Philippine Senator Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV has filed a bill that seeks to use blockchain technology to overhaul how the Philippines manages and monitors its national budget. Under Senate Bill No. 1330, Aquino proposes creating a National Budget Blockchain System that will ensure government spending is transparent, traceable, and accessible to citizens in real time.
“By using modern technology, we can make sure that every peso in our national budget goes to its intended purpose. Citizens will be able to verify that funds are being used properly, down to the last centavo,” Aquino said in Filipino.
Bill proposes national budget blockchain system
Aquino explained that the bill aims to make budget documents transparent and easier for the public to understand. Currently, he said that budget documents remain “closed, highly technical, and difficult to understand,” which limits public oversight even from those who wish to scrutinize them.
“This bill seeks to modernize budget transparency and accountability through the use of blockchain technology,” Aquino said. “The goal is not only to make sure that the budget is publicly available, but also to ensure that it is accessible and open for citizen engagement.”
If enacted, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), in coordination with the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and the Commission on Audit (COA), will be tasked to establish the blockchain-based system. All records of the national budget would be uploaded as digital public assets (DPAs), viewable in real time through an online public portal.
Public oversight and citizen access at the core
Aquino emphasized that a blockchain-powered budget system would allow oversight bodies, local governments, and citizens to independently track the flow of funds from allocation to spending.
Speaking at the Manila Tech Summit last month, Aquino underscored that blockchain could serve as a deterrent against corruption.
“No one is crazy enough to put their transactions on blockchain, where every single step of the way will be logged and transparent to every single citizen. But we want to start,” he said.
Blockchain, a decentralized system that stores information across multiple computers, ensures that once data is recorded, it cannot be altered. Each transaction is timestamped and linked to the one before it, creating an immutable chain. For government spending, this could mean that every peso spent is permanently logged and open for verification.
Aquino’s proposal builds on ongoing efforts by the DBM, which launched its own blockchain-based budget document system. The platform, developed with local firms BayaniChain and ExakIT Services, uses the Polygon blockchain to publish immutable versions of Special Allotment Release Orders (SAROs) and Notices of Cash Allocation (NCAs).
According to the implementation briefing shared with CoinGeek, the system allows citizens to scan QR codes or search by agency to verify official budget documents dating back to 2024. Documents from agencies such as the Department of Finance (DOF), Department of Tourism (DOT), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), and State Universities and Colleges are already available.
DBM explained that the system reduces the time for verification from days to minutes and provides independent confirmation of documents without relying solely on internal databases. Immutable records ensure that even if physical copies are tampered with, the blockchain version remains intact.
“Blockchain addresses the authenticity issue by providing independent verification,” DBM noted in its implementation brief.
Aquino pointed out that if the Philippines successfully puts its entire national budget on blockchain, it could be the first country in the world to do so.
“No one is crazy enough to put their transactions on blockchain, where every single step of the way will be logged and transparent to every single citizen. But we want to start,” he said during the Manila Tech Summit.
The senator also framed the proposal as part of a broader democratic push. Through blockchain, he said, collaboration could be enhanced between the Executive and Legislative branches, civil society organizations, and other stakeholders who safeguard public interest.
The DBM has described its ongoing blockchain initiative as the first of its kind in Philippine governance. With budget papers now backed by tamper-proof digital records, the agency envisions integrating blockchain further into public administration under what it calls an “invisible government” framework, where digital tools secure government processes without burdening citizens.
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