By Brian Campued
The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) touted the Philippine government’s move to put the 2026 national budget on blockchain, in line with the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to strengthen public financial transparency through digital technology.
In a press briefing at Malacañang on Thursday, DICT Sec. Henry Aguda stressed that through blockchain technology, every peso in the national budget will carry a permanent digital receipt that cannot be altered, erased, or manipulated.
“Simula po iyan sa 2026 General Appropriations Act magkakaroon na po ng digital seal of truth, isang opisyal na kopya na puwedeng i-verify sa kahit sino, kahit ilang taon na ang lumipas,” Aguda said.
“Sabi nga nila sa 2026 budget, mayroon na pong forever—forever na po ninyong masusuri iyan. Ito ang Digital Bayanihan Chain ng DICT kasama ang Kongreso at DBM (Department of Budget and Management) po—isang sistema na nagsasabing ang budget ng bayan ay malinaw, totoo, at hindi nabubura ng panahon o politika,” he added.
According to Aguda, the Philippines has become the first country in the world to put its entire national budget process on blockchain, noting that other countries use the technology only on portions of their budget.
“Ito po’y pagtugon sa utos ng Presidente na gamitin ang digital technology para magkaroon ng mas mataas na tiwala ang taumbayan sa gobyerno,” he said.
Aside from curbing corruption, Aguda emphasized that blockchaining the budget allows citizens, media, and watchdogs to trace the flow of funds from approval to spending as well as keep records intact across administrations.
“Kung sigurado ang tao na totoo ang datos, mas nagtitiwala sila sa proseso, mas nagtitiwala sa institusyon, mas nagtitiwala po sa gobyerno,” he said.
The initiative, dubbed as the Digital Bayanihan Chain, was also developed at no cost for the government through a grant from the private sector.
Once the proposed Citizen Access and Disclosure of Expenditures for National Accountability (CADENA) bill becomes a law, Aguda said the Digital Bayanihan Chain will receive allocation under the future national budgets and will pave way for the construction of the blockchain “that will not only cater to the national budget but for the whole CADENA execution.”
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