establishing immutability principle as standard of selecting technology. Reyes, raised rhetoric regarding the subtle, yet very significant distinction between a tamper-evident versus a tamper-proof ledger or environment—briefly hinting blockchain’s exceptional tamper-proof characteristic, while at the same time refuting the garbage-in-garbage-out misconception

“Puwede namang mag-change ng data in a tamper-proof environment, pero it has to be an append. Ibig-sabihin it’s a new transaction or entry altogether. Kapag kasi tamper-evident you can change the source data."

Atty. Gorriceta also explained

"If it's not clear, if there's no mention of tamper-proof or immutability... maybe we will be back to square one where data can still be manipulated." He then further added, “To support Jiro's point we propose that the law mandates an append-only cryptographically verifiable ledger ensuring immutability of all transactions and versions.”

A Law That Welcomes Builders

Perhaps most notably, Aquino extended a challenge to civic tech groups, innovators, and watchdogs:

“Kung may mga grupo po rito who wanna see this through—why don’t you bid for it at zero cost?” he said, inviting participation in future platform development after the law’s passage and implementation of its IRR.

By decoupling the law’s goals or semantics from any single system and enabling future integrations (e.g., the eGov app), the CADENA Act aims to become a living framework for public accountability, one that evolves with both citizen needs and technological capacity.

With continued deliberation and refinement expected through bicameral meetings, the measure is a reminder that transparency reforms don’t stop at technology. They begin with political will, and are sustained by a commitment to build better together.

‍