The Senate has approved on third and final reading a measure that seeks to mandate the disclosure of budget-related documents of government agencies on a digital platform.

The Senate passed Senate Bill No. 1506 or the Citizen Access and Disclosure of Expenditures for National Accountability (CADENA) Act with a 17-0 vote.

According to Senator Bam Aquino, CADENA mandates all agencies to upload and regularly maintain detailed budget-related documents, including contracts, project costs, bills of materials, and procurement records.

Officials who fail to disclose the required documents or who upload fraudulent information may face administrative and criminal penalties.

Aquino’s camp said that the approval came after the bill was included among the list of priority measures.

Meanwhile, House Bill No. 6761, its counterpart measure, was filed by Negros

Aquino said we are calling on our colleagues in the House to fast-track the passage of the CADENA Act in support of our shared goal to eradicate corruption in government and ensure that funds from the people’s taxes go to their proper use.