A new Senate bill aims to overhaul government transparency by placing the entire national budget on a blockchain system, allowing every peso of public spending to be tracked in real time by the public.
Filed by Senator Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV, Senate Bill No. 1330 or the “National Budget Blockchain Act” seeks to prevent corruption and misuse of public funds—especially in the wake of controversies surrounding so-called “ghost” flood control projects worth billions.
“Ang mga pondong nawala sa mga ghost flood control projects sana nakapagtayo ng mga silid-aralan,” Aquino said, pointing to the country’s massive classroom shortage, with over 166,000 classrooms still unbuilt.
The measure proposes a blockchain-based digital ledger—permanent, transparent, and tamper-proof—to be developed by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) in coordination with the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and the Commission on Audit (COA).
“’Yung digitalization, kung gagawin nang tama, magreresulta ito sa mas mahusay na pamamahala—na may badyet na mas kaunti ang mga racket, mas kaunti ang mga proyektong alanganin, at talagang nakatuon sa mga bagay na direktang mapupunta sa tao,” he added.
The senator also lamented how the digitization of governance has “stagnated for too long,” despite its potential to eliminate waste and empower citizens.
If passed, the Philippines could become a global pioneer in blockchain-based governance, helping restore public trust by making every centavo of taxpayer money fully visible and verifiable.
