MANILA– The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) said the use of blockchain technology in the General Appropriations Act (GAA) will ensure that government financial records remain verifiable, traceable, and auditable over time.

DICT cybersecurity official Julius Gorospe said on Tuesday, January 20, that blockchain technology is designed to strengthen transparency and oversight in government records.

“At its core, the initiative is designed to make government records verifiable, traceable, and auditable over time. Once information is recorded, any subsequent change leaves a permanent, visible trail. This strengthens institutional oversight and supports the work of auditors, oversight bodies, and the public,” Gorospe said.

The official said that while blockchain does not guarantee absolute security, it addresses governance challenges by preventing the undetected alteration or erasure of official financial records.

“This model reflects institutional checks and balances. No single agency controls the ledger, and any attempt to improperly alter records would require coordinated action across multiple institutions, making misconduct significantly harder to conceal,” he added.

Gorospe said blockchain will function as a verification and audit layer and will not replace existing safeguards. He stressed that blockchain functions as a verification and audit layer that complements, rather than replaces, existing safeguards such as internal controls, access management, cybersecurity monitoring, and investigative processes.

The DICT said integrating blockchain technology into the national government’s GAA will make the Philippines the first country in Asia, and the first in the world, to implement a fully on-chain national budget.

DICT Secretary Henry Rhoel Aguda earlier announced that the 2026 General Appropriations Act will receive a permanent Digital Seal of Truth, an official copy that can be verified by anyone, regardless of how much time has passed.

“This means the people’s money has a permanent digital receipt. It cannot be changed. It cannot be manipulated. And while other countries only use blockchain for portions of their budget, the Philippines will complete this year as the first country to put the entire budget cycle in a tamper-proof system,” Aguda said.

The blockchain system will cover the entire budget process, from approval, spending, and disbursement to reporting, starting with the 2026 GAA.

Dubbed the Digital Bayanihan Chain, the initiative is a collaboration among the DICT, Congress, and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to ensure that government budgets remain transparent, accurate, and protected from political or historical erasure.

“The system doesn’t just display information. It protects and guards the truth. No single system or person holds the truth. All of us together act like a transparency server similar to elections,” Aguda concluded.

The DICT noted that the blockchain will serve as an integrity layer, with data accessible to the public and citizen action groups to track government spending.