THE Department of Budget and Management has formally integrated blockchain technology into the government’s budgeting system, marking one of the first large-scale public-sector deployments of the technology in Asia.
The move is aimed at strengthening transparency, efficiency and accountability in how state funds are allocated and monitored.
In a statement, DBM Undersecretary Goddes Hope “Sasa” Libiran said blockchain should be seen as more than a financial trend, framing it instead as a governance tool that makes government transactions verifiable, tamper-resistant and open to public scrutiny. She added that the system offers citizens a stronger basis for confidence that public resources are being used responsibly.
Public finance in the Philippines has long faced concerns over inefficiency, audit challenges and corruption risks. By embedding budget documents on a distributed ledger, the DBM expects to minimize opportunities for data manipulation while speeding up reconciliation and reducing bureaucratic friction.
This quarter, the agency rolled out a blockchain-backed portal — — to record and display Special Allotment Release Orders (Saros) and Notices of Cash Allocation (NCAs). The platform, developed with BayaniChain and ExakIT Services, uses BayaniChain’s Lumen Blockchain-as-a-Service with the Prismo Protocol to determine which information is publicly accessible. Final records are permanently inscribed on the Polygon blockchain as NFTs, a safeguard against tampering, counterfeiting or deepfake replication.
Paul Soliman, chief executive of BayaniChain, said the collaboration demonstrates how combining blockchain with artificial intelligence can bolster the integrity of government finance systems, ensure secure processes and create long-term value for stakeholders.
The DBM’s vision extends beyond Saros and NCAs to encompass the full budget cycle, from planning to disbursement and audit. Future applications may include AI-assisted anomaly detection and citizen-facing dashboards to make complex data more understandable. Pilot programs for blockchain-powered procurement and monitoring are also underway.
By embedding public finance on-chain, the Philippines positions itself as a regional leader in digital governance innovation. Libiran said the initiative reflects the agency’s ambition to build a next-generation fiscal management system where technology enhances accountability at every level of government. / KOC
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