MANILA — The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) has initiated a government transparency portal and the adoption of blockchain technology in the national budget, a move officials said places the Philippines at the forefront of digital governance.

DICT Secretary Henry Aguda said during a Palace press briefing on Thursday that the blockchain-powered transparency system, now being implemented by national government agencies, aims to curb graft and corruption by ensuring public funds are recorded in a permanent and tamper-proof digital system.

Aguda said the initiative follows the President’s directive to strengthen public trust in government through digital technology and was supported by House Speaker Faustino Dy III and Senate President Vicente Sotto III under a whole-of-government approach involving Congress and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).

“Ito po’y pagtugon sa utos ng Presidente na gamitin ang digital technology para magkaroon ng mas mataas na tiwala ang taumbayan sa gobyerno. Ito naman po’y tinulak din ni Speaker (Dy) at saka ni Senate President (Sotto) at ang kagandahan nito, whole-of-government approach na ito,” Aguda said.

He explained that blockchain technology will ensure that every peso in the national budget has a permanent digital receipt that cannot be altered or erased.

“Ibig sabihin, ang pera ng taumbayan, may permanenteng digital na resibo- hindi pwedeng palitan, hindi puwedeng dayain,” Aguda said.

“Hindi lang tayo sumabay—nag-leapfrog po tayo,” he added, noting that while other countries use blockchain in limited portions of their budgets, the Philippines is applying it to the entire budget cycle.

Aguda said the system covers all stages of the budget process, from approval and allocation to disbursement and reporting, making the Philippines the first country to implement such coverage. He added that the government is set to complete the transition to a fully tamper-proof system for the entire budget cycle under the 2026 General Appropriations Act.

He described the blockchain-based platform as the government’s “digital seal of truth,” allowing citizens, auditors, researchers, and future administrations to verify official budget records even decades later.

“Sa 2026 budget, mayroon na pong ‘forever,’ forever na ninyong masusuri iyan. Ito ang Digital Bayanihan Chain—isang sistema na nagsasabing ang budget ng bayan ay malinaw, totoo, at hindi nabubura ng panahon o politika,” Aguda said.

Aguda stressed that the system’s biggest impact would be in preventing corruption, as permanent digital records make irregularities harder to conceal and accountability easier to enforce.

“Kapag ang budget ay may permanenteng digital record na hindi pwedeng baguhin nang palihim, mas mahirap mandaya, mas madaling managot,” he said.

He added that the transparency portal will allow the public to track government spending, with records remaining accessible regardless of changes in leadership, helping build long-term trust in government institutions.