Baguio City Mayor Benjamin “Benjie” Magalong has partnered with blockchain firm BayaniChain to launch “GoodGovChain,” a digital governance platform that allows local government units (LGUs) to record budgets, procurement data, and infrastructure projects securely on blockchain.
Built on BayaniChain’s Digital Public Asset (DPA) Framework, powered by Prismo Protocol and Lumen Blockchain-as-a-Service, the system enables citizens to access verified government records through a public dashboard while protecting sensitive data. It uses a hybrid public-private blockchain to ensure entries are permanent and auditable.
“GoodGovChain is the blueprint for verifiable governance, (which is) replicable, auditable, and tamper-evident by default, so citizens can verify the record directly,” said Paul Soliman, CEO of BayaniChain. “Baguio City, the first LGU to adopt it, sets the benchmark in our advocacy for improved accountability in local governance across the Philippines and Southeast Asia.”
The pilot operates in the cloud to support faster implementation and scalability. Although it involves recurring operational costs, BayaniChain said the system is designed to offset expenses through savings from reduced printing, storage, and courier costs, along with faster document retrieval and shorter audit cycles.
GoodGovChain does not replace physical records or financial systems but adds a digital seal that verifies the authenticity of each approved document. This seal ensures that a digital or printed version matches the original record. The platform runs on Polygon’s proof-of-stake network, which uses less energy than older blockchain systems and helps minimize paper use and logistics requirements.
The launch aligns with Senator Bam Aquino’s proposed “Blockchain the Budget” bill, which aims to use blockchain to monitor the national budget from allocation to disbursement. The initiative in Baguio demonstrates how the technology can be applied in both national agencies and LGUs.
“One of the basic principles of good governance is transparency, and the use of blockchain will allow us to be transparent, especially in our government transactions, financial transactions, and infrastructure projects,” said Magalong. “What is very important here is the security of all these documents and transactions, and the only way we’ll be able to truly have open data is to ensure everything is placed on blockchain before publishing it.”
He added that the system allows the city to open its data confidently, without concerns about tampering or hacking, and that Baguio will encourage other LGUs promoting transparency to consider adopting the technology.