- Philippines launches Integrity Chain to boost transparency in DPWH flood-control projects.
- Survey shows 83% of Filipinos believe blockchain can help fight government corruption.
- Lawmakers propose bills for blockchain budget tracking and strategic Bitcoin reserves.
Massive protests in the Philippines have pushed the government to launch a blockchain transparency system for its Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). The system, Integrity Chain, was introduced on Wednesday, September 25, following demonstrations of more than 130,000 people. Citizens demanded accountability after revelations of corruption in flood control projects worth billions of dollars.
Integrity Chain Aims to Secure Public Spending
Integrity Chain was developed by BayaniChain Ventures as a tamper-proof ledger that records DPWH contracts and project milestones. According to BayaniChain co-founder and CEO Paul Soliman, the platform transforms government records into immutable and verifiable digital public assets.
Soliman added that once expanded beyond the DPWH, the system could safeguard the nation’s $98 billion annual budget. Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon confirmed that corruption-related losses in flood control projects may exceed a trillion pesos.
That figure could surpass the $10 billion allegedly amassed by Ferdinand Marcos Sr. during his dictatorship decades ago. Soliman emphasized that Integrity Chain’s role is to make accountability permanent, measurable, and unavoidable in the management of public funds.
Validators to Monitor Every Record
Similar to a system previously introduced at the Department of Budget and Management, Integrity Chain ingests data directly from DPWH databases. Each contract, budget release, and project milestone is minted as a digital public asset. The orchestration layer, called Prismo, manages data handling, encryption, and validation.
The platform runs on Polygon’s Proof-of-Stake network, an Ethereum-compatible scaling solution used as its consensus and transparency layer. Each record is time-stamped, anchored on-chain, and then submitted to independent validators. According to BayaniChain co-founder and chief growth officer Gelo Wong, this makes manipulation attempts visible rather than hidden.
Validators include civic organizations, non-governmental groups, universities, and media institutions. Their reviews are logged as public records, ensuring transparency. Validator keys are hardware-secured, rotated periodically, and distributed randomly for reviews. Each action is recorded on-chain as its own public asset to detect misconduct or bias.
Public Demands Transparency
Protests that led to the rollout took place on September 21, the anniversary of martial law declared by former President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. Demonstrators showed overpriced contracts, defective construction, and ghost projects within the DPWH’s flood control program.
According to the Australian Institute of International Affairs, more than $33 billion was allocated to flood control initiatives over 15 years. The Integrity Chain launch coincided with survey results released by research firm Tangere earlier this month.
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Conducted on September 4–5, the survey found that 83 percent of Filipinos believe blockchain can combat government corruption. Among respondents familiar with blockchain, 73 percent expressed trust in its security.
Awareness of the pending “Blockchain the Budget” bill reached 89 percent in the survey, with 85 percent supporting its passage. Filed by Senator Bam Aquino as Senate Bill 1330, the proposal seeks to make every peso of the national budget traceable and publicly auditable.
If enacted, the Department of Information and Communications Technology would establish the system alongside the Department of Budget and Management and the Commission on Audit.
Meanwhile, Representative Migz Villafuerte introduced the “Strategic Bitcoin Reserve Act,” calling on the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas to acquire 2,000 BTC annually over five years. At current prices, the plan would create a 10,000 BTC sovereign reserve worth more than $1.1 billion. Villafuerte described Bitcoin as a modern strategic asset, while the bill also mandates quarterly proof-of-reserves disclosures for transparency.
The Integrity Chain launch, nationwide protests, and legislative initiatives indicate a growing demand for accountability in Philippine governance. By placing DPWH contracts, national budget records, and even sovereign Bitcoin reserves on blockchain, authorities aim to address long-standing corruption concerns. These measures suggest a change toward systems where verification depends on public oversight and transparent crypto records.
